The Waitaki District Council supports the Waitaki Resource Recovery Trust, that much is clear.
How the council supports the trust that runs the Waitaki Resource Recovery Park in Chelmer St will be decided by the councillors elected on October 8.
Last term, councillors twice heard opposition to continued support of business as usual when reviewing a $285,000 redevelopment of the park.
The noise created by the glass recycling operations at the the park has proven to be an issue for some neighbours.
The next council will receive a report on options to avoid, remedy, or mitigate neighbours' concerns about the negative effect the sound of breaking glass has on their residential amenity value before the proposed funding is reviewed.
The council funds the trust with an annual operational grant of $220,000, plus $10,000 for site maintenance and an equivalent $40,000 for land rental.
The Otago Daily Times asked Oamaru ward candidates: ''What should happen with the resource recovery park?''
Some edited replies:
Glen Perham
"We have the holiday park and neighbours suffering from a constant noise, smell and traffic problem. While current council's policy continues to define noise pollution by any decibel rating, this will continue. There are so many noises that are nuisance - like the sound of breaking glass - that affect people every day, from barking dogs to roosters at 5am that go ignored as they aren't loud enough. The problem of the glass noise could be silenced in a very easy cost-effective manner, but it is up to the recovery park, not council, to rectify this issue."
Cr Hugh Perkins
"I am on record castigating council staff for not being as helpful as they might've been, but [the trust's] management is responsible for the operation and have been making excessive noise, sometimes at ungodly hours, over a prolonged period. [The trust] are good corporate citizens, helping people in difficulty find a way back into employment as well as producing clean, saleable recyclables. It behoves council to continue to support the trust but not with a blank cheque."
Cr Colin Wollstein
"The solution must be to reduce or contain the noise from glass handling, to allow the essential process to continue without undue annoyance to neighbours. [The trust] should reconsider the glass handling processes, to find if the noise generated can be reduced, and investigate enclosing the glass handling in a building with acoustic lining. This building would be a cost to [the trust], but would ensure the glass recycling is able to continue and any noise generated would be below the allowable noise levels permitted in the resource consent for the recycling centre."
Cr Jim Hopkins
"Councillors have supported the redevelopment. We've voted to support the redevelopment with funds - $285,000 to begin with. But we want the noise issues sorted. That means finding a way to ''enable the adverse effects upon the amenity values of the surrounding residential zone to be avoided, remedied or mitigated''. Solving the problem as part of the park's redevelopment is the best way forward. There is a solution. And I'm pretty confident we'll have it soon."
Lucianne White
"There is no doubt that it is an issue for future councillors in the short and long term. The closure of the landfill will also impact the issue. With a process of due diligence and consultation with affected parties and experts, I would hope to see a long term plan emerge that addresses great waste disposal services for our community and facilities that cater to our needs now and for years to come. I would like to see a resolution and the evidence to back it up that goes beyond, but also addresses, the issues raised in your question."
Cr Melanie Tavendale
"While I support an upgrade of the facility, if council is to cover any of these costs they have to be happy with the proposal, and convinced the changes will mitigate arising problems. We know the noise of glass breaking is an issue for neighbours, and any upgrade needs to address this, perhaps in the form of an enclosed building. This may not be a council facility, but if the
upgrade is to be funded by council, we can and should expect sound mitigation to be part of the plan."
Cr Peter Garvan
"The resource recovery trust operates under a resource consent for its operations. The issue of excessive noise and other issues have been raised by neighbours. It is important to establish the facts. Council has engaged a noise report to assist with council's deliberations. It is in all parties interests to mitigate any adverse affects from the operation of the resource recovery trust."
