Letters: New 'concrete park' in Mount Maunganui continues to irk

Mount Maunganui's new partially-opened park, Te Papa o Ngā Manu Porotakataka, continues to irk some readers. Photo / Andrew Warner

Reading the letters regularly, one sometimes smile at people's comments. But not Hallam Woolfrey's letter (Letters, January 16) on skateboarding at Phoenix park.

What has turned out to be an absolute disaster is now trying to be justified as something children can use. Instead, teens and, in some cases, adult boarders are the main problem.

Sit in the new cafe on the edge of the so-called park. Listen to the clatter of boards. Try to navigate along the endless concrete. Try to sit in the hot sun with no shade. Baby boomer or not, you will get run down by these so-called kids.

A functioning car park and beautiful mature palms were felled for this aberration. Why has there been no call for the councillors concerned to resign?

Other towns build these skate parks away from main streets, take Warkworth and Kerikeri for example.

Not our council, hope you remember this come polling day.

Dan Stevens
Pyes Pa

More park cost details needed

The question of why the council constructed a glaring concrete playground where there had been a reasonably effective carpark has been discussed at length.

What is not clear is how the cost was arrived at. If there had been a formal tender process, the cost would have been clear prior to acceptance and the scale of the project adjusted accordingly.

If they had limited it to what I understood were the two major parts proposed - to refurbish the restrooms and provide a quiet, green and shady space for people to meet and sit - there would have been no major problems and they may have saved some car parks.

They would certainly have saved money and they wouldn't need security guards to keep the skateboarders away.

We must hope that the appointment of our new CEO will bring some sanity back into council decisions.

Dan Russell
Tauranga

Bulldozer needed

Referring to the old shops on the corner of Pongakawa Station Rd and State and Highway 2.

It annoys me that this graffiti-covered, badly decomposed building along a main tourist route, which many cruise ship passengers have to travel past to see White Island, is allowed to stay in this state for so many years.

If the owners don't want to do anything about this then maybe the Western Bay of Plenty District Council could take some action.

Roy Steiner
Welcome Bay