Getting to school safely.

Finding it difficult to ensure that the kids get to school? Unley Council is currently undertaking a survey with school communities to identify barriers and/or opportunitieis to riding and walking to schools in the council area. If your child attends one of the local schools then make sure you have your say. For residents in Black Forest and Millswood this is the time to reinforce the need for a pedestrian refuge in East Ave, ask for an overpass on South Rd near BFPS and additional crossing points on Forest Ave. Maybe another chance also to reiterate the need got a safe crossing on either side of Victoria St and Leader St at the level xings ( DPTI only intend to replace one at each crossing). Closing date for replies is July 26. For further information please contact Traffic Engineer Satyen Gandhi on 83725111, or by email to pobox1@unley.sa.gov.au

Learning for Earning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgQAvJKarFM&feature=youtu.be The above link takes you to a video clip about Unley's involvement in this programme. This programme involves local businesses, in the hospitality industry, training young people in the art of coffee making and service. These young people are then more qualified to win real jobs as it boosts both skills and confidence. Students that I work with choose to participate for what is a week off school to learn the new skills. Better than work experience but supported by it. Some students also take the time to have this accredited as a subject at toward their SACE certificate. Well done Unley for enabling this programme in our local high schools.

Road Pricing

On my travels recently I Read an interesting article in the St John's newspaper. The article was on road pricing in Stockholm and how the government there had managed to convince the commuters that paying a toll for road use was a good idea. The article was applying the context to Montreal. But it made me wonder if thinking outside the square might be a solution worth thinking about. If charging for the use of a particular section of road can gain 70% support after a trial then is it worth a try? The aim being to keep commuter traffic on South Road and Glen Osmond Rd we ( probably state government) could charge to use Unley Rd, Goodwood Rd, etc for all but local traffic and make everyone happy. This reduced the use of tolled roads by 20% so people were happy to pay to use them. To make this work , of course, the government must have a good public transport system that is a viable alternative. Any thoughts!

Say Yes for Your Community

http://www.councilreferendum.com.au The above link will give you all the updated information on the Referendum. At the present time this is still being read in the Senate.

Full Council Meeting: June 22nd 2013

I will be an apology for this meeting, the first one I will miss in 7 years! Luckily I can't see too much that is controversial. The report about the Leah St speed cushions is in the report, as expected it really doesn't address the issue of either diversion of traffic to other streets or the impact on vehicles that continue to traverse the street regularly, over 7000 cars per day. However, the Local Area Traffic Management Plan for that area to be started in the upcoming financial year may make some recommendations for change that can be implemented in the following year. Nothing happens quickly in local government. There have been no changes recommended in the budget papers; this puts Goodwood South in a good position for some money to be spent on local projects. The review of the Community Grants scheme recommends not allowing for multiple applications from any one group per round. This will effect some organizations. Leases for the Sturt Bowling Club and Sturt Tennis Club are recomended to be in line with CPI. It would also seem that the way leases are calculated needs to be reviewed. While the report recommends significant increase in some residential parking permits ( for more than 2 cars parked on the street) it seems the mood of Councillors may not see this followed through. The arguments are clear on both sides. It will be interesting to see what prevails. The new 4 year Community Plan is to be endorsed. DPA 3 recommendations for change are detailed and reflect community feedback. This only endorses that staff add these changes into the plan it will then come back to Council to be endorsed. Confidential report on 166-168 Unley Rd.

LATM progressing

     All households in Black Forest will be notified that the draft report for the traffic management study will be available shortly. Those who attended the workshops or who requested further involvement will be asked to meet again to discuss the report. The report is not yet on the link, I will update this when it is.     BLACK FOREST Local Area Traffic Management Study ​            20 June 2013     Dear Resident / Property Owner,   I refer to my earlier correspondence with you in March 2013 seeking community input for Black Forest - Local Area Traffic Management Study (LATM). I am pleased to advise we have received 106 written responses and 14 community members attended the community meetings. Thank you all for your feedback.   Based on the community feedback, traffic data analysis, crash data analysis and traffic consultant’s site observations, we have now developed a draft Local Area Traffic Management Plan for Black Forest (LATM Plan). The copy of this report is available at following locations:   City of Unley Council Offices – 181 Unley Road, Unley SA 5061 City of Unley Library - 181 Unley Road, Unley SA 5061 Clarence Park Community Centre – 72-74 East Avenue, Black Forest SA 5035   Or   www.unley.sa.gov.au     I encourage you to read the draft report and provide your feedback as per contact details below:   Email: pobox1@unley.sa.gov.au   Mail: The City of Unley, POBOX 1, Unley SA 5061   In person: fill out the feedback form at any of the abovementioned locations   Your feedback will be helpful in formulating a final LATM Plan. This LATM Plan will be presented to the Full Council at July / August 2013 meeting for the endorsement.   Please provide your feedback on the draft LATM by 19 July 2013. If you have further queries, please contact me on 8372 5111 or email pobox1@unley.sa.gov.au         Yours sincerely       Satyen Gandhi Traffic Engineer    

Changes for Urban Myth (Goodwood Institute)

Of interest in this week's Eastern Courier from John Stokes. Sounds like it might be worth going to see some of the upcoming performances. URBAN Myth Theatre artistic director Glenn Hayden wants Goodwood Rd to be Adelaide’s Broadway. Well, little Broadway at least. The company has received a $30,000 interest-free loan from Unley Council to finish an upgrade of the Goodwood Institute. It will mean the Goodwood Institute is a very, very well serviced, professional standard venue for South Australia,’’ Mr Hayden said. The dream is, because we’re opposite the Capri, I really want people to look down Goodwood Rd and say it’s our little Broadway.’’ The cash will go towards a fire-proof curtain, light rigs and ensuring the 200-seat theatre meets health and safety standards and is able to bring high profile shows to Unley. We’ve got some healthy bookings for next year if the upgrades are done,’’ Mr Hayden said. We can’t announce them yet, but there’s going to be some wonderful surprises.’’ Urban Myth and its landlord have pumped more than $200,000 into the theatre. Unley Councillor Peter Hughes said Urban Myth was an outstanding group’’ and the district would benefit from the cultural tourism the theatre attracted. The loan will be paid back over 5 years.

Promoting Culturallly and Linguistically Diverse Communities

These grants may be of interest to some groups. New government programs promoting culturally and linguistically diverse communities The Commonwealth Government recently launched three programs that may be of interest to culturally and linguistically diverse communities, such as the City of Unley. 1. Building Multicultural Communities Program www.immi.gov.au/BMCP 2. Multicultural Arts and Festivals Grants Program http://www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/delivering-assistance/governmentprograms/dscp/mafg/ 3. Creative Young Stars (closes 21 June) www.youth.gov.au/sites/youth/news/pages/creative-young-stars

New Customer Service

On Friday a new customer service programme went live. This programme should enable better service from the time you make a request or query until this service is completed. It has long been a complaint of many, including elected members, that requests made are sometimes not followed through and when the request has been completed no one gets back to you or us and tells us that it has been completed or why delays have occurred and the matter taking longer than expected. Any feedback on the system will be used to improve efficiency.

Community Advisory Group 12th June

After missing the last meeting I was looking forward to some updates.  Some of the matters discussed were

• The continued poor parking choices of DPTI employees, although a number of fines have been issued and this seems to be making a difference.
• David Bartlett has at last taken responsibility for both the Greenways and Electrification projects
• Street meetings will be held in the near future to discuss planting and fencing issues.
• Cowper  Rd mast has been moved from the centre of the street to a position east of this.
• The trains will start arriving in South Australia from the 24th June, they will arrive in 3 car sets. As they will be delivered to Seaford we will not see them until they run on the tracks,
• While the trains will be running on the 15th September, full electrification will not occur until Feb 2014, only then will you know if the are actually quieter.
• Cranbrook residents will be offered several deisn solutions to the gate, screening and landscaping
• If you think your house is being damaged by vibration then let DPTI know now so they have a record of it. take lots of photographs and request a dilapidation survey
• All damage caused by DPTI to streets will be repaired at their expense.

Issues still exist regarding  a sound wall in Lyons Parade.

Tram Overpass; Site for public art

The Goodwood tram overpass has long been an eyesore as it is a regular target for graffiti attacks. This site has been chosen as suitable for public art. This is being discussed with DPTI and Council and funds have been made available. How the design will be chosen is undecided at this stage.

S

Work on Goodwood rail underpass may have damaged nearby homes

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/work-on-goodwood-rail-underpass-may-have-damaged-nearby-homes/story-e6frea83-1226661925341

This article written by John Stokes in the Eastern Courier  is now available at the above link

RESIDENTS whose homes are damaged during construction of the Goodwood rail underpass will have them fixed, the Transport Department says.

But residents will have a hard time proving the damage was caused by the works, as only about 50 homes were given the pre-work building inspection required to get compensation.

Many residents have noticed damage to their homes, believed to be caused by vibrations from heavy rollers, digging equipment and large trucks, since work began on the $110 million project to separate the freight and Belair lines from the Noarlunga line .

The Development Assessment Commission approved the project on the grounds that all buildings and structures "that have the potential to be affected by the development" were inspected before work began.

Goodwood Residents' Action Group member Ray Broomhill said many people in Goodwood, Millswood and Forestville had noticed cracks in their homes since work began.

"We've had a number of reports from residents about damage that they suspect is occurring as a result of the works," Dr Broomhill said.

"Some got building surveys and some didn't.

"It's going to make it very difficult ... particularly if you've got cracks opening up and plaster coming off the wall."

Source: Supplied

Millswood Cres resident Jutta Galbory said she was denied a building report despite requesting one from the department multiple times.

"I can't say I used to have a crack in the wall that was 2mm wide and now it's 20mm because those things happen over time," Mrs Galbory said.

"If they did the building inspection now then whatever they come up with would include the damage that has been done (during the project).

"The inspection made sense if you did it before you did any work."

A Transport Department spokeswoman said Ms Galbory was not offered a building inspection as her home was more than 25m from the tracks therefore not thought to be at risk.

Interestingly both of these homes are well within 25 m of the trackworks.

Hill Crt Tree

This tree in Hill Crt is now dead. After much effort by staff to ensure it received adequate nutrition it has now been attacked by borers. This tree was a real focal point for this street and I'm sure will be missed. I don't know when the tree will be removed (it may be significant), however, when it is the wood will be reused in landscaping and residents consulted as to a replacement species.

Feedback from the NRM Board

Since you all pay an additional fee on your Council rates to run the NRM Board I thought I would highlight this article from their latest newsletter. This is particularly relevant as the debate around culverts and dams continues. The current channel capacity of Brown Hill Creek is in some places  little more than half of what it should be, up to 10 cubic meters per sec is being held back by poorly managed vegetation. For the easiest example of this look north as you cross BHC near Orphanage park.

A small section of Brown Hill Creek showing heavy growth of exotic vegetation, evidence of channel erosion.

Up the creek no more! Many sections of Adelaide’s urban creeks are actually in private ownership.  The creeks provide both stormwater drainage and an amenity enjoyed by owners.  This situation  sometimes leads to difficulties particularly with maintenance such as controlling growth of exotic vegetation and scour protection, with some owners not understanding their  obligation to maintain the waterway. The board, in partnership with councils and the Stormwater Management Authority, is developing a Code of Practice for maintaining urban creeks.  It will be completed before the end of 2013 and will provide clarification of the roles and responsibilities for creek maintenance.  It is hoped the new code will help  to improve our urban waterways.  If you would like to find out more about this project or be involved, please contact Chris Wright, Water Projects Officer or phone him on  82739122.     For other relevant articles please click the link below. http://adelaideandmountloftyrangesnaturalresourcesmanagementboard.cmail2. com/t/ViewEmail/j/0958E07AAB461A64/A3A9D5A4C680CDE40F8C96E86323F7F9

Australian of the Year; 2014

Can you think of someone deserving of this award?

Australian of the Year Awards 2014

Nominations for the Australian of the Year Awards 2014 are now open!

Nominations for the Australian of the Year Award for 2014 are now open!

There are four categories in the Australian of the Year Awards:

• Australian of the Year - open to all Australians who deserve recognition for their extraordinary achievements, contributions to the community and nation and who are exemplary ambassadors for Australia;
• Senior Australian of the Year- recognises those Australians aged 60 years and over who continue to achieve and contribute to the community;
• Young Australian of the Year -recognises those extraordinary young Australians aged 16-30 years who are contributing to our community;
• Australia’s Local Hero -recognises Australians who make a real difference in their local communities and whose outstanding contributions enrich the lives of those around them.

Nominations are being sought for Australians excelling in all fields including arts, media and entertainment, business, charity, education, environment, indigenous/ethnic services, medicine/science, engineering/technology and sport.

To nominate an outstanding Australian you can fill out an online nomination or use the nomination form provided below.

Australian of the Year 2014 Nomination form 2014 (845 kb)

Newsletter this weekend

By now you should all have received your newsletter from Don and I. Please take the time to have a look at this and follow up the detail in my blog. I hear so often that people do not think they are getting enough information on projects and issues from their Councillor and often this is because they see this newsletter as just another piece of junkmail and fail to read it or think that the issue doesn't relate to them. So please, encourage your neighbours to read it also and continue to recommend that they read the blog as well. If topics haven't been covered that you would like to know more about or you think would be of general interest please let me know or comment on this blog. I'll do my best to write  a blog on each issue raised, if I don't know the answer the I'll find the information before I respond.

Library Events of Interest

We’d love to see you at some of the events we have scheduled in the upcoming months. 

• June

-          8^th Detox your home – workshop

-          8^th Marketing on a shoestring budget – workshop

-          Author event - 24^th Hannah Kent – Burial Rites

-          Author event - 28^th Robin de Crespigny – The People Smuggler

• July

-          Author event - 7^th Book launch for Ragini Dey, The Spice Kitchen

• October

-          Author event - 10^th Bronnie Masefau – Inspiring Through Creative Design

• November

-          2^nd – 4^th Unley Libraries Festival – Cook it. Grow it. Make it.

-          Author event - 29^th Dr Karl Kruszelnicki (to be confirmed)

We are also running:

-          Travel Talk, a program for the intrepid traveller with hints and tips of how to get around different cities when travelling overseas

-          Conversations, a program for community members for who English is a second language

And a new program:

-          Topical Tuesday, a program for retirees with guest speakers on topics of interest ranging from Wills, Seniors Information Service, Volunteering in your local community ……

Reconciliation Event May 31st

 Council's reconciliation event held at the Town Hall last week was a resounding success. My students were amazed at how enjoyable this event was. They were also keen to have their pictures taken with the Mayor for the school newsletter.The same students spent today learning leadership skills that they will be able to develop with students transitioning to high school in 2014.

For better or worse?

The photos to the right tell their own story.

Now June 2013

The matter seems to be worse rather than better 

although the trailer parked to the north is entirely

 off the road and the unregistered vehicles have 

now been parked on  site. I understand some 

considerable parking fines have been issued.

 What next?

I will check with staff on Monday to ascertain 

what they now see as a way forward, being nice

 doesn't seem to have worked at all.
8/6/13  My discussion with staff has ascertained that legal advice is now being sought legal action will now take it's course. The last time COuncil pursued this option the fine imposed was $15,000.

April 2013

DPTI Works and Parking Fines

This has been a matter of contention for sometime with residents. Originally we were told that all workers would be required to park at the showgrounds and walk to the worksite. That directive seemed to be lost in about the first 2 minutes of work commencing. Council has been deploying the ranger to several ares to issue fines to persons parked illegally. However, so far only two fines have been issued. One of the problems is that DPTI put are their own no parking signs (which have no legal effect) and then blatantly ignore them. In one street last Sunday at least 3 DPTI trucks were parked in front of their own signs. From this weekend this has changed and they will be booked, but so will residents if they are also parked illegally.

June Update 2013

The following should be of interest;

• DPTI have at last approved a 40km speed limit on King William Rd from Mary St to Mitchell St. This should make the shopping environment safer
• The arrows at the corner of Mitchell St and King William Rd  will revert to their old markings in the near future. This means the southern lane will again allow a directly western movement.
• Aroha Tce residents have been again asked to comment tree removals after the Development assessment Panel approved the removal of the 2 significant trees that are failing. The trees are now marked with a white dot. It is the intention of Council to replace with like species where possible.
• Frederick St is about to have significant repairs to the kerb and water table, the early works are now evident
• Graham Ave has also been inspected and will have some kerb and water table changes before Meredyth Ave is resealed.
• Princess Margaret Playground has reopened, work to repair the arbor is still pending but now funded and approved.
• The LATM process is continuing. The consultant was happy with the volumes of traffic in each street and will now work with Council and DPTI to ensure all works on Canterbury Tce are integrated, that bicycle movements are allowed for, the ideal location for the pedestrian refuge (or narrowing of East Ave) and the best treatment for Byron Rd.
• A reminder that you must book your yearly hard waste collection and that the wait is currently over 6 weeks. Also the year is not a financial year but anyone year a matter that needs to be clarified by staff.