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PIT PARK UPDATES

29 October 2008 - An interview with Marise Clark

1. For my own information, could you please tell me briefly who the Pit Park People are and what they do?

The Pit Park People are a community group that developed as approximately 11years ago. Initially it was the name adopted by a loose knit group of city residents that did not want commercial activity (Motorised Go-Karts)operating in the Pit which is right in the middle of an established residential area and situated directly behind a secondary school. After a period of community consultation by PNCC (conducted on their behalf by Di Lucas)it became apparent that the wider PN community was adamant they wanted the pit developed for passive recreation. PNCC set up a community liaison group and this council appointed group adopted the name of Pit Park People (some of the appointees came from the initial loose knit group).The brief of the liaison group was to work between PNCC & the wider PN community to bring the community voice to the council table and champion the project through it’s various stages. The group moved on to become an Incorporated society, and continues to work in partnership with PNCC to develop the park. The aim being to have a park ‘by the people , for the people’ that will be an asset for the entire PN Community.

2. What is your role in the PPP?

I have been involved with this project from it’s inception almost 11 years ago. Currently I am chair of PPP.

3. I understand that the PPP have had a couple of very successful planting days with the assistance of the Corrections Department on one day and Honda on another day.  When and where did these days take place?

For the last almost 2years we have had a relationship with the Department of Corrections and at least once or twice a week, work parties of people undertaking their community service sentences have been working in the Pit. These groups enable us to achieve a lot as they do things such as tree releasing, controlling noxious weeds  mulching, watering and planting to name but a few activities. On 14th September one of these groups planted 120 flaxes for us.

On September 6th in conjunction with Honda Dealerships and Horizons approximately 250 assorted native trees were planted. It was a case of many hands making light work as it only took about 2hrs and about 15 people to achieve this. The corrections dept work party had pre dug the holes earlier in the week for us, so it made the job a bit easier.

4. Who else was involved (I understand IPC students volunteered)?

We have regular working parties on the 3rd Sunday of each month and a variety of people have had involvement at one time or another. Local people come down with their children, IPC students have come from time to time (especially the ones doing environmental courses),MASH trust clients have been involved over the last year, Soroptimists have come regularly  when they do their community service day each year, Freyberg High School students have been involved with both growing and planting trees for the project, MidCentral Health staff have done some planting…aspiring city councillors and mayoral candidates have been know to appear at the work parties if it is an election year!! The beauty of the regular monthly work parties is that we can have any age from 2yrs-80+ yrs present and there will always be something that each person can do that is within their capabilities.

5. Why do you choose to get involved with the PPP?

Personally because I get a lot of pleasure seeing what a community can achieve if it embraces an idea and enables it to happen, rather than sitting waiting for council to do it all for them. I enjoy the community/PNCC partnership that is integral to this project. It is a good example of what can happen when a council is prepared to work with rather than dictate to a community. Note this working relationship did not happen overnight…it took an enormous amount of tenacity and hard work  from PPP over an extended period of time to get to the point we are now at…there were some significant challenges along the way.

6. How do you think the efforts of the PPP are going to benefit the wider community?

Development of a recreational asset that people of all ages will be able to enjoy for a long time into the future. A unique park created from what was a 61/2 hectare hole in the ground that had become a wasteland. Also an opportunity to re vegetate an area within the city with native plants indigenous to the area. Gives the coming generations an idea of what it was like around here before it became a city.

7. I understand that the PPP have completed planting work on the eastern (Tweed Street) banks and that they and the Council are now preparing to move on to the southern (Coromandel Court) banks including building a new path linking the Featherston Street access to Skogland Park and Freyberg High School.  Could you please tell me more about this?

This planting season we have basically completed the Tweed bank planting (have put in approximately 1500 plants this winter. Will probably have a bit of in fill work to do on this bank next winter to replace some that may get lost over the summer, but otherwise 99% completed.

Currently, alongside PNCC, working on development of the Coromandel bank planting plan. This will involve planning pathway layouts and identification of species to be used in this section. Meeting happening this week with the landscape architects.

8. Could you please provide me with an overview of any additional upcoming events for the PPP that you are aware of?

At present just the regular work parties on the 3rd Sunday of the month from 1.30-3.30pm. Have not as yet planned any other special events  

9. I understand that the PPP and their work appeared in a recently published book.  Could you please tell me what book this was and (briefly) what the write-up covered?

The book is called ‘Living With Natives’. It is edited by Prof. Ian Spellerberg & Michele Frey. It contains an account of the PPP project, how it started and the work being done in the pit to re vegetate the site. Also looks at how the community/council relationship is quite unique, it is not usual for a community group to have developed such a strong interface with a council.

March 2007 - Guardian Article

There has been a dust storm in the Featherston St Pit over the last month as earth works have been undertaken to stabilise banks.  The place has been a hive of activity with heavy trucks coming and going and earthmoving machinery reshaping the landscape. The Coromandel Court side of the pit is becoming a gentle slope rather than a steep crumbly bank as the earth moving machines go about their business.  Multiple truck loads of clean fill have been strategically placed, shaped and compacted to provide a stable hillside for future planting.

The north-western corner, by the Skogland Park playing fields, has also been the focus of visiting trucks as work has commenced on the construction of a terrace.  This terrace will link the Featherston St Pit with the rest of the Vautier Park /Skogland Park Recreation Hub. 

Work has been continuing in the area below the Tweed St bank path, which was planted initially on Arbor Day 2006. Work parties organised by the Palmerston North City Council have been infill planting.  Mulching around and protecting these young plants is an important ongoing activity.

The Pit Park People Society Inc Sunday working bee’s continue to meet on the third  Sunday of the month in the Pit.  Because of the heat we have been experiencing, the starting time has been shifted from 1pm to a new summer time of 4.30pm.  Members of the public are welcome to join in with working bees.  Bring garden gloves, digging and cutting tools and enthusiasm us at the working bee.

The summer working parties have been focussing on clearing weeds from around young plants on the Tweed St bank and watering thirsty young plants.  Unfortunately, there have been some losses of smaller plants due the very dry weather.  This was expected, and planned infill planting over the winter months will fill the gaps.  Larger plants are showing signs of stress but are surviving. 

Weed control is an ongoing issue for the Pit Park People as blackberry does its best to take over and smother young trees.  Alas, there is ongoing rubbish dumping in the area which also puts young trees at risk of being damaged or killed. 

If you would like an idea of how the Pit might look when it is completed look for the notice boards one in the Pit Park car park [off Featherston St] and one in the Skogland Park car park [off Thames St] which show the general concept plan.   If you would like more information, check the Environment Network Manawatu’s website www.environmentnetwork.org.nz  or call either Marisise on 3540062 or Beth on 3563183

PUBLIC INVITED TO ARBOR DAY PLANTING

Mayor Heather Tanguay and Michelle Frey thanking the Pit Park People for leading the project to this point and welcoming the public. Thanks also went out to the various community members, who donated native plants that they have been growing on, and for ecosourced regional native plants from Green Corridors. Mayor Tanguay with husband Jerry planted the first official Arbor Day plant for this chosen site.	What a wonderful sight on a beautiful day! Close to 800 plants had help with moving home from a pot or plastic bag. Their start at the Pit Park had lots of help from interested public including neighbours, students and teachers from Roslyn, Freyberg High, St James and Aokoutere Schools as well as Roslyn and Hokowhitu Scouts, Cadets and environmentalists.	This little lad, Reuben Phillips, took on the job of continually walking back to the tent all by himself, with the empty plant pots and plastic bags his family of scouts had planted the seedlings from. Scouts planted over 120 seedlings between them, so Reuben was a busy lad over the hour or so of work. Claudia and Heather, who were sorting the pots, appreciated and enjoyed Reuben's input.

By Christine McAlpine, Pit Park People Society
For Guardian 7 June 2006

On Saturday 10th of June, to celebrate this year’s Arbor Day, the public is cordially invited to take part in a planting of native trees, grasses and lilies in the Featherston St Pit Park. The park, situated behind the old brick kiln at Terrace End, is being developed in a unique partnership between the Palmerston North City Council and the community, represented by the Pit Park People Society. The park is to be planted in stages with various groupings of native species, all from the Manawatu, and a cultivar bed, also of natives, is being developed. Removal of clay to supply the kiln in the early 1900’s and later extraction of gravel has left a 6-hectare hole, about 10 m deep, that lends itself ideally to this project.

The Arbor Day planting has been initiated by the City Council, whose officers usually mark Arbor Day with plantings at different locations in and around the city. To this end, the trees will be supplied.  Your help is needed to settle the plants into their new homes. The best part of this is that the holes will also be supplied, i.e., pre-dug with a machine.

Bring your spade and a bucket, as each tree will be given a little new topsoil to help it along. Needless to say, sturdy boots are required, although the terrain is easy; no steep banks this time. The area to be planted lies alongside the limed pathway that leads from Tweed Street to the Pit Park car park.

The planting will start at 1.00pm, to be followed by a hot drink and biscuits, and the event should be finished by 2.30pm. If the weather seems inclement or there is a change in arrangements, the local radio stations will broadcast information. You can also check with the PNCC from Thursday. Parking is in Featherston St, Tweed St or surrounding streets, and we meet at the pit car park.

The Pit Park People Incorporated Society holds its AGM on Monday 17th June, at 7.30pm at the Milson Community Centre, in the Milson shopping centre. You are very welcome to come along to hear about the past year’s achievements and current plans. New volunteers are always welcome too. The Thursday gardening group continues to meet every week, and Sunday working parties are on the third Sunday of the month, currently from 1pm-3pm, followed by afternoon tea. If you would like someone to speak to any group you belong to about plans for the Park, please phone Marise on 354 0062.

Summer Picnic at the Pit Park

Working Party Third Sunday - 16 January 2005

Another working party on the first fine and very hot monthly meeting of this year. The volunteers continued to weed, mulch and water some of the plants behind the carpark and on the eastern bank. During this last week there has been soil brought in to the south-eastern end to build a connection up the Freyberg corner and there was also a grand mow, which unfortunately cut some large treelings on the Tweed St corner.

Here are a variety of photos recording the afternoon and developments.

Pit Park Society Press Release
8 December 2004        

by Edna Downey           

The Palmerston North Pit Park Society Inc have persevered over many years to provide a recreational facility in the northern  area of the city.  After many public consultations it  became clear that the community’s preferred  plan for the featherston Street Pit is the establishment of a passive recreational park Society is pleased to acknowledge that the PNCC, who own the land, have During this year  commenced work to improve the base of the pit and have started to develop it to basic reserves standard.

Initial plantings commenced in August 2004 with work being concentrated on the Tweed  Street bank. To date between  400 -500 native trees and shrubs have been planted by the Pit Park people and other hardworking volunteers who have come forward from the community .

In July  2001 The Pit Park Society was granted  the sum of $50,477 from the Eastern and Central Shooting Star Fund. However these funds were not able to be fully available until the PNCC endorsed the community’s plan for the park.   

Due to successive Councils’ procrastinating over making a decision about the Project since  2001, The Pit Park Society has now been advised by the Eastern and Central Trust that $22,000 of this approved funding is no longer available for the project. The Pit Park Society would like to acknowledge the patience and support of the Eastern and Central Trust  throughout this time.  This is a huge disappointment to all those who have been working on and supporting this project since its inception.