Playground? Tell him he’s dreaming: No playground planned or asked for at Ashburton’s new library and civic centre
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A playground at Baring Square East was never asked for Ashburton, council chief executive Hamish Riach says.
Riach was responding to claims from a member of the community that suggested councillors had removed a playground to cut costs from the redevelopment of Baring Square East.
The square is being upgraded alongside the $56.75 million new library and civic building, Te Pātaka a kā Tuhituhi and Te Waharoa a Hine Paaka.
“Since consultation first commenced on the building in 2016-17, the community has never signalled outdoor play equipment on its wish list for this area,” Riach said.
“[A playground] was never part of the original plans and not raised in community feedback.”
The consultation document included a summary of the plan to rejuvenate Baring Square East – a place that has never featured a playground, and the council didn’t receive any request to add one, so they didn’t.
Riach said the square upgrade will include a one-way slow street, a civic plaza area, raising the water feature, upgrading seats and planting, and retaining existing parts of the square such as the clock tower.
“The area was already used for some community events and council wanted to support more use of the public space.
“The aim was to retain well-established features and build on the legacy of the past, with an eye to the future.”
The plan retains grass areas for “passive recreation and gathering” and there will be a shaded outdoor courtyard area off the ground floor of the new building.
Inside the new library, which will be triple the floor space of the current library, is a performance space with tiered seating and the children’s library, with niche areas, Riach said.
There was a provision of outdoor play equipment for children installed nearby on the East St green as part of the recent CBD revitalisation, Riach said.
There is scope to add some playground equipment in future if that is what the community wanted.
“Any changes to the plan already adopted would need to go back before councillors for decision,” Riach said.
Best way to use leftovers?
I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.
What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.9% Summer
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36.6% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
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