Hello again. I am writing this month’s version of my take on Council’s Meeting Agenda listening to the rain and perchance playing Jose Feliciano’s beautiful love song Rain. Of course after the rain comes the rainbow…but more of that later.

I have pulled the most relevant issues to Northfield Ward (IMHO) out of the agenda and you can read them here for your pleasure, or pain, or something to do.

Item 6.1 WORKSHOP – ADJUSTMENT OF WASTE COLLECTION DATES

Back on June 30th we had a Council Workshop where we found out that due to the growth of Lightsview, our contractors were struggling to collect all the waste on Tuesdays, so we will need to rearrange some collection dates in certain areas of Council. The only area affected in Northfield Ward is Northfield, north of Grand Junction Road. Council and Cleanaway will give people affected lots of notice and a generous changeover period for people to get used to it. Well done staff and Cleanaway on this!

Item 12.1.3 TRUE NORTH THEATRE ENSEMBLE

This is a fantastic organisation whose directors reside in Northfield Ward, and who put on wonderfully engaging theatrical performances, many involving local youth as performers and assistants. Most of their performances are targetted at younger audiences.

They also hold drama workshops in Hillcrest and Klemzig. One of the few professional art enterprises we have in the Council east of the Port River.

Council is undertaking a Memorandum of Understanding with them look at some ongoing funding of their shows of which I am really excited.

12.2.4 PARKING CONTROLS – ROSS SMITH BOULEVARD, OAKDEN – YELLOW LINE ADJACENT CAFE

Parking adjacent the Lakeside Cafe has been a problem whenever it is open, since it began. Council supplied some on street, bay parking just to the north of the cafe but cars park here often overhang outside the lines, which then puts them at risk of having their front or rear collected by passing vehicles.

Staff have recommended that painting a yellow line, and making parking outside of the bays illegal, will help solve the problem. I think it will help a little, but more work needs to be done to solve the parking issue longer term in the area.

12.2.5 TRAFFIC CONTROL – REDWARD AVENUE GREENACRES

I moved last year that public consultation be done in the Redward Avenue area of Greenacres regarding extra traffic due to Lightsview and other nearby urban infill. Staff have recommended that this be deferred to next year’s Greenacres LATM, which didn’t exist at the time of my original motion. This is therefore appropriate under the conditions.

12.3.7 PLAYGROUND PARKING – WATERFORD CIRCUIT AND BRADLEY TERRACE, NORTHGATE

Cr Hubycz asked for a report on additional car parking for this park. Staff have reported that once the local streets are fully built more on street parking will be available so no extra car parks are required to be built by Council.

12.3.8 FOOTPATH ON WHISTLER DRIVE, OAKDEN

Residents have contacted me regarding this footpath, which abruptly stops at no 9 Whistler, continues across the other side of the road, and the across a number of side streets before it hits the end of the street.

The problem here is that the State Government sold and developed the land after house number 11 many years after the rest of the street, and the street eventually meets up with Trinity Way, which used to be a dead end.

As the housing on the western side of Whistler Drive after no. 11 is all Housing SA properties with a lot of residents who rely on public transport, and the local bus stop on Ross Smith Boulevard is to the west of Whistler Drive, people are not going to cross the road TWICE, and multiple side streets as well, to get to their home. They walk on the road instead. This is dangerous due to the curves in the road and poor visibility thanks to the parking bays, when cars are in them. The photo below sort of shows this. A visit to this street is really needed to see just what a mess it is.

To build a footpath on the rest of the western side is the only solution in my opinion. This will require the axing of some trees on Housing SA land, and Council to build some of the footpath on some of their land, which I understand will be approved.

Unfortunately Council staff have only recommended completing the footpath on the eastern side, from around numbers 2 – 8, which ignores the unique issues in this street.

ITEM 12.3.2 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION SUBMISSION ON RATE CAPPING

If you own a house worth over $1Million or don’t care about Council services then rate capping is great for you!

Rate capping, simply, is where Government forces Councils to cap their rates at a maximum, This means, depending on exactly how it is worded, that business and/or those in the most expensive homes, pay less – and everyone else pays more AND Councils, if interstate experience is anything to go by, slashes services too.

It is a terrible idea. If you think Council rates are too high, then vote us out or suggest what we cut back on, but rate capping is just crap.

12.3.7 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE ROYAL COMMISSION – CITY OF PORT ADELAIDE ENFIELD SUBMISSION

Council’s submission, effectively, is that we do not have an opinion on many aspects of the mining and other processes in the uranium industry, but prefer to support renewable energies which are safer, cheaper and more amenable to our locality.

There are also concerns for transport and disposal of waste.

12.3.8 ROY AMER RESERVE, OAKDEN – REQUEST FOR TOILETS

Cr Obsorn had raised this as an issue when he first stood for Council, and I understand he has been active on this matter since he took his seat, calling for this report.

This has been a matter that is raised every so often, but Council has opposed this in the past due for various reasons,some of which I believe may no longer be valid.

Staff still oppose this, citing some of the old reasons, but have suggested instead we install signs saying that the nearest public toilets are 500m up the road. I am not sure that will be met with overwhelming joy from those proposing toilets in that area.

Using the cafe toilets also failed as patrons left them in an undesirable condition.

In the meantime, cross your fingers, as your legs are probably already crossed, that a solution to this is coming along soon.

Well done to Cr Osborn for raising this again.

14.1 NOTICE OF MOTION – FLYING RAINBOW FLAG DURING FEAST FESTIVAL

My motion is to fly the Rainbow Flag during the Feast Festival (November 14th – 29th) as Council has done for the past 3 years, and to continue to do so every year at that time.

By the way, Council at its last meeting granted the Feast Festival $5000 for an event it is holding in our Council area. If we were hosting a Lawn Bowls event in our area and they asked us to fly their flag, that would be fine by me too, or even if, for argument’s sake, the Influencers Church were having a big convention in our area and asked the same, that would be fine by me too. I just hope they don’t all clash dates.

I trust my fellow elected members will not say that they oppose this as it is not a local government matter, apart from this is ignoring s6 of the Local Government Act 1999:

6—Principal role of a council A council is, under the system of local government established by this Act, established to provide for the government and management of its area at the local level and, in particular— (a) to act as a representative, informed and responsible decision-maker in the interests of its community; and (b) to provide and co-ordinate various public services and facilities and to develop its community and resources in a socially just and ecologically sustainable manner; and (c) to encourage and develop initiatives within its community for improving the quality of life of the community; and (d) to represent the interests of its community to the wider community; and (e) to exercise, perform and discharge the powers, functions and duties of local government under this and other Acts in relation to the area for which it is constituted;

it would be especially hypocritical of those elected members who voted to have Council write to the Adelaide Festival of Arts to have the show “Come Heckle Christ” banned. I did not say then that was not a local government matter.

The cost of the flag, if we choose to buy some, is around $60 for two.

Flying this flag is not in support of Marriage Equality, or Kermit the Frog (he sang The Rainbow Connection) or anything other than the above. If people read more into it than that, then that’s their belief, not mine.

14.3 NOTICE OF MOTION – FOSTERS ROAD STREETSCAPE

After having been approached by residents once again on this issue, I believe it is time Council undertook some improvements to the eastern side of Fosters Road as the western side will be well looked after by Lightsview (paid for by the people buying land there, remember).

14.4 NOTICE OF MOTION – LIQUOR LICENCE APPLICATIONS

Council currently doesn’t have a policy on dealing with these, which I only discovered last month, which can be a problem if a licensed premises causes trouble for residents and they expect Council to intervene for them. Council can do so under limited circumstances, but at the moment, we do little in this area and I think that needs to change.

That’s it for another month – the full agenda is here:

http://www.portenf.sa.gov.au/page.aspx?u=2398

What do you think?