Toilets for Kitchener Park
A campaign for public toilets has paid off for a group of Feilding pupils.
Manchester Street School’s green team, consisting of nine pupils, took their plea for the installation of a toilet block at Kitchener Park to the Manawatu District Council last week.
They had the backing of the community, with the council receiving seven submissions to build a toilet at the park, and noone against the concept.
The crusade has seen $114,000 put aside for the installation of a toilet block at the Feilding park.
The project, originally scheduled for next year, has been brought forward to 2017/2018.
Community and strategy general manager Brent Limmer said two composting toilets would be built at a cost of $70,000.
The remaining $40,000 was required to ensure the structure was flood proof.
‘‘We don’t want to see it lift out of the ground and float away.’’
The forest has fallen victim to several floods over the years and suffered major damage in 2004 and 2015.
Chairman of the park Geoff Lovegrove said the Mangaone and Makino streams, which meet at the park, had caused problems including the introduction of the weed tradescantia, or wandering jew, which smothered any seedling development.
Councillors debated the topic at length on Thursday and said the threat of future floods would be a hindrance to the toilet block.
Limmer said the council would look at options to protect it against flooding, such as building on higher ground.
Councillor Steve Bielski said he would like to see pupils create a decorative mural to cover the toilet block walls, as had been done with public toilets in Rangiwahia.