Another term as Geraldine’s councillor will allow Gavin Oliver to finish all of the projects he began.
Cr Oliver said he was ‘‘a bit shocked’’ to see he had won a second term as Geraldine’s representative on the Timaru District Council, especially as one of his opponents, Wayne O’Donnell, had been the chairman of the Geraldine community board for nine years.
Cr Oliver said he realised it would be a tight race, and it had forced him to put together some ‘‘very comprehensive campaigning’’.
His ultimate goal was to keep Geraldine ‘‘ticking over faster than it does’’ and making the town look like ‘‘an inviting place to stay and live’’.
Cr Oliver said he felt local government was incredibly important for getting things done.
‘‘I’d hate to be on the fringe of some super council run in Christchurch.’’
He hoped to carry on with the second loop of the sculpture trail, which would lead to Geraldine’s future dog park.
The dog park had reached the stage of funding applications, but he was ‘‘confident it can be up and running by winter’’.
Cr Oliver is also keen to get the second stage of the footpath from Peel Forest to Blandswood Rd done.
He said prior to the footpath’s construction, there had been trouble with people walking along the road getting in the path of trucks, but the second stage linked the camping ground to the shops. He also wanted to see a bike path to Woodbury.
He is already in talks with the council about the project, and wants something put in the longterm plan.
It would require widening the one-lane bridge on the route to allow bicycles to pass safely.
That was not the only one-way bridge he was adamant on fixing.
He felt the one-lane Orari Bridge was a really pressing issue, not only because ‘‘it’s not a beautiful specimen of a bridge’’ but for safety reasons.
‘‘It is the first one-lane bridge after you leave Christchurch. Some of the people driving over it won’t have seen one before and they wouldn’t know what to do.’’
The bridge had been monitored with cameras, hence the fact the passing bays had been coned off.
Cr Oliver said people were spotted on the cameras pulling over in the bays and ‘‘having cups of tea in there’’.
While the tea stops had not caused a crash there was the potential they could.
He has had the issue marked as a priority project at the Canterbury Mayoral Forum, ‘‘which is the highest it’s ever got’’.
Serpentine Creek had been tidied up, but the project closest to his heart was sealing Orari Back Rd.
It had been a pet project of his late uncle Michael Oliver, a former Timaru deputy mayor who had died 10 years ago while in office, so he was thankful tobe able to complete his uncle’s dream.
‘‘Big trucks are now able to detour Geraldine.’’
