DANBURY
PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes
of the meeting of the FACILITIES COMMITTEE held on 8 November 2006
Present: Councillors A. Allen, S. Berlyn
(ex officio), J. Brooks, F. J. Hawkins, D. Powell, M. Wood (ex officio)
In attendance: Clerk to the Parish Council, Assistant
Clerk to Facilities.
Public Question time No members of the public were present.
Prior to the
meeting the Vice Chairman, Parish Council, made an announcement. Danbury Parish Council had won Class I of the
Essex Playing Fields Best Kept Playing Field and a Certificate of Merit for the
Children’s’ Playground. This was the
third time in six years that the Council had won. It was agreed that a formal thank you be
passed on to the Groundsman and to the team at Chelmsford Borough Council for
their contribution to achieving this award.
55 Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were
accepted from Cllrs Mrs J. Wells, R. Matthews, M. Telling.
56 Declarations of Interest
None were made.
57 Minutes of the Meeting Held on 13 September
2006
One amendment was made to
the Minutes as follows:
Minute 35 should read that
Cllr Brooks be elected as Vice Chairman and not as Chairman.
RESOLVED that, with the
amendment above, the minutes of the meeting held on 13 September 2006 be
approved and duly signed as a correct record.
58 Eves Corner
58.1 Posts Discussions had been held on how posts
should be installed to enable easy replacement. The National Trust had said there would not be a problem to concrete in
posts, however, when concreted posts are hit by a vehicle they tend to sheer
off at ground level and are then difficult to dig-out. A simple T-bar on the base would make removal
difficult by vandals. The Groundsman had
replaced a missing post from in front of the pathway which should prevent
vehicles from parking there.
RESOLVED that normal sized posts with a T bar should be installed to
replace lost or damaged ones in the future.
58.2 Road Sign It was reported that the missing sign was
being replaced by Chelmsford Borough Council by late November.
RESOLVED that the information be noted.
59 Ponds
It was reported that a RoSPA inspector had re-visited on 4 October and
advised that the vegetation on both ponds, Eves Corner and Runsell Green, was
good and dense vegetation was required in order to define the boundary of the
ponds for safety reasons. He had
recommended signage for deep water, an interpretation board giving Parish
Council contact details, public telephones and first aid information and a wild
fowl notice. The new report is available
in the Parish Office should Councillors wish to view. It was reported verbally that the inspector
had also recommended buoyancy aids at both ponds.
RESOLVED that a) Signage for ‘deep water’ be installed, preferably in
the middle of the ponds.
b) No buoyancy aids should be acquired due to vandalism at the
sites. Members felt that the buoyancy
aids would always be missing.
60 Drainage & Car Park Improvements
60.1 Report of meeting with Derek Stebbing. This was not discussed.
RESOLVED that comments on this Report could not be made until a decision
was made on Minute 60.3.
60.2 Report on Car Park Charging Fees. An article on this was to be published in the
Danbury Times and residents had been asked to make their comments to Parish
Council.
RESOLVED that comments from residents would be collated before any
discussion could be held on possible car parking fees.
60.3 Report on the Meeting with the FA Facilities
Manager. Members considered the
Report and whether to appoint a consultant to design the specification. Cllr Hawkins proposed that Facilities
Committee should make the decision to appoint a consultant.
RECOMMENDATION to Parish Council that a) A consultant be appointed to
design the specification.
b) An Extraordinary Facilities meeting be held in January to which the
potential consultants would be invited to present their recommendations.
c) All Parish Councillors be invited to the meeting with the
consultants.
d) Cllrs Berlyn and Hawkins, together with the Clerk and Assistant
Clerk, Facilities, to agree the procedure for the consultants’ meeting.
e) Members to start thinking of questions that they would like to ask of
the consultants.
f) The Clerk to give consideration to the venue for the presentations.
g) The consultants be advised of interviews in January and requested to
hold the price of their quotations.
60.4 Automatic Barrier to Replace the Chain
Barrier. The Bowling Club had acquired
quotations for the supply and installation of an automatic barrier. Members felt that this was not an appropriate
time to consider this request in light of the car park improvements scheme.
RESOLVED that the Bowling Club be advised that this would be considered
as part of the Drainage & Car Park Improvements.
61 Football
61.1 Danbury Mission FC. It was reported that all the requirements for
the football agreement had been met.
RESOLVED that the information be noted.
61.2 Training. Members considered the request from DCA regarding training
facilities. They confirmed that a
decision had already been made to allow only two training sessions per week.
RESOLVED that a response be sent to the DCA to advise that the current
training sessions with the existing teams already booked would remain.
61.3 New Football Team. The request from Darron Brown, Danbury Juniors
Football Club to play football for the season 2007-08 was discussed.
RESOLVED that a) The item be deferred until the February meeting of
Facilities.
b) Mr Brown to be advised of the deferral.
61.4 Football Foundation. The FF had approved a 50% grant, via the Goalpost Safety Scheme, to a maximum of
£740 towards the purchase of three sets of goalposts. The posts must be purchased and invoices
submitted to the FF by 26 December 2006. It was agreed at Facilities on 13 September, Minute 39.1 to purchase the
posts for Pitches 1 & 3 and the decision on using the Beacon area was
referred to this meeting. The posts will
cost £1125 with the Council’s 50% contribution being £562.50. The posts for the Beacon area would be £355
of which 50% is £177.50. Two signatories
are required to accept the grant. Members were reminded that the single post in the ‘kick about’ about
would have to come down permanently after this season.
RESOLVED that a) The grant be accepted for Pitches 1 and 3 only.
b) Cllr Hawkins and The Clerk be signatories to accept the grant.
c) The goalposts for Pitches 1 and 3 be ordered at a cost of £562.50 to
the Council. £385.76 costs to come from
Sports Equipment and the remainder from Supplies & Maintenance Field
Maintenance.
62 Sports and Social Club
62.1 Booking of Special Events Procedure. The request from the DCA to simplify the
procedure was discussed. The Assistant
Clerk, Facilities had acquired a copy of the S&SC Booking Form and
Conditions of Hire and confirmed that the Manager, S&SC was happy to amend
the forms to allow for hire of the field. A new process was considered that did not require two months notice but
did retained the S&SC needing permission for hire of the Field before the
Manager confirmed with his event hirer. Further discussion covered the need for a form for the Parish Council to
use for hire of Dawson Memorial Field and what charges should be implemented.
RESOLVED that a) Authority be delegated to Parish Council staff to agree
the hire of the Field without referral back to Facilities Committee.
b) The Assistant Clerk to work with the Manager, S&SC on amendments
to the booking form. This must be
referred back to Committee before put in use.
c) The DCA be informed of the new procedure.
d) A booking form for hire of the Field only be devised for use by the
Parish Council.
e) A proposal of charges for the Field be put to Committee.
62.2 Damaged Wall. It was reported that the brick wall had been
repaired at a cost of £30.00
RESOLVED that the information be noted.
62.3 Exit Doors. It was reported that the emergency exits doors had been damaged. Maldon Glass repaired the doors at a cost of
£176.25.
RESOLVED that the information be noted.
62.4 Urgent Request from DCA for
Lighting. The DCA had requested a light for the CCTV
Camera that is at the rear of the S&SC. Initially it had also requested the purchase of four new lights. The matter had been referred to Resources on
25 October, Minute 76, due to the urgency with the dark nights, but the Committee
referred it to Facilities. Mr
RESOLVED that the Manager, S&SC be requested to attend a meeting of
the Facilities Committee so that he can clarify the current position regarding
lighting, the CCTV and what his requirements are.
62.5 Blocked
Drain. The drain in the men’s changing room became
blocked and the Manager arranged for Metro Rod Ltd to unblock this at a cost to
the Parish Council of £90.00. This was
the second time this had happened in about a year. Members were asked to authorise the payment
for the work.
RESOLVED that the
payment of £90.00 be made.
62.6 De-Scale
of the Drains. A quotation of £270.00 had been submitted
for de-scaling of the drains at the S&SC. The quotation was not clear on exactly what the work was for and which
drains it covered. Members were reminded
that the Parish Council had agreed at a meeting with the DCA on 3 May 2006 to
pay for the annual jetting of the drains.
RESOLVED that the
company be asked to confirm the full details of the quotation including the
depth of scale on the pipes.
62.7 Condition
of the Path. Members
to note that complaints had been received by the DCA regarding the condition of
the path leading from the main road to the Centre entrance. The Assistant Clerk of Facilities, the
Groundsman and the Centre Manager inspected the area and identified three slabs
that were considered trip hazards. The
Groundsman will re-set the slabs. The
Manager was advised that the path is included in the Drainage & Car Parks
Improvement Programme.
RESOLVED that the
information be noted.
62.8 Condition
of the Floor. Complaints had been received by the DCA
regarding the floor in the sports hall becoming slippery due to
condensation. The Manager had obtained a
quotation for the floor to be professionally cleaned at a cost of £795.00 and
the DCA have offered to pay 50% of the cost. The Manager had booked an appointment for a specialist to visit on 9
November regarding the humidity situation. Members considered whether cleaning of the floor was the Parish
Council’s responsibility and if it should pay 50% towards the work. It was
identified after the meeting that the floor is in the sports hall and not the
gym.
RESOLVED that a) Cleaning of the floor was not the responsibility of the
Parish Council.
b) A request be made to the DCA for a copy of the latest risk assessment
on the hall.
63 Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF)
Members discussed the application that had been prepared for ALSF
further to Facilities on 14 June 2006, Minute 17. The five barred gate, fencing for the
Groundsman’s compound and tractor sprayer had not been included as some of the
work had already been carried out and ALSF advised that consideration would not
be given to works already installed. The
CCTV for the parish office, bowling and tennis clubs had not been included, The
Clerk was waiting for CBC to confirm which cameras they could offer free of
charge. Therefore the application to
ALSF consisted of two self-closing gates in Dawson Memorial Field, a new slide
and four safety barriers. If the grant
was approved by the ALSF all work must be completed and invoiced by 28 February
2007.
Members noted the time restraint. Three quotations for the gates had been received and it was decided to
use Wicksteed Leisure so that the gates would match existing gates installed in
the Play Area. It was thought that one
contractor should be used for the whole project, therefore Wicksteed Leisure
were recommended to complete the works for the whole project.
RESOLVED that a) The information on the items not included was noted.
b) The application be submitted to ALSF to include:
All items to be supplied by Wicksteed leisure for a 100% grant.
64.1 Allotments
64.1 i) Outstanding Tenancy
Agreement. A verbal report was given
at the meeting that the Tenancy Agreement had now been signed.
RESOLVED that the information be noted.
64.1 ii) Assignment of Vacant Plots. Members were advised that new tenants had
been assigned the two vacated plots reported at the last meeting. This left eight on the waiting list.
RESOLVED that the information be noted.
64.1 iii) Charges of Other Allotment Sites.
Charges of Other Allotment
Sites. Investigations of costs were
varied and were reported to the meeting as follows:
- £3.00 per year plus water;
- £0.14 per square metre which averaged at £7.00 per plot plus £3.50 for water; - £18.00 for half a rod (a rod being 25m2);
- £2.20 per rod averaging at £20-26 per plot plus £2.10 for water.
Danbury Parish Council charged £10 per annum which averaged at £1.74 per
rod and no charge for water at present.
RESOLVED that the information be noted.
64.1 iv) Rent. Members considered the rent which had not
been increased from £10.00 since 1997. Tenants would need to be given one year’s notice if there was to be an
increase.
RESOLVED that Tenants be informed that the rent would be increased to
£12.00 and water charged as from 2008-09.
64.1 v) Half
Plots. The suggestion of offering half plots had been brought forward from
the previous meeting. However, as the
vacant plots had been filled this was no longer a requirement.
RESOLVED that the information be noted.
64.1 vi) Footpath. It was reported that the Clerk, the
Groundsman and Dave Bolwell visited the site on 18 September and ascertained
that there was no evidence or records that the footpath mentioned at the last
meeting,
RESOLVED that a) The information be noted.
b) The resident who raised the issue be informed of the situation.
64.2 Basketball
Court Nothing further was reported.
64.3 Bowling
Club
64.3 i) Condition of the Green. Following the letters received from the Club,
13 September 2006 Minute 42.3 iii), Mr Paul Van Damme, Chelmsford BC was asked
his opinion on the condition of the Green. He had advised that he doubted his comments would be very different from
the report that he did last year and the costs similar.
RESOLVED that a) The information from CBC be noted.
b) The Club be advised that the Green condition would be taken into
consideration in the Drainage & Car Parks Improvement Scheme.
64.3 ii) Maintenance
of the Green and Cricket Wicket. A
quotation for bowls and cricket maintenance had been obtained to compare costs
with CBC. The quotation came in at
approximately £17,000.00 more. This
confirmed that the charges made by CBC were competitive.
RESOLVED that the information be noted.
64.4 Car
Parks Nothing further was reported.
64.5 Cricket
Square
64.5 i) Future of the Cricket Club. It was reported that the Club are in
discussion with Queens Park Cricket Club with a view to merging the two
clubs. Queens Park only play Sunday
cricket and do not have a ground of their own. A further update will be sent when the Committees of the two Clubs have
met again. The Clerk reported verbally
that the Club had now paid their fees to date.
RESOLVED that the information be noted.
64.5 ii) Heathcote
School. The request from the school
for a junior-sized wicket was discussed.
RESOLVED that the school be asked for more information.
64.6 Dial Common. It was reported that the land is registered
as common land. Members were requested
to approve that a tree survey be done.
64.18 War Memorial A quotation was presented that had been sent
in by Bakers to clean the war memorial at a cost of £645.00. No provision had been included in the quotation
for any re-pointing or repairs to the stonework. Members discussed the timing of the cleaning.
RESOLVED that a) The cleaning be put in the budget for 2008-09.
b) The Royal British Legion be asked for its response as to how the
names on the memorial could be preserved.
65 Theft of Diesel from the Groundman’s Shed
65.1 Concrete Floor. The quotation for the new concrete floor had
come in at £1885.00 which took the costs up to £4236.88 against a budget of
£2200.00. The matter was referred to Resources
on 25 October, Minute 71 and it was resolved that the work be
commissioned. £1885.00 to be taken from
FAC Supplies & Maintenance Buildings. However, it was reported verbally that Westcar had made a site visit
after they had quoted from the specification designed by the consultant. Westcar had now advised that no provision was
made in the specification for reinforced concrete. Westcar recommended that this should be used
and would be an additional £810.00 on top of the £1885.00. Cllr Allen proposed that the reinforcement
should go ahead with the additional cost, this was seconded by Cllr
Berlyn. The proposal was accepted
unanimously.
RESOLVED that a) The work go ahead with the additional cost for the
reinforced concrete.
b) The Clerk to determine which budget the additional cost should come from. c) Some of the cost could come from the budget set aside for the War Memorial of £750.00. After
the meeting The Clerk advised the outstanding £60.00 would come from FAC
Supplies & Maintenance Buildings.
65.2 Oil Storage Tank. It was reported that Anglia Pumps had agreed
to hold its price as per its quotation of £1365.00 (of which £365.00 had
already been spent for removal of the old tank).
RESOLVED that the information be noted.
65.3 Electrical
Work. It was reported that two of
the electrical companies had agreed to hold their price at £408.00 and
£595.00. The third company had not been
approached as it came in considerably higher than the other two. Members agreed to appoint Elnaugh & Son Ltd
for the electrical installation.
RESOLVED that Elnaugh be appointed to do the electrical installation at
a cost of £408.00.
66 Groundman’s Area of Work
66.1 Groundsman’s
Shed’s Roof. The slates had been
replaced on
RESOLVED that the information be noted.
66.2 Hydraulic
Lift. It had been requested at
Resources on 25 October, Minute 78, that
an hydraulic lift be purchased at a cost of £395 plus £25 delivery. It had been identified that the weights on
the tractor that the Groundsman regularly changed were too heavy for him to
handle manually. The matter was referred
to Facilities Committee for a decision on whether or not to purchase the
lift. Cllr Wood proposed that the lift
be purchased, this was seconded by Cllr Allen. The Clerk reported that the money could come from FAC Supplies &
Maintenance Equipment Repair.
RESOLVED that the lift be purchased at a cost of 420.00.
66.3 Free CCTV. Members considered the offer from CBC to
supply, free of charge, a CCTV for the Groundsman’s compound. A PIR light would need to be installed at an
estimated cost of £141.00. CBC Planning Department had advised that
planning permission would not be required. The Assistant Clerk, Facilities verbally requested that she would like to
make further investigations for the purchase and installation of a new CCTV to
compare the costs.
66.4 Bateson Trailer. Members were asked to note that it was agreed at Resources on 25
October, Minute 75, that the trailer, no longer required by the Groundsman, be
advertised for sale by sealed bid at a reserve price of £100.00. The trailer needed to be sold as soon as
possible to allow space in the compound for when the concrete was repaired and
was now advertised on the notice board and website. The publication dates for The Journal,
Contact Magazine and The Danbury Times were too late to include an
advertisement for the trailer.
RESOLVED that the information be noted.
67 Trees
67.1 Elm Green and The Chantry. Members were advised that the work to the
trees at Elm Green and The Chantry had been completed in October. A cherry and a plum tree were felled in error
at The Chantry. CBC visited the site and
had said that the cherry tree must be replaced, which has now happened.
RESOLVED that the information be noted.
67.2 Pedlars Path. Members were advised of the quotations for
the recommended works for Pedlars Path, these were:
- High Priority = £1300;
- Medium Priority = £500; and
- Low Priority = £700.
A verbal report was given at the meeting that the cost for the
additional work for the TPOs in this area was £50, £50 and £900 (an Ash to be
felled). This was classed as High
Priority. The total costs identified for
all the tree work so far were £5800, of which £750 had been spent on The
Chantry and Elm Green. Members were
asked to approve the High Priority work and schedule the rest when all the
quotations have been received.
RESOLVED that a) The High Priority work, at a cost of £2300.00, be
referred to Resources for funding.
b) The work to be commissioned depending on the response from Resources.
67.3 Trees to
the Rear of 6 Landisdale. Members considered this matter raised at
Facilities, 13 September 2006 Minute 47.2. Zurich, our current Insurance Company, was liaising with our previous
Insurers, Allianz Cornhill (as the situation was identified over 2 years ago
although not reported to Parish Council) together with OCA who had published
the notice regarding ownership of the trees. OCA had advised that the trees would be felled within 30 days (expires
20 November) unless ownership of the area is established. Zurich is aware that the land is within the
Parish Council’s ownership. Further
updates will be given as they occur.
RESOLVED that the
information be noted.
67.4 Request for Cherry Tree at Copt Hill. Members considered the request to replace a
cherry tree that was removed from the area some time ago.
RESOLVED that the resident be advised that there is no funding
available.
68 Litter Bins
68.1 It was reported that the new litter bins had
arrived and two had been installed at Eves Corner and the Play Area. The Groundsman needed a heavy duty battery
operated drill to drill out the old bases. This was purchased at £229.78 and screw bits at £21.27. It was reported verbally that a further two
bins had been installed and the rest should be in place by the end of next
week.
RESOLVED that the information be noted.
68.2 Members were informed that another bin from
Eves Corner was found in the pond on 30 October. The bin had been removed by the Groundsman
and he would remove the concrete base when he can get his tractor over
there. The bin will be replaced which
will leave only one spare bin.
RESOLVED that the information be noted.
69 Danbury Village Sign
The insurance claim had been approved by our insurers for the repair
work by Bakers of Danbury at a cost of £1050. The sign will be ready in approximately four weeks.
RESOLVED that the information be noted.
70 So Silke Art Show
The Bowling Club had given permission for an art show to be held on its
premises. The Show was in aid of Little
Havens Hospice and the public exhibition will take place on the weekends of 11
& 12 and 18 & 19 November. All
members had been invited.
RESOLVED that the information be noted.
71 RoSPA
The play area was re-inspected on 4 October following the queries raised
from the reports carried out in May. The
terminology in the report was explained more clearly by this second inspection. However, more work was identified that needed
to be done, particularly on ground maintenance and the slide. The Groundsman had now completed most of this
work. The new report was available in
the Parish Office should Councillors wish to view.
RESOLVED that the information be noted.
72 Facilities Budget (See amended budget sheet
attached)
The proposed budget was agreed with the exception of item ‘FAC Tractor
Year 3’ – the budget be increased from £1560.00 to £4200.00. The Clerk advised that any income goes into
the general Parish Council funds. It was
noted that there was no Capital provision. The Clerk reminded Members that the Drainage & Car Park budget had
been moved to Resources. The Items for
Consideration were also discussed.
RESOLVED that a) The proposed budget be accepted with the above
alteration to increase item ‘FAC Tractor Year 3’ to £4200.00.
b) Resources be advised that there is no Capital spend required other
than the Drainage & Car Park Improvements.
c) To remove the football post Pitch 1, the Chain Barrier Replacement
and the Sack Barrow.
d) The DCA painting, Descaling Calorifiers and the Asbestos Survey to be
left in
the Items for Consideration.
e) Further investigation be made
on the legal requirement to have the Asbestos Survey undertaken.
f) The reserve date for Facilities Committee on 15 November was no
longer required.
73 Matters For Report
The matter of litter bins to remain on the agenda for the next meeting.
74 Dates of Meetings in 2006
Tuesday 12 December –
Please note this is a Tuesday.
There being no further
business the meeting closed at 10.45 pm.
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