Te Awamutu Business Chamber wishes to paint the town grey.
Chief executive Shane Walsh presented a town centre landscape revitalisation plan from retailers to Te Awamutu-Kihikihi Community Board last week.
“The retailers are feeling unloved out there,” Walsh said. “If we could do something for them, and something that’s not going to cost the earth, then why wouldn’t we?”
Walsh said retailers believed it was time to revitalise and modernise the main street.
He said the existing rails, seating, central streetlight poles and rubbish bag holders were in need of maintenance and their colour was old fashioned and drab.
Te Awamutu Business Chamber chief executive Shane Walsh says retailers are feeling unloved.
Retailers wanted to swap the rusty red street furniture for grey furniture like that near Te Awamutu Library.
“We believe the look and feel needs to be consistent throughout the town,” he said.
“We are not suggesting that we change the seats, we are just suggesting that the colour needs to be consistent throughout the town.”
Walsh said the town’s planting scheme was too formal and outdated.“Someone said it’s time we pulled nanna’s garden out,” he said.
“We are suggesting native planting and some roses to highlight our rose town credentials, to be more in line with the landscaping around the library and the pools.”
Walsh complained the town centre’s hedge rows were not good, and very colonial looking.
Ange Holt
“Many people have been in this room and complained about these pots, and they are still there, and they are still on a lean, and if the town was to become famous for the leaning pots of Te Awamutu, then that would be something at least. I have not met anyone who likes them.”
Walsh said the business chamber was aware of the need to minimise cost as there was no money.
“The vision should be worked towards over time using existing maintenance budgets,” he said.
“The expectation is that if it’s done right the cost to maintain will be less. Hedges would not require cutting, pots would not require constant cleaning, and the natives would be hardier and less maintenance.” Board chair Ange Holt agreed with Walsh’s presentation.
“The pots have been a problem for quite some time, I think they just store rubbish,” said board member Jill Taylor.
Sally Whitaker
Board member Sally Whitaker said the retailers needed looking after.
Deputy chair Kane Titchener agreed and added a clean of the town’s signs and maintenance of roundabouts to the list.
“The whole look and feel of the town as you come in is just atrocious,” he said.
Titchener said he was glad Walsh had a long-term expectation on change.
“We want to see some change.”
“If we could do it together with the [council] staff and the retailers, talking to each other, that would be another great thing to get that reconnection between the council and the community,” Walsh said.
Kane Titchener
Titchener said the board was attempting to do just that.
“We’ve been trying to get that main street a bit of love for four years,” Holt said. “It’s definitely something that the Te Awamutu community are behind.”
Holt said the board would discuss Walsh’s request after the meeting. “Four years ago, the same sort of submission was done, and zero has happened,” Walsh said.
Holt said the footpaths had been cleaned as a result.
