Rose gardens safe

Hamilton City Council is not removing the Rogers Rose Garden.

At a Council meeting this week removal of Rogers Rose Garden at Hamilton Gardens was put forward by staff as a cost-saving option in a Parks and Open Space report presented to Council. The option had no backing from Council and was rejected.

Opening hours for Hamilton City Council’s Public Libraries will be slightly reduced under a proposal which has been adopted for consultation as part of the draft 10-Year Plan. If included, the libraries proposal would see 16 opening hours removed from the city’s six public libraries, but two libraries – Garden Place and Chartwell – would still be open on Sundays. The proposed reduction in operating hours for the libraries would result in a $98,000.

Other proposed cost-saving measures approved for consultation included extensions to the timeframes for semi-permanent exhibitions at Waikato Museum from three to five years, and a reduction in the number of general exhibitions from 10 per year to six per year. Council also chose not to include a proposal to reduce public education at the museum.

Mayor Julie Hardaker said: “The Rogers Rose Garden was never in any danger of being removed by the Council. Hamilton Gardens is a wonderful asset to the city and while we face a number of difficult financial decisions, cutting the rose gardens was not an option for Councillors.”