With the end of the year here, Ward 18 Clr Heather Hart has breathed a sigh of relief.
Hart described 2020 like being on a treadmill on top of a speeding roller coaster.
“The first three months of lockdown were fraught with stress,” said Hart.
“People in Edenvale had no food; they were suffering financially. The double whammy on top of all the uncertainty of when things were going to get better took its toll.
“But despite all the challenges which everyone faced, life had to go on.”
Hart said the urban decay in Edenvale was already bad before lockdown, and it has only worsened.
She said the biggest problems the town is facing include the maintenance of parks, pavements, roads and basic service delivery.
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In Hart’s opinion, these problems were exasperated by the reallocation of funds to Covid-19 relief efforts.
Another problem that arose during lockdown was the numerous disconnection notices which were issued to residents who were, in fact, up to date on their payments to the municipality.
Hart said this had to do with the shortage of staff at the municipality which could not cope with the workload.
“Although I had many sleepless nights about the disconnection notices, ultimately the municipality decided not to disconnect any individuals until the backlog was caught up.”
Hart said because of the year being what it was, there were not many victories; however, she said the upgrades to Horwoods’ Farm were “coming along nicely”.
“It is a big and detailed project which cannot be rushed, but once it is completed it will be impressive.”
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Next year Hart hopes to focus on:
• The Illiondale Wetland project
• Improving the safety of Second Street
• Petitioning for the Founders Hill Development to have its entrance on the P91
• To have better recycling facilities for informal recyclers
“2020 never stopped and I believe we are going to feel the repercussions of this year for a long time.”
Hart said although this year was bad, there were municipal officials and community members who stepped up and went beyond the call of duty.
She wished everyone a good festive period and asked that everyone obeyed and respected the laws.
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