Energy company’s grants to local causes

Tonight 16 local groups received awards from the Meikle Carewe wind farm community fund. The presentations by the energy company RES (who operate the wind farm) were made in the Bettridge Centre in Newtonhill.

There had been 35 applications totalling £87,000, and these were whittled down by a panel of judges from community councils to the 16 projects who shared some £34,000.

The winners included:

The Bettridge Centre – £3289.47 for soft play equipment and lift maintenance;

Newtonhill Pipe Band – £1800 for drums;

Maryculter Woodland Trust – £4050 for a community orchard and tree nursery;

Portlethen Scouts – £2454 towards tents and camping equipment for a spring camp for 10½ to 14-year-olds;

Portlethen Moss Conservation Group – £4700 for a woodland musical trail to be installed at the end of January;

Maryculter Driving for the Disabled – £1300 towards taking severely disabled people out in coach-and-horses on Wednesdays for 18 weeks in the summer;

Portlethen Men’s Shed – £2500 for the purchase of a lathe. The shed should be opening soon, after a four-year campaign.

Details of all the winners will be available shortly on the Kincardineshire Development Partnership website (http://www.kincardineshiredp.org/). They administer the scheme.

Other causes from elsewhere included a playgroup, schools football, community radio, a gymnastics club, Christmas lights, and Stonehaven folk festival.

Background on academy closure

A letter was distributed to all Portlethen Academy pupils this afternoon to give parents/carers details following the closure of the school as a safety measure when high winds were forecast.

Engineers visited the academy following Thursday’s severe weather and observed no distress or other evidence of structural concern.

The letter from acting head teacher Mary O’Brien outlines what happened and describes the steps being taken to avoid it happening again. Click on the image for clarity.

Pipeline problem worse than first thought

INEOS, who own the Forties oil pipeline which has a hairline crack at Netherley, has just issued a news release. It appears the problem is worse than first thought.
 
“Last week during a routine inspection INEOS contractors discovered a small hairline crack in the pipe at Red Moss near Netherley, just south of Aberdeen.
 
“A repair and oil spill response team was mobilised on Wednesday, December 6, after a very small amount of oil seepage was reported.  Measures to contain the seepage were put in place, no oil has been detected entering the environment and the pipe has been continuously monitored.
 
“A 300 metre cordon was set-up and a small number of local residents were placed in temporary accommodation as precautionary measure.
 
“The pipeline pressure was reduced while a full assessment of the situation was made.
 
“Despite reducing the pressure the crack has extended, and as a consequence the Incident Management Team has now decided that a controlled shutdown of the pipeline is the safest way to proceed.
 
“This will allow for a suitable repair method to be worked up based on the latest inspection data, while reducing the risk of injury to staff and the environment.
 
“As always, safety remains our top priority and local residents, FPS users and other stakeholders are all being kept fully informed of the situation as it develops.”
 
It looks as if the C12K road closure will remain in place for some time yet.
 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-42308437

Interruption to water supply

A reminder that many of us will be losing our water supply at midnight tonight (Saturday).

Scottish Water delivered notices a few days ago saying that essential work will be carried out on the water network at the Charleston junction. This is connected to the construction of the AWPR bypass.

Have a bucket of water handy if you need to visit the loo during the night!

Supplies should be restored by 6am tomorrow.

Scottish Water added that before using the water tomorrow, turn on the cold tap in the kitchen and let it run until clear.

Study into station parking

Where could extra parking places be found at our three stations in Kincardineshire?
On Wednesday the board of the North East of Scotland Transport Partnership will discuss a report recommending that a consultancy study should be undertaken about parking at Laurencekirk, Stonehaven and Portlethen stations.
The aim is to identify land for further parking given the step-change coming for local train services (the Scottish Government’s Revolution in Rail).
That’s when there should be much more frequent commuter services in the Aberdeen area, and faster limited-stop services between Edinburgh/Glasgow and Aberdeen using refurbished High Speed Trains. It is due to be implemented in 2019.

Road closes for emergency repairs

The signed diversion route has been changed for the emergency patching repairs for Aberdeenshire Council on the Netherley – Lairhillock – Portlethen road (the C13K) east of the Fastlink.

The change is necessary because of the unexpected pipeline repairs between Netherley and Cookney, where the road is closed until the work is completed.

This work from Rothnick towards the A90 by Lightways Contractors Ltd will take place between 9am and 3pm each day from Monday 11 December until Friday 15 December, so this will not affect school transport.

Emergency and pedestrian access to be maintained as will vehicular access to affected properties whenever possible. Site notices will be erected in due course.

Meanwhile pipeline work continues on site near Cookney, with a 300 metre cordon remaining in place.

Nominations sought for awards

The Inspiring Aberdeenshire awards have been running for five years, becoming established as an important event in the Aberdeenshire calendar. 
 
The structure of the awards has been refreshed this year, to provide opportunities for people from across Aberdeenshire to be considered and attract the sort of local recognition they deserve.
 
Do you know a local who has shown bravery? Is there someone in your community who is showing leadership potential? Is there someone working tirelessly to keep their village, town or even street both beautiful and sustainable?
 
Nominations will be stay open until the middle of February – https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Inspiring18 
 
The ‘Heart of Aberdeenshire’ Caring Award
To be awarded to a person who has had a significant positive impact on the life(s) of a vulnerable person(s).  Nominees will care for others, either through the course of their employment, for a family member or as a volunteer carer.
 
The Inspirational Volunteer Award
To be awarded to an individual or group who have gone the extra mile by volunteering for a local initiative that makes a difference to the lives of others or communities.
 
The ‘Local Hero’ Courage Award
To be awarded to an individual who in the face of adversity has shown courage, bravery and dedication to helping to overcome a difficult situation.
 
The ‘Beautiful Aberdeenshire’ Environmental Award
To be awarded to an individual or group who is working hard to help nurture and enhance our area’s natural beauty through environmental initiatives.
 
The Community Spirit Award
To be awarded to an individual or group who have supported a cause or project which helps to foster a spirited, embracing and vibrant local community.
 
The Cultural Award
This award will be presented to an individual or community group who has made an excellent contribution to the promotion of local culture in Aberdeenshire.
 
Aberdeenshire’s Future Award
This award is presented to a young individual (under 25) who has shown great leadership and helped to inspire and motivate others in support of a local cause.
 
The Inspiring Aberdeenshire Lifetime Achievement Award
This award will be presented to an individual who over the course of a number of years has made an outstanding contribution to a local cause, project or initiative, and is a true inspiration to others across Aberdeenshire.

Tesco seeking good causes

Tesco is looking for community groups, schools, sports clubs, local authority projects and charities within Kincardine and Mearns with funding ideas that “bring benefits to the community”.

Applications are for between £1,000 and £4,000 for events, activities, equipment, improvements etc. A total of £7000 is awarded every three months. Please get in touch if you wish a copy of the eligibility criteria, and visit Tesco Bags for Life for more details.

Many local good causes – especially in Newtonhill – have already benefited from the scheme.

https://www.facebook.com/scotbagsofhelp/posts/494614247591022

Academy to reopen

Good news. Hot off the presses about Portlethen Academy, from Maria Walker, Aberdeenshire Council’s director of education.

She says: “Robertson’s Construction Eastern Ltd has confirmed that Portlethen Academy is safe for staff and pupils to return tomorrow (8 December) for business as usual.

“The company have been undertaking remedial works to address the issues that could affect the structure in exceptionally high winds and the work is continuing.

“Parents should be assured that the safety of all pupils and staff is the priority of Aberdeenshire Council and that all necessary assurances have been given by the company to allow this decision to be made in complete confidence.

“Parents are being informed through the school’s own communications and through social media.”

UPDATE Friday 8 December:

Maria Walker tells me: “We are continuing to discuss the decisions made yesterday with the company at chief officer level.  We understand parental concerns and the school will be communicating with parents about the works being done. Some remediation works were done and the company will be continuing with further work being planned for completion before the return from the festive break. The concern and the advice to close the school was as a result of the high winds warning which prompted the concern for safety yesterday.”

Resident evacuated after pipeline leak

Here is the background to the closure of the Netherley – Cookney road yesterday. A number of nearby residents were evacuated  after a leak was detected at the Forties pipeline.
The council was asked to close the section of road to allow repairs to be arranged to the pipeline, and it is expected the closure will last for a couple of days.