Regular residents' meetings



NEXT MEETING - Sunday 28 November 2010

Venue: to be advised

Time: 4pm

 


Minutes of Mount Cook Mobilised Meeting - 12 September 2010

 

40 Wallace Street, Mt Cook

 

Present - Peter Cooke (Chair), Cr Ian McKinnon, Cr Iona Pannett, Cr Stephanie Cook, Carol Comber (Mt Cook Co-ordinator), Ross Tanner, Frank Cook, Brent Cherry, Barbara Lambourn, Tina Reid, Joss Morrison, Susan Cook, Peter Rendall, Neil Hickman, Mig Wright, David Pucher, Russell Palmer, Don McDonald, Warwick Wiles, Karen Smyth, Dave Smyth

 

Apologies –Jane Loughnan, Jonathan Thompson, Peggy Bhana, Trevor Fitzjohn, Frances Fitzjohn, Campbell McLean, Fiona Pearson, Ruth Jeffery, Annie Fleetwood

 

Minutes of Previous Meeting, adopted

 

Financial Report

Bank balance is $2139.96, after receipt of five payments for ads in the latest newsletter.  This balance includes an earmarked amount of $411 for a sign for Papawai reserve.

 

Hankey St Dairy Attack

Peter Cooke outlined the circumstances of the recent attack on the owner of the dairy in Hankey St, and theft of cigarettes.  Peter had called the owner after the attack.  This occurred at 7.00 pm, and there has been subsequent discussion with the Council on the adequacy of the lighting at that corner.

 

Bidwill St Proposed Roading Changes

Ross Tanner advised that a further residents’ meeting had been held on 4 September, attended by councillor McKinnon and Stuart Bullen from WCC.  The outcome from the meeting was that to make further progress, residents would need to talk to Steve Spence.

Modelling had been completed of changes to the traffic flows at the Webb/Willis/Aro intersection.  The conclusion the Council staff had reached was that there should not be further traffic added to that intersection or other local streets by, for example, preventing right turns into Bidwill St from Brooklyn Rd.  Residents have asked for a copy of the traffic modelling report by Opus from the Council, to enable a further letter to the Council to be completed.  The modelling report had not yet been received.

One option being considered by Council staff is to put traffic calming humps in Heaton and Bell Roads, both to slow the traffic as it approached Bidwill St and also to discourage traffic from using that route. Stuart Bullen estimated that around 900 cars use Bell Road each day.

There appeared to be no change yet to the phasing of the lights at the bottom of Bidwill St to allow more time for pedestrians to cross Wallace St before Bidwill St traffic emerged.  There was a general comment that none of the short-term actions arising from recent discussions with the Council had been put in place, and this will be followed up. 

 

Bidwill St – Development at 1 Anderson Terrace

Ross also advised that two meetings had been held by Bidwill St and Anderson Tce residents, one with Council staff and one with the owners of the proposed development.  Councillor McKinnon helped arrange these and attended both meetings. 

The meetings were positive in tone, and the owners said they would bring their architect to a further meeting when he returned from overseas.

Issues raised included the stormwater drainage from Nairn St Park, and the risk of cars crashing down on to the developers’ property from the Bidwill St corner.

 

Election Meetings

Peter Cooke reminded the meeting of the two election meetings to be held this week, co-hosted by Mt Cook Mobilised and the Mt Victoria Residents Association.  The meeting for candidates for Councillor positions will be on Tuesday 14 September, and the meeting for Mayoral candidates is on Thursday 16 September.  Both meetings are at 7.30 pm, at New Crossways, upstairs at 6 Roxburgh St, Mt Victoria. Please bring a plate for supper if you can.

 

Spring Fling

To be held at Papawai Reserve picnic area on 31 October.  MCM has applied for an exemption from the new liquor bylaws to allow people to bring wine etc for their own consumption.  The initial questions from the Council suggest that the staff think it may be a much bigger event than it actually will be, and/or that they are treating this as a test case.  The Council seems to be making this application more complex than necessary, and more stringent than Mt Cook had been led to believe.  Councillor Cook will check this with Council staff.

Expenditure of up to $200 from MCM funds was approved to cover expenses related to the Spring Fling. 

 

Playground – Hutchison Rd between Wallace and Wright Sts

The ideas from the children, which were noted as being constructive and useful, have now been sent in to the Council.

Nothing further has been heard from the Council, so MCM will follow up.

 

Civil Defence/Renovations

The Christchurch earthquake has raised the issue of whether people wishing to remove potentially dangerous chimneys if their houses are pre-1930 will need to go through a complex and costly resource consent requirement under the WCC heritage requirements.

Councillor Cook noted that the Mayor has asked Council staff to advise the Council on this type of issue following the earthquake.

 

Heritage Listing - Buckle St Creche

Peter Cooke advised that the Historic Places Trust was considering listing the Home of Compassion Creche as a Category One building. The meeting agreed to support the registration.

This could impact on the Basin reserve Flyover proposal.  Peter will keep MCM informed on this issue.

 

Citizens Forum

Dave Smyth attended this meeting on 23 August. The underlying intention was to establish a framework so that Residents Associations across Wellington could co-ordinate on broader issues where that was warranted eg if proposals for a “super Wellington local government structure” emerged.  There were a number of speakers, but there seemed to be little action planned as a direct result of the meeting.  It remains to be seen if the initiative gets off the ground.

 

Drummond Street Plantings

The project had encountered difficulties eg the wet weather was preventing the use of heavy machinery on the steep slope, and a number of unmapped pipes and cables had been found.

There is to be a further meeting this week on the possibility of getting some progress on the MCM initiative to get some fruit trees included in the plantings by the QM Apartments, and on the possibility of getting some funding for this. An environmental grant from the Council was noted as a possible approach, as well as a direct approach to the head of the Council nursery.  It was noted that Hutt City Council was recently reported as funding this type of community initiative.

 

Papawai

Susan Cook thanked the people who kept coming to help with the planting and clearing of the reserve.

The Council is proposing to replace the culvert at the northern end of the lower Prince of Wales Park with a larger pipe, to reduce silting and resulting flooding on that ground.

Frank Cook circulated a preliminary design of the fish ladder which is intended to reduce the risk of silting and flooding at the lower end of the Papawai Reserve.  Ideas on approaches to this redesign are being sought.  The working group in the reserve today had seen two fish in the area they were working in.

The Owhiro Stream group have some surplus sedge plants which they can give to MCM.

The next working bee at Papwai will be the first Sunday in October – 3 October.

 

Newsletter Deliveries

The current newsletter which focuses on the local authority elections is being distributed now.  Dave Smyth is organising the distribution.  He noted the effort that Carol had put into arranging the distribution for the previous issues. 

 

Mini Cookies

Joss Morrison noted that the Minis group has hired a room at Thistle Hall until the end of the year, thanks to the help of Jenny Rains at WCC.  Monthly get togethers are held, on alternate Mondays and Fridays.

 

Thanks John & Joss

Once again we are very grateful to John and Joss Morrison for the use of the Heritage Cafe for our meeting, and for the tea and coffee.  Thank you.

 

General Business

A “Profile” of the demographics of residents in Mt Cook has been provided to MCM by the WCC staff.  The preponderance of people in the 18 to 30 age group was noted, indicating the high number of students (40% of the Mt Cook population?) living in the area.  A copy of the Profile is available from MCM   HYPERLINK "mailto:mtcookmobilised@gmail.com" mailto:mtcookmobilised@gmail.com 

A suggestion was made that MCM consider setting up a Facebook page.  It was suggested that we look at the Thorndon Residents Association Facebook to see what this involved.

 

Next Meeting – Sunday 17 October, 4pm. Venue tba

 


 

See Archive for minutes of previous meetings