Manawatu District briefs

Feilding's new facility completed.

FEILDING’S newest facility, the $9 million Manfeild Agri-events Stadium, will be opened on Sunday. After a ceremonial blessing at 11am, guided public tours of the complex begin at 12.30pm to be followed at 2pm by the official ceremony involving Manawatu District Mayor, Ian McKelvie; Palmerston North Mayor, Jono Naylor, and guest speaker, Olympic Games’ equestrian rider, Andrew Scott. The single-span building is the largest facility of its kind in the lower North Island, with the main display area equivalent in size to a full rugby field.

Smoke alarm batteries

NEW smoke alarm batteries are about to be installed in the Manawatu District Council’s 208 Housing for the Elderly and Disabled units in Feilding, Sanson and Rongotea. Letters have been sent to all tenants advising them of the installation, which is scheduled to begin on Monday at the Rangimarie, Rawhiti and Elizabeth Flats. The annual changeover is welcomed by residents who find the smoke alarm a necessary fire alarm device. Any detectors that are found to be defective during the changeover will be replaced. Tenants are reminded, however, that it’s their personal responsibility to ensure the batteries remain in the detectors.

Commendation for council

MANAWATU District Council received a Commendation Award at the New Zealand Post Management Excellence Awards for 2007 – even though such awards were not routinely awarded. The commendation in the Technology Innovation category was for “Project Automation”, a council initiative that had allowed an easy, cost-effective modification of the previous reporting process system. Chief Executive, Rod Titcombe, said projects were rigorously judged against tough criteria and Commendation Awards were not given without due consideration.

Weeding bee at Kitchener Park

A LARGE truck was stacked high with weeds after Friends of Kitchener Park completed a successful working bee recently at Feilding’s biggest “garden”. The volunteers spent four hours working their way down the boundary line near the park entrance on Kawakawa Rd and clearing out weeds that are choking re-growth at the park. Kitchener Park is still recovering from the Manawatu floods of 2004 and stopbank improvements are currently being carried out by Horizons Regional Council.