Selwyn Times: February 28, 2017

SELWYN TIMES Tuesday February 28 2017 3
News
• By Tom Doudney
THE LITTLE Rakaia Boating
Club is seeking funding to
repair a ramp, breakwater and
surrounding foreshore area
which they say is vital to the
community.
A breakwater and viewing
platform next to the ramp at
Rakaia Huts was wrecked in
a 2008 flood. The wreckage
still sits in the water beside the
ramp it was supposed to protect
and the adjacent riverbank
has continued to wash away.
Ideally, the club would like
to get the area fixed before the
World Jet Boat Marathon in
October as some of the event
takes place on the Rakaia
River.
Little Rakaia Boating Club
president Graeme Patterson
said it was the only registered
boat ramp providing access to
the sea between Timaru and
Akaroa and was an important
place for search and rescue
operations and training.
It was also a popular recreation
area.
“The boat ramp and foreshore
is there for the use of
everyone, it’s not solely for the
boat club members,” Mr Patterson
said.
The cost would be established
once plans were drawn
up but could be more than
$100,000 and the club did not
have the ability to fund the
project itself.
About $100,000 raised by the
boating club and community
over recent years had already
been spent on sheet piling and
hardfill to secure the ramp and
breakwater.
District councillors have
asked staff to produce a report
for their February 8 meeting
on the possibility of providing
funding for the project as part
of the 2017/2018 Annual Plan.
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The report would also look at
whether an existing fund of
$40,000, held by the district
council on behalf of the Rakaia
Huts community, could be
made available to cover design
work.
Councillor Pat McEvedy
(left) said Environment
Canterbury
now
had the ability
to engineer the
river mouth in
an emergency
situation,
lessening the chance that the
ramp would be damaged again
in future floods.
“I feel a lot more confident
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Funding needed
for Rakaia Huts boat ramp
AMY ADAMS
MP FOR SELWYN
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nine bands.
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NEEDING REPAIR:
The Rakaia Huts
breakwater and
viewing platform
were badly
damaged in a
2008 flood.
PHOTO: PAM
WILLIAMSON
now that the damage will not
reoccur, although you can
never promise anything with
nature,” he said.
Cr Jeff Bland said many
people would view a boat
ramp as a means to play sport
and while much money was
invested in facilities for “traditional”
sports such as rugby
and football, “precious little”
was spent on other activities
such as boating.
Mr Patterson said that once
the ramp was fixed, the club
would be able to cover most
minor maintenance costs
through the money it received
from subscriptions and boat
ramp fees.
ON THE DOMAIN LINCOLN 4 March 2017
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In Brief
Live in Lincoln
PIT PLANTING
Malvern Community Board member
Kerry Pauling will approach the
district council about planting out a
roadside pit in Springfield with native
trees. He was requested to do so by the
Springfield Township Committee. The
pit is on Tramway Rd, beside the fire
station on district council land.
GARDEN AWARDS
The Presentation of awards for
the Rolleston residents’ garden
competition will take place on
Monday at The Rock Rolleston.
TAI TAPU SCHOOL 150TH
Anyone wishing to attend Tai
Tapu School’s 150th anniversary
celebrations, March 10-12,
should email their interest to
150thregistration@taitapu.school.nz
or register at www.taitapu.schoo.nz
BRAIDED RIVERS
Significant rule changes signal good
news for Canterbury’s braided rivers,
Environment Canterbury says. Plan
Change 4 of the Land and Water
Regional Plan is now operative.
Among other things, it strengthens
rules regarding removal of vegetation
from braided river beds and defines
those beds to make it easier to
understand how to comply with the
stock exclusion rules.
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