OCEAN BEACH DOMAIN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22305, 4 July 1934, Page 5

OCEAN BEACH DOMAIN

BOARD’S ANNUAL REPORT The annual report of the Dunedin Ocean Beach Domain Board, which will be presented at a meeting of the board to-morrow, states, inter alia: — A good deal of permanent improvement work on the domain was again accomplished by means of No. 5 scheme labour. An average of 52 men was engaged on these works throughout the year, the operations comprising: (a) Construction of extension to St. Clair esplanade; (b) construction of hockey grounds adjacent to the St, Clair tennis courts; (c) construction of croquet lawns for the Wntea Croquet Club; (d) walling and improvements on the Victoria road frontage. ESPLANADE EXTENSION. For a considerable portion of the year relief labour was actively engaged construcing the reinforced concrete piles required for this work. Pile constructing was out of hand by December, when 204 completed piles were stacked in readiness for driving. A commencement was made with the clearing and opening up of the line of the wall in January. This has proved to be heavy and tedious work, involving the handing and removal of a heavy deposit of boulders and rocks. By the courtesy of the Otago Harbour Board the board was able to obtain a loan of the Harbour Board’s pile driving plant, and the construction of staging and erection of derrick was completed by March. It is intended to drive the piles, by water jet and monkey, but indications are that the operations are likely to be troublesome due to the presence of hidden boulders, which must be removed as they are encountered. Initial difficulties are, however, being satisfactorily surmounted, and, ns the men become more accustomed to the work, satisfactory progress should be made. CROQUET LAWNS. The work of constructing the lawns for the Watea Croquet Club has taken up s considerable amount of time during the year, owing primarily to the non-arriya! of filling and soil. Necessary terracing work, constructing paths, erecting fencing, and extending the lawns were completed in time to enable the club to commence play in October, and the club has completed the erection of a substantial club house for the accommodation of members. The relief workers were subsequently employed in trucking out sand and forming an extension to the lawns, portion of which has been sown down in grass. It is hoped that it will be possible to get this work accelerated . and completed without undue delay, as it is desirable that the foreman’s services should be more fully available for the important work at St. Clair. ST. CLAIR HOCKEY GROUND.

The levelling of the St. Clair hockey ground site by relief labour is still in hand; 200 yards of clay for filling is on the job, and it is anticipated that the area will be ready for sowing down nexjt jtear. CONSTRUCTION OF PATHWAY.

The work of constructing the pathway on the seaward side of the St. Clair football ground for the purpose of connecting the through pathway from St. Kilda to St. Clair, which was cut in two as a result of the formation of the football ground, was carried on during the year as a relief operation. The portion adjoining the football ground has now been surfaced and the section abutting on the hockey ground is in hand. The work as a whole should be completed about the middle of the incoming year. VICTORIA ROAD FRONTAGE.

The boundary rock-walling work on the Victoria road front running eastwards from the St. Clair lawn tennis courts was closed down early in the year, as available funds were required for other operations. The- portion of the wall which has been completed serves’' well to indicate that the completed work will form a substantial and very presentable enclosure for the domain frontage. The removal of sand by the City Council from the line of Victoria road footway left matters very uncomfortable for pedestrians, and, although the board was not primarily concerned, except from the point of view of the appearance of the domain frontage, arrangements were made for the formation and ballasting of a path on the new line and level and the trimming and tidying of the' disturbed area, the Reserves Department providing the cattage and the Domain Board supplying the material and, the necessary relief labour and supervision. Later on the St. Kilda Council itself undertook the-work of lowering the footway on the battery front to conform to the work already done by the City Council and the board. There are still six chains to be widened and footpath formed. RECREATION GROUNDS.

The various recreation grounds were maintained in good order and the grass mown regularly during the playing season. The ladies’ hockey ground at St. Kilda was top-dressed with soil, partly resown and limed, and as a result the grass was much improved, but moi'e topdressing will be required _ to make the ground a really good playing area. Soil is being gathered as funds permit for top-dressing Hancock ( Park, which is badly in need of such attention. During the summer season there was a demand, notably from newly-formed ladies’ clubs, for cricket wickets on the domain, and applicants were accommodated to the best possible advantage. The football ground at St. Clair was partly top-dressed and resown during the autumn. PLANTATIONS.

No extensive tree planting was done during the year. One hundred macrocarpa were put in on the frontage at TaKuna and 100 poplars on the sandhills at the rear of the St. Kilda Pavilion. A number of native trees was planted behind. the new boundary wall in Victoria road.

Existing plantations received necessary maintenance attention, the grass being cut and lupines cut out wherever necessary to form a fire-break. The trees should now be reasonably safe from fire. ST. KILDA ROCKERIES.

A good deal of cleaning, planting, and tidying work was done from time to time at the St, Kilda rockeries, and also at the rockeries fronting the lawn tennis court. Large numbers of plants are required to keep the rockeries furnished, and although the board was indebted to a number of interested citizens for plants of various kinds a good deal more such help from the public is needed, and would be greatly appreciated. BEACHES AND' SANDHILLS.

No serious damage was done to the beaches during the year, excepting the periodical denudation of sand as the result of heavy south-westerly weather. A good deni of work was.called for in connection with the maintenance of sandhills to prevent sand rift and the formation of gaps in the dunes. Gaps are filled with lupine and all bare spaces planted with marram as quickly as possible, Kecent .heavy gales have caused the lupines to be filled with sand, and these areas are now being planted with marram. It is expected that planting operations will be in hand for another four months. Twenty chains of fencing were erected on the sandhills in the vicinity of the St. Kilda pavilion, and the protection thus afforded has enabled the marram to make particularly good growth. 1 The routine maintenance work of repairing roads and paths, cutting grass and lupines, clearing windblown sand, and other sundry operations was carried on throughout the year, and the domain is generally in good presentable order. The refuse tip has been maintained in good condition, and is still freely used by both the City and St. Kilda Councils. RECOMMENDATIONS. The undernoted recommendations for the incoming year are submitted for consideration: — (a) Completion of esplanade extension as early as possible. It is anticipated that the first half will be completed by the end of the year. (b) Completion of Watea ’ Croquet Club’s lawns. (c) Completion of new hockey ground adjoining the St. Clair Football Ground. (d) Planting of portion of an avenues of ngaios as a continuation of the plantation at the rear of the battery, from the tip roadway to Moreau street. (e) Planting of 5000 pinus muricata on portion of the domain near Lawyer’s Head. The trees are being obtained from the Government Forestry Department through the Unemployment Board for cost of transport. FINANCE.

The board commenced the year with funds totalling £1230 7s sd, comprising credit bank balance of £714 4fs Id and Post Office Savings Bank deposit of £316 3s 4d. Receipts during the year totalled

£4713 Os, Od, including levies £1263 19s, interest £ls 9s 7d. refunds U.B. No. 5 wages £3116 14s lid, tip charges £260, rent £43 10s. and sundries £l2 7e 3d. Expenditure totalled £4OBI 2s 6d, comprising: Materials £6Ol 4s Id, wages for regular staff £1247 18s 9d, U.B. No. 5 wages £3082 Is 2d, cartage £2O 18s, trees and seeds £l3 13s 6d, and other sundry items totalling £9s'7s. The cash balance to commence the new year is' £984 6s Sd, of which £452 12s 9d represents the current account at the Bank of New Zealand and £531 12s lid the Post Office Savings Bank deposit.