Projects including trail resurfacing on the Millenium Track, a new playground for Hāwea, lighting for the A&P Showgrounds are in the works for the Upper Clutha.

Staff from Queenstown Lakes District Council’s (QLDC) parks team discussed recently completed projects, its upcoming work programme and some ‘blue sky’ ideas with the Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board (WUCCB) in a workshop yesterday (Thursday May 23). 

QLDC parks manager David Winterburn told the board many of the projects were subject to the Long Term Plan, which won’t be confirmed until September 19, and he said the workshop was designed to help identify priorities with a limited budget.

The “constrained financial environment” meant the next few years would focus mostly on minor improvements and “quick wins,” he said.

They will still include progress on Wānaka’s Lakefront Development Plan (with work on stage five set to begin shortly), completion of the Mt Iron Reserve Management Plan, plus “taking opportunities for small improvements where budget allows”.

As well as a playground, Hāwea is set to get “a whole lot of toilets”; both the Millenium Track (between Waterfall Creek and Ironside Hill) and the Albert Town River Trail (between Gunn Road and Fisherman’s Access) would be resurfaced and the trails widened to 2.5m; and upgraded lighting at the A&P Showgrounds is due to be installed next month.

In the past few months a long list of projects had been completed, including a shared pathway along the base of Mt Iron, a new toilet at Northlake, hedge removal at the A&P Showgrounds, Luggate playground’s opening, and perimeter fencing at the Wānaka Cemetery. 

David said there wouldn’t be a lot of money for “big projects” in the near future but the team was finding “quick wins” where it could.

One of those quick wins currently being undertaken is vegetation thinning at stage four of the LDP (Wānaka's town centre foreshore area), and David said the parks team is also getting quotes for the design of a widened and extended shared pathway. 

Possible future projects, which David emphasised were “just ideas”, included a “high profile cycling trail opportunity”, lights at the Wānaka Skate Park, a ‘stage six’ to the LDP near the rowing club carpark, and the implementation of the Lismore Park and Peninsula Bay development plans.

Board members discussed a range of options before WUCCB chair Simon Telfer asked David to do more detailed work on understanding existing plans and coming back to the board with three tiers of priorities “so we aren’t always just chasing the new shiny thing”. 

“Let’s face it; there’s probably going to be only a handful of things that are going to be able to be done,” he said.

David said the reduced parks project plan was the result of the costs associated with Three Waters, which meant many community strategic priorities had been deferred.

“That is mirrored over in Wakatipu,” he said.

PHOTO: Wānaka App