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Earley Town Council |
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AMENITIES & LEISURE COMMITTEE Minutes of a meeting of the Amenities & Leisure Committee held in the Council Chamber at the Council Offices, Radstock Lane, Earley, Reading on Wednesday, 6th September 2006 at 7.45 p.m. Present Chairman – Councillor N Jorgenson Councillors M M Ahmed, A T Bradley, T Chambers, D D Chopping, C Rowden, Mrs E Spratling and Mrs C Swindells. Also in attendance: Councillor D Swindells. Apologies for absence were received from Councillors T A Holton, and Mrs F Rolls. 28. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING The Minutes of the meeting held on 28th June 2006 were approved as a true and correct record and signed by the Chairman. 29. FINANCIAL INFORMATIONThe Committee noted details of the financial transactions for the period ended 30th June 2006, a copy of which is appended to these Minutes. With regard to the increase in expenditure for the joint maintenance of Bulmershe Park, it was RESOLVED that the Town Clerk investigate the contractual arrangement with Woodley Town Council to ensure that future payments to that Authority are kept within the Earley Town Council’s budget. 30. COMMUNITY CENTRES 30.1 Maiden Place Community Centre 30.1.1 Redecoration Members were reminded that, because of the high usage of the two Community Centres, regular redecoration was recommended to keep them in good condition. Previously, the Centres had had internal redecoration on a 4-yearly cycle and the Maiden Place Centre redecoration should have been carried out this summer. At the meeting of this Committee held on 18th January 2006, it was resolved not to include funding for the redecoration of Maiden Place for 2006/07 and, therefore, Members were now requested to consider the allocation of a provisional cost sum of £5,500 in the 2007/08 budget to allow the decoration to take place in summer 2007. The Committee was of the opinion that, because of the terms of the lease, the work should be implemented in 2007 but, because of the possibility of excessive dust emission, it should be programmed around any proposed Baptist Church construction work. RESOLVED that the work be approved and scheduled as above. 30.1.2 External Doors From Main Hall Members were reminded that, at the meeting of this Committee held on 18th January 2006, consideration was given to a recommendation from Officers that a sum of £5,000 be built into the 2006/07 budget to cover the cost of replacement of the external doors from the Main Hall (5 pairs of doors in total), but it had been resolved not to allocate funding for 2006/07. The Town Clerk further reported that, since 2005, the doors had continued to deteriorate to the extent that the security bolts had come loose and the bottoms of the doors were rotting away. Photographs were submitted at the meeting. Because the doors were of a non-standard size, it was necessary to have replacements purpose made and, accordingly, five companies had been asked to quote for the work and two quotations, for hardwood doors, had been received as follows: Woods & Langton - £6,595.43 A quotation was, also, awaited from Loddon Door Services who had quoted for softwood, but were advised to quote for hardwood.. This Company had previously carried out very satisfactory work for the Town Council but the other two Contractors, which would provide custom-made doors, were unknown. Members were of the opinion that further quotations should be obtained to include costings for UPVC doors and that sufficient funds should be included in the 2007/08 budget for the work to be carried out as soon as possible after 1st April 2007. RESOLVED that 1. further quotations be obtained to include costings for UPVC doors 30.2 Radstock Lane Community Centre 30.2.1 CCTV Members were reminded that complaints had been received in 2005 regarding cars parked in the car park being broken into. As a result of this, Councillors had requested that quotations be sought for the provision of CCTV equipment to monitor movements in the car park. The Town Clerk reported that a quotation had been received in the sum of £4,600 (there was £4,000 remaining in the 2006/07 budget) with ongoing maintenance of around £500 per year. However, since the spate of incidents in 2005, which seemed to ‘die down’ after a couple of weeks, there had been no further complaints received at the Town Council Offices. In view of this, consideration was given as to whether the Committee wished to pursue the scheme further and instruct Council Officers to obtain two further quotations for consideration at a future meeting, or whether the project should be suspended for the time being, and re-considered if the problem re-occurred. It was noted that there were still problems with the lighting but it was understood that Radstock School was planning to extend its hard surface area which could include additional lighting. It was suggested that, should the School proceed with additional lighting, the Town Clerk negotiate with the Headteacher regarding the Town Council having access to the controls for Community Centre bookings. RESOLVED that 1. enquiries be made with Radstock School as outlined above. 2. consideration of CCTV be deferred to a future meeting if deemed to be necessary. Note: Councillors DD Chopping and Mrs E Spratling declared personal interests and took no part in the voting thereon. 30.2.2 Fresh Air – Lounge/Bar The Town Clerk reported that it had recently been brought to his attention that the Bar/Lounge area, whilst having air conditioning which continually circulated and cooled the air, did not have any means of introducing fresh air into the room. Whilst there was an option for the doors and windows in the Bar/Lounge to be opened to allow fresh air in, the Town Council had always tried to discourage the Social Club Members from doing this, because of the potential for noise disturbance to nearby residents. The Town Council’s contractor had been asked to look at the problem and suggested two possible solutions: 1. To install a fresh air duct that fed directly to the return air of the air conditioning unit which meant that the air conditioning unit would suffer the extremes of ambient temperatures - ‘freezing cold’ in the winter and ‘boiling hot’ in the summer, thus reducing the efficiency of the system at an approximate cost of £750 + VAT. 2. The preferred option - to install a simple heat exchanger unit that virtually eliminated the additional thermal load to the air conditioning unit, thus maintaining the efficiency of the air conditioning unit at an approximate cost of £1,500 + VAT. The Committee noted that there was currently no money set aside in the 2006/07 budget for the work to be carried out but, as it had now been decided not to utilise the CCTV budget, the sum could be met with a virement from that budget, with the surplus being returned to the general balance. RESOLVED that 1. Option 2 be approved and financed by a virement from the CCTV budget. 2. the surplus of the CCTV budget be returned to the general balance. 30.2.3 Community Association - Extension of Hours Consideration was given to a request from the Community Association for two extensions of hall hire as follows: Saturday 30th September to 12 midnight for a Casino Night Members’ were reminded that the Council’s hiring policy was 11.30 pm on Saturdays and last year a request for an extension to 12.30 am for a Christmas Dance had been approved. In accordance with the terms of the Council’s use of the site, the Head Teacher of the School had been invited to comment on the request and she had no objection to either application. It was also, noted that any approval would be subject to Caretaking cover. RESOLVED that subject to satisfactory Caretaking arrangements, the extension of hours be approved. 31. MAIDEN ERLEGH LOCAL NATURE RESERVE 31.1 Pollution Incident Members were advised that on Thursday, 27th July a pollution incident occurred in the woods at the Local Nature Reserve. Investigation by the Park Ranger Service and the Head Bailiff showed that there was a surcharging manhole cover which had caused pollution in the stream, on the woodland floor and, also, in the outlet into the culverted section of the stream. It was discovered that one of the Chambers was filled with bricks and other debris. A number of dead fish had been observed. Both Thames Water and the Environment Agency were informed and a Contractor arrived on the site the same day. A full report of the incident, written by the Senior Park Ranger, was available in the Council Offices for Member’s perusal. The Environment Agency had taken statements from the Senior Park Ranger and the Head Bailiff but, for a number of reasons, which were given in the Senior Park Ranger's report, it took two days before the problems were finally resolved, with the Contractor finally leaving the site at around 3 pm on Saturday, 29th July. Compared with the incident that took place in 2004 when there was major pollution in the lake, this occurrence was less serious. Nevertheless, it had involved the Council staff in considerable extra work and overtime which had to be paid. Additionally, there was some loss of fish. Accordingly, the Town Clerk advised Members that he was pursuing a claim for compensation against Thames Water which had responded, stating that the claim had been passed to its Contractors. The Senior Park Ranger reported that he understood that the Environment Agency would be prosecuting the Water Authority concerning the incident and, also, that there had been a further incident of pollution which occurred today. RESOLVED that the relevant staff be commended for their prompt action following discovery of the incident. 31.2 Gas Mains Replacement Members were advised that on 15th August, Southern Gas set up compounds, without prior warning, on the Town Council's Local Nature Reserve. Although the Council Offices had been notified by Wokingham District Council that gas main work was to be undertaken in the vicinity, at no time had consent been sought for the location of the compounds on Town Council land. Southern Gas had been requested to move its equipment to a more appropriate site and to dismantle the compound but, as no action had been taken, the Town Clerk advised that he had contacted the appropriate authorities with a view to either relocating the compound and equipment or, if this proved not to be possible because there was no other suitable site in the area, agreeing an appropriate licence fee for the use of the land for the period that it was likely to be occupied by the Contractor. The Senior Park Ranger reported that he had been informed by the contractors that it was intended to relocate the equipment but, as there was no crane transporter or driver available at the current time, it was anticipated that the move would take place prior to 11th September. The Chairman reported that Mr B Hackett was present at the meeting and wished to speak to Members on behalf of the Maiden Erlegh Resident’s Association. Mr Hackett stated that MERA had been notified of the impending work and, on observation of the site, assumed that it had been agreed that the compound be sited on Town Council land. He expressed concern as to whether damage to the site would be properly rectified and felt that it would be preferable if Southern Gas paid the Town Council to reinstate the area rather than attempt restoration itself. The Committee expressed concern with regard to the lack of a contract and requested the Town Clerk to negotiate a formal contract with Southern Gas to include occupation and reinstatement of the site plus any legal fees incurred. RESOLVED that the Town Clerk be authorised to negotiate a formal contract with Southern Gas as outlined above. 31.3 Reservoirs Act 1975 The Committee noted that the Annual Supervising Engineer's Report for the lake, covering the period September 2005 to August 2006, had been received and that there were no important issues outstanding. A copy was being sent to the Environment Agency as the Enforcement Authority by the Executive Engineer. In the report the Engineer had drawn the attention of the Town Council to recent developments with regard to the proposed programme for introducing reservoir flood planes for Category ‘A’ reservoirs. Members were advised that this might incur a cost to the Town Council but, at the present time, this was unknown. It was further noted that, before implementation of this proposal there would be a consultation exercise undertaken. 32.1 Minutes of the Sol Joel Park Sub-Committee Consideration was given to the Minutes of the Sol Joel Park Sub-Committee Meeting held on 11th July, a copy of which is attached to these Minutes for the information of Members. RESOLVED that 1. the report be received and approved and the Recommendations contained within items 2 and 3 be adopted.
3. Recommendation 4.1 be amended to read “arrangements be made for the Town Mayor and Chairman of the Amenities & Leisure Committee to meet informally with the Chairman of Governors at Maiden Erlegh School and other appropriate members of staff to pursue items of potentially mutual interest. 32.2 Other Matters 32.2.1 New Play Equipment The Town Clerk reported that quotations had been received for a standard specification for replacement play equipment at the children's play area as follows: Wicksteed Leisure £14,965.00 Members noted that the three quotations were all above the £10,000 threshold for tenders, as specified in financial regulation 11.1(e). Consideration was, therefore, given as to whether to invite sealed tenders using the procedure in financial regulation 11.1(f) or to recommend to Council that a suspension of Standing Orders, without further recourse to the tender process, be approved. RECOMMENDED that
2. the quotation of Wicksteed Leisure in the sum of £14,965.00 be approved and the additional cost be financed by a virement from the Radstock Lane Community Centre CCTV budget. 32.2.2 Attendance at Sol Joel Park Sub-Committee Meetings Consideration was given to the possible issue of invitations to potentially interested parties to attend the Sol Joel Park Sub-Committee Meetings. RESOLVED that representatives from appropriate organisations be invited to attend future meetings of the Sub-Committee when the pavilion plans are due to be discussed. 32.2.3 Proposed New Pavilion: Funding Consideration was given to means of funding the proposed new Pavilion. RESOLVED that Members’ suggestions be forwarded to the Town Clerk for consideration at the next meeting of this Committee. 33. SKATEPARK/BMX TRACK – RIVERSIDE PARK Members were reminded that an application had been submitted to the National Lottery ‘Awards for All’ programme for a grant of around £8,000 to cover the cost of specialist Consultant Architects, Groundwork Thames Valley, to assist with drawing up plans and submitting separate planning applications in respect of the provision of a skatepark and BMX track on Riverside Park. The Town Clerk reported that notification, received on 24th August from Awards for All, advised that the application had been unsuccessful. He further reminded Members that, Minute 93 of the meeting of this Committee held on 22nd March allowed for the appointment of ‘ordinary’ Architects, which was seen as a ‘fall back’ position if the Lottery Grant application was unsuccessful. In view of the fact that it had been necessary to ask for re-quotes from some companies, and some of those quotations had not been received at the time of preparation of the Agenda, a list of quotations was submitted to the meeting for the information of Members. In deliberating the quotations received, consideration was given to, not only the cost, but also the experience and expertise of the companies concerned and their ability to be able to make a positive contribution to the project. RESOLVED that, subject to sight of a suitable Professional Indemnity Insurance and the assurance that, in the event of non-completion of the work for any reason, all work would be released without further cost, the quotation of Neil Thomson Landscape Architect in the sum of £2,400.00 plus VAT be approved. 34. GREEN FAIR The Committee noted that the Green Fair was, again, very successful and, for the third year running, there had been an increase in the attendance. Members were asked to note that the Secretary of MERA had contacted the Town Clerk to pass on its congratulations to the staff and relevant Committees of the Council for organising and supporting the Fair. A number of MERA Committee members were present as stallholders and others as visitors, and they had all remarked on how good and enjoyable the event was. The Secretary had requested that it be recorded that MERA was particularly impressed by the hard work put in by Council staff and Bailiffs in providing equipment and support to the stalls. The Committee, also, echoed the above comments and requested that its thanks be forwarded to the staff involved. Members were reminded that, at Minute 22 of the last meeting of this Committee, it had been resolved that the Town Clerk prepare a report on the two items identified for consideration by this Committee and that the report on the second item, namely "Improve the Environment and Social Liveability of the District" be put to this meeting. It was, further, noted that this item would also be considered by the Youth & Community Sub-Committee. Members were advised that this priority related to land and highways that was assessed as having combined deposits of litter and detritus that fell below an acceptable level and, also, fly tipping. The targets were the responsibility of Wokingham District Council but consideration was given to ways in which Earley Town Council could contribute to the general environmental and social liveability within the Town boundary. Specifically, the role of the Council employed Litter Picker was relevant to this objective, but his employment fell within the remit of the Planning Committee. Nevertheless, there were many areas of open space under the stewardship of Earley Town Council where a positive contribution could be made. Other measures that were highlighted within this priority included the percentage of household waste that was recycled and composted and, also, air quality targets. Members were further referred to the general section of the Draft Town Plan where it stated that the Town Council would seek to, through close liaison with the District Council, bring about an improvement in the management of the open spaces currently managed by that authority, particularly Chalfont Park, Laurel Park and the Events Field in Kilnsea Drive. In consideration of this item, the Committee noted that there had been an increase in the litter problem around the shrubbery area of Sol Joel Park but, unfortunately, there were no staffing resources available to deal with the problems. Members, also, expressed their support of the garden waste green bag scheme and looked forward to an extension of the scheme to cover the whole of Earley. RESOLVED that
2. a letter be sent to Wokingham District Council to express the Town Council’s support of the Green Garden Waste scheme and to advise that it looked forward to an extension of the scheme to cover the whole of Earley. Members were reminded that, at Minute 39 of the Town Council Meeting held on 26th July, it was resolved that the following sections of the Town Plan be looked at by the Amenities & Leisure Committee: Maiden Erlegh Local Nature Reserve The Town Clerk further reported that, since the tabling of the Draft Town Plan at the Town Council Meeting on 26th July 2006, further comments had been received which would be incorporated into the relevant sections of the Draft Plan for consideration at a future meeting of this Committee. RESOLVED that the matter be deferred to a future meeting of this Committee. 37. FINANCIAL REVIEW The Committee noted that a Summer Play Club was held at the Radstock Lane Community Centre from 24th July until 1st September. Prior to the commencement of the Club, 72 advance bookings were taken, 21 of which were received via the Town Council’s leaflet drop at local schools and the remaining 51 were from previous bookings via the office database. No bookings had been received via the forms issued through the Fun Day. Attendance figures were set out below with last year’s figures in brackets. For comparison, actual possible attendance figures at any one session per week would have been 160.
* Short week because of Bank Holiday Members were reminded that in 2005, two schemes were operating over the period from Week 2 to Week 5 and the attendances for that year included both of these schemes, namely Radstock and Chalfont. It was noted that there was a general decline in attendance of the Playclub, mainly due to more diverse schemes being offered by other providers. 37.2 Financial Information The Committee noted details of the financial information is as follows:
38. PUBLICATIONS Members noted that the following publication had been received and were available for viewing at the Council Offices:
39. ONGOING MATTERS
40. PRESS RELEASES RESOLVED that the items relating to the Green Fair, the Sol Joel Park Pavilion, Earley Environmental Group and the Green Fair should receive emphasis. 41. TERMINATION OF MEETING The meeting was declared closed by the Chairman at 10.26pm. |
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