Ashburton Courier: January 13, 2022

COUNCILBRIEF
ASHBURTONDC.GOVT.NZ/NEWS
5BaringSquareWest, Ashburton |POBox 94, Ashburton, NewZealand 7740 | Telephone (03) 307 7700 | Website ashburtondc.govt.nz
MajorMillCreekclean-upunderway
ContractorsACL have begun amajor
clean-up ofthe banks and stream
bed of Mill Creek, from Argyle Park
to Braebrook.
The work is expectedtotakeuntil the end
of March to complete.
Starting from the Farm Road end of Argyle
Park on 5January, ACL staff have been
using weedeaters, big forks and rakes to
remove unwanted grass and weeds from
the bank and in the creek.
Council Infrastructure Services Group
Manager Neil McCann said the clean-up
crew wasmakingits wayalong the length
of the creek aspart of the operation.
Weeds pulled from the creek were left to
dryonthe bank beforebeingpicked up to
dispose of.
“Thecrew have reported plenty of positive
comments from Argyle Park users about
how good the creek is looking and it
appears that anumber of canines are
happier paddinginthe cleared areasofthe
creek.”
Water inMill Creek is mostly stockwater,
though the creek alsoconveys stormwater
as needed.
The clean-up crew say they have seen a
lot ofcockabullies and some small fish.
Watercress is also in the creek, though it
hasfloweredandispast itsbestforpicking.
Mr McCannsaid regularmaintenancewill
keep thecreek in good condition.
“Thecreek is alsoanimportantfeature of
Argyle Park, which isreally popular with
ratepayers, whether they are walking,
biking, runningorexercising thedog.”
Mill Creek underwent major stabilisation
ACLcontractors remove grassand weeds from MillCreek,inArgyle Park.
and enhancement works between 2009
and 2017, when retaining walls and rock
banks were created along its length
through Ashburton town. The bankswere
also planted.
The waterway has had alonghistory in the
Ashburton township and surrounds, and
servedseveral functions(as awater source
foruse at aflour mill and stockwaterrace).
The creek has been managed for flood
control anddrainagesincethe late 1970s.
Therewereissueswith flood and erosion
of the banks before the stabilisation and
enhancement work, which was designed
to contain a50-year flood.
The creek remains apart of the rural
stockwater and urban stormwater
network.
Thursday,13January2022 |ISSUE 61
HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES
Summer Youth Reading
Challenges,Ashburton Library
Choose areadingactivity,complete
it andearn pointstogointoadraw
to win.
On until 21 January
School HolidayProgramme,
EA NetworksCentre
Activities include swimming,
basketball, daytrips,giant
inflatables, andarts&craft! Book
onlineateanetworkscentre.co.nz
On until 28 January
The GreatSantaHunt,
AshburtonMuseum
Find all theSantas hidingin
displays.
On until 13 February
The
Great Santa
Hunt anta
HamishRiach,ChiefExecutive
Business rollson, budgetsupfirst
Anew year begins, withhopes
that2022willbebetterthan
the lastand that covid’ssticky
tentaclesare loosening up and
therecovery from last winter’s
floods continues.
ForCouncil, it is another busy year
ahead and we arehalfway through the
2021-22 financial year.Someprojects
havebeen ticked off already,likethe
upgrade of the CBD streetscape, and
others arenearing completion, likethe
Ashburton ReliefSewer.
It is alsothe busiesttime of the year
forour roading teamand contractors,
as theyfinish repairsand undertake
resealing work onlypossible in the
warmer months. Council spends about
$3 million ayearresealing roadsand
another$2million on rehabilitation
work in anormal year.
Rehabilitationwork on partsof
Thompsons Track and Ashburton
StaveleyRoadhas been completed,
with sections of Arundel Rakaia Gorge
Road, Valetta Westerfield Road, Forks
Road and Christys Road andanother
sectionofAshburton StaveleyRoad
planned overthe next four months.
We arealsoalmostfinished unplanned
emergency repairsthatresulted
from the bigrain event at the end of
lastMay.It’sbeen abig achievement
to effectthe repairsontop of the
ongoingroutinework necessary on the
network.
Financial decisions around other
projects were confirmed inthe Long
Term Plan adoptedlastyearand
theyinclude spending on water
management,likeupgradesfor
Methven’s drinkingwater treatment
system, and moneytoprogress the
laststage of the business case forthe
second bridge.
We will soon be consulting the
community on itsviews fora30-year
development plan at Lakes Campand
Clearwaterand also reviewing other
policiesand strategies,likethe Waste
Management andMinimisation Plan.
Laterinthe year,there willalso be the
three-yearly local body elections.
One of the first jobs forCouncil this
year is atwo-day budget workshop.
The Long Term Planshows arate
increase of 7.8 per cent forthe next
financial year but with inflation rising
higher thanforecastwhenthe Long
Term Plan wasfinalised, therewill be a
discussion about whether the forecast
rate riseisrealistic, given the current
economicenvironment.
Inflation has been rising since30June
2020 andthe annual inflation rate (the
differencebetween the September
2020 quarter and the September 2021
quarter) was4.9 per cent.The Reserve
Bank is predictingfurther increases,
driven by aworldwide supplychain
breakdownresulting in shortagesof
goods thatispushing pricesup.
At thebudgetworkshop,Councillors
will be discussing operational and
capital spending forthe newfinancial
year –itisacritical pieceofwork that
defines the detail of Council activity for
the 12 months to 30 June 2023.
We areall setfor another busy and
productiveyearand we look forward
to thechallenges and opportunities
thatlie ahead.
1 Thursday,13January 2022 |ISSUE 61
ashburtondc.govt.nz