Waimea Weekly
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Your Community Newspaper
Wednesday 19 February 2014
Where to for opera?
Page 15
NEW look pages 30 - 34
Waka ama draws record field
Page 34
Funding cut to cycle trail
A $600,000 cut to spending on the Tasman Great Taste Cycle Trail is just one of the items on a hit list that the Tasman District Council is considering to reduce its debt from $193 million to between $177-$180 million by the end of the financial year. The council has been holding a series of workshops to discuss cuts to the 20142015 annual plan to reduce debt and this Wednesday the full council is to meet in Richmond to discuss the proposals.
The $600,000 cut from cycle trail’s budget was one of the proposals on the agenda and Tasman mayor Richard Kempthorne admits that it could be the most controversial. Richard says the council was committed to completing the final stages of the coastal section of the trail between Mapua and Kaiteriteri, but was reluctant to start the next stage from Wakefield to Dovedale without securing the required funding.
Simon Bloomberg
Senior reporter Reporter
simon@waimeaweekly.co.nz “There will be a reaction to that and I understand that. The cycle trail has been very popular but we need to secure funding before we commit to the next stage. “I talked to the Cycle Trail Trust today and we’ll be approaching the government to
see if they can help out with funding, but until then we can’t afford to go ahead.” Richard says the cycle trail was just one of a number of projects the council is proposing to cut back to reduce debt. Roading, stormwater, waste water, solid waste and community facilities projects, including deferring the $1.076 million Motueka Library redevelopment for a year SEE PAGE 2
Massive crowd for wine and food fest They came to taste whitebait fritters, drink local wines, dance in the sun – and they came in their droves. A crowd estimated to be between 3500 and 4000 strong attended the returning Brightwater Wine and Food Festival at Middle-Earth Vineyards. With ticket prices reflecting a “back to basics” approach, organisers from the Richmond Rotary Club were thrilled to say that Sunday’s record crowd means the festival is back for good and will return as an annual event. “We wanted to go back to basics with some really good food, really good wine, really good beer and it’s really worked,” says Rotary chairman Peter Glue. “The crowd was so well behaved. Everyone was up dancing and loving it. We’ve proven that this will now be an annual event.”
Rachel Warne, Milissa Webb and Elena Hill enjoying the Brightwater Wine and Food Festival on Sunday afternoon. Photo: Phillip Rollo.
SEE PAGE 2
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