PRABOA Newsletter | 17 December

Dec 17, 2019 | News, SafeParks News

Newsletter – 17 December 2019

Introduction to new committee members

Mike Rosholt: Will be assisting with the infrastructure portfolio at PRABOA. Email: infrastructure@parkhurstvillage.com 

Richard Foxcroft: Owns T-shirt Terrorist on 4th Avenue, and plans to build a closer relationship between residents and businesses in Parkhurst. Email: business@parkhurstvillage.com 

Pumie Mathami: Pumie is a resident who helps to coordinate the car guards on 4th Avenue. Email: carguards@parkhurstvillage.com 

Andrew Lockett: Plans to drive new membership sign-ups and revitalize marketing within PRABOA. He works as a Projects Manager for a large logistics company. Email: marketing@parkhurstvillage.com 

New sub-committee on environmentally-friendly interventions 

There is a new PRABOA sub-committee considering renewable power and rainwater harvesting solutions for Parkhurst. To get involved, please email Ryan Hawthorne: technical@parkhurst.org.za 

Call for applications: administrative assistant

PRABOA is looking for an administrative assistant. Please contact Catherine Grainger for details: architecture@parkhurstvillage.com 

Call for volunteers

PRABOA could use your help! Please get in touch and let us know what you are interested in or raise your hand at the AGM on Tuesday 19 November 2019. We could really use help with building plan approvals for the area. We need assistance with the car guard solution for homeless people. We can help put you in touch with Incredible Edible Parkhurst if you are interested. We could really use help with our website, communication and marketing particularly with the SafeParks/Parksec safety project. Do you want to help set up the next Village Fair? Please let us know! Please get in touch with Cheryl Labuschagne (chair@parkhurstvillage.com) to volunteer.

Safety

Year-end donations for our Cortac patrolling guards:

We again this year want to ask for contributions to a Christmas gift collection for all our loyal and dedicated Cortac guards. Thank you for those who so generously donated last year, the guards appreciated it so much.

They provide such an outstanding and professional service to keep us all safe. We will appreciate if you are willing and able to contribute to this initiative so that we can hand them a deserving donation. Please bear in mind there are almost 30 guards on duty, as there are three shifts rotating over time. We thank you for any contribution you are willing to make:

Please use the reference:Cortac guards

Account name:  Parkhurst Residents and Business Owner’s Association (PRABOA)
Bank: Standard Bank
Branch: Jan Smuts Avenue
Branch code: 004205
Account number: 422263346
Deadline for contributions: 25 December 2019

Join the Security Oversight Committee

We urgently need resident volunteers to join our Oversight Committee. Please note that due to the confidential functioning of this Committee, volunteers will be interviewed, will have to sign our Terms of Reference, be willing to dedicate sufficient time to serve the cause and be active contributors to SafeParks and Cortac.

Safety

  • Do not leave doors or gates open, even only for a minute, to go outside your property. We also find an alarming number of garage or gate doors open, where the resident is not even visible, but instead went inside to fetch or do something.
  • Please load the Cortac Control telephone number as a  Favourite or Speed dial.
    Please do not talk on your phone while standing on the pavement along 4th ave in Parkhurst.
  • Regularly test your alarm and panic buttons with the Cortac Control Room, as well as upgrade and review your home security and electric fencing.
  • We have a huge amount of false alarms (On average every 5 minutes  in Parkhurst over the last few months). Every alarm alert is responded to and the time taken and resources used means they cannot effectively patrol.
  • With summer coming up, please properly trim your garden plants and tree branches that can lead to false electric fencing and beam alarms during storms.
  • We also find that in addition to parking cars that are prone to being stolen in the streets, people also leave valuable or visible items in cars parked in the streets, leading to unnecessary break-ins that could have been avoided.
  • Install a Digipad or key lock-box at home to enable Cortac to access your property in an emergency or security event (do not allow a security company to use a master key solution to gain access to your property, this can and does lead to security breaches).
  • When you are driving or walking in our suburb, please be on the lookout for  any suspicious activity that seems unusual or out of place. Always remember: If you looked twice then call it in!

Cameras

Residents would have noticed new camera poles being installed throughout Parkhurst. These poles were installed by Vumacam (a Vumatel subsidiary). SafeParks have had lengthy negotiations with Vumacam and recently agreed the activation of  the first phase of camera poles by Vumacam, we hope that these will soon go live and then contribute to managing security in our suburb through this additional safety initiative.    

Additional safety initiatives:

SafeParks and our service provider Cortac have recently rolled out a number of additional proactive initiatives, including undercover operations, to combat crime.

We can only deploy more security resources with community support. If you wish to sign up, please email Lynn Rushton (lynn@safeparks.joburg). If you want to get our weekly crime/ safety newsletter, please also contact Lynn. Please visit our Facebook and website pages:

Facebook: Parksec / Safeparks: https://www.facebook.com/ParksecSafeParks/
Website: https://parksecsafeparks.co.za and https://www.parkhurstvillage.com/join

Architecture, heritage and town planning 

The Architecture and Town Planning Committee would like to welcome Emma Snaddon to the committee. Emma is a Professional Architect who has volunteered her time to help the committee with the considerable number of plan submissions we receive every month. We are very grateful to her for offering her time and expertise.

We are always looking for architects or other built environment professionals to help the committee. If you can offer some time to this portfolio, please email us at architecture@parkhurst.org.za

We have received an encouraging number of applications for the role of administrative assistant to PRABOA (and especially to the Architecture and Town Planning portfolio). Many thanks to those of you who have applied. We are currently reviewing applications and are looking to appoint someone early in the new year.

We would like to thank all residents who followed due process in getting their plans approved by PRABOA, PHRAG and Council in 2019. These processes are designed to ensure that Parkhurst is protected and developed in a way that benefits us all. More applications were received by the committee this year than ever before.

Car guard initiative

Parkhurst now has 39 car guards vetted by the SAPS, with photo IDs and Ukheshe accounts. The results thus far have been really positive, with numbers of crimes having declined significantly. Please support these registered car guards, rather than giving money to other unvetted car guards hanging around. We need some help in respect of addiction and other social problems. Are there any volunteers out there that could help? We also need help with scheduling / coordinating the car guards. Further details, including the scheme rules and application form are available here:

https://parkhurstvillage.com/projects/car-guard-initiative/. For more information, please contact Ryan Hawthorne: technical@parkhurstvillage.com.

Parkhurst Recreation Centre timetable

Parkhurst Clinic – 0117881526/7
Parkhurst Library – 0117884510
Joburg Connect – 0860562874
Verity Park Swimming Pool – 0110251992
PRABOAchair@parkhurstvillage.com

A Re Sebetseng – Bring It Back Home

Useful contacts for repairs (please sign up for Cllr Tim Truluck’s newsletter for more information):

 

  • Small Potholes & Reinstatements (where another entity has dug it up and left it) – log with hotline@jra.org.za
  • Blocked Kerb Inlet (stormwater drain) – log with hotline@jra.org.za
  • Sidewalk a mess – you can try logging it with JRA as above, but they probably won’t fix it as they have limited budget and are really focussing on roads. If you can sort out this yourself, it would be a great help. Please try and keep it walkable with tar or brick paving.
  • Weeds growing in kerbs? The city allocates very little money for what they call skoffeling – so please could you clean out the weeds yourself?
  • Missing covers – this is a continual problem as they are always being stolen by metal thieves. Log them with hotline@jra.org.za and see what happens.
  • Water leaks/leaking hydrants – log with customer@jwater.co.za
  • Sewer blockages – log with customer@jwater.co.za
  • Water meter damaged or blocked – please carefully dig around or remove earth clogging it up. If it is leaking or damaged – log with customer@jwater.co.za
  • Street sign missing? Log with hotline@jra.org.za When they have stock they should replace it.
  • Street markings faded? Log with hotline@jra.org.za. When they have stock of paint they should be able to repaint it.
  • If there is trash dumped by yourself, please pick it up and put it into your trash bin, or take it to a Pikitup Garden Site like the one at Pirates. If someone has dumped the trash – have a look through it to see who dumped it and contact them to tell them to remove it. If that doesn’t work, then call 011-375-5555 option 4, to request Pikitup to collect it.
  • Does the street tree need trimming? Are there dead branches? Log with 011-375-5555 option 0. Then send your councillor an email every 2 weeks with name. cell, address, ref #, date logged, problem – it usually takes a few months to sort out due to budget issues.
  • Has your tree got shothole borer? Look for little holes, discoloured stains, sawdust collecting on the trunk, gum coming out from the trunk and branches, dead branches, discoloured leaves. Report it to trees@jhbcityparks.com. You can try and water it and feed it fertiliser to keep it strong. But certain trees like oaks, planes, box alders, Chinese maples, liquid ambers will probably die. Follow instructions in the point above to request for dead trees to be removed.
  • Street Light out – log online with citypower.mobi. Include the exact address and pole number.
  • No street number, or the number is on the wrong street (for corner houses) – please put up a number. This is especially important for emergency vehicles and for when cut-off teams from COJ go out.

Environment

 

Owl Box Initiative

After the installation of an Owl Box in 21st Street/Hamilton Park, there are 23 Owl Boxes in Parkhurst, unfortunately none of these boxes are currently occupied, however in Parktown North one of the boxes is occupied. For more information please contact EcoSolutions on 011 791 7326, alternatively please contact Lize Hough at  environment@parkhurstvillage.com.

 

21st St / Hamilton Ave Park

Thank you to everyone who joined the cleanup of 21st Street/Hamilton Park, it was a great success. The group of volunteers collected more than 30 bags of rubbish. Thank you to the sponsors who contributed to the success of the day. This is a lovely public space and should be enjoyed by everyone.

For more information on the park, send a WhatsApp message to 066 421 2406 to join our WhatsApp Broadcast, or visit our Facebook page “Hamilton Park-Johannesburg”.

Please keep an eye out for notices on the I Love Parkhurst Facebook page and please contact Lize Hough at environment@parkhurstvillage.com to get involved!

Verity Park

 

As always, a plea to park users: By not cleaning up after your dog, you are making the park an unpleasant place for others. Please be considerate and stay with your dog, cleaning up any deposit along the way..

If you would like to contribute to the fund that pays for the cleaning of the park, and the bags, please use the following information:

Verity Park User Group
Nedbank Greenside
Account number 1003267173
Branch code  198765

Parkhurst Primary

PRABOA has a close working relationship with Parkhurst Primary. To get involved, please contact Kundayi Munzara (kundayi@parkhurstvillage.com).

Call for volunteers

PRABOA could use your help! Please get in touch and let us know what you are interested in. We could really use help in the town planning area. We need assistance with a car guard solution for homeless people. We could use help on our website and with communications. We can help put you in touch with Incredible Edible Parkhurst if you are interested. We could really use help with our website, communication and marketing particularly with the SafeParks/Parksec safety project. Do you want to help set up the next Village Fair? Please let us know! Please get in touch with Cheryl Labuschagne (chair@parkhurstvillage.com) to volunteer.

Internet

If you don’t manage to get sufficient support from your ISP please send an email to aerial@vumatel.co.za. You can also contact Ryan Hawthorne (technical@parkhurstvillage.com). We are currently looking for solutions for member management and community interaction for PRABOA / SafeParks / Parksec. Please get in touch with Ryan if you have any ideas on this.  

PRABOA AGM 2019

You can find the YouTube video of the 2019 AGM and all of the PRABOA committee member reports here: https://parkhurstvillage.com/about/agm/agm-2019/ 

Leaving Parkhurst?

PRABOA is a Public Benefit Organisation and has to stick to SARS rules. Among these are NO REFUNDS. So we cannot reverse debits if you have already left!  

Please let us know as well as Cortac.  A simple email to admin@parkhurstvillage.com is all that is needed. Please send it in the first half of your last month. Then I will usually cancel you by return of email. If the cancellation comes after the debit order run has been loaded (often about 22 of each month) you cannot be refunded.

 

Cutting down on expenses?

If you want to save money by discontinuing SafeParks while continuing Cortac alarm monitoring, think carefully. The rate you pay Cortac is a reduced rate for SafeParks contributors. If you do not contribute to SafeParks, Cortac would charge around R900 per month, which is more than the combined rate of R799, which is why they don’t offer it. Cutting either of these might affect your insurance cover.