Friday 23 October 2009

Repairs for Tuapeka Mouth ferry

The Clutha District Council will allocate $95,000 for the immediate repairs of the Tuapeka Mouth Ferry, however some councillors have raised questions about the vessel’s long-term viability.

The ferry has been out of the water since July this year after inspections revealed it required major repairs.

Chief Executive Charles Hakkaart said tenders for the repair work closed in September, with the lowest preferred tender coming in at 93% above estimate and the allocated annual budget.

Mr Hakkaart said the $95,000 was the minimum required to get the ferry back in the water by mid-November and keep it operational until 2012/13. In would result, however, in the load capacity of the punt being reduced to a combination of two motor vehicles (combined weight of 4 tonnes) and 29 passengers.

Council’s other option was to undertake full repairs to the ferry at an estimated cost of $200,000 in order to provide a hassle free operation without reduced capacity until 2012/13. However, this option would likely have resulted in other bridge maintenance work around the district being reprioritised to accommodate the ferry repair costs.

Several councillors said they were reluctant for Council to spend any money on the ferry as figures indicated it was not a major tourist attraction and was no longer viable as a roading asset.

Cr Hamish Anderson noted the vast majority of ferry users over the past year were utes (1,226 utes of 1,619 total vehicles), which did not indicate high tourist use.

Mr Hakkaart said that from a roading authority perspective, the ferry was facing $800,000 in repairs and maintenance over the next decade, which on a user-pay basis worked out to about $50 per vehicle crossing or $22 per passenger.

Mayor Juno Hayes said any decision on whether to decommission the ferry service would require consultation with the community.

Council agreed to spend the $95,000 required to get the ferry back in the water, with reduced load capacity, by mid-November, while consultation will be carried out through the next Long Term Plan process in 2012 to determine its long-term future.

ENDS