To roof or not to roof: Velodrome dominates Whanganui hearings
14 May, 2021 12:23 AM
4 minutes to read
A closed sign at the entrance to the Whanganui Velodrome. Photo / RNZ-Robin Martin
RNZ
By Robin Martin of RNZ
A proposal to roof the Whanganui Velodrome has dominated the city s Long Term Plan hearings this week.
The council wants to put a basic roof over the track for $20 million but many submitters want it to go further and budget for a multi-use facility, while a significant number say the velodrome has had its day and should be demolished.
The Whanganui Velodrome, with its Malaysian hardwood track, was considered one of the fastest in the world when it was built in 1995 and several New Zealand records have been set there.
Whanganui letters: Velodrome dream pie in the sky
30 Apr, 2021 05:00 PM
4 minutes to read
A major reason for declining attendances at Cooks Gardens events is because TV and other electronic attractions have made massive in-roads into the daily lives of people, writes a reader. Photo / File
A major reason for declining attendances at Cooks Gardens events is because TV and other electronic attractions have made massive in-roads into the daily lives of people, writes a reader. Photo / File
Whanganui Chronicle
When I was a teenager I often attended the cycling competitions held at Cooks Gardens. I had no great interest in the sport but it was something to do of an evening.
Letters: Velodrome options put trust on sideline
18 Apr, 2021 05:00 PM
3 minutes to read
Whanganui Chronicle Well done on your report (April 3) on the special Long Term Plan meeting that the council convened to consider the velodrome issue, which in giving the public some clarity of the issues, seemed to raise many more on the process to date.
Sadly, in at last putting three options to the ratepayers, our council seem to have overlooked, even sidelined a small team of judicious and totally competent fellow ratepayers, the Regional Velodrome Development Trust (RVDT), who have led the charge for well over a decade. Why? Don t they trust them? .
A former Olympic cyclist says Whanganui will miss a huge opportunity if it chooses a tin-shed option for roofing the city s velodrome.
Former Olympic cyclist Gary Anderson, Whanganui Regional Velodrome Trust members Leigh Grant and Bob Smith.
Photo: Robin Martin
Closed since February over track-safety concerns, the council is consulting with the public over the future of the velodrome as part of its long-term plan.
The Whanganui velodrome, with its Malaysian hardwood track, was considered one of the fastest in the world when it was built in 1995 and several New Zealand records were set there.
But the track was never covered and it s now a rotting patchwork of repairs.