February 3, 2016
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Every rose ... Thousands of people headed to Mahurangi last month to soak up a slower pace of life as summer finally turned on the heat. But many people also found their patience boiling over as roads became gridlocked. The Warkworth A&P Lifestyle Show reported a drop in numbers which they attributed to the traffic jams (see story p6). But it is a scenario that is likely to become more frequent, as our real estate feature Property Pressure foreshadows. Warkworth could grow to nearly 28,000 people in the next 25 years (see story p12) and developers are already transforming our towns in anticipation. Hopefully, this won’t come at the expense of the lifestyle, which attracted people in the first place, and there will still be time to smell the roses... (See Valentine’s Day 24-25) Even the very young were captivated the fragrance of the floral display at the Warkworth A&P Lifestyle Show last month. See story page 6
Mutiny stalks Warkworth BID campaign
A fracture in the Warkworth business community is threatening to spill into legal action and the first head to roll in the controversy is Warkworth Area Business Association (WABA) chair Dean Sampson. Mr Sampson has tendered his resignation citing “personal reasons” as the cause. However, his resignation
was specifically called for in a written request received by the association just before Christmas. Signed by 10 financial members, the request seeks a Special General Meeting to end the Business Improvement District (BID) establishment process, calls for Mr Sampson’s resignation and promotes the resignation of the
whole executive committee. The latest association newsletter says that, “We have since been advised by the signatories that the Special General Meeting issue is being taken up by their legal team and, as this now appears to be a legal matter, we will not be taking any further action about the SGM request at this time.”
The latest developments come after news that a separate business association has formed, with one of its primary aims being to defeat the current campaign to establish a BID in Warkworth. The BID is being strongly championed by WABA and the Rodney Local Board, which has
off the drawing board this month . . .
New Cottage - Matakana
PH 425 9759 awell Graham SARCHITECTURAL 9 Falls St • Warkworth DESIGNER
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Behind the basic philosophy of personal service is the belief that it is possible to combine innovative design with cost control to produce efficient, functional & delightful architecture.