Wait and see strategy for Kumaras cycle path

July 9th, 2014
[by David Armstrong]

The Kumaras walking track will remain part of the Great Taste cycle trail at least for the time being, while a longer term solution to its erosion due to storms is plotted. (See our earlier story.)

The Motueka Community Board yesterday heard an excellent presentation by TDC's development engineer and representative on the Great Taste Cycle Trust, Dugald Ley, showing how the topography of the sandy foreshore and sand spit has changed over the past 60 years.

He said aerial photos show that a new sandspit is starting to form closer to the Motueka River mouth, which if it matures will likely make the current Kumaras area filled in with sand.

The cost of re-routing the official cycle trail along Thorp Street would be at least $30,000 because part of it is an 80kph zone, so it was better to do inexpensive work on maintaining and raising the existing path for a year or more and see what trends develop.

One solution could be to construct a raised boardwalk, which with volunteer labour and discounted materials could cost far less than $30,000.

This could in fact be a Community Board "special project", which the4 board has funds to cover. However it would require agreement with the iwi land owners.

The Board were heartened to hear that Dugald had been talking with iwi, and negotiations were leading to an agreement, still in its draft form, to take longer-term measures in a way that would benefit both parties.

Discretionary grants
Two organisations planning Christmas activities received grants from the Community Board's Discretionary Fund yesterday. The St Andrews Motueka Community Christmas Dinner group will use its $480.00 to help purchase Christmas hams and chickens for this year's event.

Based on the success of the inaugural dinner last year, the planning team are expecting a full house and therefore further demand on food and other materials, and are seeking some longer-term financial backing for coming years to make the event sustainable rather than relying on certain generous benefactors.

And the Motueka Age-Link Trust was granted $500 to help it fund all the staging, sound and lighting equipment for the "Christmas in the Park" event, to be held this year in Memorial Park.

Motueka Sunday Market
The Sunday Market organiser Judy Roper presented her highly detailed marketing and financial plan to the Board, who accepted it with much praise. This year is the 25th birthday of the market, so Judy is planning several activities to celebrate.

Security cameras
Cr Barry Dowler said the promised security camera on the i-Site building has been installed and some trial runs have shown excellent detail already of criminal activity and vandalism taking place. The board said they hoped another camera could be installed to focus on the Japanese garden tea house to deter vandals there too.

It was noted that one problem still is that there is usually no police on duty in the town at the times when these offences will generally happen, so it's difficult to use the cameras to attend to problems as they are occurring.

Comment by Beth Bryant:
[Posted 13 July 2014]

It can readily be observed that Thorp Street is in need of a footpath/cycleway. Many Motueka people use the rather insecure verge or the roadway itself when walking to the Kumaras and it is not really very safe. As well as a higher speed limit, it has large ditches. Perhaps the speed limit could be lowered along there - as well as a footpath put in. It might be expensive to put in a path on Thorp, but in the long run keeping the Kumara walkway walkable/cyclable will cost a lot.

In addition, the most recent upgrade of the Kumara path used cement as a stabliser. Cement is very toxic to fish (see TDC's new bylaw on erosion and sediment control).

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