Ratepayer may fund bridge repair

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 641, 18 June 1996, Page 2

Ratepayer may fund bridge repair

Ruapehu ratepayers should pay the local share of the cost of repairing the Karioi Domain Bridge, the Waimarino Community Board recommended at their last meeting. The bridge serves the property belonging to the Wallis estate, the rear of the property owned by Ken Sue and a disused metal pit owned by the Wanganui District Council. The board had earlier deferred their decision pending confirming the legal status of the bridge and road. The board heard that the bridge is on the legal road line and that both sides of the river are designated legal road. An application would be made to Transit New Zealand for a share of the funding, said council engineer Bruce Dobson. The bridge would cost $22,500, according to a quote obtained by the Wallis family, and the TNZ share would be $15,250. The issue is somewhat of a dilemma for the board and the council in that the bridge was originally built by the W anganui County Council for them to access their metal pit and was not a responsibility of the then Waimarino County Council. Member Doug Bennett did not support the resolution, relating the situation to someone who wanted to bring a paper road up to a useable standard. "The policy there is that people have to bring the road up to a council standard first, and then the council maintains it," said Mr Bennett. 'The bridge exists now," countered member Gary Rawnsley. Mr Rawnsley said there was an important principle at stake. "The legality is that it is a council road and a council bridge and the council should fund it," he said. "People have to have access to their properties." Land occupier William Wallis told the board the bridge was dangerous but that they had no control over who used it. "We' ve been told legally we have no responsibility if someone goes through the bridge, but morally we would feel no better if it happened," he told the board. The Wallis 's said a number of service vehicles including trucks could not get to their farm. Also, they were concerned if there was an emergency because it was not safe for vehicles, includng ambulances and fire engines, to use the bridge.