The Waikato District Council wanted a cheaper deal for access to Hamilton city libraries, a move that axed the long running deal and caused an outcry.

District Council chief executive Gavin Ion told Tamahere Forum the Hamilton City Council didn’t agree with the proposed fee cut “so the negotiations ended unsuccessfully.”

But one city councillor maintains the district has ditched a good deal which was being subsidised by the city.

It botched the message and is actively working toward greater access to libraries not less, says one Waikato district councillor on the library debacle.

Waikato District Council councillor Dynes Fulton told Number8Network recent changes to access to Hamilton city libraries for Waikato district residents are a short-term move.

“This is all part of a process of council working towards developing a Waikato regional library facility for all,” said the Hukanui-Waerenga councillor who is also deputy mayor.

Tamahere councillor Aksel Bech has responded to the “very passionate and plentiful” outpouring following the Waikato District Council’s axing of resident’s access to the Hamilton city libraries.

In a lengthy reply to comments on this and other stories, and on social media, Bech wrote that “clearly the arrangement giving access to Hamilton’s libraries for the southern part of WDC (Tamahere and Matangi particularly) is dearly valued by many.”

“This was never in doubt and many, including myself, hold the view that as WDC ratepayers we actually need more and better access to library services locally.

The Allan Turner Memorial Bridge has been temporarily closed after allegedly being tampered with.

The swing bridge, a popular walkway between Woodcock Rd, Tamahere and Fuchsia Lane, Matangi, was closed today after a contractor reported it appeared someone had tampered with some of the bridge’s bolts.

Size matters, according to Waikato District Council chief executive Gavin Ion.

One of the reasons for controversially ending the council’s contract paying for district residents’ access to the Hamilton city libraries “is that it only benefits a small percentage of our residents,” he said in a statement today.

What percentage is too small to warrant the expense of allowing Waikato residents who are miles from a district library the ability to use one on their doorstep? He doesn’t say.

Tamahere and Matangi book lovers who use the Hamilton city libraries will have to pay to continue to do so in 12 months’ time.

An overwhelming majority of district residents wanted continued access to nearby town libraries under a long-running Waikato district council-funded scheme but access to the Hamilton libraries alone is to be axed.

Access to libraries in the Waipa, Matamata-Piako and Hauraki district will remain free for neighbouring Waikato residents.

Riverside Golf Club is preparing to farewell play on its Lochiel course for at least two years after striking a deal with NZTA for its Narrows Course as part of the Southern Links roading project.

The club, whose 800 plus members will play on the Narrows while Lochiel is redeveloped, has negotiated a multi-million dollar deal with NZTA for the Narrows, which has a highway designation running through it.

The settlement is understood to be enough to totally redevelop Lochiel.

The time to make submissions on the proposed Waikato district plan will start on July 18.

The formal submission process follows a long period of community consultation, resulting in some key changes between the current operative plan and the proposed plan.

Waikato District Council Chief Executive Gavin Ion says the district plan is an important document as it tells the community how the district’s land can be used, developed and subdivided.

The question of when SH1 drivers will travel along what is now a great swathe of sand beside the main road through Tamahere has been answered.

By November, SH1 traffic will divert from the current road onto the new section, which will travel under the partially built East West Link Bridge to reconnect with the existing highway near the Hamilton billboard at the top of the gully.

When traffic is switched onto the new lanes, the old highway northwest of Cherry Lane will be closed.

Proposed changes to the Newell Rd-Cambridge Rd intersection are to be discussed at a public meeting in the Tamahere Community Centre.

The changes under consideration could restrict the way drivers enter and exit the intersection.

The NZ Transport Agency and the Waikato District Council propose making some changes as part of the work for the Waikato Expressway, which is to be finished by 2020.