Councillor Comment

 

With Otamatea Ward Councillor Jonathan Larsen

It has been a busy summer so far, with a lot of Council related issues to deal with.

Water shortage
The ongoing drought and demand for domestic water has resulted in the output of some local bores running down. Water takes are an NRC consenting issue, but I have been working with local bore owners and water delivery operators to try to find ways to expedite consents so that those waiting for water can have it delivered more quickly.

Cames Rd
Many ratepayers are continuing to express concerns about Cames Road, and in particular the steep, single lane middle section. This is a legacy issue resulting from subdivisions at both ends of the road being linked without a proper upgrade of the linkage ever being completed. With the Insley Street bridge coming up for repair in March, residents are concerned that much of the traffic will be diverted through Cames Road. Council was recently awarded $27 million from the government's Provincial Growth Fund (PGF). I am advancing the proposal that some of this funding should be used to bring Cames Road up to standard.

Devich Road
I have also been approached about the safety of Devich Road which is also being subjected to increasing traffic volumes through multiple subdivisions. In a manner similar to Cames Road, there has been a large amount of subdivision but a rough metalled section has been left in the middle. The state of the road is poor with large areas of exposed clay and bad corrugations. I am including this along with Cames Road in my proposal to have this section upgraded using some of the PGF grant.

Insley Street bridge
The Insley Street bridge repairs are scheduled for March. I have been approached with a proposal to use this opportunity to include a pedestrian bridge in the redesign. The proposal has received a lot of public support and would complement the implementation of a proper Kea crossing opposite the school which was approved last year. The normal funding arrangement with central government is that Council pays 39 per cent and NZTA pays 61 per cent. There is however an additional special funding assistance rate of a further 20 per cent available for safety works that can be applied for. If such an application was successful Council would then only need to come up with 19 per cent of the cost. I have taken this proposal to Council's staff to see if we can capitalise on this opportunity in a timely manner. 

 If you have any community projects or issues that you would like assistance with, I can be contacted on 021 185 8389 or Cr.Larsen@kaipara.govt.nz. Check out my ‘The WorkBoot Councillor’ Facebook page for regular updates.

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this column are those of the writer and do not represent the consensus position of Council.