Structural Repairs on Wharf Nears Completion


 

Having kicked off in 2020 with a $2.5million boost from the Provincial Growth Fund, the Raglan Wharf upgrade project is expected to see the first stages of its structural repair work completed by Christmas this year.


The initial stage of the project focused on repairing the foundations of the wharf building and surrounding structures with the second phase looking at the pontoon and eastern side and the  third phase looking at the western walkway.


“The work was more extensive than originally planned so the budget was blown out but our 

contingency will cover it,” says Raglan Community Board Chair Dennis Amoore, explaining that a contingency is standard practice when doing extensive repair work to old structures.


“Parts of the wharf are getting close to a hundred years old,” added Dennis.


With the repair work expected to be complete soon, the second phase - which includes the pontoon and small part of the eastern walkway - has had its consent approved and the target is to complete this work by the end of May 2023.


The third phase, the Western Walkway, had initially been put on the backburner due to a lack of funds but has recently received a funding boost through the Better Off funding scheme - which is aimed at supporting councils to transition through the Three Waters Reform.


Through the Better Off funding scheme, the Wharf received an additional $3.2 million to complete the Western Walkway phase of the upgrade.


“Developing the walkway is fairly extensive as it involves developing structures to support it. There is quite soft ground near the dolphin so the original costs were inadequate from a structural point of view.”


Dennis also mentioned that a discussion around  boat ramp fees is on the table but says that it’s important to ensure that all fees collected would be earmarked to be reinvested into the boat ramp area to maintain it for users.

 

Freedom Camping 

Early engagement around the Freedom Camping Bylaw 2023 is open for submissions at the Waikato District Council website.


Dennis says that with Covid-19 impacting our tourism industry, the pressure around freedom camping has not been as high over recent years but with the opening of the borders, we are seeing more campers parked up in Raglan.


The Raglan Community Board are also hoping to update their community parking map for distribution over the busy summer period.


If you’d like to have your say around which areas can allow freedom camping, head to the WDC website here.

 

Soundsplash 2023

As Soundsplash’s return to Raglan draws nearer, Dennis says that a council staff member will be giving an update at the next Raglan Community Board Meeting set for Wednesday, December 14.

 

Discretionary Funding

A reminder to those in the community that small amounts of funding is available through the Raglan Community Board Discretionary Fund. 


Dennis encourages people to come and make a presentation in person at the community board meeting so that board members can see who you are and get more details about the project that needs funding.


He welcomes applicants to contact him to chat about the process if they are interested in applying.


Greenslade Rd Playground - currently in design phase.

Civil Defence Community Response Planning is ongoing.

Wi Neera Walkway - currently in design phase

Manu Bay Breakwall - meeting set for early February 2023.

Lions New Year’s Eve Parade will be going ahead this year.

Next Raglan Community Board Meeting is on Wednesday, December 14 at the Town Hall Supper Room - public forum from 1.30pm.