Our Council: e-newsletter

Clutha District Councillors approved additional funding of $200,000 towards the next stage of the Destination Playground at Centennial and Naish Park at yesterday’s Council Meeting. 

The Naish Park Trust advised Council that they have been unsuccessful with their funding request for a Lotteries Community Facilities funding grant of $500,000 towards the playground project. 

Lotteries informed the Trust that they felt the gap between the playground project budget and the approved funding was too large. 

The Trust said in a letter to Council that they were disappointed, given the success of the Junior Bike Park and the recently constructed Dog Park. 

The Trust advised Council that since the Lotteries Grant had been declined, they had revised the overall budget and reduced it from $1.77 million to $1.2 million. Noting the additional play items, barbecues and shade sails could be added back later. 

In agreeing to fund the project Council acknowledged that for the Naish Park project to progress Council’s initial round of funding of $260,000 would be insufficient and acknowledged that a further round of funding would be requested. 

Council’s position was that it could make a decision to support this project as long as there were no rates impacts. Therefore Council approved the funding via the Council’s 2020/21 Investment Reserve Surplus, ($43,410) and General Reserve ($515,000). 

As the Trust also said that they planned to reapply later in the year and were recently started their corporate sponsorship campaign to help fund the project.

The final Our Place Kaitangata Community Plan has been adopted by Council with two amendments. The amendments relate to project 3, the Kaitangata Pool, regarding upgrades that were needed and the funding of them and project 6 the Public Toilets, with consideration as to whether the existing pedestrian crossing at Exmouth Street should be relocated to a safer and more convenient position.

 Since 2016 the Clutha District Council has been working on developing community plans for the Clutha District. It is one of the ways Council asks people what they want for their locality, what projects they want prioritised, and how Council could support the community with their own projects. 

 Once a Community Plan is approved by Council the real work begins to bring the aspirations of these Community Plans to fruition, which takes work, time and community support.

The Kaitangata Community Pool is looked after by a pool committee made up of local Kaitangata residents who have been successfully operating and maintaining the pool for the benefit of all residents and visitors. The pool has been identified in the ‘Our Place Kaitangata’ project as one of the priorities that the community would like to see developed. 

There are currently a variety of maintenance issues including leakage from the pool which has been identified as defective pipework going to and from the pool and issues with the state of the filtration plant which needed an upgrade. 

The pool committee had written to Council asking them to fund the defective pipework and to upgrade the filtration plant because the pool was still an asset owned by Council. 

At the meeting Council agreed that staff be directed to work with the Committee to identify immediate repairs and work with them to implement a maintenance programme with any consequent funding to be funded from the Kaitangata Pool Depreciation Reserve and Kaitangata Pool Special Reserve.

Council has agreed to support the Kaitangata Build Trust by purchasing three sections in Catherine Street, Kaitangata for $20,000 per section, and will help fund minor development work of up to $30,000 in total, under the Kaitangata House and Land Package mechanism. 

 The Kaitangata Build Trust had not intended to request this of Council but due to another funding partner withdrawing their funds, they needed Council’s support. 

Council is currently completing two building projects under the Kaitangata House and Land Package approvals. One house at 36A Wyre Street has the new owners taking possession Friday 30 July 2021. The second house at 24 St Catherine Street has started and is progressing. 

The Kai Build Trust is also asking Council to take over this project including purchasing the sections under Council’s Kai House and Land Package provisions, at least for the next two years. 

This request contemplates two building projects per year which was consistent with the current approvals. However, this request had to come to Council for decision as the request was to prepurchase the three sections necessary to progress building projects that have already started the design and development stage, and for which several house buyers are available. 

These projects are rates neutral, meaning Council recovers the cost of the builds and the finance cost in the final sale and purchase agreements on handover of completed builds. 

 This decision was consistent with Council’s Outcome of “Vibrant Rural Towns and Communities” and the Key Priority Area of “Enough Quality Housing” and consistent with the Living and Working Strategy and the Housing Strategy. 

Council have approved $2,100 to contribute towards a new connection paid for out of Council reserves. 

Representatives from the Tapanui Playcentre spoke at a West Otago Community Board meeting in May about a historical issue they had with their facility being connected to the stormwater system, rather than the reticulated sewerage system. 

The local playcentre was charged $5,525.10+GST by their parent organisation, which was half of the cost of the physical sewerage connection. At their last meeting in July the Community Board resolved to grant $2,100 including GST from their Project Funds to the Tapanui Playcentre. 

Council now has an active programme district- wide of identifying such incorrect connections and requiring rectification. The financial responsibility of rectification is the landowners.

Council agreed to the partial road stopping unformed part of the legal road reserve associated with the property located at 348 Catlins Valley Road. 

Gary and Adele Dawkins asked Council for the part stopping of an unformed area of Catlins Valley Road and part of the oversized unformed legal road adjacent to the Catlins River, associated with their property. 

The unformed legal road to be stopped had no Council utilities associated with it and as the area was serviced by the formed Catlins Valley Road, with sufficient legal road reserve remaining for Catlins Valley Road to negate any road safety concerns in relation to the current location of the accommodation units. 

The report said there was no impact on river access, the unformed legal road to be stopped was deemed superfluous to Council needs. 

As it was a road stopping in a rural area, it was a further legal requirement that the consent from the Minister of Land Information is obtained, which was completed on 26 March 2021. 

Council has received no objections to the proposed Road Stopping.

Council agreed to the legalisation of a section of Wangaloa Road, and the part road stopping of the unformed legal roads associated with Council’s properties fronting Wangaloa Road, Reid Street, Branksea Street and Saint Albans Street in Kaitangata. 

While there were no objections received relating to the Road Stopping of Section 1 and Section 2, there were concerns with regards to Section 3 and Section 4. 

Nearby residents had concerns with reduced usable physical access onto Wangaloa Road from their property. 

As part of the Public Works Act, Council has agreed to a minor realigned from what was proposed which is in agreement with the adjacent property owners who had concerns, and the Survey Plan is to be adjusted accordingly. 

This proposal was the direct result of a historical encroachment of Wangaloa Road onto private land (Ministry of Education) and Council owned land and the on-sale of Council owned land. 

This process raised further potential for the stopping of adjacent unformed legal roads, where these unformed legal roads are deemed superfluous to Council requirements.

Deputy Mayor Stuart Cowie and Clutha District Council councillors and staff warmly welcomed nine new NZ citizens to the Clutha District at a ceremony held yesterday. 

New citizens pictured: Kira Lorna Grinton (England), Elsa Jane O’Sullivan (Australia), Deon Nico Vosloo (South Africa) and Tili Leaana, Anitelea Lafaele Peti, Riyah Anitelea, Saoloto Taualagi Lafaele, Iuliana Anitelea and Anthony Anitelea (Samoa). 

Council approved updated budgets for Capital Projects to be delivered in the 2021-28 Long Term Plan. 

 Some listed were adopted in the Annual Plan for 2020/21 but were not completed prior to the end of the Annual Plan and are now required for completion in the Long-Term Plan. 

Listed below is the project, how much existing budget there is, the expenditure to date and the carry forward to the new financial year. If there is no amount specified as a carry forward, it is the difference between existing budget, minus the expenditure. 

Note: “B” stands for Existing Budget to end of 2020-21, “E” stands for Expenditure to Date and “CF” stands for Carry Forward. 

- Urban Water Treatment Compliance upgrades B $500,000 – E $88,518
- Lawrence Water Treatment Plant upgrades B $70,000 – E $29,911
- Kaitangata Water Treatment Plant (change plant operation, control system and install new equipment) B $298,000 – E $145,741 
- North Bruce Water Treatment Plant upgrade B $800,000 – E $219,089 
- Moa Flat Water Treatment Plant upgrade B $775,000 - E $205,016
- Glenkenich Water Treatment Plant Renewal B $1,430,000 – E $396,709
- Community Housing (Balclutha and Argyle Street to meet Healthy Homes Standard) B $35,420 -E Nil
- Owaka pipeline renewals programme B $10,000 - E $1,050
- Small town water metering (to meet consent requirements) B $60,000 - E $13,236
- Moa Flat Haughs Booster Pump Station renewals B $61,000 - E $6,413
- Moa Flat Keasts Booster Pump Station renewals B $5,000 – E Nil
- Clydevale Rural Water Scheme (additional bore) B $150,000 – E $100,950
- Clydevale Rural Water Scheme (zone metering) B $20,000 - E $642
- Balclutha Pump Station renewals B $60,000 – E Nil
- Balclutha Gypsy Pump Station renewals B $20,000 - E $1,741
- Balclutha Koau Pump Station renewals B $40,000 – E Nil
- Balclutha Streetscape Stage 2 (used with the Community Hub works outside the immediate area) B $260,000
- E $107,217 - Urban Water Milton Water Treatment Plant (access and sludge improvements) B $90,000 – E $54,448
- North Bruce Water Take Resource Consents renewal B $60,000 – E $3,448
- Stormwater Tapanui Paterson's Creek lower catchment improvements (project will be confirmed or rescoped) B $125,000– E $47,369
- Rosebank Balclutha Admin Office renewals B $2,330,000 - E $1,004,756
- Urban Water Loss Management (additional monitoring) B $228,000 - E $72,082
- Richardson South priority pipeline renewals B $733,000 – E $207,075- CF $100,000
- Stormwater Network Milton Paddock Contour B $50,000 – E Nil
- Stormwater Milton Dryden Street Bypass B $10,000 – E Nil
- Richardson North pipeline renewals B $440,000 – E $153,160
- Mt Cooee Landfill B $1,100,000 – E $202,407
- Milton Service Centre Library Pool Community Facility (Service Centre/Library component) B $293,000 – E $122,86
- Balclutha Memorial Hall (revised project) B $200,000 - E $54,813
- Balclutha Destination Toilets B $550,000 – E $138,614
- Milton Destination Toilets B $550,000 – E $185,288
- Balclutha Water Treatment Plant upgrade (install post filter pH adjustment) B $10,000 – E $959
- Waihola pipeline renewals programme B $60,000 – E Nil
- Sewerage Removal of Sludge from Oxidation Pond (desludging) B $295,000 - E $57,302
- Lawrence Sewer Line Extension (Gabriels Gully Road) B $202,400 – E $87,342
- Stormwater Heriot South Roxburgh Street Upgrade B $25,000 – E $902
- Lawrence Stormwater Projects (projects were were uncertain as to problem and solution and funding will be used for a stormwater report on the Lawrence network) B $65,000 – E Nil
- Stormwater Papatowai Alexandra Street upgrade B $90,000 – E Nil.
- The Hub Pump Station B $50,000 – E $9,650 

Contract 820 – Pavement Rehabilitation 2020/21 has been awarded to Andrew Haulage 2011 Ltd, $436,695.73. 

Only two conforming tenders were received. The engineer’s estimate was $312,000, however the increased cost can be explained by the increase in material cost, as there has been an approximate 47% increase in cost over the last year and it is continuing to rise. 

There is also a high demand for this type of work, meaning there are less contractor resources available to undertake the work, and this is driving up the labour cost. 

Andrew Haulage 2011 Ltd have undertaken this type of work for us in the past, and they are a locally based and owned contractor.