Ward 18 councillor Jason Mc Dowell will be using part of his ward-based funding for the establishment of a biome garden and mother-and-child play equipment at James Pearce Park.
Presented to residents at a ward meeting in May, both projects aim to utilise the park for family orientated activities.
The biome garden will entail planting indigenous plants and trees. The park equipment will include standard park infrastructure retrofitted to make space for mothers to assist children while they are playing.
Towards the end of last year, the municipality placed a freeze on ward councillors’ access to the ward-based funding, delaying the implementation of community projects.
The funds were reinstated in April and each ward receives R1m towards projects that will benefit residents in their areas.
Ward 18 includes Nahoon, Vincent, Stirling, Bunkers Hill, Bonnie Doon and Woodleigh.
The biome garden and mother-and-child equipment will allow families frequenting the park to learn about local flora and fauna and make of specialised park equipment.
Mc Dowell said: “We want to develop a landscape design which is reflective of our indigenous Albany thicket biome. This would create environmental awareness of the dominant endemic species within Buffalo City.
“The idea with the mother-and-child park equipment came from mothers with concerns regarding the current play area that is not suitable for all ages.
“There is no place in East London with equipment that allows for mother and child to bond while playing.
“The park is often frequented with mothers and kids and we want to turn it into a safe and playful environment.
“We are trying to turn James Pearce Park into a safe space for families, where you can sit down and relax, exercise and be educated about the local flora and the environment.
“The biome will beautify the park or a section of it from what it is now. This is not a short-term project. The aim is that it will used for years to come.”
This latest project is among previous attempts Mc Dowell has made towards trying to improve security and safety at the Park.
In 2019, he spearheaded the introduction of 24-hour security at the park and the first phase of the installation of outdoor gym equipment. The budget for security has since fallen away with no word from BCMM on possible reinstatement thereof.
In the public meeting, Mc Dowell told residents the park remains vulnerable to public drinking, vagrancy and vandalism.
To combat this, Mc Dowell’s office has also launched the Friends of James Pearce Park, a local interest group aimed at caring for the area.
As the projects will be managed through the BCMM supply chain, Mc Dowell’s office is unable to confirm when work on the projects will begin.
Part of the ward 18 funding will also go towards securing Nahoon Park Nature Reserve with fencing to stop the poaching of the animals in the reserve and illegal dumping.
Mc Dowell said: “The ward-based budget would never rectify all the challenges within the ward. The main issues of the ward will fall directly on BCMM and not touch the ward-based budget.
“Vagrants and security are major concerns as are the resurfacing of roads, potholes, the replacement of pavements, bush clearing, and the overflow of sewage into the Nahoon and Ihlanza (Turdy) rivers.”
Mc Dowell also appealed to residents to form part of local community policing efforts.
He said: “We all know that crime has been on the rise within BCMM and our ward. The community in blue, the CPA patrols and neighbourhood watches help keep our areas safe. Statistics shows that these organisations do work.
“We would like to tell the residents and readers to not be sceptical about these groups.
“Statistics shows that they are working and anyone of any age can be of assistance.”
