Saturday 31 March 2007

Duckings!

The first ducklings were sighted in our ponds on Friday the 30th of March. There appear to be 11 in all. Fingers crossed that they'll survive until the duck house gets installed. Here are a few pictures of them.




Friday 23 March 2007

Open Meeting

An important meeting is coming up concerning the future of the Slateford Green & Gorgie Park Close Residents Association.

7:30 P.M., Monday, April 2nd
Slateford Green Community Centre


The meeting will discuss a proposal that the current, joint residents’ association be replaced by two separate residents’ associations.

Please come along to make your opinion heard.

Floating duck nesting box

Last year we had 2 breeding pairs of ducks in our ponds, both of which were unsuccessful since the offspring were unprotected from local predators such as cats.

At the recent AGM, the decision was made to purchase a floating duck nesting box for the middle pond in order to help prevent this in future.

Delivery for the floating canopy is scheduled for the 2nd of April. Look to see it in the middle pond in the days following.

Tuesday 13 March 2007

Annual General Meeting

Wednesday 21st March 2007 - 7.30pm
Slateford Green Community Centre


Your chance to question Graeme Russell, Tenancy Services Director at Dunedin Canmore Housing Association, about issues that affect you. Discuss whats been going on through the year, and what should happen.
And most importantly meet your neighbours over a nibble and a drink!

Chair’s Annual Report

I think the main lesson to come from the last 12 months is that we need more involvement from residents in the area, the only way the Association can continue is with the active support of residents.

Positions vacant

We need a new Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary can you help, come along to to the AGM or to the next monthly meeting

2 Residents Associations?


Should there be 2 Resident Associations thats the question, it seems to crop up every year. At the minute only Slateford Green residents are office bearers of the Association and SG residents regularly attend the monthly meetings. This doesn’t need to be the case, it would be good too to have active involvement from both areas, a bigger population catchment is better. If there is no active support from Gorgie Park then maybe the solution is 2 residents associations.

- By Kevin O’Kane, Chair, March 2006 – 2007

Anti-social behaviour

Call it what you like, but the year has been dominated by problems to do with vandalism and disturbance. DCHA and the Police held a meeting in December 2006, frustratingly the Police couldn’t give too much information away and repeatedly said call the police and report anti-social behaviour.

SGGPC Committee members did attend a Problem Solving Partnership Meeting and one of the outcomes will be the Council funding Community Workers to work out of the Community Centre on specified week nights.

For residents the pace of tackling this problem can be very disheartening, especially when it is on our door step.

If you'd like to attend a future problem solving partnership meeting to give your ideas or to just hear what is being done by the various groups involved, either e-mail us or come to the next residents association meeting.

Landscape maintenance

Anti-social behaviour is complex but landscape maintenance is pretty straight forward and I think in the annual report it is right to highlight the neglect of DCHA in this matter. We the residents pay money for maintenance which is not being properly done. If we want to tackle anti-social behaviour DCHA have to set an example and maintain the landscape properly. Neglect of landscape maintenance leads to anti-social behaviour.

One such example is the state of the hedges around the front gardens of Slateford Green. On the railway side of SG most of the hedges have died, this is due not to vandalism of residents but due to bad maintenance. Residents have to live with this eyesore yet after years of complaining DCHA have taken no action to address their bad maintenance. DCHA could over a number of years gradually replant these hedges

Car Parking in Gorgie Park Close

This is this still a major issue, please leave your comments.

Nothing to do

“Nothing to do” – this is a common response when you ask young people. The Resident’s association have funded hip hop dance classes in the past. We are looking at doing more in the next year for kids and young people – can you help? Come along to the AGM or next monthly meeting to find out more.

Community Centre

The community Centre is a great asset for the community, whether its kids parties or dance classes. Again its been well used this year. Unfortunately the successful Café Boo (Mother and Toddlers café), closed with no one willing to take it over. There is an opportunity here waiting to be filled - if you're interested in doing something similar, please let us know.