Better maintenance on way for tracks

Press, 4 November 1983, Page 5

Better maintenance on way for tracks

The Bridle Path and Rapaki Track on the Port Hills should be better maintained in the future—as a result of a motion passed at last evening’s meeting of the Heathcote works and reserves committee.

The committee chairman, Cr M. J. Taylor, said previous councils had adopted policies of minimum maintenance and consequently the two tracks had deteriorated alarmingly. The committee adopted her recommendation that the council should allocate sufficient funds in its estimates each year to maintain the tracks to a standard making them suitable for vehicular access.

She said she did not envisage these being highstandard roads as they were closed to the public’s vehicles, but there were times when certain vehicles had to use them.

The committee also decided to look into the future use of the land now occupied by the county dump, due to close in about 18 months time. At Cr Taylor’s suggestion it was decided to extend this investigation to include all future reserve land in the county.

Fire restrictions The County Engineer, Mr D. J. May, told the meeting that fire restrictions would be imposed in Heathcote. County from December 1 to February 29. These dates were uniform in most counties, but he said they could change if there was any exceptional weather. Noxious plants The Heathcote County District Noxious Plants Authority will meet the Banks Peninsula Noxious Plants Authority to discuss the possibility of amalgamation. Cr Taylor said that negotiations were beginning, and no decision had been made yet, but the county had been a member of the Banks Peninsula authority in the past and it might be to its advantage to join again. Cr T. P, Wills, who was elected deputy chairman of the committee, said all avenues were being explored, but the county still wanted to be its own master. Trees '

A record number of trees have been planted in the

Heathcote County by the council this financial year. In his report Mr May said about 1350 trees and shrubs had been planted so far, and about 350 of these had been propagated by the county’s reserves staff. Cr Taylor said the county council was propagating so many more trees itself the amount of money allocated for trees and shrub in next year’s estimates might not be so much. Mr May also reported that 32 building permits to the value of $677,141 were issued during September, and six of these were for new dwellings. Computer At a speical meeting held after the works and reserves committee meeting, the full council was told that a computer to handle the country’s administrative work could be installed by the end of this month, although it would not be working then. The council agreed to formally place an order for the computer, hardware, and software, providing the board of N.C.L. (N.Z.), Ltd, agree to the terms negotiated. 1|