By BERNARD ORSMAN
Putting new sand on eight beaches in Waitemata and Manukau Harbours has gone into the mix of projects to be funded or shelved in this year's Auckland City Council budget.
Councillors are keen to replenish the sand on the beaches but the idea joins a growing wishlist of projects.
These
include buying $400 million of waterfront land, holding the V8 supercar championships in Auckland, giving up to $5 million towards upgrading the Epsom showgrounds and providing $20 million towards an upgrade of the Auckland Art Gallery.
The Herald understands councillors will also be asked this month to put more ratepayers' money into an indoor arena at Quay Park on the waterfront.
This comes only five months after the council decided to increase its contribution from $50 million to $58 million.
Work is under way on a $6 million replenishment of Kohimarama Beach, with 50,000cu m of sand dredged off the Pakiri coast being barged to Auckland to re-create the once-sandy beach that has been largely eroded over several decades.
Now a preliminary report says eight other beaches at Pt England Reserve, Pt Chevalier, Herne Bay, Home Bay, Sentinel Reserve, St Heliers, Blockhouse Bay and Taylor's Reserve are suitable for replenishing at a cost of about $5 million.
Transport committee chairman Greg McKeown said Aucklanders were lucky to have beaches on their doorstep and they should be improved as much as possible to give people full enjoyment of them.
The sand project will be discussed in June when councillors decide what projects will receive funding in this year's budget.
The council has vowed to hold the overall rates increase at 2.1 per cent, the level of inflation.
