Budgetary constraints no excuse – ward councillor

The metro once again gave a poor and uninformed response to the matter raised by the resident (Lack of maintenance due to budget, NEWS, June 19 edition).

You may find the following information of interest.

The municipality was in search of a new site for a clinic for the Edenvale area and kicked off with a visit and consideration to use the vacant land next to Frank Marret Park at the top of First Avenue next to Edenhaven.

The suitability of the land, road problems, excess water and lack of access to the area via the current roads system resulted in the plan being dropped, not least due to the adverse response from residents in the area.

It was then mooted that the Third Avenue property be considered for the clinic, subject to all issues being resolved.

This was at the same time where this property was part of a consideration for an extension to Edenhaven.

The land sold to the old age home has an oak tree there that was planted in 1902 by Frank Marret and adopted by the old Edenvale Heritage Society (The Edenvale Museum and Cultural Society) as a place of interest in the ’80s.

Cutting the tree down would have posed many problems hence the consideration to use the Third Avenue property.

The plan was shelved as there is a water and slope problem there and the metro also had no interest to use it as a nursery.

They did give an undertaking that that the site would be cleaned and maintained on a regular basis. This, however, was all forgotten quickly when it was reported that a plan was mooted to put up an office block there to house the head office of the Department Of Environmental Affairs, currently housed in the Customer Care Centre in Van Riebeeck Avenue.

The overgrown and unkempt state of the property could in no way be justified due to budgetary constraints.

The land, even though owned by the metro, has to be maintained and cleaned in terms of its own standing health and property bylaws.

How absurd to think that the metro fines residents for bylaw contraventions with regard to the maintenance of properties and then considers itself exempt from these statutes?

COUNCILLOR BILL RUNDLE

WARD 19.

Editor’s comment – The letter was sent to the spokesperson for the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM), Mr Samuel Modiba for comment on July 10.

Comment was requested by Friday, July 12 at 10am.

At the time of going to print no comment had been received.