How would you like $30,000 spent in Motueka?

November 27th, 2013

It's time for Motueka ward residents and ratepayers to indicate to their community board how they would like the $30,000 accumulated targeted rate to be spent on local special projects for the 2013-14 year.

A voting-style survey is being published at present in the Guardian newspaper and is available now on Motueka Online (see below), asking you to indicate your preferences on projects from a suggested list of 12.

This list was built from ideas by board members and some suggestions made by residents. The survey also has space to add other ideas of your own, if you wish. Using the results of the survey as guidance, board members will chose the projects up to a total of $30,000.

Last year's Special Projects fund was used to great effect, and has been widely acknowledged as an effective way of getting local projects done through the $5 a year targeted rate.

The projects paid for last year were assistance with the High Street pedestrian refuge opposite The Warehouse, improvements to the CCTV system, improvements to Memorial Hall supper room, subsidising two murals, work on footpaths, subsidising the litter cart, and the Hau Road footpath.

The Board wants responses from residents by Friday December 6th, and hopes as many respondents as possible make the small effort to either cut the advertisement from one of the papers and fill it out, or download and fill in the equivalent on this website (see below). But please, only one response per person.

The list of projects is:

Provide lighting to illuminate the Kaka Beak sculpture in Wallace Street.
Refurbish the Tarrant Memorial near the Historic Wharf (Motueka Quay).
Organise a “Best Street Frontage” garden competition.
Institute twice-yearly rubbish collections for large household furniture (including stoves, refrigerators etc) and for green waste.
Construct a footpath, with kerb and channel, from 52 Thorp Street to the Fearon Street intersection.
Construct pram crossings for mobile scooters - five in central areas of Motueka.
Provide lighting to illuminate the 'Motueka' sign at the southern entrance (Rest Awhile) to Motueka.
Subsidise a series of murals along central areas of Motueka.
Construct a pathway linking Talbot Street and Manoy Street.
Erect a water fountain (for drinking) sited in High Street.
Construct a water fountain feature in High Street (eg, museum frontage).
Contribution to a Litter Cart collection for central Motueka streets.

Printed and completed copies of the questionnaire can be handed in or posted to the Motueka Service Centre, Hickmott Place. Online versions of the form can be emailed to Motueka Online, following these instructions:

The online voting form is a short Microsoft Word document, which you can download by clicking here.

[If you cannot open that file, try this PDF version which you can print and post/hand in but not email in return, except by scanning it and attaching the result.]

You can do one of three things with this document:

For either Word or PDF version, print it, fill it out manually, and hand it in or post it to the Motueka Service Centre, Hickmott Place,
For either Word or PDF version, print it, fill it out manually, and scan it into your computer, then email it as an attachment to the address below, or (easier and better)
Save the Word verions on your computer, then open it, fill it out (numbers 1 to 4 for your top preferences) on the computer, save it again, then send it as an attachment to this email address:

Comment by Jim Butler:
[Posted 28 November 2013]

Thanks David for listing the Community Board's possible projects on line, but it is a pity they are not numbered, so I will use the list in the Guardian which I had not noticed when I first thumbed through it. However I cannot resist comment.

First I suspect the 2 water fountain projects and the 52 Thorp St / Fearon St footpath could each soak up most of the $30,000 and the 2 lighting projects would not come cheap. Also as a mobility scooter user, the central area of Motueka is quite well served with pram crossings. One is needed by the I-site, another on Thorp St at the Tudor St intersection and yet another in the Vosper St Council Cottages area. I could find where 5 pram crossings are needed but most would not be particularly close to the centre.

Probably only a subsidy could be afforded for the Tarrant Memorial, and twice yearly rubbish collection should be taken up by service organisation. I was involved with an annual collection for many years when I lived in Johnsonville and it was a good little earner for my organisation. So after the Board contributes to the Litter Cart, there will be only enough of the $30,000 left for 3 of the cheapest projects. We will see.

Comment by Paul Johnson:
[Posted 2 December 2013]

The public consultation and voting on the special projects list is fraught and dishonest. Last year I spearheaded a public application to this fund to begin the process or painting a series of Murals in Motueka. The idea hit a cord with the public and came back as the third highest voted on the list.

Of the $40,000 available at that time the murals received $2000 - not proportionate to the ranking. The public voting scheme is simply politicking the illusion that the public have a say. Let's hope this "somewhat" new community board actually listen and honour the community's choices - or if not then perhaps they ought think about changing their name.

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