As you know if you are reading this then you are probably reading it via the St Andrews website or off our own Melton Parish Council pages. I don’t think many people are bothering to look online so I think a lot of the effort is a bit in vain. It takes a lot of work to put it together and my bit is just a small part. Let’s hope that the physical delivered version of the Melton Messenger comes back soon.
Play Park reopens
We were pleased to be able to open the play park in July. We had to remove 3 swings, closed off one piece of equipment and placed lots of signs around the park reminding users to adhere to government guidance, maintain social distancing and to wash/sanitise their hands frequently. It appears as popular as ever.
The playground had its annual safety inspection with only a few minor points being highlighted and most have been fixed. One issue raised was damage to the zip wire seat. By all accounts this damage was caused by a dog, with the owner actively encouraging it, and was witnessed by a local resident. Very disheartening indeed.
Despite warnings on signs and in the media, I don’t think that all users are taking heed of social distancing as perhaps they should be. This led to other councils being afraid to open their playgrounds but in the end they seem to have capitulated and opened them up despite the risks due to public pressure.
Melton Road Footpath
Over the years the vegetation has crept out from the hedge bordering the park and it has made the path very narrow. We are looking into getting the footpath cleared back so it is wider for pushchairs and passing. The vegetation has crept out my about two feet so this will make a big improvement to the path.
CCTV
A while ago I reported that we were considering having an electric gate to stop vehicles getting in after dark. To that end we laid cable along with draw strings from the pavilion to the main gate. In the end an electric gate would have been very expensive, problematic and perhaps not resolved the issues. However with the duct & cable installed we decided to install CCTV instead. It seems that level of anti-social behaviour has reduced but we don’t know if CCTV is the reason. It gives very good quality images and would help us and the Police to identify any perpetrators who cause trouble in the recreation ground.
Pavilion
We had a meeting of 8 councillors and a local architect early in August to continue the process of replacing the pavilion which has come to the end of its survivable life. We are looking for a robust building with a similar footprint to the old building. We have come up with some basic requirements such as low maintenance, vandal resistant and with a toilet accessible from the outside which is a major request from our community. Once we get some draft plans we shall share them with the community.
Meetings
We put together an Interim Management Committee to oversee the council’s affairs during the Covid19 lockdown. We have had conference calls and Zoom meetings. The last of these meetings was on August 12th. We are resuming our normal schedule of meetings in what I guess people are now calling the ‘new normal’ situation. The meetings for the foreseeable future will be via Zoom with details on how to join on our website.
| Date | Meeting |
| Wednesday September 9th | Recreation |
| Wednesday September 16th | Full Council |
| Wednesday September 23rd | Planning & Transport |
| Wednesday October 14th | Finance, Employment and Risk Management (FERM) |
