Saving the Old Kopu Bridge Business Management Plan 2016 Thames Heritage Festival Open Day 13 March 2016. Sereena Burton photo A Bridge to the Future Promoting heritage protection, tourism and prosperity Local icon Cycleway link Tourism feature Transport history Engineering history International significance Presented by the Historic Kopu Bridge Society May 2016 Table of Contents 1 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................ 4 2 Letters of Support ............................................................................................................... 5 3 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 17 3.1 Purpose...................................................................................................................... 17 3.2 Why the Kopu Bridge matters to all of us ................................................................. 17 3.3 Never judge a book by its cover!............................................................................... 18 4 Old Kopu Bridge ................................................................................................................ 19 4.1 Historical Overview ................................................................................................... 19 4.2 Design ........................................................................................................................ 21 5 Future of the Bridge ......................................................................................................... 22 5.1 Kopu Bridge – Making a difference for Thames ........................................................ 22 5.2 The Swing Span – Kopu’s best asset ......................................................................... 24 5.3 Thames-Coromandel District Council Kopu Concept Plan ........................................ 24 5.4 Local Stories .............................................................................................................. 26 5.5 Thames Heritage Festival .......................................................................................... 28 5.6 Hauraki Rail Trail Trust .............................................................................................. 28 5.7 Ministry of Transport Safer Journeys Initiative ......................................................... 29 5.8 The Lost Opportunity Cost ........................................................................................ 29 6 Governance ....................................................................................................................... 31 6.1 Kopu Bridge and Community Trust ........................................................................... 31 6.2 The Society ................................................................................................................ 32 6.3 Memorandum of Understanding .............................................................................. 33 6.4 Making Assets Work – The Quirk Review ................................................................. 33 6.5 Stakeholders .............................................................................................................. 33 6.6 Legislative Requirements .......................................................................................... 35 7 Finances ............................................................................................................................ 36 7.1 Expenditure forecast ................................................................................................. 36 7.2 Staged Maintenance Requirements .......................................................................... 37 7.3 Sources of Finance from Charitable Organisations and Fundraising ....................... 39 7.4 Endowment Fund ...................................................................................................... 41 7.5 Funding from events on the bridge........................................................................... 42 2 7.6 Events on the Bridge ................................................................................................. 43 7.7 Volunteers and possible need for paid staff in the future ........................................ 45 8 Operations ........................................................................................................................ 46 8.1 Bridge Maintenance .................................................................................................. 46 8.2 Health and Safety ...................................................................................................... 47 8.3 Risk ............................................................................................................................ 48 8.4 Environmental ........................................................................................................... 48 9 Benefits to the Kopu and Thames Communities .............................................................. 49 9.1 NZ Cycle Trail Evaluation Report 2015 ...................................................................... 49 10 Appendices .................................................................................................................... 50 10.1 Appendix 1; Kopu Bridge and Community Trust Brief CVs ...................................... 50 10.2 Appendix 2 ................................................................................................................. 53 Trust Deed for the Kopu Bridge and Community Trust ....................................................... 53 10.3 Appendix 3 Historic Kopu Bridge Society Members Brief CVs .................................. 66 10.4 Appendix 4 Memorandum of Understanding between the Kopu Bridge and Community Trust and the Historic Kopu Bridge Society ..................................................... 70 3 1 Executive Summary . The old Kopu Bridge is a unique structure of significant historical importance to New Zealand recognised via its 'Category 1' NZHPT classification, IPENZ rating as "a heritage structure of outstanding and special engineering significance” and inclusion on the respective Thames-Coromandel and Hauraki District Council heritage registers. Worldwide, swing span bridges are now rare, and reminders of how bridges used to be opened to allow shipping to pass. Kopu Bridge can enjoy a second useful life, retaining its place in the heritage landscape, while continuing to bring further economic prosperity to Kopu - fundamentally the Kopu Bridge is as viable today as the day it was opened nearly 90 years ago. Regular opening and closing of the swing span by a team of trained volunteers will be a spectacle few have witnessed that will become a regular tourist attraction. The proposals put forward in the Historic Kopu Bridge Society’s Business Management Plan are in keeping with the Thames Community Board's “Concept Plan for Kopu”. The Society sees opportunities to cooperate with the Hauraki Rail Trail Trust once the old Kopu Bridge passes to community ownership – particularly once the Kopu to Kaiaua leg of the trail is complete. The Historic Kopu Bridge Society has considered carefully how it should operate once the old Kopu Bridge has been transferred to community ownership. In keeping with similar organisations like the Tokomaru Bay Heritage Trust and the Tolaga Bay Save the Wharf Charitable Trust, it was decided to establish the Kopu Bridge and Community Trust. Six potential Trustees have been nominated and their brief CVs are included. A Memorandum of Understanding between the Kopu Bridge and Community Trust and the Historic Kopu Bridge Society has been prepared ready for operations to begin. The Society has a large number of supporters within the community (individuals and business) who are willing and able to contribute to Bridge maintenance and operations. The Society proposes a three stage restoration process. Stage 1 would be needed before public events could be staged on the bridge. A Grand Opening event to celebrate the re-opening of the bridge is envisaged once stage 1 is complete. The estimated cost for Stage 1 is $185,000. Stage 2 would be other maintenance items to be over the next 3 to 4 years costing approximately $200,000. Stage 3 would include a major re-paint of the steel beams under the bridge costing approximately $1,000,000. Most of these funds would be raised from various funding organisations and 13 possible sources of finance have been listed. We are asking that NZTA transfer $200,000 in “seed funding” to enable Stage 1 to proceed while the responses to funding applications are awaited and that the Thames Community Board will provide $45,000 towards handrail restoration. 4 . It is also anticipated that NZTA would transfer funding proposed for demolition into an “Endowment Fund” administered by the Kopu Bridge and Community Trust. This fund would be preserved. Should demolition become necessary, the fund would be made available. Once the bridge has been opened to the public, the Society proposes a charge per person for conducted tours when the swing span would be opened and history information provided. This money together with monies from fundraising events and corporate sponsorship would provide for on-going maintenance and operation costs. Demolition of Kopu Bridge is unnecessary and would remove a potential significant