Wanganui industry will benefit from an extended rail freight service to Castlecliff with work to reinstate the railway line under way.

Council and KiwiRail are working together to ensure that the rail line along Taupo Quay/Heads Road, from Cobham Bridge to the Open Country Dairy site in Castlecliff, will be operational for freight trains to run from May 1.

"This is great news for Wanganui and will enable dairy products to be freighted by rail and ease some congestion on the roads," says Mayor Annette Main.

"Although there are no other changes planned to KiwiRail facilities in the Wanganui area at this stage, this is a positive step forward. We will certainly welcome any further development of rail freight services to our industrial area."

Wanganui District Council staff are trimming, and in some areas removing, trees and shrubs to ensure safety at car and pedestrian crossings along the 4km of reinstated track.

The work is required to maximise sight-lines to ensure that people will be able to safely cross the tracks, as well as tar sealing many of the crossings which are currently shellrock, to make them smooth and accessible for mobility scooter users and prams.

The crossings on Bedford Avenue and Balgownie Avenue are expected to have light traffic use. The Bedford Avenue crossing will be protected with a "Stop" plus a "Railway Crossing" sign on both sides of the crossing. Balgownie Avenue will have "Give Way" and "Railway Crossing" signs on both sides of the railway.

The Heads Road level crossing near Imlay Place and Prince Street will have a flashing lights and bell system installed by the end of 2012. The Purnell Street level crossing on the main Wanganui line is also likely to be upgraded to half-arm barriers by March 2012 because of the increase in train traffic.

Initial plans are to run four trains daily on weekdays, which will then increase to seven days a week with additional services as demand requires.

Stay safe around trains

Always take special care around railway tracks.

Always stop, look and listen for trains. Make sure the line is clear before driving or walking over level crossings.

Obey signs at all times. Warning signs are there to protect people and warn them a train is approaching.

Arts organisations and artists in Wanganui have once again benefited from Creative Communities funding. In the last funding round, a total of $17,000 was distributed to local organisations and individuals with applications covering visual and performing arts; a wide range of ages; different cultures; and both established and emerging artists.

The successful projects and applicants are:

• 'Midden Project', a residency and exhibition at Greenbench Project Room (Ana Terry)
• Exhibition at Greenbench Project Room (Andrea Gardner)
• Exhibition at the Community Arts Centre (Community Arts Centre Gallery Committee)
• The Real Whanganui Festival, a collaborative multidisciplinary arts festival to coincide with the Rugby World Cup (Whanganui Community Arts Council Trust)
• Saturday morning mixed media art classes for children at the Community Arts Centre (Whanganui Community Arts Council Trust)
• An eclectic mix creative classes from collage and mixed media to art history (Wanganui Community Education Services)
• Wanganui Annual Inter Secondary School Portrait Competition (Wanganui Girls College)
• Hosting and facilitating Wanganui Opera School week with events held at the Royal Wanganui Opera House (Wanganui Opera Week)
• Open Studios event where the public get the opportunity to meet local artists in their studio spaces (Whanganui Arts Marketing and Development Trust)
• Glass Festival 2011, a plethora of exciting events and activities (Whanganui Excellence in Glass Art Inc)
• New Zealand Music Month events bringing together musicians of all ages and disciplines (Whanganui Musicians Club Inc)
• Exhibition at the Community Arts Centre (Whanganui National Art Exhibition and Award Trust)
• Collaborative creative writing workshop specifically for women (Women’s Network)
• The Big Paint, a major event as part of The Real Whanganui Festival  to be held on the forecourt of the Wanganui War Memorial Conference and Convention Centre (Felicity Priest)

Money for Creative Communities is provided by Creative New Zealand and administered by Wanganui District Council. Projects seeking assistance must either increase participation in the arts at a local level, or increase the range and diversity of arts at a local level, or enhance and strengthen the local arts sector.

Local Assessment Committee for Creative Communities Scheme 2011
Cr Nicki Higgie, Greg Anderson, Senior Curator Sarjeant Gallery; Emma Camden, Chamber of Commerce; Barbara Vine, Community Arts Council; John Maihi, Whanganui Iwi Representative; Joan Rosier-Jones, Wanganui Literary Society; Fred Loveridge, Musician/Music Teacher.

The Wanganui District Council draft Annual Plan is open for public submissions until 2 May 2011, so don’t forget to have your say.

A draft Annual Plan Summary has been delivered to all households, outlining the key information in the draft Annual Plan. Copies of the draft Annual Plan are available from the Customer Services Counter at the Council building, 101 Guyton Street; phoning Customer Services on 06 349 0001; from the Wanganui District Library, Queens Park; on by clicking here or emailing us.

There are lots of different ways to make a submission including completing the submission form in the draft Annual Plan Summary or on our website or writing a letter to us at Wanganui District Council, PO Box 637, Wanganui, 4540. Your submission can be as formal or informal as you like. 

You can choose to speak to the Council about your submission at the submissions meeting on May 19.

Submissions close on May 2 so make sure you have your say.

Annual Community Views telephone survey under way

Versus Research, on behalf of Wanganui District Council, are currently conducting the annual Community Views telephone survey.

If you receive a phone call the researcher will introduce themselves. Not everyone who receives a call will be asked to complete the survey as we need to ensure that the survey reflects all age groups, genders and suburbs proportionately.

The survey covers customer satisfaction with Council services and facilities, general quality of life perceptions and our community’s level of engagement and wellbeing. The survey is used as a monitoring tool for the Council.

The survey results are required for our Annual Report but they also inform service improvement programmes, contribute to the development and measurement of strategies and policies, track trends through our internal database of indicators and help determine appropriate levels of service  
 
The Community Views survey is different from the Community Outcomes Survey which is undertaken every three years and measures how well Wanganui is tracking towards its vision for the future. This vision is what we call our "Community Outcomes".

The results of the Community Views survey will be published on the Council website and in Community Link.

For further information about the Community Views Survey contact Stephanie Rose, phone 349 0001 ext 8215.

Community meetings

A conversation with Castlecliff

The Castlecliff community is invited to come together with Mayor Annette Main to talk about what’s good, what’s happening already, and what could be improved about living in our seaside suburb. We want to hear your ideas on what you want for Castlecliff’s future.

When:            Wednesday, 4 May 2011
Time:              7.30 pm
Where:           Te Kura Kaupapa Maori oTupoho Hall, 18 Cross St, Castlecliff

Everyone is welcome to this community meeting which is supported by Safer Wanganui.

Whanganui River Road, Special Roading Rate

Whanganui River Road residents are invited to attend a meeting with Wanganui District Council and Wanganui Rural Community Board representatives to discuss whether they wish to continue or discontinue the Special Roading Rate for the 2011/12 rating year.

When:    Thursday, 5 May 2011
Time:     3.30pm
Where:   Ranana Hall

We look forward to meeting the Whanganui River Road community and hearing its views.

BRANZ Seminar – Timber treatment

Timber treatment for enclosed framing has been simplified through amendment of the B2 (Durability) Acceptable Solution. Industry participants, including designers, builders, engineers and trade retailers are invited to attend a BRANZ seminar in Wanganui on 10 May 2011 at the Kingsgate Hotel, Victoria Avenue.
Attending this seminar will enable you to:

• Identify the key changes in the new document
• Understand how to use the new NZS 3604:2011
• Understand the changes and apply them in your everyday work
• Take away a reference guide that quickly identifies the areas of the Standard that have changed.

The seminar costs $87.00 to attend. For further information contact BRANZ Ltd, phone (04) 237 1170 or register online here.

Kickflips at Castlecliff on Saturday!

Wanganui District Council’s Youth Committee is inviting young people to come along and take part in the Castlecliff Skate Competition on Saturday, April 30.

The skate competition is the first major event by this year’s Youth Committee and has come about as a result of young people asking for a skate competition to be held in Castlecliff, after the successful Kowhai Park competition held in 2010.

Youth Councillors took the opportunity to use the Castlecliff event to assist Yes 2 Youth to raise the profile of the Ake Ake Centre, at 16 Rangiora Street.  Once fully established the Ake Ake Centre will be a safe place for local youth to hang out, have fun and be connected to wellbeing services, training and employment programmes. 

The competition is open to all young people with categories to suit all levels and styles including skate, scooter and BMX.  Registration for the event runs from 10.30am to 11.30am with the competition starting at 11.45am. The $5 registration fee will be used to raise funds for the Ake Ake Centre.

We welcome members of the public to attend our meetings.

Council Extraordinary – Monday, May 2 (1.00pm, Council Chamber)

• To receive a presentation from Horizons Regional Council on their draft Annual Plan 2011/12 and to discuss issues for a submission to that Annual Plan.

Youth – Monday, May 2 (4.00pm, Council Chamber)

• 5 10 5 10 – Whanganui Community Foundation; Computer Clubhouse; Castlecliff Skate Competition Event; Wanganui Arts; Projects, Working Party and General Updates; Youth Services Activity Report; Have Your Say; What’s the Haps

Wanganui Rural Community Board – Wednesday, May 4 (4.00pm, Committee Room 2)

Infrastructure and Property – Tuesday, May 10 (2.00pm, Council Chamber)

Discover Wanganui – Wednesday, May 11 (10.00am, Committee Room 2)

Community and Environment – Thursday, May 12 (2.00pm, Council Chamber)

Strategy and Finance – Tuesday, May 17 (2.00pm, Council Chamber)

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.