GREY LYNN'S PROGRESS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15500, 6 January 1914, Page 9

GREY LYNN'S PROGRESS

MANY IMPROVEMENTS.

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE.

MORE MONEY REQUIRED.

The suburb of Grey Lynn is one of the chief residential areas of Auckland. During the past year much important work in connection with streets and in other directions was put in hand, and was brought to completion in some cases.

Perhaps the most important work for the year was the practical completion of the drainage of the district. Early in the year the Borough Council was able to borrow the sum of £8000 for this work, which will link up the whole of Grey Lynn's system of reticulation with the Drainage Board's main intercepting sewer. A new sewer has just been laid at the corner of Greenwood Avenue and Wolesley Street. This will connect with the new brick school, which is shortly to be built at Richmond. It is expected that the connection with the main sewer will be made some time in February, and a start will then be made to instal the watercarriage sanitation system in Grey Lynn.

Williamson's Avenue had for a. long time been something of a. problem to Grey Lynn borough councillors. It is 90ft wide and nearly a mile long, and is the district's main road. Formerly it was an unsightly street full of hills and hollows and avoided by vehicular traffic. The present council determined to put this road in order, and allocated the sum of £5600 for the purpose. In September last, the formation and metalling of the thoroughfare was completed, and instead of great gullies and steep grades there is a fine broad roadway of easy grade, running right through from Ponsonby Road to Surrey Crescent. The street is now much used by vehicular traffic in preference to the Great North Road, for the distance is five chains shorter from the Ponsonby reservoir by way of the avenue than by going along the Great North Road. Beside., this, Williamson's Avenue gives practically a straight run through to Avondale and other districts in that direction. The appearance of Grey Lynn has been considerably improved by this big work. Other Streets Formed. „ Several other streets were also formed during the year. These included Arnold, Farrar, Selbourn.', and Owen's Streets, and Baildon Road on the Surrey Hills, and Fishertrm and Francis Streets in the Richmond portion of the district. Francis Street has now been opened up for communication with Wolesley Street and Richmond Avenue. The kerbing and channelling of Tutanekai Road and Coleridge Street has been gone on with, and a. start has been made with similar work in Elgin Street. The Borough Council is now completing the tarring and sanding of the paths in streets that have been kerbed and channelled. A total of 55 chains of water mains were also laid during the year. Ring Road Round Reserves. In Grey Lynn there are two fine reserves, the Cox's Creek reserve of 29 acres, and alongside this another reserve of 33 acres. Last year the Borough Council acquired the foreshore of the whole of Cox's Bay, between Queen and King Streets for the purpose of making a ring road round the two recreation reserves, with the idea of carrying King Street along to Cox's Bridge Road in the future. This road will also abut on the proposed boat harbour and baths, which the council contemplates constructing at Cox's Creek. A sanitary depot was established at Richmond during the year at a cost of £800. The site represents an area of *i acres, and runs down to the sea. When no longer required for its present purpose, it is proposed to improve . the site and utilise it as a public reserve. Big Improvement Scheme.

Although operations were very active for the year, the Borough Council finds that it is impossible to carry out muchneeded improvements with ordinary revenue. Much remains to be done to bring Grey Lvnr up to date as a residential suburb. This, however, cannot be carried out without money, and a scheme is shortly to be placed before the ratepayers, who will be asked to sanction the raising of a loan of £98,000. which will enable good permanent and. progressive work to be done without increasing the rates to any extent. It is proposed to alloiatt the monev as follows:—Extinction of Dank overdraft, £9500 ; laying water miins, £5000: parks ; mnrovement, £3500: installation of water closets, £10,000; installation of water meters, £7500; streets improvement, including metalling, kerbing, and channelling and tarring of footpaths, £57.735 : fitone ouarry. £500 ; fire brigade appliances. £1500 ; • expenses and contingencies. £2766. Should the ratepayers sanction the loan everv street in the borough will be pnt in thorough order.