Supporting communities  |  6 Nov 2019

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The Governors Bay jetty has been sold for $1 so its much anticipated restoration can get underway.

The Governors Bay Jetty Restoration Trust will now take full control of the rebuild on behalf of the community after it presented a symbolic $1 to Deputy Mayor Andrew Turner on Wednesday morning.

“I know locals have greatly missed accessing the historic jetty, which always was a focal part of the community before the 2011 earthquake,” Cr Turner said

“This collaboration is a great example of the Council working in close partnership with a community so they can get on with the hard work  and use the wide range of skills and expertise that they have and that they want to provide.

“Today is a significant milestone in our partnership with the Governors Bay Jetty Restoration Trust, which also highlights the hard work and commitment within this community.”

The Council-owned jetty has been closed since a post-earthquake engineering inspection in 2011 found it was unsafe.

Further assessment in 2014 identified a number of problems and found rebuilding the jetty would be more viable than repairs.

The Council agreed to transfer ownership to the Trust in 2016 so it could restore the jetty and has allocated $935,000 for the project in the Long Term Plan.

The Trust is fundraising to pay for the remaining cost of the restoration, which they will plan and manage themselves.

Trust Chair Simon Mortlock said the story of the Jetty rebuild is about community volunteering, working together to achieve a shared goal and seeking success at each step of the way.

“When you start out on the journey you start with effectively a blank sheet of paper. Hope becomes aims, turns into plans, and then you begin weekly meetings, submissions, files of correspondence and documents, applications and that’s before you get to design, plans and specifications, costings, consents, and selection of contractor. Woven through all this is the inevitable fundraising,” he said.

“Hopefully with public support we are in the final phase before commencing construction. Governors Bay jetty is part of the city, it is just ‘over the hill’ – a unique place to swim from, launch a canoe or paddleboard from, or simply walk down to enjoy the peace.”

He said the trust is grateful for the financial support from the Council, the Rata Foundation and the community.

Once it is fixed, the 150-year-old jetty will be sold back to the Council for $1.

Work is set to start on the jetty in early 2020 and will begin with the removal of the handrails for refurbishment and reuse.