Residents urge bequest rethink

Otatara residents are disappointed by the spending plans for a $90,000 legacy fund, and they have let Invercargill mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt know.

A group of Otatara residents showed up to the Invercargill City Council yesterday to hand over a survey to Shadbolt.

It indicated that 99 per cent of 1000 households surveyed did not agree with a decision to spend $90,000 on a barbecue area at Fosbender Park.

Earlier this month the council had decided to use a $90,000 donation by late Otatara resident Derek Gostelow on improving Fosbender Park at Sandy Point.

The bequest was intended for community projects in the Otatara area.

Invercargill City councillor

Councillors Alex Crackett, Graham Lewis, Darren Ludlow, Lesley Soper, Nigel Skelt, Rebecca Amundsen, Ian Pottinger and Toni Biddle had voted in support of the recommendation, while councillors Lindsay Abbott, Nobby Clark and Allan Arnold voted against it.

The decision prompted Otatara resident Penny Ivey to conduct a survey that went to 1000 households in the community.

Clark, who is also an Otatara resident, had agreed to help the Otatara residents get their message to the council.

Knowing the result of the survey, Clark said he canvassed his fellow elected members during the weekend to seek five signatures to put up a notice of motion to council to revisit the decision.

As of yesterday Clark said Shadbolt was the only one to respond. Shadbolt agreed to sign a notice of motion.

‘‘Sometimes you have to be able to acknowledge we got it wrong. That’s why standing orders allow us to go back and revisit the issue. Why they are not prepared to revisit it, I don’t get it,’’ Clark said.

‘‘There are some very angry people who believe that their council are not listening to their wishes.’’

In February Clark and fellow councillor Alan Arnold conducted a public meeting in Otatara. Clark said of the 12 options put up, spending money at Fosbender Park was the least preferred option.

Many of the 70 who attended the meeting were comfortable with some of the $90,000 being put towards the Bush Haven Native Bird Rehabilitation Trust and Otatara Landcare Trust, Clark said.

Another popular suggestion was to include bike training areas for children on the reserve at the corner of Taiepa and Grant roads.

Council parks and reserves manager Michelle Frey noted the reason for choosing Fosbender Park over Bushy Point or Otatara Reserve was that the project could leave a real legacy for Gostelow, instead of being a small part of a larger park.

Clark said the disappointing aspect was that many Otatara residents had indicated they would not use the barbecue area at Fosbender Park. ‘‘The only people who will end up using it will be the townies.’’

‘‘There are some very angry people who believe that their council are not listening to their wishes.’’ Nobby Clark