$20,000 set aside for Mainstreet project

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 537, 24 May 1994, Page 3

$20,000 set aside for Mainstreet project

The 1994/95 Draft Annual Plan proposes a grant of $20,000 towards the Waimarino 'Mainstreet' projects. Originally proposed as a $ 1 0,000 grant it was felt, when councillors met in Ohakune last Wednesday, that this sum was inadequate and may prevent the project being completed for lack of funding. Council chief executive officer Cliff Houston suggested that the money could be 'earmarked' for Mainstreet but that the group should still be asked to put forward a submission for funding with a budget before the council agrees to the grant. This was accepted by councillors. There was some opposition to the idea of giving

Mainstreet more money. Cr Tony Hawkins said retailers would benefit from the scheme and so they should be asked to fund it directly. "The retailers either recognise and support it or they don't," he said. "Other areas have been careful about the amount of spending and here we are being asked to pay more for Mainstreet, which benefits a small segment of the community." Mayor Garrick Workman said the whole community wins (through the Mainstreet central business district rejuvenation schemes). "I hope we don't see the public's expectations built up only to see it cut off at the knees just when things like the town designs are about to be released," said Mr Workman. Rail grants Another grant proposed by the Ruapehu District Council Marketing Committee in the Draft Annual , Plan was of $2500 to both Main Trunk Rail Ohakune (MTRO) and Taumarunui Rail Action Centre (TR AC) for the promotion of rail and steam train events organised by the two organisations. Also applied for (by the Waiouru Community Board) is a grant of $4000 to assist with the upgrading of the QEII Army Memorial Museum in Waiouru. However another application from the Waiouru Community Board for a grant of $4000 from the Marketing Committee was Turn to Page 5

Ruapehu grants

FROMPAGE3 declined on the grounds that it could not be funded from the marketing budget. Community halls When councillors were discussing these and other applications for District Grants the question of eligibility was raised by Cr June Baker (Taumarunui) in relation to community halls. Mrs Baker queried the criteria by which council approved or declined eligibility for District Grants. The Ngakoni Community Centre had requested a grant of $1300 to upgrade the kitchen area and improve hygiene standards; the Hikumutu Community Centre had requested a grant of $4500 to carry out improvements to the ceiling of the Community Hall; the Owhango Hall needed $5000 for repairs to weather-boarding on the hall frontage; the Tokirima Hall Society requested $11,000 for upgrading the water supply and lining the hall ceiling; the Matiere Hall Society requested $2,000 to assist with sealing the hall floor. Cr Baker queried the need for council to make funding available to community centres. . . "they must have alternative sources of funding or, where do we draw the line?" Cr Graeme Cosford (Taumarunui) also asked if council was setting a precedent by approving these applications for grants by various organisations. 'They should first approach the Lotteries Commission and others to obtain funding for capital works, improvements etc... or do some fund raising themselves", he said. Cr Joe Murphy (Ohura) asked: "Is this not a backdoor method of obtaining funding because some of the loan applications which appear in the Draft Annual Plan didn't go through the li st of priorities prepared by the Community Boards?" Cr Weston Kirton (Taumaranui) suggested the Ruapehu District Council set up a committee to investigate all applications for funding for these community hall projects to check if all other alternative sources of funding have been exhausted. Chief Executive Cliff Houston suggested creating a fund of $25,000 which could be applied for by those organisations through their local Community Boards which will then investigate each application to check if all other methods of funding had been explored. This proposal was adopted.