Rodger Gallagher, Chairperson of the Raglan Community Board meeting advised that Community Board meetings are the right place to provide input on and discuss about getting the wharf working again. He said, “The Community Board has put getting the wharf working again as the number 1 item on its priority list. At the February meeting we set aside quite a lengthy period to discuss the wharf. A good discussion took place and we have been working with Council staff since then.”
“The next Community Board meeting to be held in the Town Hall Supper Room at 1.30pm on 8th March will again have the Wharf on the agenda. Our Board meetings are conducted in a way that allows the community to contribute and provide input on issues.”
Rodger said that the protest meeting proposed by Malibu Hamilton and John Lawson at the Community House once again confirmed just how far out of touch with community views, the Malibu/John combo are. They talk about Council planning a grandiose building when this is simply not true. Their claim that the Wharf tenants’ group are not in agreement with Council staff is simply not true. Leanne Shilton, a member of the wharf tenants’ group said, “We had a really good meeting with Richard* and his team at the Waikato District Council at Ngaruawahia on Wednesday 23rd.”
(* Richard Bax, General Manager, Water & Facilities, Waikato District Council)
Yes, the Community Board is allowing more discussion, but at most only 30 people take part in Community Board meetings. At the last meeting only a few got to see the wharf plans. The wharf is important to most of the community, but they are not being shown the wharf plans.
Why should ratepayers not be given a say before their money is spent, or so often, misspent?
It is disappointing the discussion has reduced to personal denigration and that the WED meeting is described as ‘protest’ only, when for several weeks concerned people have consistently phoned WED to seek action. That meeting focusing only on the Wharf was cancelled. To say WED is out of touch is unfounded personal abuse not worthy of a Community Board.
WED is aware that there are issues with how much money has been spent and how the design has deviated from the last community input in 2010 which favoured the historic shape and size. The issues of steel beams, dual concrete floors, crammed tenant spaces and potentially raised car parks are still contentious.
The withdrawal of the Structure Plan shows how wasteful it can be when planning is left to council. The Structure Plan was started in 2006. Five years later and with tens of thousands of dollars spent we are back where we started.
At the last election a large majority voted for change. While the community board has seen a complete change, it is slightly disappointing that in the first few months it has come out with personal attacks.
WED is holding a public meeting at 7.30pm on Tuesday 8 March at the Community House. It is a meeting to look at where we are and how the whole community can be involved in the planning processes that the Council undertakes.
Good to hear that you can see that more discussion is taking place at Raglan Community Board meetings. I fully support WED’s right to have whatever meetings it wants. My point is that WED is only one of the special interest groups around town along with the Chamber of Commerce and Residents & Ratepayers, etc., while the Community Board is the body elected by all citizens. The board will accept input from all of these groups and from individuals at Board meetings. The Board meetings will continue to be run in an open style so everybody gets a chance to provide their input. If citizens don’t attend then they can’t expect a special meeting to be held for them.
I thought you initially planned to have meetings at a time when more people could be present. So far you haven’t tried that, other than the council run workshops which did attract many more than the numbers at midday meetings. I hope the Board might try some evening workshops of its own and not leave it to WED or the council to organise evening meetings, whether described as protest meetings or not.