Counter claims of vandalism have further soured relations between Waipā District Council and one of its community boards and an independent park maintenance committee.
Historic seat restorers Marc Dawson (seated) and Peter Fletcher have the support of Maria Blackwell and Bernard Westerbaan after restoring seven 70-year-old seats at Te Awamutu and Districts War Memorial Park. Photo: Chris Gardner
The committee ignored council plans to replace wooden benches dating back to the 1950 and began restoring them.
But following publicity in The News, the metal piping on the last seat was removed with an angle grinder and when committee members Marc Dawson and Peter Fletcher returned with restored planks there was nowhere to put them.
Council community services manager Brad Ward said the bench had been removed after the pair left sharp piping protruding from the ground near a playground and “we take any sort of vandalism or public interference of community assets seriously…”
In response the staff themselves have been accused of vandalising the last seat.
Two of the seven historic seats restored by Marc Dawson and Peter Fletcher. Photo: Chris Gardner
“Marc and Peter did not vandalise these seats, they fixed them,” said Te Awamutu-Kihikihi Community Board chair Ange Holt.
“Staff have vandalised the last original seat. They took the bars off so that it was unusable. Now we are a seat less.”
Susan O’Regan
Waipa mayor Susan O’Regan described vandalism claims from both sides of the argument as alarmist rhetoric.
“It’s not helpful, I don’t think that’s appropriate, by either side,” she said.
“The men that are honoured in that memorial would be horrified. That is not what they fought for. This has clearly been an issue in our community that to be looked at. The situation has been mishandled by the staff.
“Equally, people can’t simply go off and do what they want to do.”
O’Regan said that was anarchy.
“It is disappointing that it has come to this. We need to undertake a bit of a reset, approaching things more flexibly. It has been disappointing to see this unfolding. There have been mistakes made on both sides. I would like there to be a compromise reached. I am hoping common sense will prevail.”
Clare St Pierre
Mayoral candidate councillor Clare St Pierre took a different line.
“We are trying to work through an agreed plan that went through a public process,” she said.
She avoided commenting on the vandalism claim.
“If this money is not spent in the memorial park, it will be spent somewhere else. I would rather have the money spent in Te Awamutu.
“These gentlemen need to go through the proper channels. They are choosing not to do that,” St Pierre said.
Mike Pettit
Fellow mayoral candidate Mike Pettit said he would need to see the seats before commenting on vandalism claims.
“There are two sides to a story, but $58,000 is $58,000 and there is no money in the coffers,” he said.
Te Awamutu councillor Andrew Brown backed Ward’s stance and described Dawson and Fletcher’s actions as unacceptable.
“When council officers draft plans for refurbishments they comply with the relevant standards. New Zealand has standards for excellent reasons, health and safety being among them.
“Much as some people would disagree, our highly educated, trained, and experienced council officers do not wilfully squander ratepayer’s money. However, when they do something, they do it properly.”
Lou Brown
Fellow councillor Lou Brown, who sits on the community board said he was unhappy with the negative way in which Dawson and Fletcher were being treated and had taken his concerns to council chief executive Steph O’Sullivan.
Bruce Thomas, who sits alongside Brown on the community board, said staff were instructing councillors on matters rather than the other way around.
Thomas, also a district councillor, said he had discussions with Ward about taking community initiatives away where work could be carried out for half the budget cost.
He said people were getting annoyed with more money being spent “when we have got a community that will fund this”.
Steph O’Sullivan
Steph O’Sullivan was awaiting a staff briefing on the issue before commenting.
Dawson said the council had sabotaged the committee’s restoration.
“That seat was in such a mess for absolute decades. We have done the right thing,” he said.
Dawson said he and Fletcher planned to install new bench piping in the park, using the old slats to complete the seat.
“We have not vandalised anything, just the opposite,” said Fletcher. “The pipes stuck out of the ground, but they were not sharp.”
