EMILY IRELAND
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Featherston’s dog pound project is progressing behind the scenes, with a contractor due to be appointed next month.
At this time, it would be known whether the project would adhere to the $240k budget set aside for it by South Wairarapa District Council.
It’s been a long time coming for the project, with conversations taking place over the past several years about a shared facility with neighbouring councils.
This idea never progressed, and South Wairarapa, Carterton, and Masterton councils are now each building a dog pound.
An update on South Wairarapa’s pound project was given at the recent Planning and Regulatory Committee meeting by environmental services manager Rick Mead.
He said the council was looking at building a 40m by 30m compound with 6ft fencing.
It would include exercise yards and modified storage containers to hold impounded dogs.
Mead said the project would have a “green” focus.
Tower lighting would be solar-powered, and a water tank would be installed at the site, which at this stage would be to the right of the greenkeeper’s shed on the council-owned land, which was formally the Featherston Golf Course.
Mead said the council put out a request for interest on the project on May 4 and got three expressions of interest.
Two were from companies in New Zealand, and one was in Australia.
Mead said the companies were all “very engaged and fully took on board our requirements to be innovative” and cost-effective.
“We’re a small council and don’t have the reserves of treasury banks,” Mead said.
A request for a proposal on the project went out on May 20 and would close in mid-June.
“Due to the scope of what we are asking, the specifications we need to meet, we agreed to do it as a design and build [contract],” Mead said.
“They’re coming up with their innovation; we still have final control on the design.”
He said the council should have a preferred company and contract set up for the project by July 4.
– NZLDR Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
