Town Centre work update

The $6.1 million Streetscape project to enhance the Papakura town centre goes into high gear in 2008 with the start of the town square, main street and northern gateway projects.

The Broadway part of the enhancement programme was completed by late October.

Contractors working on the O’Shannessey Street section of the Streetscape town centre enhancement project have now stopped work for the year as agreed with businesses in the street.

The new intersections at Broadway-O’Shannessey Street and Broadway-Railway Street West are now providing cyclists and pedestrians with safer access to businesses throughout the area.

Traffic lights are now being synchronised to smooth out traffic flows and reduce peak-time congestion.

As agreed with representatives of local businesses in business briefings before the start of the project, has now stopped in O’Shannessey Street to allow shoppers access to the area in the build-up to the Christmas break.

With the road surface sealed and new kerb “bulb-outs” installed for the addition of street trees, the area now gives an indication of how it will look when all work is complete.

During the weekend, the contractor has tidied-up up the work already completed and made the area safe and tidy for motorists and shoppers. They will come back in January to complete the job.

The O’Shannessey Street-Great South Road intersection will also be improved.

Improving Papakura’s traffic

Papakura District Council’s contractors are working to sort out traffic congestion in the town centre.

In recent weeks, road works and high traffic volumes have adversely affected traffic movement in Papakura Town Centre. Issues affecting travel through the town centre include growth in the district, upgrades to the storm water system and road surfaces and changes to the traffic light system.

Council roading engineers say a key contributor is simply the rapid growth being experienced by the district. Built more than 100 years ago and continuously improved since then, the town centre road network is almost at full capacity. The process of upgrading intersections to improve traffic flow has also provided the opportunity to strike a balance between the needs of pedestrians, through traffic and parking.

Traffic light timings are now being synchronised and fine-tuned to reduce congestion and should be fully co-ordinated by early January

Traffic monitoring cameras will be installed at intersections in the second quarter of next year, enabling the region-wide Traffic Management Unit to adjust light phases to suit conditions

"Through routes" each side of Great South Road offer motorists a means of avoiding Great South Road if they are not intending to stop in the town centre. Parking changes and clearways in East Street will help keep these through-routes moving at peak times.

Papakura bylaws under review

Papakura District Council is now reviewing all of its bylaws as required by the Local Government Act 2002.

The Council will consult with the community in early 2008 on a total of nine bylaws: seven existing bylaws which are under review and two new proposals.

The existing bylaws cover a wide range of topics: keeping of animals, poultry and bees; water supply; waste water; public places; trading in public places; cemeteries; control of advertising signs.

New proposed bylaws cover liquor control in public places and storm water.

Consultation starts on January 14 and close on February 29.

Information about the review and submission forms will be available from January 14 at the Council’s Customer Services reception area, 35 Coles Crescent; at the Sir Edmund Hillary Library and at www.papakura.govt.nz  

Underarm signals a fresh start for Hawkins Centre

Papakura’s Hawkins Centre has a new manager and is about to embark on an exciting programme of community and professional performances.

Already popular for dance, theatrical and school musical, performances, the Centre will host the popular sports play The Underarm in February 2008.



New manager Graeme Bennett says the play, written by Justin Gregory and David Geary, appeals to all ages and interests and tells the story of two brothers torn apart by conflicting views of the infamous 1981 cricketing incident during a one-day test between Australia and New Zealand.



Kiwi World Series hopes were dashed at the last ball of the match which was delivered by Trevor Chappell as an under-arm bowl, making it all but impossible to score the six runs required to draw the match let alone win it. The ball used in that delivery will be displayed at the Hawkins Theatre during the production’s season.



Past and present New Zealand and English cricket players and administrators, along with the Beige Brigade and representatives from the Barmy Army are set to converge on Papakura for the Gala opening night on Saturday 16th February 2008, the day after New Zealand plays England in a one-day match, and throughout the remaining seven show season.



As part of the Counties Manukau Cricket Jubilee year a portion of all tickets sold throughout the Papakura season will be handed on as a donation to Counties Manukau Cricket.



Tickets for The Underarm are now on sale and can be purchased from Papakura Paper Power or by phoning 0800 4 TICKETS (0800 484253) or at www.ticketdirect.co.nz



Graeme is urging local people to book early as the show sold out at Tauranga Arts Festival and received rave reviews.



eDay diverts tonnes of computer gear from landfill

The inaugural eDay computer recycling event helped divert almost 300 tonnes of old computer equipment and mobile phones from traditional waste disposal in landfill.



The national event was a trial to refine collection methods and gauge demand for recycling services for electronic waste (“e-waste”) hardware.



More than 6,900 carloads of computer gear were dropped off at 12 locations throughout the country



The nearest collection to Papakura was Manukau. It attracted the highest number of customers in the greater Auckland region and the second highest in New Zealand. A total of 27 tonnes of used, unwanted or broken computer equipment was handed in at Manukau.



E-waste is the fastest growing type of waste around the world. It contains toxic materials including lead and mercury.



Pat on the back for car dealers

Papakura's car dealers are working hard to keep their signs in line with the district's signs rules, and have earned a pat on the back from Papakura District Council's regulatory staff for their efforts.



Signs illegally placed in residential streets by real estate agents and community groups are still being regularly removed by the Council's enforcement staff, who are encouraging people placing signs to first make a visit to the council to learn what is allowed under current sign rules and what is not.



Council staff are also reminding street vendors and hawkers active in the town centre and seasonal roadside vendors of Christmas trees, fruit, flowers and other items that they need permits from the Council to operate in the district and must comply with sign and vending rules as other businesses do.



Signs that are seized by enforcement staff are currently stored for a limited time at the Council and if not claimed by their owners are disposed of.



Just a quick trim, thanks…

Itinerant loppers are causing problems for Papakura residents.



Longer, warmer days and new growth in the garden are prompting many local people to get wayward gardens under control, and garden labour contractors have been going door to door, offering to prune or fell trees.



Many of the contractors are from other parts of Auckland and work for cash, disappearing once the job has been completed.



Papakura District Council regulatory staff are reminding local residents that they must not prune trees that are on Papakura’s protected species list. Work on such trees must be carried out by a qualified arborist.




Other trees may also be individually protected as “notable” specimens and some are protected by conditions on resource consents.



The door to door garden labourers have in some cases been claiming to be qualified arborists, but their work does not meet standards and they are usually unfamiliar with district rules on tree maintenance or removal.



Where such work results in damage to a protected species of tree or a tree is felled, the property owner is held responsible.



Council staff are reminding residents to check with them before agreeing to any tree being felled.



The full list of protected tree species is on the Papakura District Council web site, www.papakura.govt.nz and is available from the Customer Services Team at the Council offices in Coles Crescent.