Battle for tropical house heats up

The opening shots in the fight for the tropical display house on Robbins Road were fired by 91-year-old Joy McGregor yesterday, who singled out every councillor who has commented publicly on the cost saving move.

Tauranga City Council is proposing to close the display house to save $100,000 a year – a move actively opposed by every garden club in the city. Their submissions on the Long Term Plan will be discussed today and tomorrow .


Gardeners are rallying to save the tropical plant house. Photo: File.

Joy lives nearby and worked as a volunteer in the tropic house with previous gardeners, but says she gave it up as she passed her mid-80s.

'So I do know something about it,” says joy. 'I also worked as unofficial, after-hours gardener in the park.”

Visitors arrive by the coach-load virtually every day, says Joy, coming from retirement homes in Te Puke, Mount Maunganui, Katikati and Bethlehem, while other visitors are from gardening clubs both locally and from surrounding districts.

She also spoke of teenagers with clip boards, backpackers exploring the city and cruise ship passengers 'who would like to explore our city instead of being captive tourists in a bus going to Rotorua.”

'And on Mother's Day, Father's Day and public holidays, have you ever had a look to see how busy it is?” asks Joy.

She also pointed to an electronic counter inside the doorway that will give councillors a head count and official visitor numbers.

'Why do you insist that maintenance staff do not work during visiting hours?” she asks.

'This is ridiculous. It is good public relations, and people love to talk to people at the job. Also it means they can work for longer hours that you are paying for. If you cut the hours short, you are not getting the money's worth.

She told councillors the removal of the tropic house would have a big effect on the micro-climate at the gardens as the buildings are a valuable wind break.

'The tropic house, the toilet and storage block, and the gazebo work together and need to be regarded as a single unit,” says Joy.

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6 comments

Since my involvement

Posted on 06-05-2015 11:53 | By How about this view!

with this site, I notice from the photographs, that most of the framing on the inside of the structure has been replaced. In fact I would venture to suggest that MOST of the structure has been replaced and I wonder, at what cost and when? BUT, I am a vocal supporter of USER PAYS and to that end my suggestion would be that Council stops maintaining this vagrants hangout, charges a small rental for the land and associated buildings to a group of retirement village gardening groups and let them maintain and care for the land and plants as they see fit. ONCE AGAIN.... YOU WANT IT, YOU FUND IT!!!! Don't expect YOUR leisure activities to be funded by others AT ANY AGE. Council has plenty of land that is currently used as dog toilets, supply the land to these minority groups for a rental charge (Make them pay)


Beauty!

Posted on 06-05-2015 12:14 | By DAD

About the only nice gardens we have left in the Central City, just have to get cheaper contractors I would do it myself for a $100 thousand per annum. Wake up TCC this is an asset!


truth

Posted on 06-05-2015 12:58 | By pakeha2

totally support Joy McGregor - she knows more than the council in this particular issue - especially respect Joy's comment about working persons during opening hours ! Well done Joy for leading the way !


$100,000 ???

Posted on 06-05-2015 14:18 | By davidt5

It is almost impossible to see where council spend this amount of money each year on this rather run down building. Certainly nothing to show at the end of each week for the $2000 which was supposedly spent during the week. I suggest that it is creative accounting by the council to enable them to get rid of this little visited building.


save $100,000?

Posted on 07-05-2015 10:02 | By kurgan

cull out a few councillors then


id

Posted on 07-05-2015 10:24 | By Capt_Kaveman

rather this survive than the wasted gardens on Cameron road or any roundabout


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