Kaiapoi takes hard look at reserves

Press, 15 July 1976, Page 4

Kaiapoi takes hard look at reserves

T?ie Kaiapoi Borough Council is worried about the lack of playing areas in the town —and the condition of the present reserves.

It intends to treat the problem as urgent. There are suggestions of the sale of council sections to finance the work, or raising the reserve rate.

Kaiapoi's reserves and amenities were strongly criticised at a council committee meeting this week, when consideration of cost estimates for work at the Blackwell Crescent ground led to a wider look at the town.

The borough overseer (Mr P. A. Pearson) submitted detailed costs for fencing, a stile, ano sealing around

play equipment at Blackwell Crescent, totalling about $2200. Cr L. Clark said Kaiapoi was sadly lacking in adequate playing areas for younger children and Cr J. McKenzie said that another playing field was getting further and further away. Cr R. L. Wylie said that five acres was marked as reserve tn the original scheme for the Church Property Trustees subdivision south of the town, but it was not in the borough, and another reserve area was proposed near the motorway. “If we need money to develoo reserves, we should consider raising the reserve contribution rate.” he said.

Cr H. G. McAllister, chairman of reserves, advocated the sale of two or three sections off the proposed reserve at the east end of Cass Street. Cr Clark asked the meeting if it was intended to level Trousselot Park in the next few months, describing its state as “disgraceful.”

Mr Pearson said it was not intended to rush in with the work, but to spread redevelopment over two or three years. Sufficient spoil was on the park to do about half the area but the piece along the kindergarten would have to be left.

It was planned to have a gradual slope from the top of the bank to allow motor mowing, and to raise the

level about a foot above spring tide level.

This led to Cr McKenzie commenting that there would be a lagoon or pool behind the kindergarten. Cr C. T. Williams said there was no reason why the area could not be levelled as work proceeded, but to this Cr W. Bell said the only way to make a satisfactory job was to do the lot, not piecemeal.

“We could get away with it in a county town, but not in a municipal town,” said Cr Bell. Mr Pearson will be asked to report on the completion of Trousselot Park, including cost estimate, levels and the amount of spoil still re-