Why did council not engage contractors to tackle the same noxious plants which are smothering so much vegetation in Tainui with the same gusto as Tauroa? These harmful weeds have been allowed to proliferate unchecked year on year. The neglect is shameful.
Last year, in an effort to upgrade paths which did not need upgraded, senior managers made unpopular changes. Inexplicably, they got contractors to put a particularly nasty, sharp grade of stone on to well-established, natural bark paths and now people are complaining.
No wonder. The razor-edged stones, totally unnecessary in the first place, are vile to walk on, not only painful for dogs' paws but also unstable for people - and no good for bicycle tyres either.
My own dog is so unwilling to walk on them that I now rarely take him into the woods, walks we used to enjoy every day.
A petition signed by 141 reserve users was delivered to mayor Yule last week asking council to remove the unwanted stones and return the paths to how they were.
And talking of blunders, last November, council arborists totally mutilated one of the magnificent stand of six, 80-year-old poplar trees in The Grove at Tainui - trees which had been given a 10-year reprieve after a petition signed by 95 locals in 2014 said "leave them alone and leave the natural path alone."
No fewer than 14limbs were removed to a height of around 10 metres. In the view of many distressed locals, it was an example of reckless, unskilled pruning, akin to vandalism.
I wrote to mayor Yule to express dismay and wanted some accountability. Needless to say, there was none.
'Before' and 'After' photos I sent showed the ugly transformation. Staff attempted to justify the unjustifiable, citing safety issues, excuses which locals don't accept. The evidence of the arborist's unsympathetic handiwork is on show for everyone walking past to see.
A couple of branches overhanging the path could have been cut back - but hacking off 14limbs? That was outrageous. Now, the remaining canopy has lost the wind protection previously afforded by lower branches and the well-balanced, healthy tree just looks ridiculous.
The gully at Hikanui where a local builder illegally felled some 18 trees a few years ago remains totally degraded despite the offender giving council $8000 to clear the area and $7000 to remediate it. Where did that $7000 go? Why was it not used for the purpose it was given?
Why did council not replant the gully with native trees or shrubs? $7000 buys a lot of trees. Yet again, there is absolutely no accountability for where those targeted funds went.
The amount of tinder-dry, combustible material lying in both reserves is of major concern given their proximity to residential areas. Council's 'drop and dump' policy of felling some trees and leaving them exacerbates an already high fire risk.
The week before the rain came, I and other neighbours packed emergency bags in case of any forced evacuation.
All it would have taken was a carelessly discarded cigarette or a spark and Tainui Reserve would have erupted in flames, threatening homes in neighbouring streets.
As well as getting on with a long overdue spraying programme in Tainui Reserve, council needs to re-evaluate its policy of leaving so much flammable material on the ground.
Community Service clients could assist with its removal as a year round project. This won't be Hawke's Bay's last long, hot summer.
Jessica Maxwell is a concerned Hastings ratepayer and self-employed funding adviser.
