South Wairarapa District Council will soon sign off its annual plan. PHOTO/FILE
MARCUS ANSELM
After three months and many hours of deliberations, South Wairarapa District Council will sign off its annual plan today.
The plan received a record number of submissions, with several hundred more people adding their names to two petitions handed to council.
More than 1100 opinions were submitted on the range of issues presented to the district’s public.
Chief among the plan’s proposal was the purchase of land in Greytown for recreational space, and funding for the town’s Kuranui College’s gymnasium project.
An extra public session was squeezed in last Tuesday night, devoted solely to the issue of recreation space in the ward.
Councillors voted for a draft resolution not to proceed with the land sale, despite almost two-thirds of respondents supporting funding the proposal as offered in the plan.
A resolution to fund up to $1million for the college’s gymnasium project will be voted on today.
Funding for other key initiatives will be rubber-stamped.
The $5m programme of work to support the district’s water supply, flagged by Wellington Water late last year, is set to be agreed on.
This included dealing with ongoing issues in Martinborough and failing infrastructure across the district.
Seven-figure sums will be spent on the three waters in 2020/21.
Further work towards an upgrade of sewage treatment, to the tune of another $1million, was also included.
According to the consultation documents, the key issue will be progressing the upgrade to wastewater treatment in Featherston.
SWDC’s consent application, which started in 2017, stalled again earlier this year.
The council also sought public backing for funds for further staffing at council headquarters, waste management initiatives, and resource planning.
Councillors and officials meet from 10am at Martinborough’s Waihinga Centre.
-NZLDR
