EDITOR – So the Holy Rosary School is at it again, just chopping down trees because they are obviously in the way of, what is considered, progress.
It was bad enough when they hacked down the ones in the Shannahan Park last year, presumably because they were going to make a mess on the parents’ cars?
We have been away, and to go down Horwood Street last week and see the desecration they have caused there, almost caused me to run into the car in front, such a shock, and so sad to see.
I fully understand that these trees are aliens and use a lot of water etc, and one would not go and plant any new ones knowing that, but these have been there for years, longer than any one, and I include the teachers presently at this school, and played an important part in the bird and insect life, surely there was no real reason to take them down, there is no room for cars to park there?
One wonders how this total disregard for the environment will be explained to the pupils, they will merely learn that if something is causing a bit of discomfort to the humans, just get rid of it, as with everything else today, immediate gratification .
This school appears to be doing what it wants, with scant regard to the wishes of the residents in Elma Park, one way down Viner during school hours, chopping down trees all over, and having the added security of our enclosure, is reluctantly only prepared to pay a minimum towards it, the guards at the Horwood Rd Boom often help to get the girls across the road safely.
I am sure most of the parents would be happy to pay a bit extra towards their daughters’ safety.
During a big function, the boom, that we residents pay for as our security, is left open to make it easier for all the parents cars, thus compromising our security.
Sorry, Holy Rosary Convent – you are not a very considerate neighbour to have.
FURIOUS, ELMA PARK.
EDITOR’S COMMENT – Mrs Jacinta Lucas, head of Holy Rosary School, commented as follows:
At Holy Rosary School we strive to maintain good relations with our neighbours and the community, and in this, our 75th year of being situated on the edge of Elma Park, we are saddened by this attack on our school and are therefore grateful to be able to set the record straight.
The development at Shanahan Park is exciting for us, as our parent body, together with support from the community, has worked hard to raise funds for the building of our amazing Bishop Shanahan Hall, the current construction of the astro turf and future upgrades yet to come.
Development unfortunately often impacts on the grounds, and so it has been with Shanahan Park as well.
We were advised by the developers to remove Pine trees near the astro, as pine needles are very damaging to the turf.
Equally, we were advised by our tennis court repairers, that the cause of most of our court problems, resulting in expensive ongoing repairs, was the Pine tree roots.
We did not remove the trees without serious consideration, and we will certainly be replanting suitable trees when the construction is complete.
The trees removed on Adjutant Road a few years ago were removed for safety reasons (one had very large, dangerously heavy cones), and then we had to provide for a certain number of parking spots to comply with municipal instructions.
Contrary to statements made, we are quite concerned about the environment and over the last two years, have planted upward of fifty trees – mostly on the main school campus, but also at Shanahan Park, and will continue to do so, both at Shanahan and at the school.
We feel very strongly about recycling, and we therefore opened up our recycling facility to the wider community.
The amount of recycling we do has put us at the top of the EnviroServWaste Management list for a number of months.
We are proud of our community contributions to this project, and thank those who recycle with us.
We intend upgrading the facility and making it more accessible to our neighbours.
The one way down Viner Road was instituted by the Council many years ago, after a number of meetings with Viner Road residents, and this only applies at peak periods before school and at home time, not during all school hours.
This is for the safety of the children, and is common around many schools.
We once again thank these neighbours for their willingness to work with us on improving the safety for our parents and girls.
We will continue to strive towards maintaining good relations with our neighbours and the wider community.
Decisions are always made after careful consideration and, at the end of the day, have to be made in the best interest of our school community, as well as the wider community to which we belong.
