Some snippets of information from this week’s Kincardine and Mearns Area Committee. Rather long, but helpful I hope.
LANDSCAPE SERVICES
– The removal of a number of trees from Newtonhill Park should be completed by the end of 2017/2018, New play equipment is to be installed. Additional paths have been provided as a result of requests from residents. The wall on Park Place at the east end of the park is to be replaced with a fence, beech hedge and bollards.
– The football pitch in Muchalls has been realigned following a requests from residents.
– Recycled plastic seats, benches and planters have been supplied to schools and high profile sites such as cemeteries. Meanwhile memorial benches have been installed in various locations including in Newtonhill.
– In 2018/19 the gross expenditure by Landscape Services in Kincardine and Mearns is budgeted at £1,181,195.
– In Portlethen trees are to be planted in Viking Place and Alder Drive. New goalposts are to be provided in Nicol Park.
ROAD MAINTENANCE
– Roads damaged by Aberdeen bypass traffic will be made safe, with full depth repairs carried out in the future years. Preparatory patching will be carried out and at a later date there will be surface dressing to seal it. Temporary pothole repairs should last 12 months.
– Gritting/pre-salting and snow clearing is budgeted to cost £543,00 in Kincardine and Mearns in 2018/19.
– In Portlethen, the Asda roundabout on Muirend Road will be resurfaced, at an estimated cost of £40,000. High stress dressing on Thistle Drive (£32,000). Renewal of the high stress dressing at the pedestrian crossings on Cookston Road. (£11,500). A new footway on Schoolhill Lane (£16,000).
– In the rural area, a culvert south of Hairyhillock on the B979 will be resurfaced (£27,500). High stress dressing will be laid on the South Deeside Road near the Old Mill Inn and North Lodge, costing £100,500. Similar high stress dressing on the B979 Netherley Road near Mains of Altries and Craigie Cat (£85,000). Similarly on the C12K near Elrick Farm (£50,000). Conventional dressing on the U59K and the U60K in Banchory Devenick.
– Other works are also proposed, and on the reserve list (if funding becomes available, otherwise to be carried out in the following year) is edge-strengthening on the C13K from Lairhillock School to Berrytop Farm (£27,000), and street lighting improvement (including new columns) in Cliff View, Newtonhill, and in Mosside Drive, Aspen Way, and Claymore Avenue in Portlethen.
PORTLETHEN FUNDING
The committee granted £20,000 for a Participatory Budgeting event for Portlethen. This recognises the work that has gone into the Place Standard project. This event will look at inviting groups to apply for funding to promote projects arising from this engagement, including open spaces, community facilities, transportation and general community well-being.
Participatory Budgeting is about the community having the opportunity to debate and then decide on issues directly affecting local needs. They will have the chance to hear about the projects that being promoted and decide, through a voting day, which projects matter the most.
• Full details can be found in the committee reports by following this link: http://committees.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/committees.aspx?commid=8&meetid=18844