TDC is rapidly distancing itself from the Trust. It was clear to councillors (including the Mayor) that the Trust had significantly overstated the level of support it enjoyed in the community and understated (again) the level of risk.
In 2021 they were allocated $700,000 of Council's Reserves Contribution Fund towards the costs of consenting ($100k) and building ($600k) a ramp in the Mapua Waterfront Park. They have already spent $169,000 of Council money and on May 2nd made an application for a further $250,000.
So far theTrust has spent $103,000 of its own money (funded by a loan of $65k from Trevor Marshall, $15k from Club President Andrew Butler and a loan of $23k from the Mapua Boat Club). When they got more money in 2021 the Council requested “that at least one third of the project costs is funded from a community contribution.” The Council report noted that "the Trust has quantified its contribution by applying hourly rates to its volunteer efforts. Although this is a positive initiative, staff are not sure that this was the Council’s intention that in-kind volunteer input would count towards the one third community contribution."
Councillors are clearly very concerned that the Trust will be unable to fund the costs of the consent process. They have to complete a health and safety audit, get data and expertise to counter the numerous environmental risks flagged by subject matter experts opposing the application, update the costings for changes that expert submitters pointed out would be required for legal compliance - and get some legal advice to protect themselves from action inspired by legal experts who have exposed truck-sized holes in the MCBRT process.
So far the Trust has raised $601 in its givealittle page ($500 from one T Marshall). No other fundraising activities are planned until they get the consent (apparently millions are waiting in the wings).
The Trust has so damaged its brand with this proposal that their only financial contributors in the Mapua Community are the Boat Club, a few boaties, and hopefully (for them) some very wealthy people in Mapua who want to save themselves 15 minutes drive to Motueka with their trawler trailers.
Councillors should think about:
can the Trust actually fund this application through to consent?
if they get consent, can they fund the construction?
if they can fund the construction, can they operate the ramp?
If the answer to any of those is no, Council should stop this farce immediately and withdraw the offer of the balance of the $700k. They should compensate for betraying the community in 2021 by allocating what's left of the $700k to honouring the promises they made in 2018.
Can they do that? Can they just change their minds like that? That's what they did in 2019 and again in 2021 when they leased the land to the Trust and offered them $700k at the expense of the promises they made in the Mapua Waterfront Masterplan in 2018. The extensive consultation process and community endorsement that went into the 2018 commitments didn't slow them down at all.
It's time they did their job: put an end to this extravagant and indulgent project run by a small vested interest group with lots of money and grandiose dreams that carry big risks for everyone else.
コメント