GET DOWN IN THE TRENCHES AT THE MUSEUM

Ever wondered what it might have been like in the trenches in World War I? For many of us WWI is synonymous with the trenches.  Many Australian soldiers served there. The trenches were the domain of the infantry but also supply lines through which food and medical services were provided. If you want to get an idea of what it was like, come in and check out our newest exhibit!  We're building an imitation trench so you can see first hand what they were like. Open from 5th August, free entry.

Full Council meeting: July 30th 2018

This additional meeting has been scheduled as the LGA wished to get feedback on rate capping from all Councils before the end of this week. The following make be of interest:

• Strategic Property Committee from July24th: There was some agreemnent about further developing ideas regarding an upgrade of the Civic Centre by the committee. Strategically this may not be the best time to be looking at this.PASSED
• Parkside Local Area Traffic Management (LATM): The proposes a scope of works including allowing businesses to purchase parking permits in some area. If you are a Parkside resident then a good read of this will be helpful.PASSED
• Local Government (Rate Oversight) Amendment Bill 2018: Council are likely to rejuect the current legislation in its present form as it is overly cumbersome, creates another layer of government and will continue to allow cost shifting from State Government to Council. It is annoyiing that the government can add 6% onto the NRM Levy but require Council to stick to CPI. PASSED
• Local Government (Rate Oversight) Amendment Bill 2018(Cr Salaman-Letter to the Minister): This motion asks the Council to write to the Minister and suggest that evidence from Unley is that we are capable of setting our own rate and keeping it at CPI plus growth.PASSED
• Weller St Bicycle Boulevard (Stay of Works): Cr Salaman wishes that Council make the final decision about the progress of this poroposal. Feedback indicates that almost half of residents that replied were against this proposal. There was some feedback form outside of the zone but Councillors are yet to have access to the replies. PASSED
• CEO Performance: CONFIDENTIAL

Full Council meeting : July 23rd, 2018

You might find the following of interest:

• 
  
• Civic Precinct Working Group-Update: A report from this group (selected from application)was presented to Council. Clearly they have had wide ranging discussions about the possible changes that would enhance the area. As I was the instigator of this committee through collaborative discussion with residents it was good to see that the concept was working so well. PASSED
• Support for the French Bilingual School in Highgate: It seems that the envisaged program is full and that there are  few, if any, places for local students. This report asked that Council write to the Education Minister to ascertain if the program could be offered to more students. PASSED
• ERA resilient East Progress  Report:m So far there has been good work in the area of tree canopy cover mapping. PASSED
• Co-working in the City of Unley: This report explored the way that spaces in the City are currently being used. However, it fell short of a cost benefit analysis. If Council rents a property  on a low lease rate and the created working spaces are let to start up businesses I need to know how much it is costing our ratepayers to do this and what the benefit is to the City.
• Digital Unley Endorsement: Staff have been busy working in  cyber world that hopefully will make their work and your city much smarter sooner rather than later. PASSED
• Appointment of Members to the Brown Hill Creek and Keswick Creek Stormwater Subsidiary: the nominations are still confidential but once appointed the group can start to get the job done of protecting the City from flooding. 

Goodwood Oval gets a draining

A very water logged Goodwood Oval was drainedof thousands of litres of water last week in collaboration with Council Staff. They  have been given a big thankyou on Goodwood Saints  Facebook page. It's good to have people thank us for the work that we do and yet it happens far  less often that it could.

Dog Registrations

Seem to be causing some angst among dogowners as they seek to register their dogs. There have been changes to legislation and to process before the introduction of the new laws on July 1st. Major changes include compulsory desexing of all dogs and cats born after July 1st and compulsory microchopping of all dogs and cats. To register or reregister your dog you need to go to Dogs and Cats Online and use the unique code that you were sent in the post and your surname.
Council have been assisting people who have had trouble engaging in the process and from my experience things are never as simple as those who planned them thought they would be especially when engaging on line.

Wayville bikeway

A resident brought to my attention several months ago the deteriorating condition of the bikeway that connects King William Rd to Goodwood Rd and runs along the tramline. I raised the matter at two ward briefings. The issue here is that the land that the bikeway is on belongs to DPTI and Council has had an ongoing agreement to maintain the path. However, the agreement has long since expired and DPTI have been unwilling to give consent for Council to repair the path or to fund and repair it themselves. Given the landownership debacle around paid parking on a similar piece of land in the same location it is understandable the Council should not do this work unless it is fully funded and agreed to by DPTI.

Rate Capping

Capping rates would restore the faith that residnts have in local councils according to Minister Knoll. While I am not at today's Town Hall meeting I have had a keem interest in this. While I personally don't think anything will be achieved by rate capping I have said that it is time to work with the state government on this one. The questions that need to be asked are:

• What are we trying to achieve?
• Will cost shifting from state to local be reversed?
• Will state govenment hold its own fee rises to the same amount?
• Will Councils be able to continue to borrow for large infrastructure projects additionally to the capping?
• Will this continue to drive prices down by forcing further collaboration between Councils (eg. bulk buying of rubbish collection)?
• What have we learned from capping interstate?
• How long is it anticiapted that the cap will last for?

PAVING THE WAY FORWARD FOR KING WILLIAM ROAD

The original paving works

Following an extensive consultation period over the last 3 months, and an overwhelming response from the local community, traders and visitors, the City Of Unley will now commence draft design plans to transform King William Road, including repaving the much-loved mainstreet.

The concept is based on renewing the iconic paved road surface to preserve the Hyde Park precinct’s distinctive village identity, and provide a more flexible streetscape that increases opportunities for greening, places for people, and regular places to cross the street.

The community was given three road-resurfacing options to choose from and Council gained valuable insights from more than 450 conversations about the transformation of King William Road.

Time to curfew cats?

Marion Council will this week investigate a potential bylaw to ban cats after  being invited to do so by Environment Minister, David Spiers. At this stage there are no details of the time that cats would be compelled to stay at home. Hopefully, this will reduce the carnage of small native birds and animals and reduce the resident complaints. This is a good one to watch as it may be helpful in Unley in the future.

We're a compliant bunch

I remember when the wearing of seatbelts was made compulsory. After endless whinging and moaning when the day came we simply started wearing them. Same for helmets when bike riding. When I lived in America in the late seventies I was amazed that so many people did not comply with similar laws there. Not part of the culture I was told. I note that they still use their cell phones when driving. So is it any surprise that laws to stop people smoking in bars, playgrounds and coffee shops have needed little policing to get compliance? The same cannot be said for people who choose to park all day in limited hour time zones. There are plenty of complaints from Goodwood people about lack of enforcement of the 4 hour zones. Council are currently doing a cost-benefit analysis to see if and extra compliance officer would cover their wage costs.

A night of chocolate

Learn from a Bracegirdle's chocolatier

Bracegirdle's is Australia's most awarded chocolate maker. Their products are completely hand made, by an exceptional team of talented chocolatiers who can custom design chocolates depending on the occasion. Journey into the iconic brand's history at this special event and watch a demonstration as delicious handmade chocolates are made right in front of you. If you have a sweet tooth this is the event for you!

THURSDAY 12 JULY, 7 - 8.30PM UNLEY TOWN HALL OXFORD TERRACE, UNLEY

Dog Therapy: dogs needed

The City of Unley is looking for volunteers and their well-behaved dogs to visit people one-on-one and in groups in local aged care homes.

Council will provide you and your dog with paid-for dog therapy training and the opportunity for your dog to be recognised with a Canine Good Citizen Award. This training will be provided over four, one-hour sessions on Sunday mornings in July and August, by local expert dog trainer Sharon Crichton of Positive Dog Training.
 
The volunteering role requires you to visit the resident you are matched with at least 10 times before the end of the year. This is a flexible position and can be undertaken at a time convenient to the resident and you.                 

Once your dog is recognised as a Canine Good Citizen, they will really be a community resource, able to visit people in hospital, community facilities and others in need of some animal love.

Applications to the program can be made online by filling out the dog questionnaire found at our Volunteer Opportunities page by COB Friday 15 June. If you and your dog are selected to be part of the program, in addition to the dog training, a police screening, council induction and site induction are also required before you commence visiting independently.

For more information, contact Council’s Active Ageing Project Officer, Alyssa Hill on 8372 5111 or email ahill@unley.sa.gov.au

When you think the amenity is not what it used to be

Following complaints from residents about speeds on Addison Rd, staff Have provided the following traffic counts. The data shows that the amount of traffic is relatively low and decreasing while the speed that the cars travel is lower than  trending downwards.

The recent traffic and speed collection data was undertaken the week of the 18^th of June on Addison Road, Black Forest between Gordon Road and Coulter Avenue is as follow

•                     Average Speed – 37km/hr

•                     85^th Percentile – 44.2km/hr

•                     Total Vehicles per Day – 628

The data collected in 2015 on Addison Road, Black Forest was as follows:

•                     Average Speed – 38.5km/hr

•                     85^th Percentile – 46.8km/hr

•                     Total Vehicles per Day – 720

As a comparison, the data collected in 2012 on Addison Road, Black Forest was as follows:

•                     Average Speed – 43.2km/hr

•                     85^th Percentile – 51.5km/hr

•                     Total Vehicles per Day – 668

Unley:An age friendly city

Folow the link below to read a great article about the City of Unley. The strategies descibed are making a difference to the quality of life for our residents. The most poignant points are;

• Additional cost is minimal
• What we do for aging people will assist many other groups including the disabled, children and parents using a stroller. In fact it will be safer for everyone.

https://www.governmentnews.com.au/2018/06/spotlight-council-takes-the-lead-on-ageing-communities/