$1m loan to be raised for Pipiriki Road

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, Issue 567, 20 December 1994, Page 1

$1m loan to be raised for Pipiriki Road

The Ruapehu District Council agreed to raise a $1 million loan for the upgrading of roads to cater for increased logging traffic in the near future. With Waimarino Forest milling coming on stream a sharp increase in logging traffic to and from Winstone Pulp International' s (WPI) Karioi Mill and Tangiwai Mill is imminent. In a report presented to the council the cost of the project was put at $2,050,000, with a 58 per cent subsidy expected from Transit New Zealand. $1.7m would pay for the upgrading of Pipiriki Road, $200,000 for a by-pass at the corner of Ohakune - Raetihi Road and State Highway 49, and $150,00 for the widening of the bridge at Raetihi. Accordirig to the report, servicing the

loan would be from rates and 'forest owner contributions'. Chief engineer Bruce Dobson said further discussions were to take place with WPI on funding arrangements. There was some discussion on WPI general manager Dave* Anderson's comments in the Ruapehu Bulletin regarding WPI contributions. Cr Bob Peck said such comments were "superficial and not helpful". Mayor Garrick Workman said "in fairness to WPI", they read reports on council' s discussions in the newspaper and so reacted how they saw fit. Council chief executive Cliff Houston told the council that if TNZ funding was not forthcoming the project would most probably not proceed.