At a meeting on Monday, March 15, Wanganui District Council approved its draft Annual Plan 2010/11. The plan will be made available for public consultation and comment in early April before the council approves a final plan in June 2010.

The plan is year two of the council's 10-Year Plan 2009-2019. It has been affected by major additional costs that had not been budgeted in the 10-Year Plan. These include:

• A $3M cash injection into Wanganui Gas (which affects council debt)
• The withdrawal of $6M of government roading subsidy
• The failure of No.1 Bore, resulting in additional costs to find new water sources
• Extra debt funding taken out to build the new Splash Centre
• A significant deterioration in the local economy

Mayor Michael Laws says that it is a plan put together at a difficult economic time.

"We have balanced the competing demands of restraining spending against the necessity to complete the $120M wastewater project and assure water supply.

"In addition, we have taken the view that Wanganui cannot afford to stand still. We must improve our visitor experience and actively recruit new residents and visitors.

"To that end the Visitor Information Centre project down by the riverfront will be completed, and a nationwide promotional campaign started. $350,000 has been set aside to actively market Wanganui as a great place to visit, and an even better place to live. Wanganui has a great story to tell."

A summary of the draft Annual Plan will be delivered to every household at the end of March as part of the public consultation process.

Highlights of the draft Annual Plan 2010/11

Riverfront redevelopment
Council's aim is to redevelop the riverfront area to make it the living, beating heart of Wanganui. The $120M wastewater project has removed sewage from the river and regained it as a major recreational resource. Council has developed the boardwalk area and made the decision to construct and locate a new Visitor Centre on the riverfront.

The focus on the riverfront development will continue with $150,000 budgeted for developing initial designs for the area.

Marketing and promoting Wanganui
Council has allocated $350,000 from the Economic Development budget for image building and promotion of Wanganui, to attract visitors and new residents to the city. A total of $1.7M has been allocated over the next 10 years to fund this work.

Southern Entranceway
Wanganui will have the best entranceway to a city anywhere in New Zealand. The revamped entranceway, due to be completed in August 2010, will provide a unique gateway to the city and entice travellers off State Highway 3, through Putiki and into the CBD. An artist's impression of the new Southern Entranceway, with the 'Encounter' sculpture designed by Mark Southcombe, is pictured above.

Anti-social behaviour
Council's zero tolerance to anti-social behaviour continues in line with making Wanganui a safe and family-friendly place to live and visit. Council will undertake and support a range of initiatives including use of legislation to crack down on gang fortifications and tackle illegal street racing and combating graffiti. $30,000 is included to fund the 'For our Kids' initiative of the Community Taskforce on Youth Wellbeing. The initiative aims to foster development of Wanganui's young people through greater community involvement and volunteering programmes.

Soft water
Work continues to ensure the long-term security of Wanganui's water supply, as well as reduce household and business expenses through providing softer water. The effect of the new bores, Abelard and Heloise, have increased the supply and added softer water into the city supply, reducing the overall hardness of Wanganui's water.

A small existing bore will be completed and a small softening plant installed at Westmere Reservoir.

Finances
Council is proposing an overall average rates increase of 4.5%.

The plan includes a revised debt balance from the 10-Year Plan and the closing debt balance for the financial year 2010/11 is $91.0M. This is as a result of the issues outlined above.

In order to ensure affordability, council has deferred maintenance on some assets. The current deferred maintenance bill is estimated to be $20M, of which at least $10M is programmed into the 10-Year Plan 2009-2019.

What we are consulting on
Council wants to know what the community thinks about the decisions and items which appear in the draft Annual Plan.

In addition, we will be specifically consulting on:

• Debt - whether the community is prepared to pay more in rates to speed up council's debt repayment
• Anti-social behaviour - whether the community thinks we have allocated enough funding to combat various aspects of anti-social behaviour
• Parking charges – whether central city parking charges should be a minimum of $1.00 per hour
• Communications Strategy review – whether council is using the right mix of media
• 10-Year Plan 2009-2019 amendment – the proposed amendment will enable council to advance loan funding to Wanganui Gas Limited.

Wanganui is gearing up for the Whanganui Artists Open Studios 2010 and fringe festival.

The Open Studios will be held on March 20-21 and March 27-28. The Wanganui District Council is supporting the event with $10,000 from the Impact Fund. The Impact Fund gives grants for projects, events and initiatives that deliver significant economic benefits to the Wanganui city and district.

This will be the 10th year that local artists have opened their doors to the public and invited everyone to celebrate Wanganui's vibrant creative community. The event, which features artists working in a wide range of media, attracts many out-of-town visitors, as well as locals.

This year there will also be a fringe festival from March 20-27. A highlight will be a performance by poet Sam Hunt on Friday, March 26. The fringe festival will also include street performances, food stalls, stonecarving symposium, music, films and readings from local authors.

A number of workshops will be held in association with the Open Studios. These include glass blowing, "drawing through awareness", harakeke/flax weaving, intaglio print, tours of the Sarjeant Gallery's basement where much of the collection is stored and heritage tours of Wanganui.

For more information, go to www.whanganuiopenstudios.org.nz or call in to i-SITE Visitor Centre in Guyton Street to pick up an event guide.

Wanganui District Council is calling for proposals for site specific sculptural works to be permanently sited along the riverside walkway and Somme Parade shared pathway (pictured), for the inaugural Sculpture Wanganui 2010 event.

Sculpture Wanganui 2010 is offering a first prize of $35,000 for the construction and installation of a permanent sculptural work. 'People's choice' and runner-up prizes may also be offered.

The event runs between September 25 and October 11.

Cr Nicki Higgie, spokesperson for arts, is excited about this new event in the Wanganui arts calendar.

"Sculpture Wanganui 2010 offers artists a new and exciting opportunity to exhibit their work in a fantastic location. It has the potential to become the best Australasian sculpture event and will be a major focus for arts in the city.

"The riverfront area is undergoing a redevelopment with a new Visitor Centre opening later this year. This area will become a bustling hub for both visitors and locals alike. Public art, in the form of sculpture, will enhance the area further and underlines council's commitment and support for the city's thriving arts scene.

"We are hoping that the event will attract a large number of entries from across the country and internationally. Over time we will create a significant body of work that will become a visitor attraction in its own right and have international significance."

Call for proposals

Written submissions should describe the conceptual intent of the proposed work, dimensions, proposed materials, engineering requirements and calculations. Scaled concept drawings and a maquette of the proposed work should also be included. An up-to-date portfolio is also desirable.

Proposals should be sent or delivered to Don Hunter, Sculpture Wanganui 2010, Wanganui District Council, 101 Guyton Street, Wanganui.

For further details about the competition contact Don Hunter, Arts Coordinator, email Don Hunter, phone (06) 349 0001 ext 8415, mob 027 289 6479.

Proposals must be received by midday on Friday, 16 April 2010.

Details about the following vacancies are available on this page:

Parking Services Team Leader
Applications close 1 April 2010

Accounting Technician
Applications close 1 April 2010

The Wanganui District Council is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

We welcome members of the public to attend our meetings

Youth – Monday, March 22 (Council Chamber, 4.00pm)
- Appointment of new Youth Councillors; Family-friendly Durie Hill; Youth in Local Government Conference; Regional Youth Connect; Projects, Working Party and general updates; Youth Services Activity Report.

Wanganui Rural Community Board – Wednesday, March 31 (Committee Room 2, 4.00pm)

Community Development – Tuesday, April 6 (Council Chamber, 2.00pm)

Agendas are available at the Customer Services Counter, Municipal Office Building, 101 Guyton Street, Wanganui, and the Wanganui District Library two working days prior to the meeting.

Meeting cancellation – As there is no business to transact the Hearings Committee meeting scheduled for Thursday, March 25, is cancelled.