Waipā’s community facilities continue to be targets for the district’s undesirable vandals.
Toilets at Bulmer’s Landing, a freedom camping site overlooking the Waikato River 20kms south of Karāpiro, have been closed for several weeks due to fires set in each of the toilets plus the ceramic pans were smashed in another incident.
In her quarterly report to the council, Community Services manager Sally Sheedy said she hoped improved aesthetics, better design, security and appropriate component selection would lead to a greater respect for the toilets.
Meanwhile there have been ongoing issues at the Te Awamutu Walton Street toilets, with water supply and flushing reliability.
Money has been set aside in the Long-Term Plan for public convenience renewals.
All up the council has spent more than $500,000 on vandalism repairs and maintenance as part of its district-wide Public Convenience Cleaning Contract.
That means ratepayers will be asked to spend more money on the contract.
Several complaints have been received about the quality of toilet cleaning especially around the toilet seat hinges and basin taps.
The contract supervisor for this was deployed to the leaf litter collection which explains some of this, said Sheedy.
“One of the complainants has become a regular, and somewhat vigilante auditor, whose behaviour is becoming inappropriate. This is currently being monitored,” she said.
The roof of the Cambridge Superloo toilets needs cleaning after the recent heavy leaf fall. That work should be complete soon.
In other vandalism-related matters, the Lake Ngaroto barbeque was stolen late in June while council staff were repairing the tile work around it.
And a flowering cherry tree in central Cambridge was badly vandalised in May.
The offender was found but police decided not to take the matter any further.
Staff have carried out remedial pruning in the hope of saving the tree.
The planting programme at Waipuke Park near Karāpiro has progressed with contractors working alongside an archaeologist to plant the first stage of the driveway avenue planting.
A second stage started last month to finish the avenue planting alongside some replacement of failed trees on the lower terrace.
“These replacement trees will have additional infrastructure and soil additives in the ground to assist with water retention,” said Sheedy.
The Cambridge Tree Trust will undertake stage one of the restoration triangles.
“On completion of all the triangles this will provide an ecological corridor for manu between the maunga and the awa,” she said.
