Council’s $81m project wish list
The Southland District Council has an $81 million wish list of projects under the government’s shovel-ready scheme.
The scheme would fund projects which are ready to go in a bid to kickstart employment and New Zealand’s economy in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
On April 1, infrastructure minister Shane Jones asked for applications for infrastructure projects that were ready to start within six months and Crown Infrastructure Partners were assisting the Infrastructure Industry Reference Group in preparing a list of projects to be put to Jones.
Southland District mayor Gary Tong said getting to work on council’s nine project, $81.9m list would be a boon for the region.
Five of council’s projects are general and spread throughout the district.
The four localised projects would be a $10m suspension bridge at Monowai, a $10m wastewater membrane filter at Te
Anau, $5.3m for work on the Golden Bay wharf on Stewart Island and $1.8m for the Ulva Island jetty.
The other five projects council is asking for funding for are 37 kilometres of water supply reticulation for $19.3m, $3.8m for wastewater reticulation and $17.8m for storm water reticulation, both at various locations around the district.
Council has also requested $9.8m for bridge design and build packages and $4.1m for roading rehabilitation around Southland.
Tong said it would be great to get government support for all of them.
Employment in Southland would get a boost from the projects, he said.
However, the council cut $716,499 worth of projects at a meeting yesterday.
Councillors also deferred $5,150,761m worth of projects to the next financial year, more than $2m less than last year.
The projects were off the table, Tong said.
The cuts and deferrals were tallied before the February floods and also the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.
A report by council management accountant Joanie Nel, says council’s 2019/20 annual plan had $24,064,723 worth of projects and now expected projects for this financial year to total $18,797,005.
A Golden Bay Wharf rebuild project, allocated $233,812, was cut.
After the meeting, Tong said that project was to redevelop the surrounding car park and not the wharf itself.
Projects also cut include $449,633 worth of work for the Stewart Island Electrical Supply Authority.