Q
18 Oct - 24 Oct
LOCALLY OWNED SINCE FOREVER
No 873
LAKES WEEKLY BULLETIN
FE
T
AT BU UR S E IN IN E SI SS D E
Here’s an idea
There’s a phrase in politics, controversially coined by UK Labour Party spin doctor Jo Moore in the wake of the September 11 attacks, that you can have a “good day to bury bad news”. Queenstown Lakes District Council seems to have taken that to heart last week. Sandwiched between the end of the election, with the much-loved former mayor Jim Boult enjoying a well-earned holiday, and the confirmation of new mayor Glyn Lewers, they went to town, dropping a few bombs on their social media channels. The CBD end of Gorge Road, that main route into town for a significant number of residents, will be closed, from pretty much now until mid-next year. And that’s if it all goes to plan. There’ll be a detour, along the tight Robins Road, past the rows of parked cars, past Queenstown Primary School and the fire station, into already congested Camp St. This is to accommodate the new ‘arterial road’ junction with Henry St. Then, a day later, bombs away again with news that plans for a $4m community centre in the former Walker family home on Ladies Mile were effectively dead-in-the-water, because toxic mould had been discovered behind the cladding. Even the good news, a new carpark for downtown Queenstown, turned out to be bad news. The 130-space carpark was announced in two sentences and a picture on Facebook. No press release, no fanfare, no ribbon cutting, despite two years of complaints by CBD businesses and commuters. When pressed, the post was amended to include the price: a whopping $3 per hour. That’s $120 a week for your average worker, in the middle of a costof-living crisis. The carpark, which could net the council an extra $1m+ a year, largely from commuter ratepayers, is on Hay Street, near Lakeview. QLDC has gone $12m overbudget on Lakeview, clearing the site of asbestos. The carparking charges will pay back some of that over the years, but it feels like the residents are being charged twice. Once for the overspend, and again for the parking. I think there are good people at the council, doing a difficult job, but they could throw us a bone once in a while. CBD businesses, residents and commuters have endured years of disruption, with more to come, thanks to the streetscape and arterial route projects. Certainly, there are wider reasons, supply chains etc. but some of it is likely down to poor planning. How about making all council carparking downtown free for residents? We could have a card. A ‘thank you for bearing with us’ from the council. Then, when the bus service is fit-for-purpose, hike them up again, fine. With a new council and mayor coming in, it’s time for some positivity. Clean slate and all that. So, now the bad news is out of the way, give us something to show you mean business. Paul Taylor, Queenstown Media Group
Happy Birthday TSS Earnslaw! The Lady of the Lake celebrates her 110th anniversary this week. Front row, Sannah Kingi (host), Ashley Baldock (host), Xiaoman Aris Lai (F&B team leader). Back row, Maurise Jackson (engineer), Jonathon Holmes-Welsh (stoker), Stephen England-Hall (CEO), Brad Simmons (deck hand), and Ryan Hodges (skipper).
HAPPY HOUR 4 PM - 6 PM
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