Front door to hospital ED shifts
Patients and visitors to Palmerston North Hospital’s emergency department will have to use the hospital’s main front door to get in during the next eight weeks. Direct access to ED has been closed off while work continues on a $2 million upgrade of the facility. The improvements were considered too urgent to delay until a major overhaul of the main hospital building, which is still several years away. The current work is expected to create a more welcoming reception and waiting area, private triage rooms and better facilities for people visiting with critically-ill patients. The improvements will help the ED to cope with the flow of 110 to 160 patients a day, reducing waiting times and making visits less stressful. During the disruption to the entrance, extra wheelchairs will be available to help people to cover the extra distance. The door should be back in use by mid-may, while remaining building work would continue into July.
Foxton Beach pumped for new track
A new pump track has opened in the Holben Reserve, Foxton Beach, to the delight of cyclists, skateboarders and scooter riders. A pump track is a circuit containing berms and rollers that riders can use instead of pedalling to gain and keep momentum. Horowhenua mayor Michael Feyen and Foxton Community Board chairman David Roache were on hand to open the track on Sunday. Horowhenua District Council parks and property project leader Zane Bull said the facility offered track circuits for all ages and abilities, including a track for children aged 2-4 and loops for beginners, intermediate and advanced riders. It’s expected to be a popular attraction in the town, particularly when the school holidays arrive.
Police chase ends in breakdown
A man has been arrested after he attempted to flee police – but then his car broke down. Police were called to a crash on Ashhurst Bunnythorpe Rd about 11.30am on Monday. The driver fled the scene and police pursued the car, which broke down a short time later and the driver was arrested. A 29-year-old man is due to make his first appearance in the Palmerston North District Court today. He has been charged with failing to stop, failing to remain stopped, careless driving and dangerous driving.