Pleased to see spotlight on attendance at Palmerston North City Council
Councillor attendance statistics for meetings were released recently and as one of only three councillors with 100% attendance, I was pleased to see a motion pass that raises the bar.
To be classified as attending meetings, a councillor must now attend 75% of a meeting instead of 50% to be marked as present.
I was one of five councillors to vote against the Featherston St alterations — I cannot call this an upgrade — from the beginning of the debate. Unfortunately, with added cycle lanes, in-lane bus stops, loss of turning lanes, new bus shelters in the centre of footpaths, and random car parks, one of the busiest arterial roads in our city is now a ticking time bomb. The alterations reduce rather than enhance safety and efficiency of this part of our roading network for all users. The alterations are, in my opinion, seriously affecting businesses and schools and potentially costing millions to rectify.
Palmerston North City Council needs more common sense: Mark Arnott
Palmerston North’s decommissioned World War II-style howitzer is back home again at Memorial Park after a volunteer effort to restore it.
In the three years that the piece of heavy artillery was at the park, it had shed a lot of paint and was deteriorating badly. But the $6000 cost estimate for repairs was not in the Palmerston North City Council’s budget.
City councillor Mark Arnott, a member of the New Zealand Military Vehicle Club, found there was enough community goodwill to get the job done.
Restored howitzer returns to put history back into Memorial Park
Fears Popeyes and Starbucks combo will push busy intersection to breaking point
.Mark Arnott said he had no issue with either outlet opening in the city, but questioned the location given it was one of the city’s busiest crossings, with the potential for drive-thru traffic to spill onto the street.
Arnott said the intersection of Tremaine Ave and Rangitīkei St had a daily traffic count of 18,699, and 10.41% of those were heavy vehicles.
City councillor Mark Arnott has previously raised concerns about fast food outlets, with drive-thrus, operating at an intersection with a daily traffic count nearing 20,000 vehicles.
While he was pleased to see a traffic management plan in place, his worries have not been dulled.
Arnott said it was much better to have a business at the corner rather than an empty lot, and accepted there was advantages for Tahua Group Ltd to have its Burger King, Popeyes and Starbucks franchises in a cluster.
“It’s employing people, and you know, that's what the city needs. We need new things coming here, but I just wish we'd think a bit more closely about where we put them.
Traffic plan to quell queues as Popeyes opening looms
On Wednesday, volunteers from Menzshed moved into the Fraser’s shed to box up the three cherubs that used to adorn the opera house. The plaster trio would be taken to a storage facility while a final display option was sorted.
Arnott said it was great that some things that told a story had been saved and rediscovered.
“We would like to see the plaster centrepiece hanging somewhere people could see it.”
Arnott said the foundation stone that was also rescued by the demolition team had already been tucked away while discussions were held about whether it could be reinstated at the Church St site.
Cherubs rediscovered from long-gone opera house
A classic Renaissance-style ceiling tile could be all that remains of a once-grand slice of Palmerston North’s social history.
The tile was saved from the demolition material behind the unremarkable facade of what was once a central city “continuous” picture theatre, next-door but one from the old Post Office building on The Square.
Built as the Kosy Theatre in 1915 and revamped as the Vogue Theatre in 1943 with an art deco street frontage, the building and its neighbour, the old Civic Building, are being demolished by owners Wallace Development.