by Alan Kelly

The letter and Ōpōtiki District Council’s reply in the Opotiki News, Street closure too long, July 18, left me wondering what the goal of this main street upgrade is.

I am aware from previous council deliberations there are some initiatives to upgrade the look of our rundown main street, but I thought this included a co-ordinated building façade improvement plan, working with commercial building owners, not just a cosmetic of the tarseal.  

It’s very disappointing to see citizen and business inconvenience and ratepayer money being spent on a cosmetic and slippery when wet (those red pavers) finish that leads from an aesthetically pleasant alleyway one side of the main street to a shabby public toilet block and a dysfunctional women’s rest room on the other side of the street.  

I recall two years ago council staff with a clipboard on-site surveying Ōpōtiki citizens about plans for enhancing the area fronting these two buildings.

There were people-focused suggestions made, such as shade trees, seats and a mini events area creatively screened from the ablution blocks.

But, alas, we got money spent on a long and no doubt expensive tarseal and pavement contract while the main street toilet block continues to deteriorate and smell unpleasant.

Meantime, please give us back a zebra crossing for the safety of pedestrians – unless, of course, there is a plan for pedestrians to use the new designer paving crossing the street.  How about seats and trees in the middle of the road, as well, and keep those roundabouts permanent to keep speeding and heavy vehicles out of Church Street?  

Progress for people please, not just roads.