Masterton pou project in limbo

A budgeted $64,000 for spending on Masterton's controversial Pou project has been frozen pending the outcome of an internal district council review.

This was revealed at a council meeting yesterday as an arbitrary action taken by chief executive Pim Borren and won the approval of councillors.

The meeting showed that the two projects at the forefront of ratepayers minds - the Pou and the Homebush sewage treatment project - refuse to go away.

Both came in for criticism with the Pou, although minuscule in comparison with the $46 million sewage project, virtually being condemned as a costly runaway horse.

Councillor Gary Caffell, who as a then rookie councillor, was the seconder of the Pou project going ahead, said he was disappointed because the result had not been in line with the original concept. "It has become an absolute disaster and most of us have fielded complaints from all over the place. Most people don't want any more to do with it, there's no future for this project," he said.

At last call the Pou project had ballooned from its original budget of $35,000 to $92,000 and that does not include the amount frozen which was intended to be used for smaller pou at four secondary approaches to town.

It may also not be the final figure as the $92,000 was based on projected and not actual costs.

Mr Borren said the results of the review will be shared with all councillors and that in the meantime money for completing the project has been frozen.

Councillor David Holmes said while councillors were getting a lot of " kickbacks" over the Pou he is having to answer many questions on the Homebush scheme.

In March, even though rainfall was relatively light, an area set aside for receiving wastewater by border dykes had flooded.

From his property he could overlook paddocks of yellowing grass as they were already inundated with water, he said.

Mr Holmes referred to the departure of special projects manager Ian Steer who, he said, had resigned and left "in three days".

"We have had no explanation why he left," Mr Holmes said.