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Houghton Valley Community Newsletter

12 April, 2012

This newsletter is missing.

Houghton Valley Community Newsletter

29 March, 2012

Welcome to those who have just joined the Houghton Valley community email – there are 158 on the list now.

Bus review: Christine Fowler, the president of the Houghton Valley Progressive Association submitted our submission late on Sunday. Many thanks to Linda from View Rd for compiling everyone’s points of view into a comprehensive document. It is attached for you to read along with a document from Councillor Daran Ponter which gives a regional overview.

Archaeological Dig: If you want to check out the photos taken by Shar, go to the Friends of Houghton Valley Facebook Page.

TRiG working bee: “The weather is looking good for this Saturday, so if you are keen to help with weeding, meet us up at the Alice Krebs Lodge  between 2 – 5 pm.” – Jenny

Message from Amy: Dear Grant and Norman, I have a new foodblog with daily recipes – it’s just for fun, motivated by a love of food and sharing so I’d love to share with the local community if you think it would be appropriate to mention it in the newsletter at some point please do – might be of interest to other parents. Thanks.” – Amy (Houghton Bay Rd). [Link not current.]

Regards, Norman and Grant

Houghton Valley Community Newsletter

15 March, 2012

Welcome to the new members of this community email news group (there are now 141 people on the list).

Houghton Valley Public Meeting: Wellington City Bus Review, Monday 19 March, 7.30 pm in the Houghton Valley School Hall.

Due to considerable local interest, the Houghton Valley Progressive Association has arranged for  Councillor Daran Ponter from the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) to present information about the review of the Wellington City bus service and how the proposed changes will affect bus users in the Southern suburbs. Under the proposal all city bus routes and timetables will be changed. The review is complex so Daran’s presentation will help to summarise the issues that affect us directly. If you are a bus user and haven’t already attended a public meeting about the proposed changes you are encouraged to attend this one.

Traffic Intersection update: The roadworks opposite the Pines is finished but the work on the intersection on the corner of Houghton bay Rd and The Esplanade hasn’t yet started. We enquired and have been told that work has been delayed due to further design work now required. We will keep you posted.

TriG working bee: “The weather is looking good for this Saturday, so if you are keen, come up to the Alice Krebs lodge at 2 pm. Bring metal rakes and any other tools you might find useful for tradescantia consolidation and general pruning/weeding.” – Jenny

Regards, Grant and Norman

Houghton Valley Community Newsletter

11 March, 2012

This is a special mail out to inform everyone about upcoming meetings which will be the last chance to discuss the proposed changes to No.s 22 and 23 bus routes.

Councillor Daran Ponter has indicated to Linda Cameron (from View Rd) at a meeting in Kilbirnie on Saturday that so far there has been little feedback from Houghton Valley residents. Therefore on Monday 12 March (tomorrow) at 7.30 pm at the Newtown community and Cultural Centre (corner of Rintoul and Colombo Streets) and on Tuesday 13 March at 7.30 pm in the Kilbirnie Community Centre (on Bay Rd, next to the Post Office) there will be presentations by Daran Ponter. These are opportunities to find out more about the changes to bus routes and express your views. According to Daran, the changes will have major implications for the Houghton Valley Community, whether you are a regular bus user or a homeowner in the area.

The key message is that if Houghton Valley Residents want to voice concerns about the changes to the buses then we need as many people as possible to send in submissions and attend meetings. The closing date for submissions is Friday 23 March 2012.

Booklets entitled ‘What do you think? Proposed changes to the Wellington Bus Services’ are available from Kilbirnie library and there will be copies available at the meetings (there is a questionnaire at the back that you can fill in). You can also obtain information on freephone 0800 … and send a submission by accessing the Metlink website: http://www.gw.govt.nz/wellington-city-bus-review/. [Link not current.]

Regards, Grant and Norman

Houghton Valley Community Newsletter

1 March, 2012

The archaeological dig turned out to be a great success. On Saturday night we (the dig team) ended the day by sharing a meal with the Mayor (see image attached) and then collapsing in a tired but very happy heap.

[Actual image missing, but nearly 200 others are on our Facebook Page.]

Feedback on the day and follow-up e-mails was gratifying: 

• “Splendid day – well done!”
• “Just want to thank you for organising such a delightful and educational experience today.  You must be happy with the end result – we fully appreciate that this did not happen without a huge amount of thought and effort from a team of people. So glad we made our way down the valley for the afternoon session.”
• “I really enjoyed the archaeological dig – it was a very interesting afternoon. Could you please add my name to the mailing list so that I can be kept informed of community events.”
• “Prompted in part by the splendid show …. the Restieaux Farm dig over the weekend I am writing to ask if I might be included in your mailing list for the community newsletter.”
• “I wanted to make a special thanks too on behalf of the PlayCentre, we raised $220 from cake koha. A great effort we feel!”
• “Thank you very much for inviting us to join the dig on Saturday.  It was a grand occasion and we really enjoyed it. We received lots of interest and sold a lot of our magazines, which was great.” – Historical Society
• “Great project in the valley this weekend! Could you add us to your email list?”
• “You took a big risk and it paid off.”
• “My wife came home and couldn’t stop talking about it.”

The Dig Team: Alistair, Dave, Estelle, Finn, Grant, Heather, Jacob, Kate, Ken, James, Jenny, John, Louis, Lucy, Mary, Miranda, Norman, Pat, Ross, Sandy and Shar would like to know what you thought of The Dig  as an event to get local people together? We would also like your feedback too and suggestions about where to from here.

No 22 and 23 Bus: the proposed changes to all the city’s bus routes, which has major implications for people in Houghton Valley, is subject to an an extensive consultation process. This includes public meetings in Island Bay on Monday March 5 and Newtown on March 12. Is anyone planning to attend either of these, and if so would they be willing to provide a report for the next issue of the newsletter?

Update on the proposed roundabout for the beach intersection: We have recently been advised commencement work has been delayed as more design work is required. In turn the Council has been advised the community requirement is to review and sign-off on this ‘final design’.

EVENTS CALENDAR

TRiG (Te Raekaihau Restoration Group): Next Working Bee 3 March (2 – 5 pm) will be at the Alice Krebs Lodge to do some weed control.

Common Sense Organics: Coming up this Saturday, 3 March is the sponsor day of their Kilbirnie branch. They will donate 5 % of that day’s profits to the Houghton Valley Community Garden. Last year we were given over $300. So if you are thinking of buying organic food, do it on Saturday.

Regards, Norman and Grant

Houghton Valley Community Newsletter

16 February, 2012

This newsletter is missing, and should have included the build up to the Archaeological Dig. The post below may have been part of it.

13 February, 2012

Mt Albert Aerial Noise: Thanks to all those who supported our plight to WCC by signing the petition. It seams we have finally after about 3 years had a cessation of the harmonic emanating from the communications towers. The WCC had contractors scale the towers on a noisy day and find the cause of the fluting, and capped them off.

If anybody hears any further noise, please let me know and I will go back to them. Please record the day, time and wind direction/speed if possible. (http://www.windfinder.com/forecast/wellington) – James

Houghton Valley Community Newsletter

2 February, 2012

This newsletter is missing, but the post below may have formed the basis for it.

January, 2012

Wellington Bus Review: The Wellington Bus Service Review is due to go out for public submissions in February 2012. The Review will propose a significant shakeup of bus services in the Wellington City area. It will affect all suburbs South of Grenada. The review is essentially focused on two key things:

Houghton Valley Community Newsletter

19 January, 2012

New people are still joining the newsletter every week, so welcome to them.

Community Archaeological dig: Planning is proceeding apace for this Saturday February 25 event (see last newsletter). The organising group is now seeking information about:

1. What activities are of interest to the Houghton Valley community;
2. How people wish to be involved.

You are also invited to the second meeting of the organising group on Monday January 23 at the School, 6 – 7.15 pm. For more information, or if you have ideas about the day, please ring Grant.

For planning purposes can you please complete and return this questionnaire by Monday January 23, putting an “X” inside the brackets for all the activities of interest.

[    ]      We plan to come down on the day to see what has been found (detailed programme to follow);

[    ]      We are interested to listen to Mary’s talk about the site and local history;

[    ]      We will bring down a contribution to lunch/afternoon tea – details to follow;

[    ]      We would be interested to bring down a treasure or two for Peter Wedde to have a look at – see below;

[    ]      We would be interested to assist on the day; e.g. washing artefacts, helping with catering, organising displays;

[    ]     We are interested to help with the preparations beforehand;

[    ]      We do not expect to get involved.

If you have offered to assist please provide contact details, name and phone number here …

Note: The idea of a community version of Antiques Roadshow as part of the day – see last newsletter – is going to happen. Wellington dealer Peter Wedde, who has featured in a NZ equivalent of this TV programme in the past, has agreed to donate his time to look at and value your family heirlooms.

Esplanade/Houghton Bay Rd intersection: Work is due to begin this month on the upgrade to the Houghton Bay Rd/Esplanade intersection. Local people involved with negotiations with Council traffic engineers (up to mid-December) believe the final proposal is a major improvement on previous versions.

A principal feature is the creation of a large traffic roundabout which has the objective of slowing traffic from all directions down to 25 km an hour. Another feature is changes to parking and traffic flows at the beach.

SWAP AND SHARE

A message from Miranda of Hornsey Rd: I would like to invite locals to participate in a writing circle every second Friday morning for 2 hours at 56 Hornsey Road, from 10 am – 12 midday.

While the writers will ultimately decide what they write about, an initial focus could be on our relationship with our house, garden, and wider environment and community. I envision it as part of a wider arts group incorporating painting, craft, music etc that can be shared with the community. People need to bring pen, paper or journal. Friday 27 January would be a good date to start as most people are back from holidays by then.

About myself: I am local artist and writer. Thanks Miranda: Please give me a call to confirm your interest.

A message from Jenny of Houghton Bay Rd: If anyone wants some free 3D glasses for watching the Tintin movie, I have 5 pairs.

A message from Jan: Thought I would let you know I have added a life web cam for Houghton Valley, which you might mention in your next newsletter.  This is still in development and I intend to keep it online, but we know the problems computers can provide. It is mainly for weather demonstrations in this area as our family in other parts of the world is not familiar with the weather changes. If you click on the time box at the bottom it will provide also a lot of information about Wellington. I am not a programmer thus further development will take some time.

Regards, Grant and Norman

Houghton Valley Community Newsletter

15 December, 2011

Welcome to the new members who have just joined, (now 127).

Sustainability upgrade for Alice Krebs Cottage: Most people will be aware of this small retreat, run by the Kae Miller Trust, in the View Rd Park. This week Negawatt Resources began work on substantial energy efficiency improvements to the building. Full details of their extensive sponsorship, what is happening and when to come and have a look, will be published early next year.

Message from Mary of View Rd: Note that the Houghton Valley school patrol is working well on the Houghton Rd pedestrian crossing by View Rd. But a reminder it’s for everyone crossing the road when the patrollers are working – not just the school community!

Toilets for the playground: For those of you who have not seen the article prominently featured in the latest Wellingtonian, the PlayCentre is calling for toilets to be built near the playground, in lower Houghton Bay Rd. Ward Councillor Gill supports the proposal and is going to be taking it to Council. Has anyone else thought about this and has something to contribute?

Christmas is coming: And across the road from the playground, I guess most people would have noticed the Christmas decorations on the house on the corner of Houghton Bay Rd and Hungerford Rd. Brenda has been doing this for many years, and its become such a feature that one year when she was a week late putting them up, one person asked her if it was going to happen at all that year.

A nocturnal visitor: A ruru (morepork) has been making late night visits to the valley, anyone heard it?

EVENTS CALENDAR 

A Summer Solstice potluck picnic: This will be held on Tuesday 21 December on top of the Beacon hill in View Rd Park. Everyone is welcome. Bring food, something to cover the ground, something to drink and enjoy the sunset. Starting at 6 pm (if the weather is dicey, an email will be sent out by 5 pm).

Archeological Dig: The weekend of 18 and 19 Feb has been set for this dig. Put it in your diary as everyone is invited. We will provide details closer to the time. Attached is a map of the area, showing some of its history. Most of the information came from talking to people who lived in Houghton Bay in the 1930s.

This will be the last newsletter for 2011. The next one will come out early in the new year, so have a great Christmas everyone and Happy New Year!

Regards,

Grant and Norman

Houghton Valley Community Newsletter

1 December, 2011

Welcome to the new members. We have 123 members on the email list now.

A message from James (from Hornsey Rd): “We have a telecommunications tower on the top of Mt Albert. Since Sept 2008 it has started to ‘harmonise’ in a Nor-wester, specifically. So when the nor-wester comes rolling over the hill from Newtown, we all in its lee hear an annoying hum/buzz at the same constant drone. 

I have been on the council for months (possibly over a year now) trying to get to the bottom of the cause (started in September 2008) with the intent to have it fixed. I have suggested, checking records for work done to tower around September 2008, I have asked for all fixtures to be checked for harmonic potential, I have asked for an explanation of council policy regards noise pollution, and I have asked for an acoustic engineer to be consulted to try and fix the problem. Nothing to date. It affects certainly my end of Hornsey Rd, but may well extend over on the other side of the ridge on Houghton Bay Road. Could I reach out through your newsletter for others affected, for support (response with numbers), advice, etc? Thanks.” – James

A message from Stuart Bullen, Team Leader Traffic – Infrastructure, WCC: “The upcoming traffic safety improvements for The Esplanade/Houghton Bay intersection was due to start this week , unfortunately the projects is now planned to start on the 29 November (on Tuesday). Weather and delays encountered at the contractors current job are why we have not been able to start on the due date. The plan is still to finish the majority of the physical works including the large traffic islands by Christmas with the footpath upgrade possibly being delayed until early January.”

Te Raekaihau Restoration Group (TRiG): We have worked out a planting plan for next winter. We will plant around 650 trees and shrubs from May until September around the Alice Krebs Cottage. So keep a few Saturday afternoons spare to come out and do something satisfying and fun. However we are continuing our fortnightly working bees to look after what has already been planted, remove weeds and take out some of the larger trees that don’t belong to make room for the new ones. (All welcome!)  Sometimes it feels like we are taking out more biomass than we are putting in but the restoration of Te Raekaihau Headland is not about how many trees we can get planted so we can stop feeling guilty about using our cars (there are easier ways of doing that, check out white roofs.  It’s about bringing back the special identity of Wellington’s coastal forest, so that we can identify ourselves with the place we live in. The sense-of-place a place radiates comes in part from a sub-conscious knowing that the forest and natural environment around it, although constantly changing and adapting, has in essence always been there and always will.

Watch out in the next days for new track signs for the View Rd south / Te Raekaihau Park. Locals got together about a year ago and named the tracks that traverse the park. The WCC supported this idea and has now created the signs and will install them soon.

Regards,

Grant and Norman