Public invited to discuss future of tennis club

Public invited to meeting to discuss future of tennis club

A PUBLIC meeting about the future of the former Karingal Tennis Club site will be held on October 10.

Karingal’s Phil Lodge said the group would present its plan for the site.
“It’s now at a vital stage where we need to do everything we can to convince Frankston Council to keep the site for the community and not turn it into residential developments,’’ Mr Lodge said.

Frankston Council demolished the derelict pavilion in May this year after it had been left dormant since the tennis club vacated it in 2008. Mr Lodge said since it was torn down it had not been maintained. “It is still a mess and in some respects worse than before,’’ Mr Lodge said.

Council chief executive Dennis Hovenden said since the ordinary meeting in March, council officers had been “thoroughly investigating all options for the future of the site”. “A further report has been finalised to go before council’s October 21 meeting to seek further direction,’’ Mr Hovenden said.

The meeting is at Karingal Place at 7pm.

Frankston Standard Leader P5 - 30 Sept 2013

Details of the meeting can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/170536943138822/

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Frankston Standard Leader
30 Sep 2013

ASYLUM SEEKERS - Some facts without the hype

ASYLUM SEEKERS

Some facts without the hype

The situation with regard to refugees or asylum seekers is not great. It is sad when anybody dies for what ever reason, but that does not make all deaths that occur our responsibility, unless we did something to cause those deaths.

We're 15th in the world for taking Asylum Seekers

Australia is continually criticised in the media for the treatment of asylum seekers and deaths at sea. That according to the media is Australia's fault. We're criticised for being 15th in the world for taking Refugees/Asylum seekers (based on refugees per head of population ).

Nations who take less Asylum Seekers than Australia

Here's a list of nations we know the statistics for that we are ahead of: Turkey, Canada, United States, Finland, Netherlands, Iceland, Yugoslav Republic, Croatia, Italy, Serbia, Switzerland, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Ireland, Lithuania, Poland, United Kingdom, EU-Total (27), Estonia, Latvia, New Zealand, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Rep., Japan, Portugal, Rep. of Korea. Indonesia, Malaysia, China, and Russia aren't on the list at all and there are many many more nations that don't take refugees.

Instead of getting stuck into us every moment of the day, perhaps the press should be saying we're doing well, but perhaps we could do better.

How many Asylum Seekers

The other thing is how many refugee/Asylum Seekers die on route to Australia - i.e. at sea. You can find out relatively easily as Monash Uni keeps statistics, and there is at least one other site that gives the figures year by year. The figures between the two sources roughly correlate.

Asylum Seeker Arrivals by Year

Deaths on Route

So I plotted the number of asylum seekers, no of boats, and number that died by year.

Asylum Seeker Deaths and Boat Arrivals by Year

What is immediately apparent is that there was a huge disaster in 2001 and 336 people died. The response to that was a change or implementation of new policy by the Howard government. Over the next seven years, only a handful died - 28 in total, about 4 per year. Then Rudd/Gillard took over. In the next 4.5 years more than a 1000 people died. The number of people who died is directly proportional to the number of boat arrivals.

Comparisons

Compared with Howard's last year in office Rudd's second year of office produced 18 times as many asylum seekers and 111 deaths compared with none (zero). Rudd's third year in office - 44 times the number asylum seekers arrived, and there were 168 deaths compared with none. Under Gillard it just got worse. By her second term in office the number of asylum seekers was 116 times Howard's last year, and 359 deaths compared with zero.

Life or Death - a policy choice

The media can talk all they like, Labor can criticize all they like. The truth is, that nothing they have suggested will save the thousand lives lost, or the lives that are still to die as a result of their policies. Talk means nothing - but deaths do. You have to choose - do you want policies that will lead to thousands of deaths a year or no deaths and a steadily increasing asylum seeker/refugee intake as our population grows. Our refugee/asylum seeker intake is only beaten by fourteen(14) nation's in the world, rather they come by much safer means and without being exploited along the way.

Frankston Watch

The Value of Public Space

The Value of Public Space

Sir Stuart Lipton, Chairman, CABE

Public space is all around us, a vital part of everyday urban life: the streets we pass through on the way to school or work, the places where children play, or where we encounter nature and wildlife; the local parks in which we enjoy sports, walk the dog and sit at lunchtime; or simply somewhere quiet to get away for a moment from the bustle of a busy daily life. In other words, public space is our open-air living room, our outdoor leisure centre.

The Economic Value of Public Space

A high-quality public environment can have a significant impact on the economic life of urban centres big or small, and is therefore an essential part of any successful regeneration strategy. As towns increasingly compete with one another to attract investment, the presence of good parks, squares, gardens and other public spaces becomes a vital business and marketing tool: companies are attracted to locations that offer well-designed,  well-managed public places and these in turn attract customers, employees and services. In town centres, a pleasant and well-maintained environment increases the number of people visiting retail areas, otherwise known as ‘footfall’. A good public landscape also offers very clear benefits to the local economy in terms of stimulating increased house prices, since house-buyers are willing to pay to be near green space

The Impact on Physical and Mental Health

In the UK ‘Obesity already costs more in public health terms, and will overtake smoking as Britain’s biggest killer in 10-15 years if current trends persist’. There is growing concern about the health of the nation and particularly that of our children and young people. A variety of research has identified these startling facts: 20 per cent of four-year-olds are overweight, and 8.5 per cent of six-year-olds and 15 per cent of 15-year-olds are obese. This increase in obesity is linked to ever more sedentary lifestyles and a reduction in outdoor activity.  Evidence shows that adult patterns of exercise are set early on  in life. Inactivity breeds inactivity, so a lack of exercise when young can in turn create problems in adulthood such as diabetes and heart disease. It is not just the nation’s physical health that is at risk: there are concerns too about people’s mental well-being, given the stressful lives that many now lead. Each year the economy loses millions of working days through stress-related employee absence.

Clearly these problems need to be addressed. Access to good-quality, well-maintained public spaces can help to improve our physical and mental health by encouraging us to walk more, to play sport, or simply to enjoy a green and natural environment. In other words, our open spaces are a powerful weapon in the fight against obesity and ill-health.

The Benefits for Children and Young People

Under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, children have the right to play, recreation and culture. Play is crucial for many aspects of children’s development, from the acquisition of social skills, experimentation and the confrontation and resolution of emotional crises, to moral understanding, cognitive skills such as language and comprehension, and of course physical skills. But increasing urbanisation has left our children with far fewer opportunities than previous generations to play freely outdoors and experience the natural environment. Good-quality public spaces – including well-designed school grounds – can help to fill this gap, providing children with opportunities for fun, exercise and learning.

The Social Dimension of Public Space

Public spaces are open to all, regardless of ethnic origin, age or gender, and as such they represent a democratic forum for citizens and society. When properly designed and cared for, they bring communities together, provide meeting places and foster social ties of a kind that have been disappearing in many urban areas. These spaces shape the cultural identity of an area, are part of its unique character and provide a sense of place for local communities.

Value from Biodiversity and Nature

The significant increase in hard surfacing and the reduction in green spaces lead to higher temperatures in towns and cities than in the surrounding countryside. This is known as the ‘heat island effect’. Vegetation – whether in public spaces or private gardens – can help to redress this imbalance. It brings many important environmental benefits to urban areas, including the cooling of air and the absorption of atmospheric pollutants. Vegetation also provides an opportunity for people to be close to ‘nature’, with the associated positive impact that this can bring in terms of mental health and the simple pleasure of  experiencing trees, birds, possums, ladybirds and other wildlife in an urban situation.

source: Sir Stuart Lipton, Chairman, CABE
http://www.worldparksday.com/files/FileUpload/files/resources/the-value-of-public-space.pdf

Many Thanks to Melinda Shelley for providing the link and support.

https://www.causes.com/posts/821100

Please sign our online petition and come to our public meeting.

You can download an official petition form from here.

Frankston Watch

Ignore the Community - Pursue your own Agenda

 

Ignore the Community - Pursue your own Agenda

Frankston Council's Idea of Community Consultation
Join our Community Event

Frankston City Council whether in whole or in part seems to have a policy of: "Ignore the Community - Pursue your own Agenda."  The words that come from Council's mouth or from Councilors, or the Administration don't matter. It doesn't matter what they say, it's what they do that counts.

You don't have to live in Frankston for very long before you find that whether by word or deed Frankston Council and the Council administration have an active policy of ignoring the wishes of the community, and are intent on pursuing their own agenda.

Just look around, complaint's all around. The Frankston Beach Association says:

A little over 12 months ago, Council released its policy on Community Engagement. This policy document contains statements like:

"Council seeks to demonstrate transparent, open and accountable leadership and will engage the community's talent, knowledge and resources....."

"implementation of local area planning..... enabling input from people who have a stake and an interest in issues affecting their quality of life....."

"Consultation and engagement are essential foundations of a strong community.....".

Despite this policy being in place, we continue to find far too many major decisions being made by Council, where nothing but a veil of secrecy is being applied in the Chamber. We have already highlighted our concerns about the lack of transparency from Council with the South East Water development ..

Not so long ago, a group of residents in Karingal felt they weren't being listened to and so the Karingal Residents Association was formed, and became an incorporated body earlier this year.

Perhaps it is just those two organisations that aren't happy with Franskton Council. But no, there seems to be a growing list. Here's another three, and not all groups that have complaints or "reservations" about Frankston Council's consultation with the community have website's or blogs.

• Long Island Resident's Group
• Kananook Creek Association
• Seaford Community Committee

So what seems to be the problem?

Here's a current example.

Last year (2012) council decided to consult with Karingal Residents and had 40 residents turn up to a workshop.  They created a local area plan. As far as anybody can tell, this is the same as the outcome of the formation of the Karingal Local Area Planning (KLAP) Committee this year 2013 - KLAP Local Area Plan 2013. But if you dig back further in history, there were meetings even before that. No 1 thing on the agenda was always turning the Gretana Crescent Tennis Courts into a useful community green and recreational space. It's been an issue for years.

Lack of real intent and honesty

What really shows the lack of real intent and honesty of Council and the Council administration is that months before the meetings in 2013, before it was even discussed with residents Council had already obtained a permit to pull down the Tennis Court Club rooms. Then they had a meeting to discuss the issue, even though for all practical purposes they had already decided what they wanted to do.

So it seems that Frankston Council thinks it is OK to waste the time of 40 or so residents, 3 or four council staff, for two or three hours, so they can still do what they please. On the issue of Gretana Crescent they have done this a number of times. The truth is that they have known for a number of years the views of residents, but that wasn't what was wanted by the Council and it seems particularly by certain sections of Council Administration. You could almost conclude that since they already had a permit, and once Council felt it had enough support and could get away with it, they went ahead and pulled down the Club rooms as they had intended when they got the the necessary permits in Jan 2013. The only conclusion you can come to from this is that Council actively set out to deceive the residents of Karingal.

We're their play thing

Don't be so harsh you say, you're kidding. After they had pulled down they Club rooms they called another meeting to plan what the site should be used for. Then shortly after Karingal residents were told Council had decided to sell the site anyway.

Council and the Council administration aren't some poor country bumpkins who have no idea what they are doing. They know, and still do it. They disrespect and disregard Karingal residents, and it seems from other sites almost all residents of Frankston. We're their play things.

Join our Community Event

Frankston Watch

Petition to save Gretana Crescent

Petition to save Gretana Crecent

Both the Karingal Residents Association and the Karingal Local Area Planning committee have been working hard on behalf of the community to save Gretana Crescent open space from being sold off. Their latest effort is to create a petition to be presented to Frankston Council.  You can down load the petition here: Petition to Frankston Council

The Petition

The petition aims to have: FRANKSTON CITY COUNCIL RETAIN OWNERSHIP OF THE GRETANA CRESCENT RESERVE. This is rather than sell it off to land developers.

The petition call on the Mayor and Councillors of Frankston City Council to desist any and all moves to sell the Gretana Crescent Reserve for private development and note that:

• Council needs to respect the Karingal Community’s overwhelming desire to retain this open space in full for active and passive recreational purposes such as tennis, basketball and children’s playground;
• The Karingal community places a high value on open space and wants the reserve improved immediately and reserved for our children’s future;
• With the Frankston Housing Strategy forecasting higher density, high-rise housing and the Karingal Activities Structure Plan highlighting the expansion of Karingal Centro, the Karingal community’s reliance on the Gretana Crescent Reserve and other open spaces in Karingal will escalate.

Save the Gretana Reserve meeting

The Karingal Local Area Planning committee is holding a public meeting in support of keeping the Gretana Crescent Reserve as just that. The meeting details are below:

KARINGAL LAP Committee INVITES YOU TO ATTEND

 SAVE
THE
GRETANA RESERVE
RESIDENTS MEETING

When: Thursday October 10, 2013 @ 7.00 pm.
Where: Karingal Place
103 Ashleigh Avenue, Frankston

The Facebook link is here.  Join up, say your coming.

Sign our on line petition here. Yes to broaden the scope of our campaign we have created a Causes petition.

https://www.causes.com/campaigns/34112-frankston-city-council-to-keep-the-gretana-crescent-reserve

Hope fully Frankston Council will realise the Community really wants the Gretana Crescent Reserve kept.

Frankston Watch

Proposed use for the building - ignored by council

From the Herald Sun & Leader

Picture via Herald-Sun, Chris Eastman Source: Leader

An alternate use for the building has been ignored by Council. Katrina Flaherty, Michelle Thomas and David Krause with Zac from amateur theatre group People's Playgroup Inc Kidz for Kidz wanted to use the Karingal Tennis Club rooms as their home base. Picture: Chris Eastman Source: Leader

If council had maintained the building it would not have cost $40,000 to demolish and a fraction of that to maintain. The cost to the Community of Council negligence with regard to maintenance is horrific.

Thanks to the Herald and Leader for following this story. The story can be found here.

Frankston Watch

Proposal for The Gretana Crescent Tennis Court site

The Gretana Crescent
Tennis Courts

Probably within the next few weeks, Frankston Council will make a decision on the future of the Gretana Crescent tennis courts’ site.

There have been numerous community meetings since 2010 to seek feedback from Karingal residents on what is their preferred option.  Consistently, residents have indicated that the site should be retained and developed as a recreation area.

A report is currently being prepared by Council for Councillors which will outline a number of options. These will include the sale of the land either as a whole or in part for residential development. Indications from councillors at this stage are that the preferred option is to sell the land to offset the costs of other projects in and around Frankston and to boost the currently “tight” financial situation of Council. It is estimated that the site is worth around $1.8 million and would be suitable for 8 to 10 building blocks. A trend towards higher density housing could see up to 20 residences built on this site.

The Karingal Local Area Planning Committee and the Karingal Residents’ Association strongly opposes the sale of the site.

Unless councillors receive a strong message from Karingal residents that the sale of the site is NOT an ACCEPTABLE OPTION, we fear that the site will be lost forever and the general amenity of the Karingal area will be further diminished.

The Karingal Local Area Planning Committee and the Karingal Residents’ Association have put forward an alternative proposal which we ask you to support.

THE PROPOSAL

Gretana Cres - Existing Site with overlay of proposed usage of the site
Green is vegetation for noise abatement

• An enclosed Active Recreation Area for ball games e.g. Tennis, Basketball, Cricket, Football and Soccer etc. Off-leash dog exercising, safe bike riding and games for smaller children.
• A landscaped Passive Recreation Area scattered with garden furniture (tables, seats etc.) and exercise equipment.
• A reserved Community Garden Area
• A secure, enclosed Children’s Playground.
• Car parking for approximately 20 cars
• Enclose the area with vegetation for noise abatement and privacy for adjacent residents.

To alleviate the financial burden on Council, we suggest a staged development plan, beginning with an immediate clean up of the existing site, repair or removal of unnecessary infrastructure and a commitment to a regular maintenance program.

The proposal is supported by the Karingal Local Area Planning (KLAP) Committee and the Karingal Residents’ Association(KAR)

This information has been taken from a Brochure prepared by KLAP & KAR.

Frankston Watch

The Gretana Crescent site as it was a few months ago

The Gretana Crescent open space or recreational area, compared with many areas other recreational areas in Karingal is quite large. It is roughly two full size blocks deep and seven blocks wide. The building nearest the road at the top of the picture has been demolished.

You have to ask the question: Why would council administration neglect the site so badly that the building had to be demolished? What sort of outright negligence is that?  Why wasn't the site offered to other community groups? Why wasn't the little bit of money needed for maintenance spent, it would probably have been far less than the cost of demolishing the site?

Gretana Crescent Tennis Courts and Club Rooms
Courtesy Google

Scrooge Campaign (Stop Council Raiding Our Open Green Environment)

Facebook Event: Scrooge Campaign (Stop Council Raiding Our Open Green Environment) 

• Organised by: Karingal Local Area Planning (KLAP) Committee
• Location: Karingal Neighbourhood House
  Karingal Place, 103 Ashleigh Avenue, Karingal 3199
• Date:  10 October 2013
• Time: 7PM - 9PM
  

For some years there has been an ongoing battle between Frankston Resident in Karingal and Frankston City Council. The battle has never been declared, but it none the less exists.

Several years ago, but not to many years ago, the Karingal Tennis Club ceased to exist, purportedly due to lack of interest.  Who knows the exact reason, I certainly have no knowledge of that time, but as always there could have been many reasons apart from the official line. Their site on Gretana Crescent in Karingal became abandoned as a result. But the land, facilities and buildings were under the control of Frankston Council, public land created when the estate first came into being.

Any reasonable person would have seen that a viable site could have been offered for use to some one else. You just have to ask around, a Community Garden, a play area for the kids that are coming into the area with new parents, a Men's Shed. Some have been lobbying for these activities for years. But all this community concern has been ignorantly and blatantly ignored. Worse than that, a valuable and usable site has been neglected so badly, that just a short time ago Council voted to have the Club Rooms as they were demolished - whether that is reasonable or not, no one knows for sure. A bureaucrat will always make the excuse their is no alternative, it's to expensive to renovate, if that's what suits, or makes their job that much easier.

Now Councillor's want to sell the site. Despite, years of opposition to selling, many many meetings, countless hours sent by citizens in good faith, Council wants to act in bad faith.

You will have to read other posts on this site as they are loaded to get the full picture, but it is certainly not a picture of Franskton Council acting on behalf of the community it collects rate from.

We encourage you to come to the meeting on 10 October at Karingal Neighbourhood House, Karingal Place in Ashleigh Avenue 7:00PM. Everybody is welcome.  This is the Facebook Event link: Scrooge Campaign (Stop Council Raiding Our Open Green Environment)

Frankston Watch