Ainsley Area Residents Association - Meeting 4th November 2009

Ainsley Area Residents Association

Held Wednesday 4^th November 2009

6pm Robert Shaw Primary School

Present:

Anthony Kelly (Chairman)

Michael Thomas (Secretary), Christine Thomas (Treasurer), Lynn Shepherd, Chris Earley, Jo Bride, Brian Bird, Peter Dixon

In Attendance:

Councillor Gary Long

Councillor Alex Foster

Karen Coker (Head Teacher, Robert Shaw School)

Susan Ward-Rice (NAO, Nottingham City Council)

1. Apologies

Roger Codling

2. Matters Arising from the Previous Minutes

These were agreed as a true record.

David Lloyd Leisure Centre

Following a letter to David Lloyd a response was received thanking the committee for bringing the Grassington Road part of their property to their attention. Members of staff from the centre cleared the existing litter and they had asked their gardening company to trim back the vegetation. At the time of this meeting it looks as though this work has been carried out.

Grab-a-Grand Competition

The association was unsuccessful in its attempt to be shortlisted for this competition but Robert Shaw was. Robert Shaw Primary School was the winner within Area 3. Congratulations to the school for winning.

Football Match Community Event

Applications were received from residents of the estate and on this occasion there are sufficient funds from last year’s community chest application to send everyone to the match that applied. Tickets for the match are on general sale from the 21^st November. The Secretary will go to purchase the tickets at this time and it was agreed to distribute the tickets to the residents a day or 2 before the match.

Action : Michael Thomas

Arbrook Drive

Given the relatively small amount of traffic that would seem to be using Arbrook Drive, possibly as a cut through, an official traffic survey is unlikely to take place. There is always the possibility of the residents conducting a mini-survey in traffic volume themselves at the times they feel are the worst during the day.

3. Robert Shaw Playing Field Updates

With a great effort from the Karen, Susan, Gary and Alex the field has now been opened. The meeting has been informed that the field has started to be used already and Karen told the meeting that it already seems to be having a positive impact on the reduction in the illegal use of the school grounds.

A combined litter and dog waste bin is on order as well as a new sign for the gates and a notice sign for the school informing anyone thinking of using the school grounds that the field is now open.

A litter pick has been initially done around the entrance which seems to have been litter exposed following the ground works. Brambles near the entrance have been cut to the floor and one of the committee was hoping to try and remove these stumps this Saturday afternoon to neaten the area up further dependant on the weather. Any helpers would be welcome on any weekend.

4. West Area Committee Community Chest Application

A few suggestions were put forward for the application for this years Community Chest grant application. The closing date is 27^th November. It was agreed that the Secretary would put together a costed application from the previous year’s ideas or this years suggestions.

Action : Michael Thomas

5. Any Other Business

No other business was raised.

6. Date of Next Meeting.

Wednesday 6^th January 2010 at 6pm Robert Shaw School

A Bit More Work

The grounds people have done the best job they can so far with the field given the state that it was in. Whilst I was there at least 15 different children and a couple of Adults came on the field to use it and we have been informed that illegal use of the School grounds has dropped significantly which is fantastic.

Hopefully we can get some goal posts on soon and sort out the insurance issue regarding these. Who would have thought that had to be so exacting.

Whilst not essential to the use of the field, one of the Residents Association cleared up a bit of the debris where the brambles had been removed and cleared the entrance up some more to give them field a more inviting feel. A lot of the debris has been moved but while a couple of stumps were removed they are a little challenging to get rid of so this is a job for another day with a sharp spade.

It was gratifying that while the committee member was working several of the youngsters on the field were wanting to help out. They level of assistance they offered was debatable given their young age but the thought was there.

Southfield Road Playing Field

Thanks to a large amount (10 years) of effort by Robert Shaw Primary School, local Neighbourhood officers and the local Lib Dem Councillors the Southfield Road Playing Field is finally open again.

At the moment a significant square has been cut to enable football to be played on a marked mini-pitch. The ground is in an OK condition but now it is being maintained again hopefully it will start to recover and reach a better condition.

The entrance has been improved and cleared to enable access and as I was passing saw one young lad venturing on to have a look.

The company have cut away significant amount of brambles close to the entrance but hopefully with some assistance from other members of the Residents Association we can litter pick and weed this area to remove the remaining stumps and flatten the ground a bit more.

In the years to come, hopefully, with more council and school assistance we can make further improvements now that the ground work has been completed.

A big thank you to everyone involved.