Stratford Mayor Neil Volzke responds to reports the PGF is being repurposed in the wake of Covid-19
Stratford Mayor Neil Volzke responds to reports the PGF is being repurposed in the wake of Covid-19
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced that unallocated funds from the Provincial Growth Fund will be repurposed for initiatives deemed more critical to fighting the economic impacts of the Covid -19 pandemic.
In my view, this decision was very predictable and makes good sense if the funds releasedcan be used to bring forward other infrastructure projects that councils across New Zealand have shovel ready.
These projects will have an immediate impact and drive job creation and opportunity for those people who have been laid off from their previous employment and are seeking to be redeployed as we return to a normal world.
The Stratford District Council has a number of infrastructure projects we will be submitting for funding consideration and if successful, we can commence work in a relatively short time. It is important that councils don't let their infrastructure spend slip backwards by deferring projects, despite the financial pressures we currently face. In the long term that helps no one. The work will still need to be done and delays now only serve to create a bow wave of costs that will need to be added back in sometime in the future, usually at an inflated rate.
A high priority roading project for the Taranaki region is the SH43 Improvements Project which includes the sealing of a 12 km stretch project through the Tangarakau Gorge. I see no threat to the $21 million funding already announced for SH43 improvements as the basic reasons for doing this work have not changed. Tenders have already been called for parts of the project and some of the physical work is about to commence.
In fact, to respond positively to the Ministers request for shovel ready projects, this is an example of one that could easily be fast tracked and completed in a shorter time frame than original planned.
We will be discussing this further with NZTA in coming weeks.
