Association waits for Parkdene Sport and Recreation Club lease
The Parkdene Ratepayers Association has been waiting for a while now to obtain a lease from the metro for the Parkdene Sport and Recreation Club.
Tony Lubbe, chairperson of the association, says they have burdened the responsibility to uplift the facilities, which has suffered due to vandalism, as a service to the Parkdene and neighbouring suburbs.
A lease will aid the association in moving forward to bring the glory days back to the facility.
Upo to now, the association has spent about R60 000 out of their own pocket to upgrade and revamp the facilities.
However, there are still problems with the power supply, which is resulting in the flood lights not working.
Lubbe feels they cannot move forward when it comes to running the facility unless a lease is granted.
Mandlakazi Mpahlwa-Sigcawu, spokesperson for the metro, says that a number of applications for leases have been received by the metro.
“These came at a time when all clubs having leases with the metro, and those that intend to do so, were requested to resubmit their lease application for consideration,” he says.
He adds that the call was made to deal with discrepancies that prevailed in the previous different municipalities that formed the metro, so that policies can be standardised and made uniform.
“As may be expected, quite a number of issues had to be dealt with and the process is still not finalised, and these range from consultation with affected clubs or organisations, policies, evaluation of properties and applicable tariffs.
“When the Parkdene Ratepayers Association approached the relevant department for the use of space to fight crime in the area, they were advised to submit a request for lease as this will also assist in safe keeping of the facility, but unfortunately, as already stated, the process has not yet been finalised,” he says.
Mpahlwa-Sigcawu says a lot of work has been done already, but they are not in a position to inform on the timeframe at this point.
“Should new information come, this will be reported to all affected stakeholders and applicants.”
He adds that as for the maintenance of the courts, the Parkdene Tennis Club members abandoned the facility making it open to vandalism and rendering it difficult for the metro to maintain.
“The metro tried to keep the facility secured by installing burglar proofing on windows and doors, installing the new gate, even cleaning and painting of the building to attract members back but, to no avail.”
