Parks update by Athol Sanson
February, 2019
February has seen one of the driest months I can remember and many of our Parks are suffering from this prolonged dry spell.
We are seeing premature leaf fall of our trees with many now showing autumn colour. Both of these signs are coping mechanism for our trees, in dry spells trees shed leaves to conserve water. The less leaves, the less water loss from the plant.
This goes with drooping of leaves as well. Leaves droop so that they have less surface to lose water from in periods of high heat and sunshine, this is why you will see most plants recover at night.
Extreme drought also forces the roots of trees to seek water deeper down so is a real benefit to the trees development. Plants are extremely resilient and require very little moisture to survive.
When tree mulch is available, we are mulching around the trunks of trees in our parks. Mulching helps to conserve water, helps us reduce our dependency of chemical use in our parks and protects the tree roots from mower damage.
Skatepark Update
This month has also seen the start of our skatepark at Centennial Park; 18 months of planning and hard work by a dedicated few will enable Marton to get a great facility for the residents of our region.
If you visit Centennial Park you will see that Pumice forms the core of the structures; over 280m3 of Taupo pumice will has been delivered to site. Pumice is a soft volcanic stone that when damp and compacted forms a very dense layer. This compacted layer is shaped with an excavator to form the outline of the features; it will be an interesting process watching this take shape.
The restoration of the original skatepark is also occurring. As with any redevelopment we are finding issues with the old structure that need to be addressed. Our contractors will endeavour to rectify any issues found to make the old structure safe and presentable.
The skatepark will be closed for the duration of the build; this is expected to be approximately 12 weeks. The skatepark committee is planning a fantastic opening during April with one of the top skateboard manufacturers in New Zealand in attendance. More will follow on this.
CBD Cleaning
Another area that the Parks team manage is the CBD cleaning throughout the district. In Marton and Bulls we employ local contractors and for Taihape and Hunterville, Council has recently brought this service back in-house.
Little thought goes into who cleans our CBDs and when they are cleaned. Most CBD areas need to be cleaned during the early morning before the days traffic starts to cause issues with access.
Marton and Taihape CBDs are always busy even in the early morning; the CBD cleaning in these areas is usually completed by 6.00am.
The cleaning of these areas includes litter collection, rubbish bins, spills on footpaths, sumps and kerbs.
Over the last six months, we have been auditing the work of our team and our contractors to ensure not only compliance with their contracts but to ensure our CBDs are kept in a presentable condition at all times. This also ensures we have the same level of service across all our centres.
Things to watch for during March
- Removal of the Taihape CBD gardens ready for replanting in August
- Installation of a toddlers playground at the Marton Plunket rooms
- Installation of a new drinking fountain at Hunterville Domain
That’s it from me - enjoy this beautiful weather and get out and enjoy the many events held on our region’s great Parks.
Is more rain on the way?
A reminder to residents about cutting overhanging trees and foliage to keep footpaths clear; and keeping drains clear so they don't block.
That’s it from me - enjoy this beautiful weather and get out and enjoy the many events held on our region’s great Parks.
Ensure overhanging foliage is trimmed from walkways and picked up so it doesn't block drains