Smartening up Kurow is the aim of a group of three local people who plan to organise a public meeting next month to involve the community in planning for its future development.
Teacher Donna Smith and businessmen Steve Hotton and Calum Reid, who is also on the Ahuriri Community Board, have formed a working group to plan the meeting with the aim of improving what the town has now and putting together a development plan for the future.
Mr Reid said the push was prompted partially by the plans for the Alps 2 Ocean cycleway from Mt Cook to Oamaru, which would pass through the town.
"The town needs to move forward. We need to tidy Kurow up then look at its future development.
"To do that, we need to get the locals on board," Mr Reid said.
Plans for the future of the town have been produced in the past, including recently a design plan for the township by a university student as part of a thesis.
Mrs Smith, Mr Hotton and Mr Reid are proposing to call a public meeting which would involve several guest speakers talking about projects which will affect the town, then splitting everyone into groups to record visions and ideas for tidying up and developing Kurow.
It is planned to involve the recently-formed Business Bytes group, made up of local business people, and the public.
"To succeed, it has to be driven by local people coming up with a plan and then approaching the [Waitaki District] council for help.
"We need to get the ball rolling now so we are ready for things like the Alps 2 Ocean," Mr Reid said.
