21 October 2011

Community Garden Consultation




I have copied this straight from the Council website. Given the interest in this piece of land already expressed by those living nearby and those further away who have seen what they see as a site ideal for greening your input and feedback would be most welcome both to me and to the Council directly. I helped to identify this site as being ideal for a Community garden and would like your support as this goes forward.






Have Your Say - Community Garden Consultation
The City of Unley is currently investigating the interest in, the opportunities for establishing new, and expanding existing community gardens.
A community garden is a single piece of land gardened collectively by a group of people.
At a community workshop in early 2011, four sites/areas were identified for further investigation:

The Goody Patch, 12-12A Surrey Street, Goodwood (expand existing garden)
MillswoodPark, 18A Millswood Crescent, Millswood (vacant land)
SoutarPark, Albert Street, Goodwood (area at the end of Florence Street)
Parkside (site not yet determined)
You may provide feedback by completing the online survey below.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/F5MPSVW
Whilst it is not yet determined where or when the garden(s) will be established, Council will use the information from this consultation to allocate future resources to the project.
The consultation period closes on Friday 4 November 2011. For further information regarding the policy or to provide your feedback, please contact 8372 5111.

Full Council meeting October 24th 2011



A few items were reserved for further discussion , these include the matter of residential parking and speed limits on King William Rd.





New items to be discussed were;



  • Proposed sale of land at 39 and 40 Oxford Tce; this remains confidential, a resolution has now been made.

  • Ridge Park Managed Aquifer Recharge; this is a huge project that has some funding from the Federal government. The plans are ready for community consultation.

  • Procurement of a Tenant for 2/71-73 King William Rd; an offer has been made to tenant the property for $18,000+ GST per year , this is slightly below market rental but may well reflect the trends in the market.

  • Annual Report; The plan makes interesting reading.

  • Financial Report; This is the final audited report for 2010-11.

Cr.Salaman has asked some interesting questions about the repair of King William Rd. As the eventual need to replace this road will cost a significant amount of money it has been Council policy to extend the life of the existing road for as long as possible.





The Agenda can be found at; http://www.unley.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/FCM_Agenda_24_October_2011.pdf









19 October 2011

Unley Pool looking good for summer





During the winter considerable money and time has been spent giving the pool a new and fresh look. The entry has been refurbished to enable access for the disabled and to make it easier to collect fees as people enter the pool. This seasons prices are similar to last year. If you want to swim for fitness on a regular basis then buying a yearly pass is a good idea. If you just want to enjoy the atmosphere and let the kids cool off on the hot days then this would be a great place to do it, and no sand to deal with in everything you used when you get home. The newly installed disabled lifter is available at all times to allow easy access to the pool for those who require this facility.


The pool is open at the following times;






Saturday 17 September 2011 to Monday 30 April 2012
Mon - Fri 6am - 8pm
Sat 6am - 6pm

Sun 9am - 6pm

Public Holidays 10am - 6pm


Entry fees are as follows;

Adults $6.00

Children (Under 1) Free

Children (2-5 years) $2.50

Children (5 and above) $4.80

Family (2 adults + 3children) $18.00

Concession Card holder $4.80

Spectators $4.60
















14 October 2011

City Strategy meeting 17th October


This month's Agenda asked for decisions to be recommended about;
The full Agenda can be found at; http://www.unley.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/CSP_Agenda_Oct_2011.pdf



  • Residential parking Permits and Exceptions; this report examines the cost of providing parking remits and exemptions to residents when they have either no parking of insufficient parking on their own property and exemptions to park longer in timed parking zones. There are very few of these in Goodwood South. No decision was made and it will be discussed again at the Council meeting.

  • Access for All Action Plan; the final endorsement following Community consultation was required. The greatest concerns raised in consultation were; access to Council buildings ans surrounding infrastructure, keeping footpaths clear of obstructions, maintenance of footpaths, safe use of mobility devices and use of assistive technology.

  • Unley Libraries Draft Strategy; this is the second time this has been up, last time the policy was not endorsed as it had some errors in it. It was recommended and endorsed that it now go to Community consultation.

  • Graffiti Management Programme; Council receives 15-20 requests each week regarding graffiti removal. Offensive material is removed with in 24 hours and other graffiti in 3-5 days. The current annual cost is now $73,000 for this service. This report advocated for the training a team of volunteers to look after particular areas. this was supported.

  • Nature Strips; Currently when a footpath is repaved the resident is asked if they would like dolomite or loam in the nature strip. The Council wishes to encourage the choice of loam and the greening of more footpaths and streets. Cr Koumi also asked for a further report and cost of providing loam and landscaping for each new nature strip created when new paving is laid, this was also supported.

  • Green Street Lighting Energy; The LGA has negotiated a new agreement with the Trans Tasman Energy Group to negotiate tariffs and service levels with 66 participating Councils The purchase of green energy for street lighting will save the City $27,000 over the next 3 years as 20% of street lighting is provided by green energy.







12 October 2011

Easter Courier Road Close Row 12th October




Below is a copy of the article in this week's Eastern Courier. While Daniel does have his facts correct he could just have easily titled the article Compromise possible for Kelvin Ave. I reiterate that money not spent on landscaping this street will be spent landscaping a different street. Money allocated to each area of the budget is spent in that area. Why would you not want to have your street look like the photograph and retain two way access if that was the an available option?








Road close row
IT IS less than 60m long and10m wide, but plans for a little parcel of Clarence Park land have created a very big fuss. Unley Council has revised the design of a small park on Kelvin Ave after more than 200 people signed a petition calling for the plan to be abandoned. Under the original plan, Kelvin Ave would have been closed to traffic between East Ave and Frederick St to create the public park, but residents were concerned the closure would lead to traffic congestion in nearby streets. Elected members voted at last month's council meeting to revise the plan by narrowing Kelvin Ave with a twoway driveway link for traffic to pass through. The entire pocket park area would be 450sq m and cost $86,000. Frederick St resident Dorothy Karagiannis, who was one of the people who signed the petition, questioned the need to do anything to Kelvin Ave. "What will the new design achieve?" Ms Karagiannis said. "That money could be spent on lights, bitumen, gutters and kerbs, tree maintenance and street sweepers." Frederick St resident Esme Fitzpatrick said to "leave Kelvin Ave as it is". "It's getting ridiculous, "Mrs Fitzpatrick said. "All the money to have this done will be a waste." But Unley councilor Jennie Boisvert, who moved the motion for the new Kelvin Ave plan said "the two-way driveway link should meet the needs of everybody". "It will be a green space where you can sit back and relax and it will be shady and pleasant," Ms Boisvert said. "It will look more aesthetically pleasing than a road." Community consultation will be undertaken on the revised design and presented to the council at its December12 meeting.
In DANIEL FRANGOS

11 October 2011

Goodwood's football memories on display



An exhibition to celebrate 100 years of football at Goodwood Oval has opened at the Unley Museum in Edmund Ave. Entry is free to the exhibition that will be open until mid-December. So if you have the time take a look at the memorabilia that has been collected and displayed for your enjoyment.






10 October 2011

Barking dogs



Are barking dogs the bairn of your life or just annoying?
Recent complaints have left me feeling a little helpless in this matter.
When you feel the neighbour's dog is barking excessively then you need to let the person at Council in charge of this (Ken Anesbury) know. He issues you with a diary that you keep for at least 2 weeks. If you can get other neighbours to do this as well this also helps. The usual problem is that the dog owners are unaware that the dog barks excessively when they are out because it behaves beautifully when they are at home. The purpose of the diary is to prove to the dog owner that the dog does bark excessively and then the hope is that hey will use this knowledge to act in a way that might help to change the dog's behavior. The real problem now begins if they the refuse to accept that the problem exists and do nothing.




Section 45A of the Dog and Cat management Act–




Miscellaneous duties relating to dogs
(5) A person who owns or is responsible for the control of a dog is guilty of an offence if the dog (either alone or together with other dogs, whether or not in the same ownership) creates a noise, by barking or otherwise, which persistently occurs or continues to such a degree or extent that it unreasonably interferes with the peace comfort or convenience of a person



If the Council can not substantiate as well that the dog is a nuisance then that is the end of the matter as far as Council is concerned. Further civil options are available but may be a lot more expensive. They include;



  • Your own solicitor

  • Southern Community Justice Service (Tel. 8384 5222)

  • Legal Services Commission of South Australia (Tel. 1300 366 424)

Browhill Creek dam site


Brown Hill Creek dam plan doubt
by Nadine Bishop

PLANS for a 12m high, 100m wide dam on Brown Hill Creek might be scrapped in favour of downstream works to reduce the flood risk.
Mitcham Council has hired a consultant to examine whether flood mitigation works on the plains will make the proposed dam on the creek’s upper reaches redundant.
WorleyParsons will be paid up to $20,000 to investigate options such as diverting the creek downstream to reduce the risk to 3500 homes on the creek’s flood plain.
The dam proposal follows a failed plan in 2008 to build two 23m-high concrete retention basins on the creek. The latest development follows fears the dam would spoil an upstream stretch of the creek and undo thousands of volunteer hours spent caring for the site.
Friends of Brown Hill Creek member Marcus Beresford welcomed the council’s decision.
“Given what WorleyParsons has already done to reduce the scale of dams, from two 23m-high dams to one 12m dam, it does beg the question whether we can get rid of the dam altogether,” Mr Beresford said.
A council spokesman said it was important to make sure the dam was needed rather than leave other options “untested”.
This is the article place in the Eastern Courier. I took the time to look at the site this week and took the photo above which shows the line of the dam wall. While I will support the dam option if this is the only way to prevent flooding I also fully support exploring further options.
If you,like me, have lived in the Unley area for almost 30 years and have never been to the upper area of the Brownhill Creek reserve it's certainly worth a look at the site pictured.

09 October 2011

Avtivity in Goodwood South 8/10/2011

The new entry sign to Goowood has been installed and is waiting for it's finishing touches. Sadly it was graffitied almost immediately, this has now been removed.














Spiers St has had the footpath removed on the western side ready to narrow the street to allow for vegetation to be planted on the western side and more water retention for the street trees. The footpath on the eastern side will also be paved, it has been dirt for as long as I can remember, so this is well overdue.

08 October 2011

Australia Day Citizens Awards

Council is calling for nominations of worthy people for these awards;
The awards are;
Australia Day Citizen Award (must be 25 or older)
Australia Day Young Citizen Award (must be under25)
Community Event of the Year Award

Council is usually not overwhelmed with nominations and yet there are many people and events most worthy of nomination and selection.
If you know someone or of an event that you would like to nominate forms can be obtained from the Council offices, they must be in by 4th November 2011.

07 October 2011

Deputy CEO Resigns



Christine Umapathysivamhas resigned, to take effect October 28th. She has been offered a position in the local Government Association. While her slkills will be missed at Unley , these same skills will be very valuable in her new role. I wish her well in her new position. This will leave two General Manager's positions vacant when Peter Tsokas takes on the role of CEO in November. This will give him an opportunity to restructure the organization, if he wishes, and to select new people with the skills and interests that match his vision for the City of Unley.

06 October 2011

Report on George/East and Mills/East

A report is going to the Road Safety Committee this week (Wednesday) on methods to improve safety and entry into East Ave from Mills St and George St. I feel that the report does not quite go far enough and would value your input on this one. The report can be found at ; http://www.unley.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/Item_48_-_Intersection_Improvement_Options_for_East_Ave_Mills_St_and_East_Ave_George_St_Clarence_Park_-_Oct_2011.pdf
If anyone wishes to be a representer either supporting or not supporting the initiative they will need to email the chairperson, Denise Tipper and the CEO. (dtipper@em.unley.sa.gov.au)

Boardwalk, CanterburyTce

There have been a couple of complaints from residents about the compliance of the boardwalk with Disability Discrimination Act compliance. I met on site today (6.10.11) with Don and with staff to discuss the issues and possible solutions. None of the solutions will involve the removal of the trees but rather ways to conserve them and to allow safe access to the footpaths. Ideas suggested include, paving the footpath on the south between the boardwalk and the Princess Margaret Playground, reducing the slope of the ramps, easier access across Canterbury Tce, removing the bitumen on the footpath between the boardwalk and East Ave and replacing with mulch and/or landscaping. When the staff have had time to consider the variety of options homes nearby will be letter boxed and signs put on the gates to the railway line with the time for a public meeting so that the ideas can be discussed and a way forward mapped. Yor comments will help to inform this process at any time.

01 October 2011

October update 2011














Lincoln Ave; what a difference a year makes.The newly paved footpath
looks pretty good now after being the worst footpath in Goodwood South for some time






This is what I mean when I describe footpaths as being a trip hazard, this one is Cross Rds but residents in East Ave will also note that the western footpath has also had the trip hazards marked ready for repair between Aroha Tce and Dunrobin St.



The poplars have been removed from Brownhill Creek in a property south of Cranbrook Ave, this also has taken a very long time to get done as negotiations had to take place with the Natural Resource Management Board. They agreed to pay for the works and undertook the work themselves.




Dogs off leash. I have had several requests from people about dogs being off leash in both Orphanage Park ans Goodwood Oval. Dogs should be on leash at all times unless the signs say otherwise, in both areas dogs are allowed off leash when sport is not being played on the oval areas only. As well dogs should be at least 3 metres from a playground. The vast number of people do the right and I thank them for that.



Dog poo bag dispenser in Page Park has at last been installed. There have been ongoing discussions and it is in place at last. The toilets are, however, still missing and will be installed soon.



Rail electrification; it seems this project is now even further behind schedule and that plans and consultation with residents are unlikely to occur before 2012.



Aroha Tce should see a disabled parking bay near the tram stop.



Fairfax St will have a meeting of residents on November 5th, the time is yet to be arranged but residents will be letter boxed with information. Several residents have requested the meeting to discuss parking and other issues.



Letters have been sent to all cafes with outdoor dining offering reduced fees to take up this initiative. Hopefully many will choose this option to save money and provide a better amenity for their customers.



Byron Rd residents will be letter boxed about having a white line in the centre of the road to encourage drivers to be more careful and to stop the practice of driving down the middle. If this is successful the same treatment will be used in Wood St.



What happens when footpaths are destroyed by development?


Take a look at Aroha Tce near the new homes and you will see the new footpath all but destroyed. Council photographs the footpath and other infrastructure prior to building commencement and then send the bill to the developer for the damage when finished. Since Council have been doing this the compliance rate has been much higher.