Minutes of Fairlie Community Board Meeting

Fairlie Community Board Meeting Minutes 26 April 2018

MINUTES OF Mackenzie District Council
Fairlie Community Board Meeting
HELD AT THE Council Chambers, Fairlie
ON Thursday, 26 April 2018 AT 4.36pm

PRESENT: Mr Les Blacklock (Chairperson), Ms Carolyn Coakley, Mrs Pauline Jackson, Mr Damon Smith, Cr Chris Clarke

IN ATTENDANCE: Suzette van Aswegen (Chief Executive), Garth Nixon (Group Manager Community Facilities), Katherine Hill (Senior Corporate Planner), Arlene Goss (Committee Administrator), Mayor Graham Smith from 4.40pm, Cr Stuart Barwood from 4.49pm, Scott McKenzie (Roading Manager) from 4.51pm.

1 Opening

The chairman opened the meeting and welcomed everyone.

2 Apologies

There were no apologies.

3 Public FOrum

There was no public forum.

4 Declarations Of Interest

There were no declarations of interest.

5 Reports

5.1 Minutes of Fairlie Community Board Meeting - 15 March 2018

Committee Resolution FCB/2018/74

Moved: Mr Damon Smith

Seconded: Ms Carolyn Coakley

1. That the Minutes of the Fairlie Community Board Meeting held on Thursday 15 March 2018 be received and adopted as a true and accurate record of the meeting.

Carried

5.2 Fairlie Community Board Matters Under Action

The bus shelter and drinking fountain are on the contractor’s list to be completed.

Repairs to War Memorial – Plastering and tiles still to be completed.

Seating around Fairlie – Trying to get the Lions to help with this.

Lighting – Let staff know of any black spots around town. The Mayor updated the community board on the issue with NZTA funding of street lights and the need to maintain the Dark Sky Reserve status.

Oak Trees – Not yet pruned. Contractor is booked but away on holiday.

Remove Ashwick Flat from list. Work was completed by Chorus about six weeks ago. Cr Clarke has followed up and the service has improved.

Work on fibre broadband connection in Fairlie will now start in 2021 instead of 2025.

Car-parking safety issue – The chairman asked if this has been done. Wheel stops have been installed and seem to be working well. Cr Clarke has had good feedback on this. Remove from list.

Grey Street – Scott McKenzie said he hasn’t heard anything from the public since the work was completed. There is some road marking that needs to be blacked out again. Staff have also put in two signs at either end of the diagonal parks saying “no campervans”.

Fairlie Water Main Renewal – Mr McKenzie said this work is approximately three weeks away, starting in Doon Street, and he will be putting a new footpath over the top when it is replaced. Kirk Street will follow on from this.

Street Lights - Mr McKenzie asked if there were any areas in town needing street lights. End of Hamilton Street towards A&P Showgrounds suggested by Pauline Jackson. Mr McKenzie asked to hear of any further areas by the end of next month.

Wasp problem in Fairlie – Garth Nixon said he had not heard anything further from the person who was wanting to be licenced to kill wasps. Cr Clarke said the Lions Club has a lot of wasp control along the river tracks and this has helped.

Regent Street – This matter was not on the last Council meeting agenda. The Mayor said councillors were awaiting the visit from Abley before going further.

5.3 Fairlie Community Board Financial Report

The purpose of this report was for the Fairlie Community Board to note the financial performance of the Fairlie Community as a whole.

Garth Nixon noted that investment income was from forestry.

The community centre income is down but will get a boost shortly from theatre bookings.

Operational maintenance on the swimming pool is up, but employment expenses are down.

Lawn-mowing costs are high but this is seasonal.

5.4 Proposed 2018/19 Fairlie Community Facilities Fees and Charges

This report was for the Fairlie Community Board to consider the proposed 2018/19 Fees and Charges for Strathconan Swimming Pool and the Mackenzie Community Centre.

Katherine Hill provided some background information on how fees are set.

Garth Nixon corrected an error in the report to say targeted rates paid 20-40% of the costs, not 40-60% as quoted.

Discussion took place on the targeted rate being extended to rural properties near Fairlie so costs did not fall fully on township properties. Cr Clarke expressed concern that an agreement to extend this targeted rate to the entire ward was not included in the Long Term Plan as expected.

Member Pauline Jackson felt the Fairlie township ratepayers were unfairly paying for the swimming pool and other community facilities when everyone in the ward used the facilities.

The chief executive suggested this be raised following the hearing of submissions to the Long Term Plan, or alternately it could be raised as an amendment to the LTP. This was a wider rates issue than just the swimming pool. It also applied to other community facilities.

Committee Resolution FCB/2018/75

Moved: Mr Les Blacklock (Chairperson)

Seconded: Cr Chris Clarke

1. That the report be received.

Carried

Committee Resolution FCB/2018/76

Moved: Mr Les Blacklock (Chairperson)

Seconded: Cr Chris Clarke

2. That the Fairlie Community Board recommend that Council adopt the 2018/19 fees and charges for Strathconan Swimming Pool and the Mackenzie Community Centre as proposed.

3. That The Fairlie Community Board recommends that Council reviews the rating system for Fairlie amenities, in particular the split between town and rural.

Carried

5.5 Replacement of Opihi Gorge Bridge

The purpose of this report was to seek financial support from the Fairlie Community Board by funding the building consent fees for this project.

Garth Nixon spoke to this report. Cr Clarke said this was a fantastic project and he would be happy to move the resolutions. The community board agreed.

Committee Resolution FCB/2018/77

Moved: Cr Chris Clarke

Seconded: Mrs Pauline Jackson

1. That the report be received.

Carried

Committee Resolution FCB/2018/78

Moved: Cr Chris Clarke

Seconded: Mrs Pauline Jackson

2. That the Fairlie Community Board fund the building consent fees for this project, estimated to be in the region of $2,000, funded from the Fairlie Township walkway account.

3. That the Fairlie Community Board recommends to Council that they accept the bridge as a new asset.

Carried

5.6 General Business/Information Update

The chairman asked Mr Nixon to explain what was happening with the community centre.

Mr Nixon said Council had looked at the building and had it assessed for use in a civil defence emergency. Both the community centre and council buildings were reasonable for normal occupancy, but both were well below the requirement for civil defence.

Council was looking at the costs and issues to see what it could do about this. A report will come to elected members.

Pauline Jackson asked about Whitestone contractors using a leaf blower and whether there was a vacuum that could suck the leaves up instead. Mr Nixon has discussed the use of the leaf blower with the contract supervisor. He will pass on concerns.

Cr Clarke raised the issue of nuisance dogs in Fairlie. He has asked people to report them to Council so a record can be kept. There are three groups of dogs that are causing a nuisance regularly. The chief executive said the current level of service for dog control was extremely low key but she was seeing the community tell Council that across the board there needs to be more enforcement in all areas of regulation. Council was looking at the options.

Damon Smith suggested publishing something in the Fairlie Accessible on the dog issue, with the endorsement of the community board.

Pauline Jackson asked if the pot holes in the cobblestone road near the fire station were filled before the Anzac Parade. The Mayor said “no” and the holes were noted during the parade. Roading manager Scott McKenzie said the holes were dug by Netcon while fixing cables and he has asking them to come back and fix the road. The community board asked Scott to put pressure on Netcon. The fire brigade uses this area when it leaves to attend emergencies and has made complaints. The chief executive suggested escalating this to a higher level. Mr McKenzie will do this.

5.7 Ward Members Report/ Report From Members of the Board

Cr Clarke spoke about the Long Term Plan consultation. There was no particular theme running through the submissions. The hearings will be held next week.

CouncilMark have also visited and did an audit at Council’s request. The chief executive said the draft report had arrived and the final report would be presented to Council. Once this was done she would like to sit down with community boards and other stakeholders and work through the findings with them.

The Mayor spoke about a meeting in Wellington with the minister for Local Government and associate minister for the Environment. He communicated with them about the infrastructure problems the district has with freedom camping and tourists. He advocated for a tourist tax and more infrastructure. The minister has formed working parties.

The Meeting closed at 5.52pm.

The minutes of this meeting were confirmed at the Fairlie Community Board Meeting held on 7 June 2018.

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CHAIRPERSON