Funds for flowers
The Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board has granted $1000 to the Rotary Club of Mosgiel towards the upkeep of 17 planter boxes that brighten the Mosgiel shopping area.
Rotary environment director Colin Mackintosh said the project, started by John van Delft, had a seasonal programme planting shrubs and geraniums in spring and polyanthus and pansies in autumn, as well as year-long maintenance by Rotary volunteers.
Board members praised the "vibrancy" the boxes brought to the shopping centre, but asked if business support for the planter boxes, a feature before the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, could be revived so the grant did not become permanent.
Mr Mackintosh agreed to work on asking businesses to help fund the boxes, yet stressed fundraising was not his strength.
No to historical society toilet maintenance
A question regarding the toilet block at Taieri Historical Park had a disappointing result.
In May, the board provided funds to the Taieri Historical Society towards cleaning and stocking the facility and asked the Dunedin City Council to add it to a maintenance schedule.
Council senior officer and special projects lead Sharon Bodeker said after speaking to the property and Three Waters team, they said there was no money in the budget at present for additional toilet maintenance, but the board was welcome to raise it in an annual review submission.
Long-serving custodian acknowledged
Mosgiel’s Coronation Hall is in great shape as a valued advocate steps down.
Mosgiel Coronation Hall Trust board representative Dean McAlwee said the hall was closed for a period in June and July while improvements were carried out, including repainting and carpeting dressing rooms, painting backstage and replacing lighting in the foyer and the Keith Willis Lounge.
A new website and booking system were also being trialled.
Mr McAlwee said long-serving custodian and trustee Ian Chalmers had stepped down.
"Ian has served in this role with incredible dedication for the past 22 years, seven days a week, 24 hours a day."
There had been weeks when Mr Chalmers and his wife, Rosemary Chalmers, had made up to 20 trips to the hall for tasks such as maintenance, unlocking the hall or checking everything was secure, Mr McAlwee said.
On behalf of the board, Mr McAlwee thanked the couple for all they had done for the community.
"Their contributions have been invaluable and their absence will certainly be felt. They will be hard to replace."
Bypass focus in chairman’s report
In his chairman’s report, Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board chairman Andrew Simms outlined good news for the area as well as future hurdles.
While he was pleased some work requested by the board was under way, there were more challenges ahead.
The Dunedin City Council’s transport study for Mosgiel was welcomed, but he said the community would find it very difficult to accept that the need for a heavy transport bypass for Mosgiel was not now more compelling than ever.
He highlighted a heavy transport bypass for Mosgiel was identified by the council as a priority in 2003 and again in the council’s 2013 integrated transport study.
On flood protection, he noted the Otago Regional Council was moving ahead on restoring the Silverstream to its original 1974 capacity of 175cumecs after the flow had slipped to about 115cumecs.
Recent rain showed Quarry Creek, the Ōwhiro Stream and the Wals area drain still needed attention, Mr Simms said.
The Dunedin City Council had scheduled physical work on a park-and-ride beside Mosgiel railway station from October, with completion expected midway through next year.
Mr Simms acknowledged the work of former board chairwoman Joy Davis, who was involved in the early stages of advocating for this proposal.
Building homes still going ahead
During her report, Dunedin city councillor Cherry Lucas said she had visited a newly built house at Kāinga Ora’s development in Doon St. Although Kāinga Ora had cancelled or delayed several projects, it had been given the go-ahead for 31 new homes across High, Spey and Doon Sts and Gretna Pl. The homes would be a mix of single and two-storey, low-maintenance and accessible dwellings.
