Loos and views for Rakaia Gorge
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A Matariki observation deck will be installed next to a new toilet block at the Rakaia Gorge Campground.
The Ashburton District Council received funding from the government’s Tourism Infrastructure Fund (TIF) for the project, but not as much as it had hoped for forcing a reduced design scope than was planned.
The new toilet block will replace the existing public toilets at the Rakaia Gorge Campground which were built in the 1970s and a new star observation deck constructed.
Council open spaces manager Ian Soper explained that round six of TIF funding had a directive from the minister to incorporate a focus on the Matariki public holiday which was why the toilet replacement included the star viewing deck.
The council’s TIF application had been for was for $554,000 and along with the council’s $189,000 earmarked in the long-term plan would have provided a $743,000 budget for the project.
The application was successful but for a revised figure of $262,000 for a total of $451,000.
Soper said the revised funding amount had resulted in a more basic toilet facility being installed and the deck size and height also being reduced.
The toilet block will be a dry vault system Soper said, “so we won’t be relying on water for this facility”.
The site will no longer be reliant on water supply for toilets from the Selwyn District and utilise dry hand-washing foams, he said.
The project is expected to be completed this year but unlikely to be completed by the Matariki public holiday on July 14.
Soper said parts of the project are pre-fabricated units and while they have slots held in the production line it is located in cyclone-hit Gisborne.
“They still hope to have us on track for later this year,” he 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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