Mid-Canterbury cemetery cleanup to be fast-tracked

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

From local democracy reporter Adam Burns:
Clean up of a storm-tossed cemetery site in Mid-Canterbury has been signed off by district councillors after severe winds caused tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage.

The Methven Cemetery, located 500 metres from the Methven town centre, has been branded a hazardous environment after high winds thrashed the Ashburton district in September.

It has been unable to be used due to risk of further falling trees, and extensive debris at the site is now waiting to be disposed of.

The weather event also destroyed a section of a newly installed walkway, although the trees coming down had opened up the cemetery to more sunlight.

The work was expected to cost $90,000, but the Methven Cemetery’s operational budgets were underspent by the Ashburton District Council by more than $40,000 over the previous two years.

Councillors approved funding of the cleanup at last week's council meeting, in accordance with pre-existing plans to expand the cemetery site, but not before councillors quibbled over the dollars.

Some councillors believed the council should be able to fund the work through its existing budgets rather than the community footing the bill.

Councillor Stuart Wilson said the council's parks and recreation programme should be able to cope with funding the clea-up.

"Have parks and recreations ever thought about living within their budget," he said.

Open spaces manager Ian Soper said it was a "leftfield and unforeseen" weather event, and unbudgeted, which had caused the issue.

Urban councillor Leen Braam suggested some councillors were being too choosy when it came to funding the cleanup.

"We've been paying a lot of money for floods and roading and farmers and that was a natural event as well and here we have a natural event with trees falling over and all of a sudden its open spaces' problem.

"To me that is not right."