Community Services Committee
Report of a meeting
held in the Council Chambers, 2nd Floor, 30 Laings Road,
Lower Hutt on
Thursday 1 March 2018 commencing at 6.00pm
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Cr G Barratt (Chair) |
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Cr L Bridson |
Cr J Briggs |
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Cr S Edwards |
Cr M Lulich |
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Cr G McDonald |
Cr L Sutton |
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Mayor WR Wallace (until 6.15pm) |
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APOLOGIES: Mayor Wallace for early departure.
Cr Milne.
IN ATTENDANCE: Mr T Stallinger, Chief Executive
Mr M Reid, General Manager, City and Community Services
Mr B Hodgins, Divisional Manager, Parks and Gardens
Mr J Pritchard, Senior Research/Policy Advisor, Strategy and Planning (part meeting)
Ms K Crandle, Reserves Planner
Ms J Lawson, Reserves Assets Manager
Ms E Jackman, Chair, Youth Council
Ms J Randall, Committee Advisor
PUBLIC BUSINESS
1. APOLOGIES
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RESOLVED: (Cr Barratt/Cr Edwards) Minute No. CSC 18101 “That the apology received from Cr Milne be accepted and leave of absence be granted and the apology for early departure received from Mayor Wallace, be accepted.” |
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
The Chair announced that Mr M Grigg, a local Wainuiomata resident and well known passionate advocate for people with disabilities, had suddenly passed away.
She said Mr Grigg’s name had been synonymous with speaking up for people with disabilities over many years. He had been a tireless and respected campaigner for the rights of those with disabilities. She noted Mr Grigg had been working on a 57 page presentation to present to the Committee not long before he passed away and she hoped to receive it. She said his passion would be sorely missed.
Cr Briggs led a karakia and a moment’s silence was held to remember Mr Grigg.
PRECEDENCE OF BUSINESS
In accordance with Standing Order 10.4, the Chair accorded precedence to Item 5, Report from the Accessibility and Inclusiveness Plan Advisory Group.
This item is recorded in the order in which it is listed on the order paper.
2. PUBLIC COMMENT
There was no public comment.
3. CONFLICT OF INTEREST DECLARATIONS
There were no conflicts of interest.
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4. |
Activity Report - Parks and Reserves (17/1903) Report No. CSC2018/1/39 by the Divisional Manager, Parks and Gardens |
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The Divisional Manager, Parks and Gardens elaborated on the report. He advised the Parks and Gardens Division managed a range of reserves and facilities with 10 staff working principally as asset managers, but also as policy advisors and statutory land managers. He said the Parks and Gardens Division had undertaken a comprehensive review of all reserve spaces over recent years and advised this review was nearing completion. He said the 10 year Reserve Strategic Directions Plan had been reviewed last year and two thirds of projects planned had been completed since its creation. A vision for the next 10 years had now been developed. Mayor Wallace left the meeting at 6.15pm. The Divisional Manager, Parks and Gardens gave a powerpoint presentation on sportsground facilities that were aging and due for renewal. He said they needed substantial investment to bring them up to standard and decisions would need to be made on their retention. He advised reports on these facilities would be reported to the committee at a later date. The Reserves Planner advised that Parks and Gardens staff were primarily asset managers in the open space network. She considered asset management had become a well accepted practice globally to enable Councils to improve financial forecasting for asset creation, renewal and disposal. She advised the Parks and Gardens Asset Management Plans were currently under review. She updated members on work at Avalon Park and the Riddiford Gardens and advised Stage Three of plans for both were underway and due for completion in June. She noted some works were unable to be completed due to budget constraints and a report on these would be reported to the committee at a later date. The Reserves Assets Manager advised there was a shortfall in the funds needed to maintain the network of 54 neighbourhood playgrounds, recreational areas and tracks across the City. She noted playgrounds were important neighbourhood spaces but many needed new play equipment and resurfacing. She advised the current budget was not enough to maintain the playgrounds into the future. She noted that community led projects had helped transform areas such as Petone Beach and Waiwhetu Stream but that they required a management response from Council to maintain improvements. Additionally the substantial network of popular tracks around the City would need continued maintenance and a greater focus going forward. She acknowledged Kelson School, who had offered to partner with Council to help finance an upgrade to their adjacent playground, but that the increased use would also cause ongoing maintenance issues. The Divisional Manager, Parks and Gardens noted the renewals budget was only 25% of the amount needed for future renewal work which would be a major challenge for maintaining assets into the future. He advised that other work the Division was working on included several scenarios to take into account the impacts of future climate change, ensuring contractors were operating safely and increasing the appeal of spaces that were experiencing low levels of use. In response to questions from members, the Divisional Manager Parks and Gardens noted that Rotarians and Lions who used the Avalon Park Pavilion already contributed to the community indirectly through community projects but did not have the funds to subsidise major assets. He advised that the asset budget included the entire network of assets and was distributed on a priority basis. He added the current budget was not sufficient to maintain all assets so budget decisions would need to be rationalised. He said that under the Sportsville model, buildings would be owned by the sports clubs but would have solid maintenance plans in place. Other parks would continue to be used for sport but funding the maintenance of their buildings would be a challenge. The Reserves Planner added that sportsvilles were helping to increase the number of children participating in sports. In response to questions from members, the Divisional Manager, Parks and Gardens explained that efficiencies from combining Parks and Gardens and Transport contracts were from the management of the contracts rather than from the contracts themselves. He gave an assurance that the KPIs and specifications of the upcoming sports contract renewal would be examined and changed if needed. He said the possible use of more artificial surfaces to increase park use had been considered but would have been too expensive to maintain. He believed there was not sufficient budget in the Long Term Plan to renew rubbish bins in parks or to provide the necessary funding for animal and plant pest control. He advised the annual budget for renewals was $150,000 not including the budget for day-to-day repairs. |
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MOVED: (Cr Barratt/Cr McDonald) “That the Committee: (i) notes the information in this report; (ii) notes that this review also meets the intent of section 17A of the Local Government Act 2002; and (iii) agrees that a full 17A review should not be undertaken at present.” |
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AMENDMENT MOVED: (Cr Briggs/Cr Barratt) “That the Committee: (i) notes the information in this report; (ii) notes that this review also meets the intent of section 17A of the Local Government Act 2002; and (iii) agrees that a full 17A review should not be undertaken at present (iv) requests officers to report to the Community Plan Committee on the options to fund the projected shortfall of maintaining and renewing Parks and Gardens Division assets.” The amendment was DECLARED carried on the voices. |
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Resolved: (Cr Briggs/Cr Barratt) Minute No. CSC 18102 “That the Committee: (i) notes the information in this report; (ii) notes that this review also meets the intent of section 17A of the Local Government Act 2002; (iii) agrees that a full 17A review should not be undertaken at present; and (iv) requests officers to report to the Community Plan Committee on options to fund the projected shortfall of maintaining and renewing Parks and Gardens Division assets.” |
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5. |
Report from the Accessibility and Inclusiveness Plan Advisory Group (18/116) Report No. CSC2018/1/41 by the Divisional Manager, Strategy and Planning |
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The Senior Research/Policy Advisor elaborated on the report. In response to a question from a member, the Senior Research/Policy Advisor said he would report back on whether it was possible for the Accessibility and Inclusiveness Group to be automatically consulted when a community development or community event was taking place. The Chair advised that the Divisional Manager, Community Hubs was to attend the next meeting of the Group and could update the Group on upcoming developments at that time. Mayor Wallace observed that Mr Grigg had worked hard to encourage Council to be more inclusive and responsive to members of the community with disabilities. He believed the Group was a step towards achieving this and that more consultation would serve to strengthen its influence and be a fitting tribute to the memory of Mr Grigg. Mayor Wallace asked that Mr Griggs’ comments and suggestions be reported to the Committee for further consideration. |
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Resolved: (Cr Barratt/Cr Bridson) Minute No. CSC 18103 “That the Committee: (i) notes the minutes of the inaugural meeting of Council’s Accessibility and Inclusiveness Plan Advisory Group attached as Appendix 1 to the report; and (ii) notes the actions made to be completed in time for the next meeting on 11 April 2018.” |
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General Manager's Report (18/105) Report No. CSC2018/1/40 by the General Manager, City and Community Services |
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The General Manager, City and Community Services, elaborated on the report. He paid tribute to Mr Grigg for his passion and drive in the field of disability. He said he had spent many hours in discussion with Mr Grigg on disability issues and believed Mr Grigg had done a great service for the City. The Chief Executive added that he had many conversations with Mr Grigg regarding disability strategies and had received many emails from him. He noted that while they did not always agree, he commended Mr Grigg as a brilliant person with a great depth of analysis and said he would miss him. The General Manager, City and Community Services gave a presentation on the positive impact of the new Stokes Valley hub. He noted staff at the hubs had contributed to its success by working hard to build strong relationships with the community. He believed there would also be significant cost savings for Council as a result of replacing seven run-down facilities with the two new hubs. In response to questions from members, the General Manager, City and Community Services advised that he had engaged Ms McLachlan, a person who lives with disabilities, as an advisor to work alongside his team during the design process of all new facilities. He believed this had helped ensure buildings met the standards of those with disabilities. He said a manager was about to be appointed to the Stokes Valley hub along with new team members. He agreed to report back on areas of focus for the Junior Neighbourhood Support programme in Lower Hutt schools. Members thanked the General Manager, City and Community Services for his team’s work in building community spirit and pride in Stokes Valley. |
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Resolved: (Cr Barratt/Cr Briggs) Minute No. CSC 18104 “That the Committee notes the updates contained in the report” |
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7. QUESTIONS
There were no questions.
The Chair advised that the meeting on Thursday 3 May would be held at The Re-Makery, 310 Waiwhetu Rd, Epuni so that members could learn more about work happening in the Epuni community. She thanked Cr Edwards for arranging it.
There being no further business the Chair declared the meeting closed at 7.15 pm.
Cr G Barratt
CHAIR
CONFIRMED as a true and correct record
Dated this 13th day of March 2018