Council loan agreed to help Oxford fitness centre grow
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
The Waimakariri District Council has agreed to loan $200,000 so the Oxford Health and Fitness Centre Trust can start a 153m2 expansion of its facility at Pearson Park.
The existing 322 square metre building is owned by the trust, which leases the community fitness centre to the North Canterbury Sport and Recreation Trust to run.
The expansion will support the fitness centre’s growing membership, which now exceeds 400, trust chairperson Tim Fulton said.
The trust has already raised $55,000 and has a contractor lined up for the build, which is expected to cost $283,000.
It had applied to the Rata Foundation for funding but was unsuccessful.
‘‘The facility is well-used and needs more space, so we feel the risk is relatively low,’’ the council’s community and recreation general manager Chris Brown said.
‘‘The worst case scenario is, if the trust is wound up, the building will pass over to the council and we will have a good community asset.’’
The council will borrow the money on the trust’s behalf, with the trust paying it off over 10 years at an interest rate of 4.65% to cover the council’s costs, Brown said.
Responding to a question at last week’s council meeting, chief executive Jeff Millward said the council was well within its self-imposed borrowing limit of 250% of its rates revenue.
‘‘We could borrow another $150 million and still be within our limit.’’
The council’s debt is about $200m, around 150% of its rates revenue, with a large chunk of it being due to borrowing $100m to repair and replace assets following the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.
The North Canterbury Sport and Recreation Trust manages five fitness centres in Rangiora (two), Kaiapoi and Amberley, as well as the Oxford facility.
The proceeds are used to fund community programmes such as sports coaching in schools and initiatives to help people improve their health.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Fears motorway toll could leave North Canterbury town worse off
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
A community leader fears a toll on the proposed motorway extension could leave a North Canterbury town worse off.
Woodend-Sefton Community Board chairperson Shona Powell said she fears Woodend could face increased traffic without promised safety improvements, if a toll is introduced on the Belfast to Pegasus Motorway extension, which includes the proposed Woodend Bypass.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) last month announced consultation for a toll of $4.30 for light vehicles and $8.60 for heavy vehicles (including trucks) on the new 11km Manawatu Gorge Motorway, which will be completed next year.
It means commuters could be stung with paying an extra $43 a week in their travel costs.
The agency said the Belfast to Pegasus Motorway extension will be 9km, including the Woodend Bypass and the realignment and four laning south of Pineacres.
Woodend residents have been waiting for safety improvements since NZTA began consulting with the community eight years ago.
But the safety improvements have been placed on hold, pending the progress of the motorway extension.
‘‘My biggest concern is people will continue using the existing road through Woodend and will go through Kaiapoi or Tuahiwi to avoid paying the toll,’’ Powell said.
‘‘And Woodend may not get the safety improvements, so nothing changes.’’
Powell was also concerned the speed reduction from 100kph to 80kph on State Highway 1 between the Pegasus roundabout and Waikuku could be reversed, following changes to the Setting of Speed Limits rule being announced.
‘‘It was a speed limit requested by the community as a safety improvement.
‘‘To go back to having that fast speed limit for traffic coming from the north, it would just be disastrous.’’
NZTA director regional relationships James Caygill said the Government Policy Statement (GPS) on land transport requires the agency to consider tolling for new roads.
‘‘But it is too soon to discuss any potential tolling options until the scope and cost of this project has been confirmed’’.
Caygill was unable to confirm whether the 80kph speed limit between Pegasus and Waikuku would remain.
He said the agency will identify locations affected by the rule once it is finalised later in the year.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown said Waka Kotahi ‘‘is working at pace’’ to deliver the motorway extension.
‘‘NZTA’s project teams are reviewing the scope, design, cost, and timing of all Roads of National Significance projects to ensure consistency with expectations in the GPS on Land Transport 2024.’’
He said Government ‘‘will support any recommendation from NZTA to toll roads’’.
The Government was also committed to ‘‘reversing Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions’’, Brown said.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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Poll: Is dumping an issue in your neighbourhood?
There's nothing worse than strolling around the streets in your neighbourhood and seeing dumped rubbish.
Have you noticed this in your area? What could we do to combat this around the country?
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43% Yes, I've seen some illegal dumping
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56.3% No, our neighbourhood is pretty good
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0.7% Other - I'll share below
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