Outdoor pursuits faces council hoops

BY IMOGEN NEALE

Papakura mayor Calum Penrose's own council is putting him through the hoops over his planned $3.3 million outdoor pursuits centre and high wire course.

Late last year the centre’s trustees – Mr Penrose and City of Papakura Cadet Unit chairman Rob Philips – thought they had the go-ahead to start work on the facility.

It will run after-school programmes and three, six and 12-month courses for "at risk" youth and weekend high ropes courses for corporate groups and sports teams.

Stage one is the renovation of the Dominion Rd building the trust has leased off the cadets – adding a theatre, a $200,000 climbing wall, a gymnasium, engineering, wood and mechanical workshops, a computer room and a commercial grade kitchen.

Stage two will see the creation of six Burma bridge towers on the Ardmore block of land the trust has leased from the army.

But trying to secure the lease of the 0.43-hectare council-owned site next to the cadet’s centre has turned the project’s green light orange.

When the trust asked the council’s operations and monitoring committee in December for a 33-year lease on the land it was sent it away with a "to do" list that included registering as a charitable trust, securing resource and building consents, providing a detailed business plan and providing letters of support from various government agencies.

Last week the trust was back in front of the council with a business plan, two letters of support and assurances its resource, building and charitable trust applications had all been lodged.

Due to the conflict of interest Mr Penrose stepped aside and deputy mayor Peter Goldsmith took up the reins while the matter was discussed.

A letter from the trust’s chairman Bill Sedgwick to the council confirmed the site will have a confidence course consisting of a climbing wall and high wire.

"This area will be landscaped to the required standard and fully fenced. This is guaranteed by the High Wire Trust at no cost to the ratepayers of Papakura.

"If in the unlikely event that the trust for whatever reason fails in the future – lot one could either be part of that transfer or if required reverted back to it original condition, ie, grass and gorse."

The centre is being funded by an unnamed philanthropist who is prepared to cover all costs for the next two to three years.

The matter was eventually moved on the condition the trust provides the council with two more governmental letters of support after several councillors voiced their concerns or support for the project.

Councillors Felicity Auva’a, Brent Catchpole, Peter Goldsmith, Katrina Piggott and Owen Pringle voted in favour of the lease.

Peter Jones and Mark O’Connor voted against it and Caroline Conroy abstained.

After the meeting Mr O’Connor wrote to the Papakura Courier to say he supported the centre but said: "I have seen some bad decisions made in the past that this council has spent a lot of time behind closed doors to rectify issues which have taken up a huge amount of staff resources and elected members time.

"Because the mayor is driving this and it is on council land there is a tie to the council so therefore for me to put my hand up to give it the seal of approval I have to ensure... I am making the correct decisions on behalf of the ratepayers and community of Papakura.

"I do not want to see future councils having to clean this up and wondering why we did not carry out correct due diligence before it got signed off from council.

"That is my only concern."

- © Fairfax NZ News