Harbour plan proposal not released yet
TWO months after the Waitaki District Council adopted a plan to improve Oamaru’s harbour area, an official document is yet to be seen.
The council adopted the Oamaru Harbour Plan 2020 and Beyond at a December 8 council meeting last year, but the official document only came across Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher’s desk on Tuesday.
‘‘It’s taken longer than we would have liked but it’s been a combination of things, including the Christmas break and just how busy we’ve been during the break with our coms team . . . with the flooding,’’ Mr Kircher said.
He was halfway through checking the plan, and expected it to be released on the council’s website by the end of the week.
Members of the public who made submissions on the plan would receive responses once the final document was produced.
The plan had been through the harbour area committee and council meetings, both livestreamed to the council’s Facebook page.
‘‘It’s been quite public that that work’s been done and that the final sign off has been given.’’
At a council meeting on Tuesday, the council agreed for work to begin on the first tranche of projects from the plan.
Those included the structural repairs of Holmes Wharf, renovations of the sheds and the creation of a floating pontoon, budgeted at $2.1 million.
Other projects included access to the breakwater, rock armouring, slipway improvements, and formalising parking.
‘‘The plan itself covers a number of years, so a lot of great ideas. The idea of the staging is to keep progressing things and it will just keep getting better in that area.’’