Community Services Committee
Report of a meeting held in the Wainuiomata Library, Wainuiomata, Lower Hutt on
Thursday 7 March 2019 commencing at 6.00pm
PRESENT:
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Cr G Barratt (Chair) |
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Cr L Bridson |
Cr J Briggs (until 6.40pm) |
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Cr S Edwards |
Cr M Lulich |
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Cr G McDonald (Deputy Chair) |
Cr L Sutton |
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Mayor WR Wallace |
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APOLOGIES: Cr Milne
IN ATTENDANCE:
Mr M Reid, General Manager, City and Community Services
Mr M Sherwood, Divisional Manager, Leisure Active
Mr S Keatley, Huia Pool and Fitness Manager
Ms J Randall, Committee Advisor
PUBLIC BUSINESS
A representative of Youth Council provided an opening prayer.
1. APOLOGIES
Members noted the apology from Cr Milne.
2. PUBLIC COMMENT
There was no public comment..
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3. |
Members of Hutt City Youth Council (Youth Council) were welcomed by members. Ms C Lawrence, a representative of Youth Council, provided an update on behalf of the Chair. She advised Youth Council had recently presented to other Council Committee meetings and been involved in discussions on the City Transformation Plan and the Homelessness Plan. She said the key priorities of Youth Council were wellness, including homelessness, and inspiring young people to vote. She advised Youth Council was eager to form a stronger relationship with Council and be more involved in decision making. She considered decisions made by Council affected young people and believed it was important their voices were heard. She advised Youth Council was creating an online panel called Youthspective through which young people could provide an opinion on issues affecting youth. Youth Council hoped to get a large and diverse group of young people participating in the surveys. Data from the surveys would be forwarded to Council to inform decision making. Members congratulated Youth Council on their work with youth in the city. |
4. CONFLICT OF INTEREST DECLARATIONS
There were no conflict of interest declarations.
5. Recommendation to Community Plan Committee
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Accessibility and Inclusiveness Subcommittee Update (19/74) Report No. CSC2019/1/30 by the Divisional Manager, Strategy and Planning |
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In response to a question from a member, the Chair advised she was working on an update of the contact details of the Accessibility and Inclusiveness Plan Subcommittee (the Subcommittee) for Council’s email distribution list. In response to questions from members, the Divisional Manager, Leisure Active noted the Central Community Panel was contributing $10,000 towards the establishment of a ‘Changing Places’ toilet for Lower Hutt. He advised work would begin in June and the toilet would be situated behind the Dowse Art Museum. He noted the ‘Changing Places’ toilet was consistent with the CBD Transformation Plan and the location was identified as ideal by the Subcommittee. He added users would need to register in order to access the toilet. He did not believe there was a waiting list in Lower Hutt for homes with disabled bathroom facilities. In response to questions from members, the General Manager, City and Community Services said he believed installing the Blind Square GPS App would be a straightforward process. He agreed the subsidy from the New Zealand Transport Authority would enable Council to make significant improvements to footpaths. He advised footpaths in Lower Hutt were audited regularly and were already in good condition overall. |
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RESOLVED: (Cr Barratt/Cr Lulich) Minute No. CSC 19101 “That the Committee: (i) notes the minutes of the Accessibility and Inclusiveness Plan Subcommittee meeting on 3 October 2018 attached as Appendix 1 to the report; (ii) agrees to make recommendations to the Community Plan Committee supporting the funding of specific projects related to improving outcomes for people in the city living with disabilities, which are: (a) improving the quality of the footpaths around the city and developing a standard approach to auditing footpaths in consultation with the disabled community to ensure their suitability for all users; (b) investigating the possibility of working with Blind Square and Wellington City Council to install Blind Square in Lower Hutt’s CBD and Jackson Street Petone to assist those with sight impairments to move safely around both these areas; and (c) investigating the involvement in CCS Disability Action’s work involving the Thundermaps application for: (aa) reporting misuse of mobility parking spaces; and
(bb) mapping the location of mobility
parks in Lower Hutt; (iii) notes that the Central Community Panel has made provision of $100,000 funding for a Changing Places facility for those with highly complex needs; (iv) notes that the Strategic Advisor, City and Community Services Group has advised that there is sufficient budget in the public toilet operational fund to make up the shortfall over the next two financial years – 2018/19 and 2019/2020; and (v) recommends
to the Community Plan Committee that the responsible officers be directed to
investigate the costs of implementing the Accessibility and Inclusiveness
Plan Subcommittee recommendations and report to the appropriate Committee by (a) a breakdown of the cost implications of implementing the Accessibility and Inclusiveness Plan Subcommittee recommendations; and (b) a timeline and plan for implementation.” |
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Resolved: (Cr Barratt/Cr Bridson) Minute No. CSC 19102 “That the Committee thanks the Central Community Panel for its generous contribution of $10,000 towards a ‘Changing Places’ toilet.” |
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6. |
Activity 3 Review - Aquatics and Recreation (19/100) Report No. CSC2019/1/31 by the Divisional Manager, Leisure Active |
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The Divisional Manager, Leisure Active elaborated on the report. He explained performance targets had varied due to the closing of both the Huia Pool for redevelopment and the Naenae Learners’ Pool for earthquake strengthening. He advised Huia Hydrotherapy Pool attendance had increased revenue markedly. He said Fitness Suite and Learn to Swim numbers were less than expected but were increasing steadily. He noted that paying a living wage to staff had reduced revenue. He added costs were now being recovered and the pools were on a positive trajectory towards their financial targets. In response to questions from members, the Divisional Manager, Leisure Active agreed the Finess Suite and Learn to Swim numbers had been significant contributors to the change in financial ratios. He confirmed this was expected to improve over time and said entry fees were still the lowest in the region. He confirmed Learn to Swim programme growth was 20 – 30% behind what had been anticipated in the budget. He explained instructors were employed each season according to enrolment numbers. In response to questions from members, the Divisional Manager, Leisure Active said engineering contractors had been commissioned to provide a remedial scheme for Naenae Pool that would achieve 67% of the building code using retrofitting. He added the contractors would be re-checking the main pool area and would provide results by mid-April. He said Naenae Pool was accommodating swimming lessons in the main pool but the issue had reduced the number of swimmers significantly. He said Lower Hutt pools were fully compliant with all regulations. He noted accidents at Lower Hutt pools were at the lower end of reported accident numbers from pools. |
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Resolved: (Cr Barratt/Mayor Wallace) Minute No. CSC 19103 “That the Committee: (i) notes the information contained 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 section 17A review should not be undertaken at present for the reasons outlined in the report.” |
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7. |
General Manager's Report (19/86) Report No. CSC2019/1/32 by the General Manager, City and Community Services |
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The General Manager, City and Community Services elaborated on the report. He noted the Divisional Manager, Community Hubs and his team (the team) had been undertaking significant consultation with the community with regard to the Naenae Hub. He said as a result they had been receiving positive feedback recently regarding plans for the Naenae Hub. He advised the team was engaging with the community on both the Naenae Hub and the Naenae CBD to determine what was wanted. He said the team would shortly begin engaging with the Petone community regarding the proposed community centre. He listed the projects and amenities that were being funded by Community Panels for their local areas. He noted the facilities provided a boost for these areas and he congratulated Community Panels on the positive contributions to their communities. In response to questions from members, the General Manager, City and Community Services said he would investigate the feasibility of having a fully monitored CCTV camera at the Percy’s Reserve car park. He said a small playground near Burdan’s Gate had been upgraded in consultation with the local community. He noted the consultation helped Council provide residents with the type of play space they wanted. He agreed to find out if the ‘It’s OK to ask for Help’ organisation in Stokes Valley would be extending its work to other areas of the city. |
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Resolved: (Cr Barratt/Cr Bridson) Minute No. CSC 19104 “That the Committee notes the updates contained in the report.” |
8. QUESTIONS
There were no questions.
There being no further business the Chair declared the meeting closed at 6.53 pm.
Cr G Barratt
CHAIR
CONFIRMED as a true and correct record
Dated this 26th day of March 2019