Ashburton’s historic rail footbridge restoration approved
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Ashburton’s iconic rail footbridge will be restored, when the funding becomes available.
In adopting the conservation management plan for the footbridge, the Ashburton District Council agreed to fund the maintenance and renewal of the historic structure.
How it will be funded is the next step for the 106-year-old footbridge.
Roading manager, Mark Chamberlain said the decision was the council has an asset and “do we want to keep it and spend money on it in the future”.
The answer from the councillors was yes.
Councillor Carolyn Cameron said for the sake of connectivity “it needs to be maintained”.
As well as the connection between East and West streets, councillor Phill Hooper believed the council had safety obligations to maintain the 25-metre long overpass option because, as chief executive Hamish Riach pointed out, with the shunting yards shifting north to the Fairfield Freight Hub trains will be passing through town at a greater speed in future.
In his report, Chamberlain outlined there was $255,000 worth of work that was identified in 2018, so likely to have risen, and “while the bridge is in poor condition … there is little risk associated with leaving the work until funding is approved”.
As it is a footbridge, Chamberlain said it is eligible to be part of the council’s subsidised roading budgets for structures, with Waka Kotahi contributing 51%.
That budget in the current 2021-24 period is $297,979, or around $99,000 per year, which is to cover the 187 bridges in the district.
Chamberlain said in the next period there will need a significant funding increase.
An assessment of the bridge assets estimated around $2.58 million of maintenance and renewals, including the footbridge, and there are four bridges due for replacement at an estimated $1.18m.
Other funding options for the footbridge include possible grants from the Railway Heritage Trust, Historic Places Mid Canterbury, or Heritage New Zealand.
A curve ball option is to use some of the $900,000 of Three Waters Better off funding that was allocated to new footpaths.
Riach said where that $900,000 is to be spent was still to be decided by the council, so there was “potential” it could include the footbridge.
“We could give some consideration to how this might apply,” Riach said.
Poll: Should we be giving the green light to new mining projects? 💰🌲
The Environmental Protection Authority announced this week that a proposed mine in Central Otago (near Cromwell) is about to enter its fast-track assessment process. A final decision could come within six months, and if it’s approved, construction might start as early as mid-2026.
We want to know: Should mining projects like this move ahead?
Keen to dig deeper? Mike White has the scoop.
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53.5% Yes
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46.5% No
A riddle to start the festive season 🌲🎁🌟
I'm a fruit. If you take away my first letter, I'm a crime. If you take away my first two letters, I'm an animal. If you take away my first and last letter, I'm a form of music. What am I?
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post if you know the answer and the big reveal will be posted in the comments at 2pm on the day!
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Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
‘Tis the season to not get scammed ...
As Christmas gift shopping moves increasingly online, scammers are ramping up their activity across the country.
Dunedin’s Investigation Support Unit is seeing more and more people fall victim to scams and other fraudulent activity, particularly on Facebook Marketplace.
There are a few ways to avoid the scams and keep yourself safe doing online trades this holiday season, says Southern District Service Delivery Manager Senior Sergeant Dalton.
🔒 “A good first step when looking to purchase something on Marketplace is to check when the seller’s Facebook profile was created. If it’s very recent, there is a higher risk that they have just created this account for a one-off fake item.”
🔒 Another important step is to make sure the seller’s profile name and bank account name match up. “We’re seeing a lot of scammers claiming their bank account name is different because it belongs to their partner or family member - that’s a huge red flag."
🔒 “When you’re selling, never trust a screenshot anyone sends you showing that payment has been made. Check your own bank account to make sure a payment has gone through."
🔒 “Quite frankly, it’s best for all parties to agree to pay, or be paid, for items in cash and in-person. Ideally in a public place with CCTV coverage."
🔒 "If you’re buying a car, check Carjam.co.nz to see if it’s stolen or if there’s money owed on it.”
A reminder: Suspicious activity can be reported on 105
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