Warwick Bruce Chapman

I have arranged that Metro Police and the Parks Department clear out the fireplaces and collected items brought into the park by vagrants (again) during the week and also have asked the Engineers to clear the rubble by the river from the park. All of this should be good preparation for the community to turn out in force to clean the park.

I will provide bags and gloves to those who cannot bring their own. I ask residents and volunteers to bring lots of water with them and some tough shoes. The cleanup will start at 09h00 and finished when we run out of steam, bags or rubbish (whichever comes first).

I have read comments and/or requests from several members of the community in the local media that something be done about the Park – let’s get together on Sunday and do something about it.

The Crompton Park is opposite the Life Crompton Hospital and bounded by Crompton and Sunnyside as per the map below.

– Warwick Chapman (Cllr Ward 18) | 083 7797 094

Note: This was updated and published on 8 January in the Highway Mail as an article instead of a letter.

Dear Editor

Pinetown will be the focus of my attention in Ward 18 for 2010 and quite possibly the years to follow. Infrastructure maintenance remains a priority in the ward and though significant progress has been made in 2009, Pinetown has a long way to go in this regard. Additionally, I believe that the town was never designed for the extent to which it is currently pedestrianised and I will be focusing on formalising the many footpaths which cut through green areas in Pinetown. An example of this can already be seen in the work in progress in the front of the Pinetown Civic Centre where the disused concrete walkway is being cleaned up and and made more presentable and the footpath from Crompton Street to Old Main Rd will be paved as soon as funds become available.

Further to the infrastructural and pedestrian issues, the Pinetown Precint Plan which incorporates wide ranging proposals to revitalise the CBD of Pinetown will be tabled before the eThekwini Economic Development and Planning committee in the first meeting of 2010. I am hoping the plan, which has been many years in the making, will be approved at the meeting, allowing us to present it to the greater Pinetown community for comment.

Crime in Pinetown and the surrounding areas is a major concern and while Councillors are not empowered to influence the fight against crime directly, I am confident that slowly but surely “cleaning up Pinetown” has to make a difference.  We need to ensure infrastructure maintenance is prioritised, parks and gardens and tended to, buildings are painted, windows are fixed, paths are formalised and, in general, the area is revitalised.  I am firmly of the belief that criminals do not thrive in well maintained areas.  Crime loves grime – we need to get rid of the grime.

Additionally, I will be working with SAPS and Metro police to prioritise the policing of minor transgressions such as urinating in public, ignoring rules in parks and traffic violations.  The major crimes must be investigated and are always the top priority but it is high time that chancers and petty criminals learned early on that crime doesn’t pay.  I urge all residents to assist in the fight against crime and get involved in your local Community Policing Forum.

As always, residents are welcome to contact me should they have any municipal issues they have not been able to resolve through the normal channels.

– Warwick Chapman (Cllr Ward 18) | 083 7797 094 | ward18@ethekwini.org | http://warwickchapman.com

I’m extremely pleased that the pool project is nearing completion and although we did not meet the end of August deadline due to all of the wind during the month, the main pool has been filled and is just about ready to go!  The diving pool and the paddling pool should both be marbelited but the end of this coming weekend afterwhich all remains is filling them with water and cleaning up the surrounds in preparation for the reopening.  Keep an eye out for an invitation to an opening relaunch event at the pool one of these splendid spring evenings.

I’m extremely pleased this project is nearing completion both because it is another social green space which has been rehabilitated for public use but also because it does show that our local government is capable of performing desperately needed maintenance of existing infrastructure.  The renovated Lahee Park Swimming pool is the cherry on top of the ongoing cleaning and rejuvination of the Lahee Park preceinct, which now has 4 fulltime staff keeping it tidy and tending to the gardens.  One step and a time, we will get it whipped back into shape.