Grant made to pupil
The board has approved a grant of $500 to Logan Park High School pupil Taya Kain towards costs to attend an Outward Bound course.
Board members noted Miss Kain had conducted an impressive amount of fundraising towards the course costs of about $5300.
This fundraising included cleaning the local Steiner school, selling clothes and equipment, coaching gymnastics and running sausage sizzles.
Sound system for hall
The West Harbour Community Board has agreed to provide $1000 towards a sound system for Aramoana Hall, with some conditions.
Aramoana League Inc secretary John Davis said the group which owned the hall had been upgrading it over several years, including electrical rewiring, reframing and lining of the roof and painting the ceiling.
It now wanted to invest in a sound system that could be used in different ways for events taking place at the hall as well as events that took place nearby at the beach, including a sports day on January 2.
After discussion about what was the best type of sound system to buy, including second-hand options, the board agreed to fund $1000 towards a sound system, subject to the league seeking technical advice for an appropriate solution for the hall.
Cycleway a step closer
The board has provided $1800 towards the costs of an application to KiwiRail for "approval in principle" to construct a shared pathway using the railway corridor above Port Chalmers.
Coastal Communities Cycle Connection representative Emily Cooper said the funds would go towards submitting an application for a section from Port Chalmers to Waitati, one of five sections of a potential cycleway running from Port Chalmers to Karitāne.
A section from Orokonui Ecosanctuary to Waitati was likely to be the first to be built, as it did not require any major infrastructure, and it had the approval of a local landowner "who is very keen to make it happen".
Dunedin Tracks Network Trust would be submitting an application to the Dunedin City Council for consent for this section soon.
Port projects progressing
Port Otago chief executive Kevin Winders provided an update on various local projects.
A new dog park for Flagstaff Hill is planned to be open some time after Christmas.
The park was first proposed by local resident Mark Cameron, who helped shape the design of the park.
"It has been designed as a sort of simple dog park with not too much fuss, and utilising the sort of landscape we’ve got here.
"The theory was that people would sit up on the sunny side, and their dogs would run around completely fenced, so the dogs can go in the bush, but they can’t get out."
Construction of the park would be paid for by a fund for the community that cruise passengers contribute to.
Other plans for Flagstaff Hill included a viewing area with a barbecue area, and cleaning up an area around former analogue radio towers that have been replaced with digital antennas, Mr Winders said.
A new administration building wrapping around the Port Chalmers Maritime Museum is now complete.
Renovations to the museum building are expected to be completed soon.
Museum staff, with the help of heritage and museum specialist Rose Evans, will spend time redesigning the display of the museum collection, with a grand opening anticipated for March or April.
The former glass-fronted Port Otago administration building in Port Chalmers is being demolished, with a focus on recycling, including about 15 heat-pumps that were being distributed to the community.
Once cleared, the area will be used for containers, although there are potentially other future plans for the site.
Mr Winders said cruise ship companies were "so excited" about the development of new cycleways in the city.
"They think the electric bike tours — coming on a cruise ship and splitting either side of the peninsula on ferries and taking them into town, either managed or self-managed, is going to be a world-class offering, and they’re so excited."
However he said there was little infrastructure to help facilitate the potential increase in tourist numbers. He suggested a redesign of Back Beach could help manage increased tourist numbers alongside current recreational activities.
An area for ticket sales and ferries for tourists wanting to travel across the harbour for cycle trails could be installed at Back Beach.
As well as a redesigned marina, recreational areas could be separated for safety, such as providing new combined facilities for the sea scouts and naval cadets further away from the slipway.
Reclaiming some land next to Port Otago warehouses could create a recreational fishing area further away from other boating traffic.
A groyne could also be developed to create a beach area further along from the current sea cadets’ facility.
Mr Winders said it was consulting with the Otago Regional Council and local iwi and would also look for feedback from the community to see what it wanted from the Back Beach area.
