Latest news with #JohnBoswell
Scoop
08-07-2025
- General
- Scoop
A Tale Of Two Stopbanks Hemming In Wairau River
When Marlborough District Council's chief executive was confronted by a frustrated Spring Creek resident last weekend, the collective anxieties of a whole community was laid at his door. At the time John Boswell took it in stride. 'Look, his house is threatened,' Boswell told Local Democracy Reporting after the resident left. 'You can understand the person, like, I get it.' The resident was not alone in his dissatisfaction with council. Nearly every Spring Creek resident who spoke to LDR voiced the same grievance. 'They should have sorted it out yesterday,' one resident said, standing next to a water pump. 'We expected council would start the works when they said they would,' said another. Each frustrated sentiment was underpinned by a single question. Where were the promised Wairau River stopbank repairs? And why had they been delayed? In 2024, council set aside $8.7 million in their Long Term Plan to strengthen the stopbank after it was compromised following the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake. That included $3.6m in government funding. Work was to begin at the end of 2024, but was delayed by about a year to the start of 2026, with work to be completed by June 2027. That delay left residents, who had already been flooded for three of the past four years, with another year at risk of flooding. Speaking last week, Boswell said rebuilding a stopbank from scratch was no easy task, and required time to get it right. 'You can't just repair a stopbank overnight,' he said. 'It takes time, and because of the type of events that we experienced at the weekend, they're going to have to do it in the summer.' Boswell said the delay was caused by a combination of design finalising, funding and material sourcing, and works on the northern side of the Wairau River. 'There was work done on the northern side in terms of clearing out some vegetation, and widening the river [to take] the pressure off the southern bank, which worked really well during [last weekend's] event. 'And then we went through the design process, sourcing the funding, getting the materials, and so on. 'They're working bloody hard to do it as quickly as they can.' At least 35,000 tonnes of rock would be needed for the job, the council said last year. Most of that was expected to come from the nearby Pukaka Quarry. Boswell said council had long communicated with the Spring Creek community about the complexities of rebuilding a stopbank. 'One of the first things I walked in on when I came to this job was a meeting in the hall at Spring Creek, where our rivers engineers team talked the community through the issue, what the potential fix looked like, and the time frame for that fix,' Boswell said. 'Since that meeting, they've worked bloody hard to get the design confirmed, to source the money from government, to think about where they're going to source the materials and how they're going to pre-position them.' Concerns about how the stopbank would perform when put under stress caused council to issue a precautionary 24-hour evacuation for 60 households in Spring Creek on June 27. But Boswell said that stopbank actually performed better than they thought during the rainfall. 'The bank itself held up really, really well ... it was performing exactly as we hoped it would,' Boswell said. 'Once the river level started to drop, and we could see that the integrity of it still was there, then we were able to let the residents back in.' Boswell said he stood by the decision to evacuate residents. 'When it comes to risking someone's life versus their property, then we'll always err on the side of caution, and that's what we did on this particular occasion,' he said. Boswell said the water that covered parts of the township was surface flooding, not due to a stopbank breach. 'The surface flooding was as a result of stormwater coming in across the paddock to the west of the Spring Creek settlement,' he said. 'On this particular occasion it resulted in a low, although incredibly annoying, level of stormwater or flooding for the local residents. 'But it certainly wasn't life threatening to the same extent as if there had been a [stop bank] breach.' Boswell said the council was also hard at work identifying and repairing faults in the stopbank at the confluence of the Wairau and Waihopai rivers. The council issued a 'be ready to leave' order on June 27 that led many Renwick residents to self-evacuate. Boswell said it was a very close call for Renwick residents. 'During [a routine] check, it was found what appeared to be seepage through a stopbank on the Waihopai River, which if compromised could have impacted on lower Renwick,' Boswell said. Boswell said that if the bank had been breached they would have had less than an hour to fully evacuate lower Renwick. 'We thought that was enough time if people have been pre-warned, to get them out if we needed to. 'We had a trigger point for when we were going to order an evacuation. 'We didn't quite get there, so we didn't have to do it.' Council staff would be out in Renwick identifying any more weaknesses in that stopbank. 'We're going to do whatever we can to ensure the integrity of that stopbank, should there be another event,' Boswell said. 'Then we're going to look at the wider scheme just to make sure that we've got everything.'
Scoop
08-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Council Publishes 2025 Pre Election Report
Marlborough District Council has published its 2025 Pre Election Report to provide information for voters and potential candidates about Council's finances, major projects and key challenges. The report is required under legislation and designed to help promote public discussion about the issues facing Council and to encourage informed debate in the lead-up to the October 2025 local government elections. It includes demographic information about the province, a list of Council's major projects over the next three years, a financial overview and the outlook for Council from the perspective of Chief Executive John Boswell. 'The key challenges ahead include the creation of a new water services organisation, the new ferries replacement project, the Government's legislative reforms and how we plan to manage and respond to the impacts of climate change,' Mr Boswell said. 'Local government is a complex and challenging environment that requires both a strategic understanding of what's important to those who work at the political and strategic level, as well as a deep understanding of what matters most to the community it serves. 'The coming Council term - October 2025 to October 2028 - promises to be a period of both opportunity and challenge as a number of Government reform proposals are likely to be either finalised or enacted, decisions regarding key infrastructure projects are made, and a range of key community initiatives are progressed. A new Long Term Plan will be progressed with a full public consultation expected in early 2027. 'The development of a strong new councillor team is crucial to ensuring that Marlborough not only continues to provide the best possible service to our community but looks to how we can best position our district for the future,' he said.
Scoop
25-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
New Environment Plan Approved
Press Release – Marlborough District Council The new plan approved the regional coastal plan provisions of the PMEP that werent subject to appeal and referred those provisions to the Minister of Conservation for approval. It also approved the remaining PMEP provisions that were not under appeal. At today's full Council meeting, Council approved the recommendation of its Environment and Planning Committee to adopt most of the Proposed Marlborough Environment Plan (PMEP). It approved the regional coastal plan provisions of the PMEP that weren't subject to appeal and referred those provisions to the Minister of Conservation for approval. It also approved the remaining PMEP provisions that were not under appeal. The PMEP combines three previous management plans for the Marlborough region into a single comprehensive document, outlining what people can do on their land and how it might be developed. It also provides guidance on how individuals, businesses and the community can utilise public resources such as freshwater and coastal areas. Mayor Nadine Taylor and Chief Executive John Boswell signed seal pages for the PMEP at the Council meeting to effect the decision. Although the regional coastal plan provisions need the Minister of Conservation's approval to take effect, today's Council decision clears the way for the remaining provisions to be put into action The operative date has been scheduled for Wednesday 9 July. The date will be publicly notified in local newspapers. From 9 July, the provisions in the existing management plans will be replaced, making the resource management framework in Marlborough more straightforward and providing greater certainty for resource users and the broader community.
Scoop
25-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
New Environment Plan Approved
At today's full Council meeting, Council approved the recommendation of its Environment and Planning Committee to adopt most of the Proposed Marlborough Environment Plan (PMEP). It approved the regional coastal plan provisions of the PMEP that weren't subject to appeal and referred those provisions to the Minister of Conservation for approval. It also approved the remaining PMEP provisions that were not under appeal. The PMEP combines three previous management plans for the Marlborough region into a single comprehensive document, outlining what people can do on their land and how it might be developed. It also provides guidance on how individuals, businesses and the community can utilise public resources such as freshwater and coastal areas. Mayor Nadine Taylor and Chief Executive John Boswell signed seal pages for the PMEP at the Council meeting to effect the decision. Although the regional coastal plan provisions need the Minister of Conservation's approval to take effect, today's Council decision clears the way for the remaining provisions to be put into action The operative date has been scheduled for Wednesday 9 July. The date will be publicly notified in local newspapers. From 9 July, the provisions in the existing management plans will be replaced, making the resource management framework in Marlborough more straightforward and providing greater certainty for resource users and the broader community.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Vero Fiber Breaks Ground on Corsicana's First Fiber-to-the-Home Network
CORSICANA, Texas, Feb. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Vero Fiber has become the first broadband provider to break ground on a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network in Corsicana, Texas, delivering cutting-edge XGS-PON technology capable of speeds up to 10 Gbps. This transformative project will provide Corsicana residents and businesses with high-quality, reliable broadband, setting a new standard for internet services in the region. "Vero Fiber's investment in Corsicana demonstrates our unwavering commitment to connecting underserved communities efficiently and effectively," said Sunita Krishna, CEO of Vero Fiber. "As the first provider to break ground on a city-wide fiber deployment in Corsicana, we are one step closer to delivering a network that will enhance the quality of life and economic potential for Corsicana's residents and businesses." The City of Corsicana has worked with Vero Fiber to address the growing need for improved broadband access through right of way use coordination as well as a land lease to establish Vero's fiber-optic headend facility. "Vero Fiber's dedication to meeting the city's construction policies and their alignment with our vision for improved connectivity make them a good fit for Corsicana," said John Boswell, Economic Development Director for Corsicana. "This project is a significant step forward for our community." Vero Fiber has a strong track record of building high-performance networks across Texas, and we are committed to delivering the same excellence in Corsicana. As more broadband providers take interest in communities like Corsicana, Vero stands out with its proven ability to execute projects efficiently and collaboratively. Krishna continued, "Our team has successfully built networks throughout Texas, and we are dedicated to completing our projects with the community, ensuring Corsicana gets the reliable connectivity it deserves." Service installations are expected to start in Spring of 2025. About Vero Fiber Vero Fiber is a leading provider of high-speed broadband solutions, leveraging advanced fiber-optic technology to connect communities with reliable, fast, and affordable internet. Focused on underserved areas, Vero has built a reputation for efficiency, innovation, and community engagement. From rural regions to small cities, Vero is committed to transforming connectivity across the United States. For more information, visit View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Vero Fiber Networks Sign in to access your portfolio
