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The Sun
Wednesday November 6, 2013
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Sloan learns from ‘mentor’
Les Whiteside
Deputy Mayor Terry Sloan and below, the new look council.
By Kristy Martin New deputy mayor Terry Sloan says he is keen to learn all he can from “mentor” Alistair Sowman, but won’t confirm whether he plans to make a play for mayoralty in the next election. Speaking to the Sun after being named deputy at last Thursday’s Marlborough District Council meeting, Cr Sloan said he was excited to work with the new team of councillors. He named the Blenheim CBD revitalisation among his top priorities and became tearful when he spoke about how proud his late mother would have been to see him presented with the deputy mayor’s medallion. The 10-year owner of the Criterion
Hotel in Blenheim is also chairman of the Assets and Services Committee, which will be his main focus. This appointment sees him responsible for all infrastructure including roads, sewerage, water, waste management, civil defence and emergency services. Being deputy mayor was about “supporting (mayor) Alistair and offering my support when things get tough – and they do get tough”. “We’ve known each other for a while. “He says we’re cut from the same cloth,” Cr Sloan says of his close relationship with the mayor. But he insists there are no hard
Katrina Whiteside
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feelings with Jenny Andrews, who has served four terms – three under Mr Sowman and one under Gerald Hope – as deputy mayor and remains a councillor. “Jenny has been very supportive of me and I’ll be looking to Jen as much as I can (for advice).” As far as projects go, he is passionate about making the CBD “more vibrant” and believes businesses are too spread out. “Blenheim is still struggling from the recession and we’ve got to get through that. “It breaks my heart to see empty shops and I don’t want it to spread to other parts of town.” He would like to see 2 High Street made into a “sample shop” of all the tourist attractions in the Marlborough region, such as the wineries, museums and Sounds tours. But when asked if this would be similar to the iSite, he says it would be a more interactive environment. Cr Sloan is supported by sons Finn, 12, Tom, 11, and Billy, 10, and wife Audrey, who also remains non-committal about whether her husband will be the next Marlborough mayor. “Three years is a long time away, so we’ll just see what happens then,” she said.
Two investigations into 1080 drop on public track Continued from page 1 “She’s not showing any symptoms but she’s got an appointment with a GP tomorrow.” 1080 is a poisonous pesticide using sodium fluoroacetate. DOC uses it to protect native forest and birds from pests such as possums, rats and stoats. Mr Caley has made a complaint to the Minister of Conservation, Dr Nick Smith, demanding a formal apology for what he sees as the department’s “failure to protect the
public”. “I think it’s horrendously shocking,” he said. The Marlborough couple were tramping from Duncan Bay to Nydia Bay on Saturday and had seen a sign warning of a 1080 drop in the area, but when they came across a DOC employee she allegedly told them they would be safe because there was a 100 metre exclusion zone between the drop area and the track. Dr Ed Kiddle of the Nelson Marlborough Public Health Service
says any health risks to the couple were likely to be minimal, as 1080 poisoning occurred mainly through ingestion. “However 1080 is a toxic substance and needs to be used with care, hence the suite of conditions that are applied to protect the public health,” he said. “We …take breaches of conditions very seriously.” DOC said it was investigating this and a second incident that occurred during its aerial pest control near
Tennyson Inlet on Saturday, the detachment of a spreader bucket from one of its helicopters. “These incidents are of concern to us and we take them very seriously,” said DOC Sounds District Manager Roy Grose. The Environmental Protection Authority and the Marlborough District Council had been notified, he said. Mr Caley said walking tracks in the area should have been closed, particularly given that it was a long weekend.
Bring along the family for fun and fireworks
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Lights over Marlborough is the annual Whitney Street School fireworks display held at Marlborough’s A&P Showgrounds, and is the school’s major fundraiser for the year. The school is inviting the Marlborough community to join in the fun on Saturday, 16 November from 6pm to enjoy the pre-fireworks festivities followed by the headline fireworks event. This year Lights Over Marlborough is celebrating 30 years with another fantastic line up of entertainment, food and fireworks. Entertainment includes a Silent Auction with a fantastic range of items up for grabs, demonstrations from the Whitney Street School Kapa Haka and Jump Jam groups, and performances by local bands The Dead Parrots and the 2013 SmokefreeRockQuest national peoples choice award winners Arm the Reckless. There will be a bouncy castle, glow sticks and lots of food to enjoy so bring the family, come along early and enjoy the pre-fireworks atmosphere. Remember to bring a blanket to sit on and something warm for later on. Entry is from the A&P Showgrounds Alabama and Maxwell road gates. Thank you to all our amazing sponsors; AM PM Plumbing and Gas, Interislander, KA Electrical, First National, Marlborough Lines, Top Town Cinemas, Gill Construction, Dave Rees, The Blenheim Sun, The Radio Network.