Good day Ratepayers and Residents of Betty’s Bay
Thank you for your support and welcome to all the new members. There has been a tremendous amount of change and shuffling of people within the new structure and framework of the committee. This is an ongoing process and we hope to find our feet towards the end of this year.
Our relationships with the Overstrand Municipality (OM) have improved in terms of cooperation and support. We have just agreed on a CBD concept which will influence future developments in the village.
The wetland area in this plan will be the responsibility of our community. The Conservation: Fauna and Flora portfolios will lead this project when the time arrives
The following points highlight the latest developments in our village:
Boardwalks
Anticipated boardwalks at Draadbaai and Sunny Seas are in the planning stages and OM has been consulted in this regard.
Informal pathways are eroding the areas leading to the beaches and it is important to encourage people to use designated walkways. Signs will soon be erected to ensure conservation and the all-important legal use of camera footage.
Ablution blocks
These are filthy and ideas from villagers are required about how to smarten them up. Perhaps this could be a community project, something for which we as community of Betty’s Bay (BB) could accept responsibility. We call on local artists to come forward and offer their services to paint the outside walls, with local themes. We all need to have the attitude in the village that if we can possibly fix it ourselves, we should. In the past we felt we paid taxes, OM must fix it. But our money should be spent on the major issues, such as water and roads: Let us get our hands dirty and fix whatever we can. The question is: How are we going to do what needs to be done?
Let’s embrace volunteerism! The more of us there are, the easier we will accomplish at least some of our goals.
The more polite and persistent we are, the better for future relations with OM. Let’s give precedence to this way of doing business in our area.
Piles of hacked vegetation at roadside
You may have seen piles of hacked vegetation at roadsides waiting to be collected, but you may not know that OM has a shortage of resources. There is only a little bakkie for transporting the cut branches and it tends to accumulate as the hackers do such a splendid job. If anyone has a truck and is willing to lend a hand with this, please contact us.
Want to get involved with the hackers?
There are three groups of hackers, Rooi Els (RE), Pringle Bay (PB) and BB, which do their hacking once a month. Then there is the Wednesday group, the hard-core hackers, in Betty’s Bay. Please contact us if you wish to become a part of the hackers.
Groenkoppie rehabilitation
These dunes are growing bare and require rehabilitation. The BBRA portfolios for Dunes and Conservation Fauna and Flora are going to join forces to draft a dune rehabilitation plan.
Alien rooikrans could be cut down and the branches used to block informal pathways. These branches might be cut long and thin, and anchored in the sand to hold back the sand, as the dune rehab team is doing in PB.
Development of service delivery measurement tool
Please note that Richard Gould is working on a measurement tool as this is a very successful way of bringing issues to the attention of OM, as was the case with the water. It is anticipated that other service delivery issues could also be measured soon.
Thank you very much for being a part of changing Betty’s Bay into a village of the people by the people for the people.
Please write to us at bettysbayratepayers@gmail.com