Park gets $300,000 upgrade
Work is under way on a $300,000 project to ‘‘modernise’’ Walter Nash Park in Taita.
The upgrade is being funded in an effort to encourage people to return to the once well-used recreation area.
Work began earlier in June and is expected to be completed in July.
Hutt City Council reserves assets manager Craig Cottrell said the revamp was long overdue and the outdoor area would complement the Walter Nash Stadium complex.
‘‘We’ve got Walter Nash Stadium, which is a great indoor facility, and this adds a great extension to the Walter Nash space.’’
The use of the park had changed in recent years with the Taita Bowls Club and a dog training group no longer located at the park.
Changes would include a new footpath across the grounds to link Molesworth St and Reynolds St, the demolition of an old toilet block and the removal of overgrown greenery.
Two new paths were being installed for walkers, runners and cyclists, and improvements would also be made to the entrances.
‘‘A lot of people don’t know it’s there. The entrance [on Tocker St] looks like an entrance to a private property,’’ Cottrell said.
The council had spread the project over two financial years.
Consultation with the com- munity and planning took place last financial year and the project will be completed after July 1, in the new financial year.
Spreading the process out had given the council more time to consider its plans and deliver a better result for the Taita community, he said.
As part of the wider project, Waimarie Croquet Club would be moving into the former bowls club premises which they will share with the Hutt Valley Darts Association.