The Post Office Site

Forum And Aginum

This new feature in "Photo News" is designed to be an equivalent of the "Letters to the Editor" column in the daily press. If you want to criticise or praise, and we hope you do both, send us a short letter addressed to "The Editor, 'Photo News', Box 663, Gisborne," over a nom-de-plume or your own name, and we will illustrate the subject and print the letter in these pages. Almost everybody reads "Photo News" (circulation in excess of 8000 copies per issue), so you will have a good audience. Note: All letters, whether signed with a nom-de-plume or your own name, must include name and address of sender as a guarantee of good faith.

To commence our Forum & Aginum pages (lacking letters from readers for the first issue) we have selected this aerial picture of Gisborne city, to show the three possible sites for the new Post Office which have been mentioned of late: (1) the present site, (2) the Cook County site, and (3) the Road Services site. All these have been the subject of much discussion since the earthquake damaged the present brick building.

"Photo News" considers there is much to recommend the Road Services site in Grey Street, for these reasons: (1) It is adjacent to the probable future commercial centre of the city; (2) There is ample room for present and future needs; (3) It fronts on to a wide street, with access to two other streets.

Some questions on the subject of a suitable site: If the Post Office had never existed on the present site, would it now be under serious consideration? We think off-street public parking (such as at the Sheepfarmers' Supermarket) is essential; has this been considered at the two other sites? What determines the "heart" of the city, anyway? Geographical measurement? (Put a ring around the Gladstone Road-Cobden Street intersection). Density of shopping public? (Easily decided on a Friday night, but not so easy in the daytime). Apart from size, what possible virtues has the Cook County site? Does Road Services need to occupy extensive land in the heart of the city?

What do You think?