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In this edition of Clutha District Council E-Newsletter:

Annual Report 2008/09 adopted

Council has adopted its Annual Report 2008/09, capping off a busy financial year.

Mayor Juno Hayes says that a considerable amount of work during the year went into the development of the Long Term Plan 2009-19.

Mayor Hayes says Council appreciates the large amount of public feedback received through consultation on the plan, which has helped set a clear direction and some exciting projects for the district over the next few years.

Mayor Hayes says several major infrastructure projects also progressed during the year.

These included the sealing of the Karoro Creek/Ahuriri Flat roads, initiation of the new Waipahi Rural Water Scheme, obtaining over $2 million in central government funding for water upgrades in Balclutha, Kaitangata, Lawrence and Tapanui, and completion of the long awaited Dryden St stormwater diversion at Milton.

Other initiatives already in place to help make Clutha a better place to live also continued throughout 2008/09.

This included Council’s support of youth through the Youth Council and the Youth Coordinator, support of community groups and volunteers through the Community Coordinator, sports and recreation via the Sports Coordinator, and promotion of the district through the Clutha Country branding all helped contribute to a positive and vibrant community.

The year also presented challenges such as keeping up with changes in legislation and regulations, and responding to the global financial crisis.

A full copy of the Annual Report and/or Annual Report Summary are available on our website by clicking here or by contacting your nearest Council office or Service Centre.

Anyone wanting to gain a better understanding of what services Council delivers to the community, and how this went over the past year, is encouraged to have a read through the Annual Report.

Repairs for Tuapeka Mouth ferry

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. Tenders for the repair work closed in September, with the lowest preferred tender coming in at 93% above estimate and the allocated annual budget.

The $95,000 is the minimum required to get the ferry back in the water by mid-November and keep it operational until 2012/13. In will 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.

At last week’s Council meeting (22 October), 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.

From a roading authority perspective, the ferry is facing $800,000 in repairs and maintenance over the next decade, which on a user-pay basis works 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 has 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.

Glass ban confirmed for Kaka Point

Council has confirmed the Kaka Point Community Group’s request for a two-month glass ban for the town’s foreshore this summer.

The ban on the possession of glass drinking vessels or containers will be in force over the foreshore adjoining the Esplanade from the intersection with Rata St to the intersection with Karoro Creek Rd, from 1 December 2009 to 31 January 2010. Moana St will also be included in the glass ban from 30 December 2009 to 2 January 2010 inclusive.

The request for the glass ban came from the Kaka Point Community Group, which is proactive in organising community events over the summer period. The group is concerned that broken glass on the foreshore area has been a major safety hazard in the past and has interfered with people’s enjoyment of the area.

The glass ban differs from an alcohol ban in that people can still enjoy canned beer or casqued wine etc. 

Education sector representative for Development Board

Balclutha School Principal Paddy Ford has been appointed as the first education sector representative on the Clutha District Development Board.

Formerly known as the Economic Development Board, the board renamed itself the District Development Board in 2006 to reflect its broadening role. In July this year, the Board reviewed its membership and decided that as there was a growing emphasis on activities including youth development, education and careers planning, that representation from the education sector on the Board would be an advantage.

Subsequently, Council wrote a letter of invitation to the South Otago Principals’ Association who nominated Paddy Ford, principal of Balclutha Primary School, as its representative.

The Board’s membership now consists of nine members. They include two Council representatives,  Board Chairman Cr Jeff Seymour and Cr Hamish Anderson, six business representatives in Richard Davison, Rob Hewett, Mervyn Jones, Joanna Lowrey, Jim Robertson and David Vollweiler, and Mr Ford as the education sector representative. 

Various funding applications now being called for

Opportunities in education, sports and the arts abound as Council calls for applications to three of the funding schemes it administers.

The Tuapeka County Bursary is available to young people who reside in the former Tuapeka County area including the Lawrence, Roxburgh and Tapanui townships.  It is designed to assist them with their attendance at tertiary education institutes, with a minimum bursary of $1,000 is available each year. Applications for the 2009 Tuapeka County Bursary close on Friday 4 December 2009.

The Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC) Rural Travel Fund is designed to provide a travel subsidy to organisations participating in a local sporting competition. It is targeted at rural school teams and rural sports clubs with young people aged 5-19 years. Applications for the 2008/09 SPARC Rural Travel Fund close on Friday 4 December 2009.

The Creative Communities NZ Funding Scheme runs four funding rounds a year and is designed to increase access and participation in the arts through the support of local activities. Applications for the second round of Creative Communities NZ funding for 2009/10 close on Monday 30 November 2009.  

Anyone wanting more information on any of these funding schemes, including application forms, should call us on 03 419 0200, visit their nearest Service Centre or visit the Council website by clicking here.

Youth Council favours ‘two-ages’ approach to purchasing alcohol

The Clutha District Youth Council supports rasing the age for purchasing alcohol at off-licence premises to 20 years, while retaining the age of purchase at on-licence premises at 18 years.

The ‘two-ages’ approach is one of several proposals in the Law Commission’s Review on the Sale and Supply of Liquor, which the Youth Council supports.

The Commission has undertaken the Review in response to growing public concerns about the hams associated with the misuse of alcohol.

In is submission to the Commission, the Youth Council said that allowing people aged 18 to purchase alcohol in licensed venues such as bars and restaurants would encourage an introduction to alcohol in a controlled environment.  

“”Drinks are likely to be more expensive in bars and restaurants, so youth are less likely to get intoxicated and if they do, they will no longer be able to be served,” the submission says. “At 18, you need your independence to go out with your friends and not still have to be asking your parents to buy you some drinks.”

Problems seemed to originate at parties where drinkers, some of them underage, had become intoxicated in an uncontrolled environment. For that reason, the Youth Council supports raising the age of purchasing alcohol at off-licence premises to 20 years.

The Youth Council also supported the idea of a ‘one way door policy’ at pubs and clubs, where once people left a venue after a certain time, they would not be allowed to enter any other venues. “This should result in the ‘troublemakers’ going home,” the submission said.

More restrictions on advertising alcohol and more education on the consequences of binge drinking were also required.

“The attitude to drinking in New Zealand needs to change. We need to pull away from the binge drinking culture to a culture where we can enjoy alcohol without overdoing it,” the submission said.

Youth Council concludes year

The Clutha District’s first ever Youth Council has completed its second year in office, with the last meeting for the year held on 12 October 2008.

Mayor Juno Hayes thanked those outgoing Youth Councillors – Chairperson Vicki Philip (workplace representative), Charles Blair (South Otago High School), Jake Faber (Tokomairiro High School), Deputy Chairperson Farryn Crawford (Blue Mountain College), and Nicole Ford and Rosa McPhee (Catlins Area School) – for their contributions.

Schools will now be running their own elections and a workplace representative will be selected to replace those departing Youth Councillors for 2010.

Online Community Directory

The Community Directory lists about 300 groups, committees, sports teams, and associations from throughout the district.

If the contact details of your sports club or community organisation have recently changed, please email your updated details to jamie.shaw@cluthadc.govt.nz so we can keep the online Community Directory up-to-date.

The Community Directory can be viewed on our website by clicking here.

Upcoming Meetings

Don’t forget to check out the Events page on the district www.cluthacountry.co.nz website for a comprehensive list of upcoming community events.

Clutha District Council

1 Rosebank Terrace

Po Box 25,Balclutha

(03) 419 0200

www.cluthadc.govt.nz