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Te Aroha News
17 February 2010
Cycle trail backers push ahead despite initial knock back
Supporters of a cycleway through Piako believe a lack of Government support may help the cause.
An extension of the Hauraki Rail Trail from Paeroa to Te Aroha missed out on funding for a feasibility study as part of the New Zealand Cycle Trail project.
However, Te Aroha businessman Shaun O’Neill, who with his wife Jillian led work on a district council submission to the Ministry of Tourism, said most of the feasibility work has already been completed.
“We are in no worse a position,” he told the Piako Post yesterday. “It’s probably better that we are not competing with others (for Government funding).”
Mr O’Neill said the only way now to get the project off the ground is through community and council support.
“This is to benefit the whole district, not just Te Aroha.”
It is envisaged that the Matamata-Piako trail would be linked later to Karapiro and Hamilton cycleways via Matamata and Morrinsville.
Before a Te Aroha to Paeroa link is committed to, Mr O’Neill said it is vital that the Waihi to Miranda trail – identified in phase one of the Government initiative as a “quick start” track – goes ahead.
“This is not a stand-alone thing.”
The council submission said a trail would attract 20,000 cyclists a year who would spend more than $2 million in total in Matamata-Piako.
Construction of the Paeroa to Te Aroha link, using the old railway corridor, would probably cost between $1.3 million and $1.4 million.
Mr O’Neill stressed that to make the link happen “hands will have to go in pockets”.
He “definitely” plans to lodge a submission to the next council budget, with the draft set to be released on April 14.
Mayor Hugh Vercoe was “extremely disappointed” to hear that they had missed out on funding for the feasibility study.
“I thought we had a very strong case.”
He said council now has to decide whether to take the study on itself “or flag it”.
Mr Vercoe said there is a question of Hauraki District Council, with a cap of $4 million for the project, funding their trail to the territorial boundary with Matamata-Piako.
No money has been allocated in the MPDC’s current budget for the rail trail.
With the council facing a possible contribution to a sports and events centre in Te Aroha – public submissions are being heard today – Mr Vercoe admitted that funding two significant projects in the ward at the same time would be “a big ask”
Story by Steve Edwards
Piako Post |
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