Back Bay boardwalk
As most of you know the boardwalk suffered serious damage in cyclone Gabrielle along with substantial damage to the Back Bay jetty. Rectifying this damage poses a huge challenge to the Trust both in time and cost. The Boardwalk Project Team has been working on a strategy which will future proof the structure against similar events.
The reconstruction strategy consists of 4 stages:
Deconstruct the collapsed section and move materials to the Back Bay beach
Set the remaining deck down to its original level
Rebuild the northern damaged section
Anchor the boardwalk against similar weather events
The Project Team is working on advancing all 4 stages with initial deconstruction beginning next week concurrently with trials for setting the deck down and anchoring. We have a volunteer list of helpers based on the original construction team and would like to hear from anyone wishing to join that list. Initial work will be in the mud but once we get underway there will be numerous opportunities on the deck.
Lincoln Downs
Little progress has been made on the Lincoln Downs project over the past few months as the team’s focus has been on repairing and opening tracks affected by the multiple weather events. In particular getting the Tanekaha Tracks open for the Walking Weekend. This very successful event resulted in a donation of $5,000 to the Trust for which we are very grateful. The Trackies have always been an integral part of the Walking Weekend, a relationship that will surely continue into the future. It is also worth noting that Council staff are also preoccupied with the results of the storm across all their responsibilities and cannot be expected to focus on our needs at Lincoln Downs until some of the emergency work is out of the way.
Tanekaha Tracks
Although all the Tanekaha Tracks are open to walkers there is still considerable work to do to get them back to what we consider an acceptable standard. To this end every 4th Friday from the 28th of April the full team will work systematically through the tracks clearing material and reforming where required. This work is likely to continue through the winter so the complex is in top shape by next spring. A very big thank you to the team that made the tracks passable for the Walking Weekend.
Breve St. harbour access
The storm events resulted in further work on the Breve St. access with additional battering down slope from the seat and rebuilding the exit into the harbour. A big thank you to Chris Williams who has led this effort and done much of the work. As a Trackie project we are conscious that deterioration of this walkway reflects badly on our organisation and therefore place a high priority on repairing it promptly.
Public information meeting
The Trust is planning a Sunday afternoon meeting at the Club in late June to raise the profile of our work in the local community and outline our vision for the future. We hope as many Trackies as possible will attend along with anyone interested from the wider community. It will also be an opportunity for anyone with a desire to become more involved with the running of the Trust to meet with the current trustees. We plan to promote the meeting through local papers and social media.
Maintenance Team
The Maintenance team under the guidance of Mike Robinson has also had a busy time with numerous tree falls affecting local tracks as well as rapidly growing spring and summer vegetation. While the Trust was offered a contract with Council to formally maintain the Mangawhai Community Park tracks, the contractual requirements were seen as beyond the scope of the Trust (and in particular our maintenance team) with reporting, certification, and monitoring frequency placing an unreasonable load which would inevitably fall on individual members of the Team. The Maintenance Team will continue to maintain Paul’s Track, Last of the Summer Wine and 3 tracks that link the two at a reasonable frequency and in line with other demands.
Join the Team
What a Team! Our Trackies are the engine room of our efforts and bring an amazing level of skill and expertise to our projects. We are always pleased to see new faces (especially young ones – under 50!) so if you are interested in joining us, or know of anyone who is, contact Gordon Hosking gordon.hosking@xtra.co.nz or Mike Robinson dimikenz@gmail.com.