The clean-up took place this past weekend as part of ongoing maintenance efforts.
Sean Riley, co-founder of the group and a Bryanston resident, explained the reason behind hosting the clean-up.
“We wanted to create an interest in the park and make it a place for residents to be able to enjoy with their families,” he said.
“It’s such a lovely park and we wanted to keep it clean and make it safer for residents.”
Riley also explained that part of the clean-up included handing over two petitions to Ward 102 councillor, David Potter, to get the City of Johannesburg to maintain the park. The first petition would call for the park to be reclassified by the Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, while the second focused on issues around the storm water tunnel dug up by the City. “We decided to send the City these petitions because we’ve tried engaging them previously to no avail, so we opted to go the formal route and send a petition,” Riley said.
Potter, who made a brief appearance at the clean-up, confirmed receiving both petitions. “The residents have submitted a petition related to the Krom Road Park; in essence, the park is currently classified as a Public Open Space and needs to be reclassified as a developed park to ensure that City Parks gives it the maintenance and upkeep it deserves,” he said.
Potter also touched on the second petition, relating to the state of the storm water system, which he said was a source of concern to both him and the residents. He further explained that, while Joburg Water had fixed their side of the issue, the Johannesburg Roads Agency has allegedly done nothing to sort out the flow of the storm water.
“This petition asks the City to conduct a full assessment of the state of the storm water system, especially at the mid-block of the park, as well as committing JRA to remedial action,” Potter concluded.
The park clean-up took place on 27 February from 9am to 12pm.
Details: For more information on the petition, e-mail david@oursuburb.com
