Raetihi visitor centre may move

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 479, 30 March 1993, Page 1

Raetihi visitor centre may move

Raetihi's promotion group has recommended that the council move the town's information centre to the council's service centre "to ensure the long term viability of an information centre in the town." A letter to the council on the matter is included in a report to the Promotions and Development Subcommittee, which meets today in Taumarunui. The Raetihi group had applied for $9800 to help run the present centre, but the subcommittee chose not to make a decision on the matter at their last meeting, until an investigation into how a service could be more effectively provided for the town. The promotion group said in a letter that they agreed with the proposal provided access was provided from Seddon Street, with suitable signs. "We would like to continue to oversee the operation of the centre," said the group's secretary, Bernice Frost. Ruapehu District Council marketing manager Bruce Rollinson had recommended that no grant be made based on the low visitor numbers and the close proximity of the Ohakune centre. In his report to the subcommittee, Mr Rollinson said while it was desirable for the town to have an information service, it was unlikely that visitor numbers to the Raetihi centre would reach the level of the district's other two centres. Taumarunui and Ohakune centres receive between 50 and 200 visitors per day. Mr Rollinson said a major item in the promotions group's budget was rent, at $3120, leading to the need to reassess accommodation of the centre. He also said there seemed little justification in the submission for $1750 to be spent on display equipment. "Could such an item not be the responsibility of the community who value their Information Centre as a community asset?" wrote Mr Rollinson. He added that an amount of $500 for fundraising expenses should "surely be covered by the cost of the fundraising exercise". It was inappropriate to have the objective of having a Visitor Information Network (VIN) standard centre in Raetihi, given the significant financial and capital resources required to meet those standards. "An appropriate objective would be to ensure a basic level of visitor information service is made available," stated Mr Rollinson. Staffing may ultimately be the greatest cost for the centre, given that the present Task Force Green project was not a long term solution. "The responsibility of some of the budgeted items must fall under the responsibility of the Raetihi community, as was originally the case in Taumarunui and Ohakune where significant local input was essential to ensure the ongoing future of the centres," concluded Mr Rollinson.