Pegasus Post: April 03, 2018

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4 Tuesday April 3 2018 Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi PEGASUS POST Your Local Views Give suburbs an opportunity to re-establish Coastal- Burwood Community Board member Linda Stewart talks about the need for more community facilities LAST YEAR the Coastal- Burwood Community Board engaged an independent researcher to undertake a needs analysis study to assess community facility requirements for the Burwood-Coastal Ward. This excellent study tool provided us opinions from all community organisations and pointed to gaps in provision of community centres. It was no surprise to me that the suburbs of Dallington, Avondale and Burwood showed a serious lack in community meeting facilities. Pre-earthquakes, these communities had no meeting facilities. Post-earthquakes the likelihood of ever having their own meeting places diminished along with the population decrease due to residential redzoning. It’s been a painfully slow process discovering what the residential red zone offers those fringe-suburbs (and the city) through the Regenerate Christchurch organisation, which was set up four years ago to scope viable projects. A huge undertaking, which is expected to make a final selection of projects by year-end, and a catalyst for real growth for the city. However, funding sources are not known but could come from council, Government, joint or private/public partnerships. While that is mostly out of our hands, I feel we have to provide community facilities for those suburbs to give them opportunities to re-establish as a community. What your community board can plan for is what the needs analysis study pointed to, the need for an areawide community facility. EMPTY: The former Burwood School site which Coastal-Burwood Community Board member Linda Stewart hopes can be used to build a community facility. The most logical location is on the decommissioned Burwood Primary School hall site. It is the only site that could service those suburbs and is currently in Ministry of Education possession and scheduled for sale. I am advocating for funding allocation in the city council’s Long Term Plan to purchase this partial-site, including a buildfund for a community centre and car parking. With a study showing us evidence of the need, the board should use this tool wisely to help those communities become enabled communities. FOR THE SMARTEST DEALS IN SPORTSWEAR Visit Dress-Smart Christchurch, for all your favourite Gym & Sportswear Brands. We’ve got incredible deals to help you set your new personal best for shopping. Get the home advantage for Gym & Sportswear at Dress-Smart Christchurch. Sign up to Smart Deals & be in the monthly draw for a $100 Dress-Smart gift card! CHRISTCHURCH 409 Main South Road, Hornby Open 10am-5pm, 7 Days 03 349 5750 www.dress-smart.co.nz
PEGASUS POST Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi Tuesday April 3 2018 5 News Call to rid river of hazards • By Sophie Cornish Dorothee Pauli NATURAL hazards and rubbish are causing congestion, accidents and near misses for more than 800 rowers and paddlers who use the Avon River near Kerrs Reach. Plants called flag iris, geese, weeds, trees and water quality are all issues Union Rowing Club president Dorothee Pauli would like addressed in an “ideal world” to improve health and safety on the river. “We are grappling with natural hazards and the flag irises are chief among them. They detach from the side of the banks and cause free-flowing islands, they change position all the time and people collide with them. They trap rubbish also, making the islands even bigger.” Loose weeds are not able to drain away properly as they are getting caught in the plant islands. The iris, which Ms Pauli believes are often waist-height or higher, make visibility difficult. “For me as a coach, the worst PROBLEMS: Union Rowing Club president Dorothee Pauli is calling for action to combat natural hazards, such as flag iris plants, which are causing problems for Avon River users. PHOTO: GILBERT WEALLEANS thing is that they reduce visibility, sometimes I can’t see my crews and we are supposed to supervise them at all times.” City council acting manager land drainage Tim Joyce said it has not carried out any mechanical removal of flag iris this year. However, it has undertaken a more targeted spraying programme. “Getting equipment to these sites is very difficult, either due to the reach required or wet and unstable banks,” he said. “Flag iris is a pest plant and we get our contractor to spray it wherever we encounter it, not just limited to the Avon River. This is only done at certain times of the year when it is most effective.” Ms Pauli said several groups such as rowers, paddlers, and other recreational river users are having to adhere to strict rules to avoid collisions. “We have already looked at safety issues in terms of the rules of the river, how the traffic should flow, who goes where, how to overtake, it is difficult to enforce, but we are trying.” The flag iris’ reduce lane width in the river, taking 1-2m on each side, said Ms Pauli. Growing numbers of geese are a difficulty with their faeces covering the pontoons used at Kerrs Reach. “We have to clean them all the time and it all just goes into the Avon . . . it’s endangering our health,” said Ms Pauli. Concerns about the state of the trees on the river banks are also an issue. In January, a Shirley Boys’ High School rowing boat was crushed by a rotten 30m tree, with the crew narrowly avoiding injury. The congestion has caused accidents in the past. Late last year a single skull rower was run over by a boys eight boat, causing a rescue operation, bad back injury and a boat to be written off. Local News Now Fire rages, homes at risk Felled trees in Rawhiti Domain used for play area THE TREES felled at Rawhiti Domain due to safety concerns have been used to form a small natural children’s play area near the Keyes Rd entrance. City council approached the Guardians of Rawhiti group to ask if it could use the logs and stumps to form a play area in the domain after the trees were brought down on March 13. “It was all quite short notice and an opportunity we just grabbed. This was a case of seizing the moment, to make use of what we were loosing, to create a fun area with material that is naturally in the domain. It gives people an idea of the type of play area which could be extended into the tree grove area,” said Guardians of Rawhiti member Ruthie Gareth. The city council has put up a sign asking people not to remove the logs following an incident in June when logs reserved for a play area were chopped up and taken by members of the public. Best Motorbuys TM Spoil your mum this Mother’s day ANYTHING WITH A MOTOR! The South Island’s leading motoring publication FREE every Friday at hundreds of locations around the South Island, and it’s available online! www.bestmotorbuys.co.nz foR aPPointMentS Phone 03 348 7910 | www.feetfiRSt.co.nz For advertising enquiries, ph Lea Godfrey 021 277 3086 RiccaRton 37 Main South Road RedcliffS 2 augusta Street MaRShlandS 427 Marshland Road daRfield darfield Pharmacy $10 PIE, MASH, PEAS AND GRAVY STEAK & MURPHY'S MOROCCAN LAMB PORK AND APPLE CHEESE & SPINACH 03 260 0325 - Cnr of Worcester St & Stanmore Road
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Pegasus Post: April 03, 2018

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