31 August 2019

Local Area Traffic Management Plan: Clarence Park

Image result for Clarence Park LATMThe outcomes for this piece of work will be discussed by Councillors at a briefing on Monday 2nd Sept at 6:30pm. This will be open to the public. While you might not be able to participate knowing what Councillors are thinking will give many of your chance to continue to lobby for what you want or don't want as the case may be. The matter will be debated at the Council meeting on Sept 23rd soon after 7pm. Anyone can ask to make a deputation and it is good to let us know if you love or hate what is proposed. There were over 400 responses to the recently consulted change options. It is my understanding that doing nothing may be preferred by most, excepting additional slowing of traffic on Mills St and the reversal of the right of way at Lorraine and Ripon.

Full Council meeting Monday 26th August

Image result for south road tunnelThe following items were discussed;

  • Living streets; Norman Tce  (East of Leah St)has been chose as the first street that will be developed as a shared street, giving pedestrians and vehicles more equal access to the street. This will now be progressed to detailed design and construction.
  • Community Event Sponsorship; a number of local events were selected. These include  Goodwood Arthouse pop up gallery (Goodwood PS),Fork in the Road (Orphanage Park) and the Celebrate Summer Street Party at Gilbert St, Goodwood.
  • State Government North-South corridor:  a motion to request Council to work with DPTI in getting the best possible outcomes for  residents as they choose what to construct and where
  • Condition of Page Park; Don and I have noticed for a few weeks that the grass service in Page Park is deteriorating quickly. Staff will investigate causes and suggest appropriate remedies.
  •  CEO Performance Review: Confidential

24 August 2019

Council behaving badly?

Or are they?
Today's paper lists a multitude of concerns about Council/Councillor behaviour. These include: dumping  Xmas carols, gag orders, the purchase of a piano, Councillor spats, fake grass, removing a dated picture of the queen and the length of weeds on verges. Each one of these had made it into the paper in recent weeks. I wonder if they were really worth reporting beyond the local level? At all times Council must consider changes to what they do and how they do it, one way is by putting motions to test the waters for support, first from fellow councillors and then from the community. At the same time Unley has considered the future of the Gourmet Gala, spent what some people think is a fortune upgrading King William Rd, considered the value of fake grass, and don't mow the verges (our residents do this themselves). We do kill the weeds but with a substance that many residents think should be banned. As for the picture of the Queen, I reckon it was taken shortly after I was born. We're not behaving badly, we're just normal people doing what we were elected to do, taking into consideration residents views and doing our best to retain a contemporary modern city that is in love with its rich heritage.

Making the Unley website easier to use


Creating a good website experience starts with our customers. We are seeking feedback from users of our website (or indeed all government websites) to help us understand how people use our website and where they expect to find our information.
To find out about the activities we are running and how you can be involved, visit our Website Research page.
 https://www.unley.sa.gov.au/website-research-registration-page
If you prefer to interact with the Council in person, please contact pobox1@unley.sa.gov.au with your thoughts.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. How much commitment will you need from me?
As you will see in the Website Research page you can choose to take part in up to 3 activities.
Activity 1 is a workshop here at the Unley Civic Centre for 1-2 hours in early September - the date and time of this session will be provided to selected applicants.
Activities 2 and 3 can be conducted remotely whenever suits and will take between 10 & 20 minutes to complete.
NOTE - Activity 2 is an online version of Activity 1– there is a notification about this when registering.
2. Can I be anonymous?
An external company which specialises in website UX design has been engaged to conduct this work to ensure impartiality. The in-person activity is in a group setting and is therefore not private. For the online activities, you can choose not to provide your name when signing up, however we will need your email address and will ask some high-level questions during registration to learn more about you.
3. Will I be paid for my time?
We are currently not offering remunerations for participation in these activities. Those who take part in on-site research will be provided with refreshments on the day.
4. When will I find out the results of my contribution?
These research activities will contribute to wider research around website use and customer needs. We will keep your details on file and let you know when the new website is launched and provide opportunities for on-going feedback in the future

10 August 2019

Scomo to ban export of our waste

Image result for recycling for export

In a new development yesterday the Prime Minister announced that sending our recycling waste overseas for processing was a practice that had to cease. What this will do to the price Councils get for this waste product is yet to be determined. Of the 4.5 million tonnes of waste exported only 12% is eventually recycled and yet all of the waste (paper, plastic and glass) is potentially reusable waste.   What this means for all of us is that we must be trying harder to reduce the amount of product that we use and that industry must develop in Australia to more innovative in the way this material can be processed. Using the $2.8 billion  currently paid for shipping alone will be a good start.

Vacancies on King Wiliam Rd


Image result for King William Road shop fronts

Despite media claims there are just 10 vacant shops on KWR (Arthur to Mitchell). Some of the shops where trading has ceased have already been let. Leading up to the works 22 vacancies existed. The vacancies that actually occurred during construction had been determined long before the construction started. This means that many of the shops that appear vacant have been re-let and are in various states of refurbishment. It would seem that there is great optimism from  new tenants about how good the trading environment will be on completion.

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05 August 2019

Accountability, transparency, cutting red tape, improved conduct

Suggested Local Government reform includes the above headings. While some reforms are overdue many of the suggestions (from those printed in the paper) should not be enacted. The paper is currently open for public comment at www.yoursay.sa.gov.au . Here's my summary:
Yes:

  • Crack down on poor behaviour but dealt with at Council level
  • Fewer Councillors in some Councils: Unley might be well served with 9 members (3 per each of three wards)
  • On line voting
  • Compulsory voting
  • Landlords automatically on roll

No:

  • Independent review of CEO salaries
  • Local Government Commissioner
  • Longer term for Lord Mayors
  • Mayors given a vote on all matters: does this mean an ordinary and deliberative vote? While accountability would be good to votes are not OK
Please take the time to read the report and make your comments, I will be

04 August 2019

Local Area Traffic Management Plan, last day!

Image result for Aroha Tce shops
Parking changes are proposed here.


Tomorrow  (5th August) is the last day to respond to the Clarence Park LATM. The very well attended Community drop in on Monday saw people given an opportunity to discuss options with staff, with themselves and with their Councillors (Don and me). I was ready to listen to what people had to say, to respond to questions and to discuss premises and outcomes. There was mixed opinions about the best option for Clarence Park itself. Many thought that doing nothing may be the best outcome. This would be a similar outcome to the Byron Rd consultation a few years ago. There were also people concerned about the proposed change of right of way at the junction of  Home, Ripon  and Lorraine Aves. People  seemed generally happy with the more rigid parking restrictions near Goodwood Oval. I did not speak to anyone who was concerned about the  proposed Aroha Tce changes near the shops