Persistence by the Raglan Community Board, coupled perhaps with the Waikato District Council’s move to a positive approach in its dealings with community boards, has paid off. At the meeting of Waikato District Council’s Finance committee on Tuesday 25th Feb, approval was given to spend $80,000 on building a footpath up the Simon Rd hill to the intersection with Manukau Rd.
Ten years ago Mayor Harris promised the community that safety in the area would be improved. Since then the safety has got worse with the development of the adjacent Waikowhai subdivision. Nothing was done by the Council until the Community Board took the issue up early in 2013 and made it a priority. At first, Council staff kept misplacing the Board’s request. The Board sent a continual flow of copies of the priority list to the WDC and this ensured that the Council was kept aware that it was a priority. By mid 2013 following submissions from residents, the Council started to investigate what needed to be done.
The Engineer’s report said, “Due to the curved alignment and vegetation on the inside of the curve reducing sightlines this is a genuine safety issue. When completed the footpath will also complete the pedestrian link to Manukau Road and beyond into Raglan town centre. The existing section of footpath on Simon Rd was installed by the developer of the adjacent Waikowhai Subdivision.”
Engineers found that due to the steep nature of the ground, a combined boardwalk/ footpath was needed. Further work by Council staff identified that Simon Rd is in the Lorenzen Bay structure plan area and subdividers had been paying roading development money into a fund that had not been used. At its Tuesday meeting, the Finance committee decided to allocate $80,000 of this fund to cover the cost of the footpath.
Congratulations Raglan Community Board and Cr Baddeley on ensuring this project was approved. Well done!