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THE WCB WORD
A regular update from Wānaka Community Board Chair, Barry Bruce
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PHOTO: Wānaka Sun
McLean B Bruce Senior Constable, NZPD Firstly, I would like to congratulate Zoi SadowskiSynnott and Nico Porteous for their terrific results in the Slopestyle, Big air and half pipe in Beijing Winter Olympics. The hard work has paid off for you both so well deserved. Also well done to those who performed their best over in Beijing. You are also champions to reach such hights in your chosen sport. I have seen a little of the Olympics but what I have seen has been impressive. Not sure if you are all aware but one of our newer officers was one of New Zealand’s top skeleton racers not that long ago. It is a sport that looks pretty intense to me, hurtling face first at 120km/h with your chin 50mm from the ice. No thanks!! Well done to our local athletes Braden Currie, Dougall Allen and Simone Maier who showed the strength of Wānaka sport at last weekend’s Coast to Coast. We attended a potential water rescue on the lake where a foil boarder seemed to be having trouble in the lake on Friday. We took a report of yet another fraud where sadly someone has scammed their way into a bank account and taken thousands of dollars. This is a weekly occurrence here so I can only imagine how many other areas are affected by this same behaviour. We seemed to have escaped better off than
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some other areas with last week’s Covid outbreak so well done with healthy practices Wānaka. We suspended several drivers’ licenses this week for excess demerits. I think it is worth thinking about when you are speeding or on your phone that you could lose your license after a few tickets. A lot of people need their licence to keep their job. Each ticketable offence can be avoided by complying with the road rules. This week we attended a fire at a local business. Thankfully it seems this was caused more from a bad practice than anything intentional and it was caught early enough this time. We followed up a complaint of an assault with a weapon and a potential retaliation. Do not take matters into your own hands. We will get a better result than you and it is not unusual for both sides to end up facing criminal charges when there is a better way. I’ve spent a bit of time on the roads this week and have seen some great driving and some awful driving. Let’s stay alert and drive to the conditions. It wasn’t all bad, however. There seemed to be plenty of romance in the air on Valentine’s Day. One young couple came to our attention when they were out in the middle of the lake on Valentine’s morning and seemed to be enjoying each other’s company on a small catamaran. Stay safe, look after each other and remember one good deed can change a grumpy day.
It has been great to see people out and about in Upper Clutha enjoying the glorious weather, our lakes and reserves during the holiday season. Now, we’re back to work in earnest. New Coastguard building Mature pine trees have been cleared at Eely Point to make way for the construction of a long-awaited Coastguard base, which is to begin soon. Additional trees that were identified as a safety risk were also removed. Significant native plantings are planned for the area, which will ensure it quickly recovers and looks attractive. Abandoned boats A gentle reminder that overnight parking is not permitted at the Eely Point Reserve. Early in March, our team will begin disposing of boats and trailers abandoned at the reserve. People were warned of this plan last year and several vessels have been removed by their owners. However, if you know someone who still has a vessel at the reserve, please urge them to move it or contact the Council. Pembroke Park irrigation A fault in the irrigation system at Pembroke Park was detected in January. This has been fixed and irrigation is now back at full capacity. Unfortunately, the problem coincided with the driest January in many years, and we acknowledge the park has looked patchy this summer. Money for irrigation and field improvements at the park has been allocated in Years 2 and 3 of the Council’s 2021-31 Ten Year Plan. Many thanks to those who raised the problem with Council, as we can only fix these things when we know about them. If you are aware of other things that need our attention, Fix It forms can be found on our website at www.qldc.govt.nz/do-it-online/contact-usfix-it and general issues can also be raised via the Snap, Send, Solve mobile app. Upgrade to water infrastructure We're installing a new water main pipe and pump station in Wānaka to improve the capacity and resilience of drinking water supply and infrastructure in Western Wānaka. The pipeline will start slightly up Anderson Road, cross the State Highway, head along Macpherson Street and Golf Course Road. Work along Golf Course Road is expected to be completed by the end of April. Following this, work on the pipeline will continue along the remaining streets. Earthworks for the pump station are about to begin. The project will cause some disruption while Golf Course
THURSDAY 24.02.22 - WEDNESDAY 02.03.22
Road is reduced to one lane. The team is making every effort to get this upgrade completed as quickly as possible and we’re grateful for your patience. Contactless services The arrival of Covid-19 is challenging on many fronts, but we’ve been planning for this to ensure services and facilities can continue to meet the needs of the community. Council offices in Ardmore Street, Wānaka, remain open to everyone, so the whole community has access to a range of in-person services if they need that option. However, many things can be done online at www. qldc.govt.nz or via telephone. These include making payments, registering dogs, arranging bin collections, and applying for resource and building consents. If you can, please use contactless services to help reduce the spread of Covid-19 in our district. We also ask that everyone visiting our offices or facilities does their bit to keep each other safe–please wear a face mask correctly, maintain 1m physical distancing, and be patient. Library services Our libraries also have a great array of online resources, ranging from eBooks and free film subscription services to education programmes. Go to https://codc-qldc.govt. nz/library-online for more information. For those who do not want to visit a library for whatever reason, MyBookBag is a free clickand-collect service. Place an order online or by phone, and library staff will fill a bag with items to suit your taste, then let you know when it is ready to collect. Wānaka Library also offers a delivery service for housebound members. Looking for lifeguards Holiday activities at the Wānaka Recreation Centre pool were a big hit, with many enjoying the toys, pod racers and more. Unfortunately, the pool has had to close early some days because of a shortage of lifeguards. If you know of anyone looking for a great job with a fun team, encourage them to apply for a lifeguard position! Community drop-in session We’re keen to hear from the community, so we are going to try a new venue and time for our next WCB drop-in session. It will be held at Ritual Espresso Café, 18 Helwick Street, from 45pm March 2. QLDC will soon be consulting on its Climate and Biodiversity Action Plan and 2022-23 Annual Plan, so we’d love your thoughts on these or any other issues.
THE WĀNAKA SUN
