Selwyn Times: August 01, 2017

SELWYN TIMES Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Tuesday August 1 2017 13
Your Local Views
Reserve status changing
Rolleston
Reserve
Management
Committee
chairman
Jens
Christensen
writes about
the district
council declining its
request to manage Foster
Park
The Rolleston Reserve
Management Committee has
been delegated the management
and maintenance of Rolleston
Reserve, Brookside Park and the
Foster Dog Park by the district
council.
Very unfortunately, the district
council declined to allow the
committee the right to manage
Foster Park and this duty has
fallen to council managers and
subcontracted maintenance
works.
This is in total opposition to
the strong request from the management
committee to manage
Foster Park and in essence the
ratepaying people of Rolleston
(who have funded the development
and ongoing maintenance)
have no voice in its operation or
running.
The committee is made up of
public representatives and all of
the sports codes and user groups
using the three reserves that it
manages.
The committee also manages
its full-time and part-time caretaking
staff who are responsible
for grounds bookings, cleaning
on a daily basis three public toilets
(365 days per year), turf care,
weed spraying, tree trimming,
vandalism and rubbish collection
and disposal.
We always welcome members
of the public to sit on our committee
and assist with the governance
of the reserves.
The list of users is almost
endless but includes rugby (482
players), dog club (120 members),
scouts (141 members plus 20
leaders), playcentre, athletics (210
members), netball (340 members),
tennis, cricket, softball,
baseball, rugby league, summer
touch rugby.
Also the grounds regularly
host cancer relay for life, school
athletic sports, teddy bear
picnics, circus, and the Selwyn
Sports Trust combined primary
schools eight week winter sports.
Rolleston Reserve houses
the youth park and along with
Brookside Park a junior playground.
Rolleston Reserve’s status is
changing to make way for the
new Town Centre Master Plan
(all of the fields fronting Tennyson
St will disappear), and as
such we are unable to plan for
the extension of the youth park
at this time.
The youth park is an important
place for youth to hang out with
their peers and away from their
parents and siblings.
While there is a destination
playground and youth park being
built at Foster Park, the youth
facility in Rolleston Reserve will
continue to be of tremendous
importance as it will always be in
the centre of the commercial area
and close to the shops.
CLUTTERED: A large pile of rubbish dumped on Finlays Rd,
West Melton, is one of several reports of fly-tipping received
by the district council in the past month.
We said
The rubbish collection
system is under scrutiny as
the district council works
to stop illegal rubbish
dumping
You said
Debbie Goldsmith
– Rubbish dumping is far too
expensive in New Zealand. I’m
not surprised there is fly-tipping
. . . it’s not a case of people being
lazy, simply not being able to afford
to dump their rubbish.
Heather Wilkins – We go to
the dump and we pay. Recycling
is free. Its not like people go to
the dump everyday unless you
are a business. Never heard of
the word fly-tipping before.
John White – I see so much
rubbish along the side of the
roads in the country these days
and most of it is from people
eating a snack then leaving their
rubbish on the grass berm. Time
to put a stop to these people that
think this is okay.
•Turn to page 14
Major upgrade to Russley Road/Memorial Avenue intersection
The Russley Road/Memorial Avenue temporary roundabout will be removed
in early August and replaced with a new intersection with traffic lights.
EXPECT
DELAYS
4-6 AUG
The permanent change means traffic will be able to
travel to and from Christchurch International
Airport, under the new Gateway Bridge, for the first
time. It will also allow the project team to complete
the new road on top of the bridge, bringing them a
step closer to completing the upgrade.
New road signage
People travelling through the intersection will
need to pay close attention to the new signage
to ensure their vehicle is in the right lane.
Please be courteous to other drivers who will
also be getting used to the change.
Lengthy delays at Russley Road/Memorial Avenue intersection
While this is an exciting milestone there will be delays
of up to 20 minutes while the changes take place on
4-6 August.
If you’re travelling to the airport leave extra time to get
there or take an alternative route to avoid the work site.
People coming from the north can turn off at
Harewood Road and those coming from the south can
use the new Southern Airport Access (see map).
HAREWOOD
RD
SH1 RUSSLEY RD
NORTH
ORCHARD ROAD
Worksite
TO CITY
MEMORIAL
AVE
RON GUTHERY RD
TO AIRPORT
AVONHEAD RD
SYD
BRADLEY
RD
GEORGE
BELLEW RD
ROAD
CLOSED
Route from south
Route from north
SOUTH
For more information about this work and to view the new road layout: www.nzta.govt.nz/russley-road
Russley Road upgrade