There was plenty to discuss at this month's Saddle Hill Community Board meeting, held at the Civic Centre in Dunedin last Thursday, including. -
• Setting meeting dates for 2014. A decision was made to hold every second meeting in the district. At Brighton in February, Fairfield in May, Walton Park in July and at Sunnyvale in October. Every other meeting will be in the Otaru Room, at the Civic Centre. The board meets on Thursdays at 3.30pm.
• Further beautification of Main, Rd, Fairfield. It was agreed the board would arrange a public meeting in the new year to discuss ideas and what users of the road reserve and those directly affected want for the project.
• A decision to grant the Dunedin Clay Target Club $980 towards its toilet block renovation. The board has about $5000 left in its annual discretionary fund for community initiated projects. Anyone interested should contact Lynne Robins at the council for an application form.
• A query from Big Rock Primary School about why some school pools were funded by the council and others were not was addressed in a report from governance support officer Lynne Robins, who said six inner-city school pools were funded under an agreement between the council and the Ministry of Education dating from 1958-59, to take pressure off Moana Pool. The council would only fund school pools if they were more than 30km from the nearest council-owned pool, she said.
• The board is to arrange a public meeting in the new year to discuss upgrading the Brighton Domain, before it presents a plan to council staff for advice on how to proceed.
• Board members agreed to host a stall at the Brighton Gala Day in January for people to visit and find out what the board is up to.
• The 2013 youth scholarship recipient cyclist Alyshia Keith, of Brighton, is to be asked to visit pupils at Fairfield and Big Rock Schools before she moves to Cambridge, where her training will be based, from early next year.
• The board is to invite a member of the Otago Regional Council or staff to a meeting early next year to discuss how better the two groups might work.
• The board is to invite members of the Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board for an informal catch-up to get to know each other.
• The board has asked for a report from council staff on oil and gas exploration off Dunedin.
• Staff were also asked to report on potential replanting of natives at Island Park.
