February 2020: Local Board Member Report
- alexispoppelbaum
- Feb 28, 2020
- 6 min read
Review of Council-Controlled Organisations (CCOs)
CCOs were a hot political topic for all the major mayoral candidates. Phil Goff pledged to undertake a review if he got back in the hot seat, which he’s done so promptly into his second term. An independent panel has been appointed, and consultation is now open to gauge how well (or not) CCOs are performing. The CCOs being reviewed are Watercare, Auckland Transport, Panuku, Regional Facilities Auckland, and Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development.
It’s been a decade since the amalgamation of Auckland Council and the setup of CCOs, so it’s very timely that a review is taking place to gauge and re-evaluate the effectiveness of the model.
This is something I’m very passionate about and I’m working with other interested Local Board members on putting together our Board’s official feedback for the review. It’s already looking like it will be a lengthy and substantial piece of feedback from the notes I’ve got. I hope to share it with you when it is drafted and submitted – but at this stage, I wanted to reassure you that we are taking this review and the opportunity to provide meaningful feedback, very seriously. Like other Board members, I continue to receive very concerning feedback from our community about the poor performance and poor engagement from CCOs. A very topical example in the last two weeks has been the slow response, poor communication and management from Watercare in resolving a large number of pipe faults across the Bays.
I encourage you to provide your own feedback to this important review. There is an easy online portal to do so: https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/have-your-say/topics-you-can-have-your-say-on/review-council-controlled-organisations/Pages/default.aspx
Glenvar / East Coast Roads realignment project
Consultation on this project wrapped up recently. I’ve talked to many locals over the last few months about their views, particularly at the consultation session Auckland Transport ran at MERC last year. AT received 420 submissions from the public – a huge amount. The Local Board recently had AT staff present an overview of the feedback provided. This seemed to largely reflect the views of the Local Board members themselves and helped to inform the Board’s feedback to AT. I worked with ECB subdivision Board members and enjoyed the opportunity to pen the Board’s official feedback. I hope to be able to share it with you soon.
Key points of concern raised in the official feedback were:
1. The timeframe of the project – AT had advertised early 2020 as a start date for work to begin. I’m extremely concerned that this start date has since been pushed out to 2022/23. Waiting an additional two years is an unacceptable safety risk for this area which is, quite frankly, a ticking time-bomb.
2. Glenvar Road intersection realignment – It’s my understanding that a geotechnical report hasn’t been completed and this part of the proposed project really hinges on this – the land and topography may not be suitable. A delay in the project’s delivery because of this would be unacceptable.
3. T2 lane (southbound on East Coast Road between Glenvar and Glamorgan) – a suggestion to AT that it be initially for all road users and converted to a transit lane at a later time when there is sufficient public transport and vehicles of more than one occupancy, in peak hours (the stats i’ve seen show a very minute number of cars travelling with more that one occupant at peak times- there are also only 4 buses at peak hours down East Coast Road).
4. Raised median barriers on East Coast Road – these would prevent people from accessing or exiting their homes safely and reasonably. This was likely a design oversight when they had originally thought of using roundabouts and have sought clarification that they would in fact be flush medians.
5. Ancillary Roads – ‘The Glade’ on Glenvar Road is in a very poor state – it’s a very narrow and dangerous section of road. We’ve requested that an upgrade occurs at the same time that the wider works on Glenvar Road occur.
Dog park on its way
The Board have had a lot of feedback from the community wanting a dog park in the Bays. I’m pleased to say that Council staff are working up options for locations, one of which is Deep Creek Reserve as a potential site (below the current sports park). Consultation will be important, but my gut feeling is that it would be most appropriate to keep it initially basic and allow for it to be built up and added to overtime should it be well-used.
Have your say – Local Board Plan
The Board is currently consulting on its strategic three-year plan. We are keen to meet and hear your views on the Local Board Plan which guides the Board’s activity, funding and investment. We’re holding a consultation session at the Murray’s Bay Birdman event, Saturday 14 March. If you’re unable to make this you can also give feedback at: https://akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/hibiscusandbaysplan
Graffiti
The Graffiti Vandalism Prevention Programme started in 2013 and since then there has been a noticeable reduction in the number of graffiti incidents removed and the number of requests for service recorded in the Local Board area. The reduction is attributed to a consistent approach to responding promptly to remove reported incidents of graffiti. As well as a rapid removal strategy, there’s also a proactive approach to eradication. An example of this proactive approach is the ongoing relationship with Vector to beautify their publicly visible assets, I’m sure you’ve seen some of the artwork around – some of which is done in partnership with local schools. The latest stats show that graffiti has decreased by 2.5% from July 2019 to December 2019 compared with 2018. The number of requests for service for graffiti eradication decreased by 63% which reflects the proactive approach of the contractors.
Browns Bay – some good work underway
A lot of good things are underway for Browns Bay town centre and I wanted to highlight a few of these.
Work is underway in renewing the skate park on the beachfront as well safety work on the Boardwalk.
A half-basketball court should be underway soon in Freyberg Park (just waiting on another check-in with Local Board first before construction can begin). This has been on the plan for a while with the previous Board – there has been a lot of public consultation which is how it ended up with its location at Freyberg Park and also being a half, not a full court.
We’re investigating options for shade cover at Browns bay playground. This is well overdue.
There is a wonderful group of locals who are part of the ‘Beautify Browns Bay Group’. Volunteers do all sorts from rat trapping (and sometimes possum and stoat trapping) in and around the town centre, planting, weeding – you name it. They’ve also been developing ideas on how to make the town centre a better place to live and work. They’re an incredible bunch of passionate locals who are doing some fantastic day-to-day voluntary work. I’m looking forward to hearing more from them on their plans and ideas of how to make Browns Bay a unique and popular destination. They intend on presenting their ideas to the Browns Bay Business Association soon.
Browns Bay Gateways project – entryways (likely to be key intersections) into Browns Bay are being looked at to be redesigned from a safety aspect by AT but also by designers who are finding ways to potentially enhance the look and feel of the place. Gateways help to show people that they are entering into somewhere special and to guide them into town. Some great concepts are being drawn up – i’ll give you more information when I can about this exciting work.
February in a few pictures
It’s been a fun month mucking in volunteering at the Okura Forest Festival and Mairangi Bay beach clean-up, attending the Mairangi Bay Food and Wine Festival, enjoying the Toyvan Summer Fun series, and catching up with my old Browns Bay Rotary Club.
I’m jumping off Murray’s Bay wharf!
The countdown is on to this fun event that the Local Board provides funding for. I’ll be jumping off the wharf with my sister as one of the 13 entries in the competition. We’ve entered in the category for ‘best team’ as we are jumping (and fundraising) for North Harbour Community Patrol (NHCP).
NHCP work closely with the local Police and go on tasked missions every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. We patrol business districts, suburbs and houses/streets of interest, as well as patrolling liquor ban areas and identifying stolen vehicles. We are the ‘eyes and ears’ for Police.
NHCP relies entirely on grants and the generosity of the community. We really need the community’s support to secure a second patrol vehicle. Please consider donating – every little bit goes a long way!
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