Blog – Page 22 – Connolly Residents Association Inc.

Carnaby Reserve Aug – Sep 2019

This is a lovely time of the year in Carnaby Reserve and if you walk through you will be amazed at how quickly the bush has recovered with the benefit of rain. June onwards is the best time to establish new plants so we are hopeful that the 30+ planted inside the new fence on Fairway Circle will grow strong and healthy.

According to the Nyoongar calendar we are now in Djiba – the time of second rains usually cold with clear days combined with warmer, rainy and windy days. Also the time for yellow flowering plants – Acacias and Hibbertia.

As we start another exciting few months of bush care I would like to thank the members of the friends group i.e. Robyn, Roger, Jacquie, Anne B, Maureen, Rick, Don, Wendy, Mitchell and Kaye for their dedication, support, knowledge and many, many hours of hand weeding, also our contractor Andrew for his effort and outstanding photography.

The 300+ seedlings planted in the northern section last August are also benefiting from the prolonged heavy showers. Many Greenhoods are 20cm (12inches) tall already which may indicate a very good year for our native orchids. August and September are the best months for spotting them in the reserve and from the paths in and around St Michae’ls Park.

Heavy rain is always welcome after a dry autumn, but weeds and perennial grasses love it too, which makes for extra work for the friends group and will keep us busy until December.

If you have a spare hour or two on a Wednesday afternoon or a Sunday morning, please feel free to join us.

Details of meeting time and place will be on our Facebook page (Friends of Carnaby Reserve) and Connolly Residents’ Association Facebook Page.

Chairperson’s Blog Aug – Sep 2019

THERE HAS BEEN SOME PROGRESS IN TWO MATTERS WE HAVE BEEN PAYING ATTENTION TO. FIRSTLY, RESIDENTS would have seen City of Joondalup boards at the entrances to the Connolly Shopping Centre explaining that it had received a planning application to convert the supermarket into three tenancies: a childcare Centre, consulting room for medical practitioners and a shop. The childcare would operate from 7am to 6pm and have a maximum capacity of 100 children and 17 staff. The City requested feedback on the proposal by 19 July. It is a positive move that something is happening at the shopping Centre so we will monitor progress on what transpires. SECONDLY, THE “CONNOLLY” ENTRY STATEMENT AT THE CORNER of Shenton Avenue and Fairway Circle, being the intersection closer to the freeway, at the time of writing, is nearing completion. Thanks to the City for acknowledging our request for it to be done. Residents would have received their City of Joondalup Rate Notices for the 2019/2020 financial year. General rates for Residential Improved have increased by 2.25%, Emergency Services (Levied by the State Government) by 2.44% and Refuse charges have remained static. With other control measures it has taken, the City explains that the operating budget for the year is a small surplus.

The increases are above current inflation, although the City envisages inflation increasing during the next financial period. Major projects highlighted in the budget documents specific to Connolly, are $350 000 for Princeville Tor pollutant traps and $70 000 for Huntingdale Park irrigation renewals. We will monitor progress on the minor works projects put forward to the City which were noted in the previous Links issue. It is interesting to note that a Performing Arts project is back on the drawing board, generating public comments in the local news on the feasibility of such a project, given that the one put forward in 2016 was declined by the City to go to the next level. Comparing the models, projected financial outcomes and planned sources of finance will be a useful exercise. We are progressing well with setting up the Connolly website. Committee member Phil Farrugia has done an excellent job in pursuing with it and it is planned to be up and running soon.

Chairperson’s Blog – June – July 2019

The Committee are working on a number of initiatives and engaged with various stakeholders on matters which it believes will be of benefit to Connolly residents.

The Mayor, the Right Honorable Albert Jacob

attended the Monthly Meeting on 1 April and covered a number of issues during a question and answer session. He also gave an outline of the strategic direction the City of Joondalup is working towards. Topics covered specific to Connolly included; confirmation of a program for day to day maintenance of roads, pathways, verges and parks; a request for assistance from the City in dealing with Western Power for Street lighting upgrades;

the need for additional bins along Fairway Circle and Shenton Avenue and an outline of the City’s strategic focus to enhance revenue generation by upgrading its commercial capabilities. The Mayor’s input was useful and informative and his attendance set the scene for this agenda item to be repeated in the near future. In line with the Committee’s plan for topical presentations to be done at Monthly Meetings, the City’s Safety Coordinator, Karen Thompson, will talk tothe next meeting on 10 June on safety and security and answer questions that residents have regarding this important subject. Residents are invited to come along to hear about security awareness and to ask questions on matters that concern them.

Along with a number of other associations CRA was invited to the City of Joondalup’s Budget Breakfast for Residents Associations on 17 April. I and Adrian [lam represented Connolly and presented requests which formalized the issues raised with the Mayor when he attended our meeting on 1 April, together with the need for aconcrete path access to Huntingdale Park to accommodate prams and push chairs. The idea of signage on the side of the Community Hall building to make its location more visible from Hodges Drive was also put forward. We will monitor progress with these requests.

A parent morning tea get together was hosted by CRA in February and although attendance was low, it is felt that residents in the area would welcome a follow up. Further information is given in this edition promoting the next get together which is scheduled for 25 June. Parents are encouraged to come along and discuss matters that affect them in the area.

A subcommittee of CRA is actively working on plans for the Community Fete to be held in October. Issues – regarding format, location and size are all being considered.