Hi there Warwick
I was flying with the boys from 15 Squadron last week and snapped a few awesome pictures of Pinetown, and thought since you’re the Councillor I’d email you a few of them.
Regards,
Jesse
The Old Mutual Towers on St Johns and Bamboo Lane
The Anderson and Clermont Taxi and Bus Ranks in the Hill Street area of Pinetown
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
At the outset, I would like to extend my condolences to the family of the man who died at Lahee Park swimming pool yesterday morning. I write this letter to ensure Pinetown Residents as well as other users of the Lahee Park swimming pool that Lifeguards were on duty at the time of his death and responded within seconds of him going under. Lifeguards and Netcare paramedics tried in vain to resuscitate the man for over 30 minutes. Unfortunately, the cause of his sudden death will only be known once a post mortem has been performed. Please be reminded that people should never be swimming while under the influence of alcohol. Anyone who is not feeling 100% should not be swimming either. Please take care during this holiday season. — Warwick Chapman, DA Councillor
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.
Note: This is an article produced for the DA West Durban Constituency Newsletter.
DA activists honour the legacy of Nelson Mandela by cleaning Crompton Park
Keeping parks clean, planting trees and providing safe spaces for people to rest and play is a priority of Warwick Chapman, the new DA councillor for Ward 18 (Westville North, Cowies Hill, & Pinetown CBD).
“Parks and other green spaces are important meeting, resting and social spaces and need to be properly maintained in order to ensure they contribute to rather than detract from the social fabric of the community,” says Chapman.
Crompton Park, on the corner of Sunnyside and Crompton Roads, is a green space that has been allowed to deteriorate. It is not uncommon for many illegal activities to happen there, including the trade in drugs and the sorting of stolen goods. The DA chose to clean up Crompton Park as one of its many activities in eThekwini Municipality to mark Mandela Day. This unique day, celebrated across the world to honour the humanitarian legacy of former President, Nelson Mandela, required individuals to contribute 67 minutes of their time to community service. More than twenty DA activists and public representatives gathered in Crompton Park and filled approximately 70 large refuse bags with litter from the park.
Other recent cleaning projects organised by Councillor Chapman include two cleanups in Lahee Park in June. This park moved from a veritable litter dump to clean and green, and the City Parks Department is committed to keeping it that way.
Residents can make a difference by encouraging one another to keep these spaces green and clean. “Crime loves dirt and grime, so let’s get cleaning and greening,” says Councillor Chapman.
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