The Waitaki Resource Recovery Trust’s long-awaited redevelopment funding is drawing closer.
The Waitaki District Council’s assets committee yesterday decided the trust’s Chelmer St resource recovery park had resolved its glass processing issues. The trust was denied funding for a proposed $285,000 site redevelopment by the council in September last year until it took steps to address the issues the noise from its glass handling operations created for neighbours.
The assets committee decided yesterday the remedial work done at the resource recovery park to minimise the sound of breaking glass — including eliminating glass handling on Sundays — was enough to reduce negative effects on the amenity values of the recovery park’s residential neighbours and recommended the council approve the funding.
Council assets manager Neil Jorgensen said a council contractor had conducted noise testing, which the park had passed.
Councillors reviewed the council’s investigations into other glass-handling options as well: a fully enclosed purpose-built building on site — mooted as a possibility last year — would cost $500,000; relocating the glass handling to another site would cost $100,000 a year; discontinuing glass recycling in Oamaru would cost users $115,000 in refuse transfer station fees; and relocating the glass handling in the redeveloped site would cost $20,000 for the new "bunker" and $2000 a year, the report to the assets committee states.
The council earmarked money for the redevelopment last year, but the amount for the proposed redevelopment was changed from "a maximum budget sum", to "an initial budget sum" of $285,000 in light of possible changes to resolving the issue of noise from breaking glass.
In January, the trust’s manager, Dave Clare, said its acoustic testing had shown the work already done to reduce the noise of glass at the site had reduced the noise by "about 50%".
Tracy and Shayne Kirk, the owners of the Oamaru Top 10 Holiday Park across the street, remained opposed to the funding.
Mr Kirk told councillors at an August 31 meeting last year the noise of breaking glass resulted in "massive complaints" from guests, and he was concerned about negative reviews damaging the reputation of his business and the town.
Yesterday, Mr Kirk said he had asked the council to supply him with results from the noise tests. He had not been advised of the results.
