FORESHORE DRIVE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20074, 21 October 1939, Page 2

FORESHORE DRIVE

CENTENNIAL PROJECT START OF THE WORK CEREMONY TO-MORROW A short history of the negotiations connected with the centennial marine drive are interesting now in view of the fact that to-morrow will mark the official start of the construction of the road on the foreshore at the Waikanae Beach.

Interest in the project is expected to draw a representative attendance of the public to-morrow afternoon, when the Mayor, Mr. D. W. Coleman, M.t\, turns the first sod on Jthe new work. The ceremony will take place at 3 p.m. near the west end of Salisbury road, and prior to that a musical programme will be given by _. the W.E.C.M.R. Band. Short addresses will be made by the Mayor, the chairman of the Cook County Council, Mr. V 7. G. Sherratt, and the chairman of the Gisborne Harbour Board, Mr. A. J. Nicol.

It is expected to have the first mile of the centennial 'marine drive available for the use of the public next October, and reports have been received that satisfactory progress is being made v/ith the arrangements towards the gift of a two-chain width of land, about five miles in length, that will serve as a continuation of the drive from the abattoirs to the mouth of the V/aipaoa River. Handsome Donations Two years have passed since . the question of the marine drive was first considered by the council of the Gisborne Thirty-Thousand Club. After the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. R. Semple, had been consulted, and also the Government town-planner, Mr. J. W. Mawson, it was found that the construction of a concrete protective wall would be too costly.

Work has started now on an alternative scheme that was made possible for the club by the purchase of pri-vately-owned sections giving access to the beach frontage at the west end of Salisbury road. A donation of £l5O was made by Mr. R. J. Kerridge that enabled the buying of a key section that was necessary before the project could be started. Contributions of £IOO from Mr. W. Barrington Miller and £135 from the Gisborne Borough Council, as well as several other smaller donations were used to make up the purchase prices of the sections.

When the negotiations were being made for the land the Thirty-Thou-sand Club were greatly assisted by the generous attitude of Mrs. H. G. Smith and Mr. Henry Tucker, and the extremely low prices that they placed on their property in order to help the movement.