Sand Bar and YMCA "team-up"

I wrote the following letter to the editor to explain my views concerning the debate about reopening the Sand Bar on a prominent public reserve adjacent to Mount Main Beach in an 'unholy' alliance with the YMCA which would provide a kidzone and a teenzone adjoining the bar.

Dear Sir
The proposal for the YMCA to team-up with the Sand Bar is born from a lack of clarity concerning the purpose or plan for the Mount over the New Year period. What kind of place do we want it to be? One of the reasons for setting up the Sand Bar was to change the drinking culture; it is time to review this and set our vision for the future.

If the community wants a temporary bar situated on a prime location in a liquor-free zone then plan accordingly. If we want a family-friendly public open space that can be enjoyed by children and young people together with a wide cross-section of the community, then plan accordingly. But these options are mutually exclusive and in my view there is no merit whatsoever in placing recreational facilities for children and young people on either side of a bar. There are 37 licensed premises within walking distance of the beach: do we really need another one?

My preference is for a family-friendly public open space where the YMCA could run holiday activities for the kids. It is after all the best Sand Pit in the country.

Papamoa walkway-cycleway

I wrote this 'letter to the editor' today in response to an article in the BOP Times concerning a planned 14km walkway-cycleway between Bayfair and Papamoa East.

Dear Sir
I applaud the proposed 14km walkway-cycleway from Bayfair to Papamoa East and I commend Papamoa College in their quest for a green star environmental rating. This is an outstanding example of well-planned and cost-effective infrastructure that recognises and supports the aspirations of the local community. The walkway-cycleway is not just a “nice to have”, it is a fundamental community asset that will contribute to better health outcomes; improve community safety; and enhance environmental sustainability.