MINUTES FOR THE MEETING OF THE 10th FEBRUARY 2010

MINUTES FOR THE MONTHLY PUBLIC MEETING OF THE

NEW KILLARNEY-RIVIERA ASSOCIATION

HELD AT THE MALL MANAGEMENT OFFICES ON 10 FEBRUARY 2010 AT 18H00

PRESENT:         Wayne Ford (Chairman)

Henry Rudzinski; Helene Bell; Jo Marais; Jacques Stoltz; Charles Whyte; Visagan Naidoo; AK Jadwat; Steve Mendelsohn; Clr Marcelle Ravid; Frank & Audrey Kobrin; Herbert Prins; Adele & Basil Cohen; Debbie de Beer; Clinton Knop; Doug Locke; Alan Lewis; Hein Dyer; Insp Gert Bester.

1.         WELCOME

WF welcomed everyone to the meeting, and thanked the Mall for the use of their premises.

2.         APOLOGIES

Liora Kloss; Barry Milner; Rob Milne; Susan Ford; JeanLing Lee.

3.         APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The Minutes of the previous meeting were taken as read, and were approved.

4.         SECURITY FEEDBACK / SECTOR CRIME FORUM

• Inspector Bester gave detailed crime statistics for January 2010. He reported 1 burglary, 1 car theft, 1 theft out of a car, 3 car-jackings and 2 rapes – both cases opened by a homeless woman living on the walkway under the freeway overpass. Police successes included the arrest of a hawker for possession of dagga, 2 arrests for attempted theft, and 2 arrests for smash & grab.
• Clr Ravid is continually trying to get that walkway removed.
• JMPD was not present. However WF has requested at the CPF meetings that JMPD blitz the hawkers repeatedly. CW has had some success contacting Insp Manganiso, so all is not lost, but continual effort is required to get value from JMPD.
• Council reaction is prioritized according to the level of complaints, so the more we report issues, the faster they will be attended to (011 375 5555).
• Our “Street Committee” database only has contact persons from about half the buildings. All are urged to visit neighbours and obtain email addresses please.
• Whenever you notice a suspicious event, please try to get license plate numbers, or a photo if possible.

5.         TRAFFIC ISSUES

• The NKRA has been given conditional consent by the JRA to build three traffic calming measures, which we will have to pay for ourselves. These will be a new speed-hump at the corner of Killarney Road and 3^rd Street (Pick ‘n Pay entrance), a new traffic island in 4^th Avenue at the corner with 7^th Street (where taxis short-cut the circle down the on-coming lane) and an extended traffic island on the M1 off-ramp into Riviera Road (where taxis create an additional lane straddling the white line). We are in the process of getting quotes. A formal vote on this expenditure will be taken as soon as we have the costing info – hopefully as early as the March meeting.
• Members who believe that additional traffic management measures are necessary in the vicinity of their buildings should send in motivations to wdford@global.co.za.
• Traffic markings on the roads need to be repainted again – Clr Ravid to please assist.
• The circle at 9^th St cnr 3^rd Ave needs to be made a bit smaller, as it is obstructing traffic.
• HP presented a proposal to resolve the problem of the illegal taxi ranks in 1^st St and Killarney Road. It was resolved that formal letters will be sent to the City’s Mayoral Council (Councillor Rehana Moosajee), and to Gautrans, requesting that these taxi ranks either be provided with appropriate facilities, or be removed altogether. Another letter will be sent to the City Environmental Health Department (Councillor Bengeza Mthombeni) expressing concern at the hygiene aspects of the attendant problems of littering and urinating that have arisen due to the taxi rank. Clr Ravid will assist in passing on the letters to the appropriate people. Insp Bester will obtain contact details for Gautrans.
• It was submitted that illegal behaviour by taxis is also a serious problem in Oxford Road cnr Riviera Road, and that this aspect should also be included in the above letters.
• Our solution must also interface with the plans for future BRT feeder routes. HP will also obtain input from Liza Seftel of the Traffic Department re the way forward here.
• Clr Ravid also suggested that we start a petition re this matter. At least 200 signatures will be required to be credible.

6.         ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

• The vagrant problem is linked to recycling, in that the vagrants recover recyclable waste from our bins to sell (and they then leave a mess behind them.) We have finally found a reliable contractor who is willing to place bins at individual buildings and collect the material for recycling (for free). Please phone Karel on 083 543 4596 to join this initiative.
• The street lights in 2^nd Avenue have not yet been repaired – Clr Ravid please help.
• We need new street signs. Large stones with the names carved into them are very expensive. Three viable options remain: a) reflective “car number plates” with street names on them, mounted on kerbs or building walls at corners; b) stencils to paint street names and numbers onto existing kerb stones, c) every building to include their street number and their street name on their gate or wall, if they don’t already have this. CW will investigate the cost of stencils, and the municipal standard for such signage.
• We are looking for a company to supply us with plastic litter bins that can be attached to lamp-poles. If anybody knows where to get them, please let us know urgently.
• The accumulation of litter on the M1 embankment alongside 7^th St is a serious health concern. A PikiTup visit is needed here urgently to remove this waste.
• Many of our storm-water drains are blocked with litter and sand. A clean-up is urgently required, as rain-water accumulates dangerously on the road at certain corners.
• JM will continue to liaise with PikiTup to improve refuse collection and sweeping.

7.         NEWSLETTER AND WEBSITE

·         The next newsletter has been sent to the sponsors, WMP, for printing and distribution.

8.         FINANCE AND MEMBERSHIP

• There have been no expenditures since last month.
• Cranwell Hall have joined the NKRA recently – welcome to our new members!
• Membership invoices will be sent out in the next few weeks.

9.         GENERAL

• Because of the serious cost of electricity, some buildings who have centralised hot water heating are researching solar heating ideas. Please let us know if your building is interested, as a bulk deal will be cheaper for everyone.
• Some buildings are experiencing cracking and other damage, seemingly from the Gautrain construction. If your building has any such problems please let us know, so that all affected buildings can be included in the remedial process.

The meeting closed with thanks to all attendees.

The next meeting will be held on

WEDNESDAY 10 MARCH 2010 AT 18H00

PLEASE PASS ON THESE MINUTES TO OTHER RESIDENTS IN YOUR BUILDINGS