Part of playground given to bowlers

Press, 26 August 1977, Page 4

Part of playground given to bowlers

1 An area of the Cashmere adventure playground, said jto be used for “fornication I parties,” will be turned over to an adjacent bowling club. This was decided by the Heathcote County Council last evening, when the Cashmere Bowling Club asked the council for permission to use an area of the playground abutting its bowling greens, as a rest area. A “jungle platform” was recently removed from the area, after submissions by the club. The county chairman (Mr E. J. Tyndall) said that the ground in question was “frequented by larrikins and used for fornication parties.” Councillor R. H. T. Thompson opposed the recommendation that the council grant the request, saying that those who were instrumental in removing the jungle platform were those who were planning to use the ground. During the formation of the playground, the council had decided reluctantly to give more land than it orig-i inally intended to the ing club so that it could have! a full green. After a petition by the! club, the nearby jungle platform had been removed, he said. i

•I “The bowlers are in the I process of infiltrating into iwhat miserable little piece ’’of ground we eventually left' (the children,” he said. “Why: iwe did not pass it all over: ilto them in the first place. I cannot imagine.” Councillor Tyndall said! [part of the reason the plat-; .| form had been removed was]

j that children were throwing! [bricks and stones on to the! bowling greens. It was eventually agreed [ that the land be given to , the bowling club. It must fence the area to the council’s satisfaction, and a council sub-committee will de- ' cide final details. ' The council also agreed ’ that it would meet residents! near the Takahe Drive re-! serve, Cashmere, to discuss! the previous postponement ofi [work on an adventure play-1 ground there. | It decided this after receiving a petition from rest'-/ dents opposing a Round] Table plan to develop the, playground. They sought’ equipment suitable for younger children, and opi posed the traffic they said the playground would gener- ! ate. i Cr M. J. Taylor said it was • la sick society that could not [tolerate teen-age activity. j “It is a great pity when the i cannot provide

recreational facilities that will ' serve a different age-group ’’from very young children.” The objections of residents [were part of a problem that iperenially dogged the council.! said Cr Thompson. “We have this problem that [people do not want this son! [of facility near them, though [they are happy to use them [when they are close to somelone else.”

A suggestion from the Christchurch City Council that land at the corner of Cashmere and Worsleys Roads be acquired for a reserve, was rejected by the council. It said it was un- ! likely to be able to afford to ■ buv the necessary land. [ Fluoridation of the county [water supply was discussed at I the meeting, but it was • agreed that no action bel taken. Cr Thompson said that it! would cost more than’ ,$450,000 to install fluoridation! ‘equipment at the countv’s 15 ' [wells. This was about double! the cost when the matter was: last discussed about five! years ago. “We have the purest water! in the country.” said Cr Tyn-r dall, “I am not interested in; contaminating it in any way.”!' It was also agreed that ini March next year the council! review the rent it charges fori' its pensioner cottage* “