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ASHBURTON GUARDIAN, Friday, June 7, 2013
NEWS
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Buy local bid taken to heart
Any queries please contact 0800 ASHBURTON (0800-274-287).
By Sue Newman
FUNERAL FURNISHERS
Ashburton businesses have been assured they will have every opportunity to pitch for Ashburton District Council business in the future. That the council chooses to send some of its business out of town has angered members of the Ashburton Business Association, but the council says it almost always endeavours
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to give locals a chance to quote or tender for work. To ensure this always happens, the association made a submission to the council’s annual plan asking it to adopt a “buy local procurement policy.” Currently the council has a procurement policy that has no weighting in favour of local suppliers, although they were given opportunities to submit prices and tenders,
chief executive Brian Lester said. “The submitters are seeking the opportunity to participate and they do have that opportunity now. We certainly try to (support locals) but it’s not always straightforward.” The Timaru District Council had a local weighting in its procurement policy. Ashburton had looked at this but made a decision not to adopt weighting, based on the rationale that the Ashburton District was
export based, Mr Lester said. “Putting in place protectionism wasn’t supported as we also operate outside our district. However, I do think our policy needs to be a bit more specific to ensure local businesses do have the opportunity. By and large they do.” Locals weren’t asking to be given the work, but they were asking to be given the opportunity to submit prices, he said.
The local procurement policy needed to go deeper than tendering, said councillor Robin Kilworth. She wanted an assurance that it would filter down to all staff who might be responsible for securing prices for lower value products. While the council has committed to introducing a local procurement policy, it intends to hold a workshop where it will hammer out the details of this policy.
Water solution bill $800,000
111 diary Incidents attended to by the Ashburton Police and Mid Canterbury volunteer fire brigades recently. Check out guardianonline.co.nz, for up-to-the-minute updates on every fire callout in the district during the week.
• Forbidden driver An Ashburton man was arrested yesterday for driving while forbidden in the early hours of the morning. The man will appear in the Ashburton District Court on Monday.
• Minor theft Meanwhile, a stereo was taken from a van parked in the Hampstead area overnight Wednesday. Police are still continuing their enquiries, but if you have any information, contact the Ashburton Police on, 307-8400.
Undergrounding water that runs down Harrison Street’s gutters is likely to cost more than $800,000. And that cost means it’s a job the Ashburton District Council will continue to do in stages. This week, when it finalised spending in its annual plan for next year the council decided it would carve the work off in stages, with the block from Charles Street to Allens Road likely to be next on the list. This will cost about $190,000. Because water that flows down the channel feeds the Ashburton Domain ponds the council has decided to fund the undergrounding work from its reserves fund. It will use $200,000 of this money in the coming year but this will come at a cost in lost interest of $10,000.
POLL RESULT Yesterday’s result Q: Should there be a police crackdown on speeding drivers using ski roads?
Fluoride removal ‘disappointing’ By Susan Sandys Ashburton dental surgeon Michael Holdaway is calling for district health boards to have the say when it comes to adding fluoride to community water supplies, rather than local bodies. Mr Holdaway was commenting after the “disappointing” decision by the Hamilton City Council this week to remove fluoride from the city’s water supply. The Hamilton City Council voted to remove fluoride, despite a 2006 referendum in the city showing majority support for the dental health measure. Mr Holdaway said fluoride and dental health were public health issues, and it did not seem to make sense that councils in some areas had voted fluoride out of their community water supplies. “I don’t know why councils run away from it,” Mr Holdaway said. Because the addition of fluoride to water supplies was a public health measure, he believed health boards should oversee it, rather than local bodies. Mr Holdaway said removal of fluoride from town water supplies, as had happened in Ashburton in 2002, impacted on the town’s most vulnerable citizens in terms of removing protection against tooth decay. He believed the rate of tooth decay had increased in Ashburton since its removal, and he was aware of children, some as young as five, “with chronic tooth ache”, having to wait eight months to have sur-
gery under general anaesthetic in Christchurch. Meanwhile, Ashburton District Council mayor Angus McKay supports water fluoridation, but does not see the issue coming back on the council’s agenda any time soon. “I do not think it’s appropriate for me to comment on a Hamilton City Council decision and how they went about it,” Mr McKay said yesterday. The Hamilton decision mirrors the one in Ashburton in 2002, when councillors voted to remove fluoride. The decision was supported by the results of a community referendum some years later, showing a 55 percent majority wanting to keep it out of the supply. Fluoridation remains in Methven however, where the status quo was supported by a community poll in 2008. Mr McKay said he believed fluoride boosted dental health, and had done personally for him as he grew up in rural Methven as a child. “My mother fortunately gave me fluoride tablets because we lived in a rural area, and I have been most grateful to her for that,” Mr McKay said. Mr McKay could not see the issue being revisited in Mid Canterbury, with both Methven and Ashburton having made their decisions within recent years. However, residents brought matters to the council from time to time on a range of issues. Additionally councillors themselves could put issues before the council by putting a “notice of motion” at council meetings on any matter.
Today’s online poll question Q: Should we bring back fluoride to the Ashburton water supply? Photo Tetsuro Mitomo 060613-TM-017
Mount Hutt College holds open day Mid Canterbury youngsters gained a snapshot of what they could be in for next year when they visited Mount Hutt College yesterday. The college held its open day
By Sue Newman The number of new houses built in the Ashburton District over the past year has increased by 45 per cent. For the year to April 30, consents were issued for 243 new homes, with a total value of $73.283 million. For the same period to April 30, 2012 consents were issued for just 168 houses valued at $50.245 million. While that massive increase in activity was great for the district and the building industry, for the Ashburton District Council’s building department that meant a huge workload, said district councillor John Leadley. “It’s not easy to resource any
CRUMB
Richards said the majority of viewers were year six pupils from feeder schools of Mount Hutt College, but there were also a raft of other year groups considering the college.
Families that are keen to enroll their children at Mount Hutt College have until the end of July, with interviews and orientation days set down for term four.
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Poll closes at 4pm
PHOTO GALLERY
Parishioners keen to save Council website to be revamped Baring Square church By Susan Sandys The Baring Square Methodist Church may be saved, say parishioners. Having faced an uncertain future since the September 4, 2010, earthquake, parishioners are now holding a series of meetings to look at options. Property officer Allan Tweed said an insurance payout, for a sum he would not disclose, would be available as of next month. “I don’t think there’s any doubt that our church can be repaired, it’s not fallen into a heap of bricks or anything like that. It’s not physically impossible to fix the church.” “There’s a lot of emotion attached to that building, the thought of pushing it over is difficult for people, there’s a resistance to that.” The parish held its first meeting on the issue,
New houses up by 45 per cent business that has a 45 per cent change in its workload, particularly in this area where buildings now require around 13 inspections,” he said. The council’s building services department has been short staffed for several months and that had put pressure on staff to issue consents within the statutory time frame of 20 days. To cope with demand an in-house contractor has been used. The big increase in consents also meant a huge increase in inspections during construction, with the council’s three inspectors averaging 7.7 inspections per day in April, including 40 code compliance certificate inspections for new dwellings. To cope with the workload a
for pupils looking to be added to the school roll, with guided tours taking the would-be future pupils from class-to-class to see the everyday running. Year seven and eight dean Rana
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contractor has been used and staff have been called in to work on Saturdays. The council had been criticised for not having all consents issued and inspections carried out within the required timeframe, but Mr Leadley said in spite of being short staffed most deadlines were met most of the time. For the year to April 30 the council issued 1222 building consents with a total value of $141.248 million. For the same period to April 30, 2012, 1105 consents were issued with a total value of $111.466 million. The number of milking shed consents was down this year from 33 ($14.022 million) to 24 ($11.236 million). by David Fletcher
attended by about 50 parishioners last month. Its next meeting would be on June 26. There were various cost options for repairing and strengthening the church, ranging upwards from over $1 million. If it was to be repaired and strengthened, the parish would somehow have to justify bringing the landmark early 20th century building back to its “former glory”. The parish would perhaps like to see the community involved in the church’s use in future, and there was also the possibility of a community fundraising project. Parishioners have been holding their Sunday service in a worship space in the church’s adjoining hall, since the 2010 earthquake damaged the building. Christmas 2013 will be the fourth Christmas parishioners have not had use of the church. However, Mr Tweed hoped at least by then the parish will have made a decision on its future.
As part of improving its communications with residents, the Ashburton District Council is revamping its website. That revamp, however, doesn’t come cheaply and it has voted itself an additional $12,500 in its budget for next year to buy photographic services. While there were plenty of scenic images available, council community planning officer Gavin Thomas told district councillors that the website needed to show people using a range of council services and facilities too. As councillors deliberated over submissions on their annual plan, he asked for extra money for this work. The $12,500 he was granted will also be used to market the council’s website to encourage people to use its on-line services. The council is making an increasing number of its services available on-line. Dog registration is now available on line and by the end of this year, rates accounts will be available by email.
DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY DEADLINE PRIVATE TREATY SALE
UNLESS SOLD PRIOR 23 AND 25 ELIZABETH STREET, ASHBURTON TOTAL LAND AREA 2028m2 23 ELIZABETH STREET, 1014sqm fee simple 25 ELIZABETH STREET, 1014sqm fee simple This rare opportunity to purchase this prime site opposite the Ashburton Hospital and a few minutes walk to the Ashburton Domain and town centre. 45% building site coverage makes this an attractive development proposition. Close to the Ashburton Domain, Ashburton College and Ashburton Borough school. Both properties are to be sold as one parcel. Closure of offers 2.30pm 19 June 2013 (unless prior sold) Acceptance of offers 5pm 24 June 2013. Offers delivered to: Argyle Welsh Finnigan Legal House 160 Havelock Street Ashburton attn: A D Argyle Inspection by appointment only Conditions of Sale available by contacting Tony Sands 027 27 27 837 AH 03 302 6887 tony@lochlearesort.co.nz Trademe reference #597479542
060613-kc-011
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to check out these new photo galleries:
– Winter feed judging – Roydon Leath – And so many more!
PRIVATE SALE 37 GLASSEY DRIVE, ASHBURTON OPEN HOME Saturday 8th June View 11am to 11.45am
NEW TO THE MARKET Trademe Reference #596411556
Situated in the popular suburb of Allenton Ashburton is this appealing three bedroom home. The property is well situated for the sun. Separate kitchen with open plan dining and living and separate lounge. A conservatory forms part of the living area which overlooks a private garden setting. Security system. Heating options include heat pump and gas fire. Two car garaging with an additional garage door that allows access to the rear of the property.
Viewing by appointment only Please call 027 433 2259