IT was in the spirit of gratitude that Athol Wesselink, current chairperson of the Pigeon Valley Urban Improvement Precinct (PVUIP), opened the inaugural Annual General Meeting of the newly established Special Rated Area (SRA), Pigeon Valley, hosted at Glenwood Presbyterian Church on Wednesday, January 24 at 17:30. Wesselink welcomed the community role-players, neighbours and active citizens. He also honoured Graham and Bev Muller for kick-starting the UIP process alongside Jon Edkins some three years ago.
There were over 60 residents in attendance, and John White facilitated the proceedings, which included registration and presentations from various Steering Committee members on the budgets, business plan strategy, placemaking pillars, garden maintenance, fault reporting and safety. The meeting concluded with the voting process for the Year 2 Business Plan and new directors. The Municipal UIP manager, Ntombi Maema, was also present, and she was able to confirm that the PVUIP has been following all due diligence and processes as required.
Nick Alcock, who has been instrumental in driving many of the legal and financial processes on the committee, took the opportunity to introduce Richard Thring, the PVUIP manager and Sphindile Msweli, the community co-ordinator, to the residents and welcomed everyone to engage with them or pop into the office at 306 Cato Road, Glenwood.
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Key concerns from ratepayers included crime, grime, safety, illegal building projects, the stormwater drainage in Pigeon Valley, which still isn’t repaired, unresolved fault-reporting matters, outstanding sewerage issues, the increasing numbers of homeless people, challenges arising from some waste collectors, clarity on the services from the Parks and Roads Departments, and the fleet of Uber drivers parked on JB Marks Road where there are no public toilets – with them not taking responsibility for their refuse.
Thring implored residents to engage with the UIP office to resolve matters quickly and to follow the proactive bi-weekly communication broadcasts to residents on the WhatsApp group and updated information on the website.
Reflecting on the past five months since the SRA was established, Alcock remarked that there has been an 87% collection rate, which has enabled the PVUIP to establish an office and employ two full-time staff to drive the urban management process, the installation of three ANPR and CCTV camera installations to date, and the appointment of a garden services contractor to maintain selected public spaces, including the now-established Glenwood Gateway Project at the intersection of Lena Ahrens and Alan Paton roads.
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In conclusion, Calvin Thomas, chairman of the CPF and now director of security on the PVUIP committee, warned those with criminal intentions, “We cannot and will not let crime escalate in our area as we want to ensure the safety of our families and neighbours. The power of the security partnership to fight crime lies in the hands of the collaboration between the CPF, SAPS, a network of security companies, advanced camera technologies and vigilant residence reporting – slowly but surely, we are winning.”
The contact details for the PVUIP offices are 031 205 126 or WhatsApp 072 480 0059. You can email richard@pigeonvalleyuip.durban or go to their website at www.pigeonvalleyuip.durban.
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