Bakers young and old, get baking!

The 2010 Papakura Spring Carnival will once more feature the popular and hotly contested New World Cake and Cupcake Bake-off, with prizes for taste and appearance in cake and cupcake categories for young and old.

Entries are now open, and organisers are expecting strong interest in the Bake-off, which is now into its third year. Papakura Town Centre Manager Nicky Hayhow says the event strikes a chord with baking enthusiasts from primary-school age upward, and every year the standard of entries outstrips the year before.

“We have some amazing creations come forward across all the categories, and the job of judging them is a very difficult one.”

Helping to decide the winners this year is the very experienced Xiao Xiao Ma (Mark), who is bakery manager at Papakura New World. He says he is looking forward to seeing – and tasting – some amazing creations from Papakura’s legions of amateur bakers.

There are categories for adults, young adults and children in both cupcake and cake competitions, and separate classifications for taste and presentation.

Cakes entered in the competition will be displayed in Farmers window from 10.00 am until 1.00 pm on the day of the Spring Carnival, Saturday September 18.

Entry forms are available from Ali Bain at Papakura District Council, or from New World Papakura.

Entries close Tuesday 14 September 2010.

Pictured: He’s the one you need to impress: New World Bakery Manager Xiao Xiao Ma (Mark) has agreed to help judge the cake and cupcake competition and has a world of experience to draw on.

KiwiRail and Papakura District Council to rebuild key bridge

KiwiRail and Papakura District Council will work together in 2011 to rebuild a key rail overbridge, preparing the district’s railways for electrification and reducing traffic congestion in the town centre.

The Clevedon Road rail overbridge is one of 24 sites across the Auckland rail network where work is needed to prepare for electrification. Papakura District Council is taking the opportunity to widen the bridge traffic lanes, provide a new left turn traffic lane into Railway Street West and widen footpaths.

Clevedon Road between Broadway/Railway Street West and Ron Keat Drive will be closed for the duration of the project, and traffic management measures will be in place to minimise disruption throughout. The details of alternative routes will be advised in coming months. Read more

WORTH THE WAIT

LIBRARY CLOSURE
23 SEPTEMBER –
2 OCTOBER 2010

The exciting upgrade of facilities at 209 Great South Road is almost complete. We are bringing your Library and Museum down from the top level of the building to Great South Road street level to allow direct street access to the Library and Museum. The Museum is now closed to prepare for the move.

On 19 September, the Great South Road entrance to the building will be closed to allow for completion of construction work. The Library will be closed from 5.00 pm 23 September to 9.00 am 2 October in order to move the entire library downstairs.

You will still be able to use the book return on East Street, books can be renewed online during this period, and no books will fall due for return during the closure. Don’t forget to stock up on reading to cover the closure period!

We apologise for any inconvenience the closure may cause and we look forward to welcoming the Library and Museum’s many devoted users to the official opening celebration day, Saturday October 2. Welcome also to the new education shop which will establish on the same level, and we will shortly confirm a new café to go into the central plaza area.

New hours:
From 2 October 2010, 209 Great South Road will be open from 9.00 am Monday to Saturday.

Library closing-time information is on the web site: www.papakuralibrary.govt.nz

GRAND OPENING OCTOBER 2

Legacy projects make progress

Papakura’s Massey Park upgrade is enhancing both the playing area and internal facilities to provide the community with a high quality sports facility that meets the needs of current and future user groups.

Alongside the park, the Aquatic Centre swimming pool complex at the northern end of the park offers its 200,000 annual users year-round indoor swimming, sauna and spa facilities along with a Hydroslide. There is also an outdoor pool available during the summer months.

The upgrade now under way will improve access to both park and aquatic centre and will also improve links between them. A new plaza-style entrance will establish a strong visual link between the sports ground and Massey Park Aquatic Centre, and new off-street parking in front of the aquatic centre will provide additional parking space for people using the pools or park.