It may be time for the Queenstown Lakes District Council and Delta to reinstate a forgotten fund used to put power lines underground, Mayor Vanessa van Uden says.
At this week's full council meeting in Queenstown, Ms van Uden was asked by Arrowtown Ward councillor Scott Stevens for an update on what was happening with 29 trees planted along Ladies Mile.
Because the trees were encroaching on power lines Delta had planned to fell them, outraging a group of residents who lobbied for the trees to be saved.
Delta then agreed to cover the cost of the next trim, in autumn, giving the community time to find a long-term solution.
Ms van Uden said the trees and lines could not continue to exist in the same space, but the community might not necessarily support ratepayers funding the ongoing annual cost of trimming - a total of about $9000 for the twice-yearly trims.
She had suggested the "community action group'', formed in the wake of a public meeting near Lake Hayes earlier this month, make submissions on the annual plan for the council to consider.
Speaking after the meeting, she said it might be time to reinstate the joint fund with Delta.
"We used to ... put in a budget and we'd go 50-50 on undergrounding power lines.
"For a number of years we haven't done that. We haven't had the demand for it.
"I think there are potentially a lot of options [where lines could go underground]. It might be time to reinstate it and [look at] other areas for undergrounding as well.''
While there had been some debate over who was responsible for the trees - information indicated if the lines were installed after the trees were planted it was the company's responsibility - Ms van Uden said that was irrelevant.
"It was the Central Electric Power Board [who put the lines in]. We're talking the '70s when this happened.
"In the end, this is not going to be won or lost on whether the power company has responsibility. They [Delta] have a statutory ability to do what they're going to do.
"We're better to work with the community and with [Delta] on a solution.''
