Grange Manor

It’s that time of year again and volunteers from the residents’ association will soon be knocking on your door to ask for a contribution to the maintenance fund for the estate. The estate is looking very good at the moment and is being very well cared for by the contractor hired to cut the grass. Your contribution to the maintenance fund is essential to help keep the estate looking this way. Without it, we would not be able to hire a contractor to cut the grass and we would be living in a jungle.

We are very lucky, living in Grange Manor, to have so many houses in the estate. This means that we can keep the annual contribution very low, less than a Euro a week per house to keep the estate looking pristine all year round. Our recommended contribution is much lower than that requested in many other estates throughout Waterford City. However, we can only do this if everyone contributes to the fund.

If you are renting your home then don’t forget to ask for a receipt from the person collecting the money so that you can give it to your landlord and get a refund. Alternatively, please have your landlord’s contact details to hand so that they can be contacted to arrange contribution to the fund.

Everyone on the residents’ committee is a volunteer, who gives their time for no reward, so please be aware that they have no personal gain from collecting money. It’s all in the interest of keeping our estate looking good.

The Grange Manor Residents Association has organised a Spring Clean, to take place on Saturday April 24th 2010 at 1500h. Spring Clean is an iniative run by An Taisce in conjunction with local councils – it encourages communities to get together and keep their areas clean and litter free. A number of waste disposal sacks and protective gloves are given by An Taisce to the residents association and the City Council will also collect the waste collected, for free, after the event. This is a great opportunity to help tidy up the estate and remove annoyances such as litter that has been blowing around green areas for some time now or snagging the plants in your garden.

Help the volunteers by tidying up your front garden and immediate area outside your home so that rubbish can be easily packed into waste sacks. A little effort by everyone will make this event a huge success! Bags, gloves, etc will be handed out at 1500h sharp, on the green at Rocwood Walk.

Over the past weeks, both the residents’ committee and some residents of Magenta Grove, have been in talks with Waterford City Council and the architect of the development at Grange Heights regarding the temporary road development across the green area at Magenta Grove.

Over a series of meetings where fears of the residents of the estate were conveyed and the resultant problems caused by this development outlined, a deal has been brokered whereby the best outcome is sought for all concerned.

It was outlined at the meetings that the residents of Grange Manor had no desire to delay the development at Grange Heights, nor did they hold any responsibility to the applicants of the development nor the architect of the development.

The following set of agreements has been reached:

1) A set of rules, ensuring strict adherence to health and safety considerations, strict times for trucks to enter the estate, and liaisons with the residents regarding on-going works has been agreed with the council and the representative of the developer.
2) The re-instatement of the green area is set to commence in the week of the 9th July 2010. The residents have been given assurances that this will be done to a high standard and should there be concern or substandard work done, the council have assured a proper reinstatement of the green area will be performed.
3) The licence granted to the developer provides for regular street sweeping to take place, to ensure the cleanliness of the estate roads.
4) A protective fence will be erected, blocking off the temporary roadway, secured so as to prevent toppling and unauthorised access to the site.
5) The proposed fencing will close off the top section of the green completely and the grass beyond will be maintained by the contractor.
6) An agreement was reached that good quality materials would be used to reinstate the green area after the road has served its purpose.
7) An agreement was reached that the current drainage problem, as a result of the road, will be corrected A.S.A.P. after construction is allowed to recommence.
8 ) An agreement was reached that the council will never grant a licence again for such disruption of the green areas in Grange Manor, barring any essential maintenance that would otherwise cause significant disruption to residents, e.g. broken pipes, etc.
9) An agreement was reached that upon reinstatement of the green the council will make a compensatory contribution to the green area, helping to provide some extra trees to restore its beauty and also to help return it to its properly maintained state.
10) An apology for the disruption will be issued to the residents, for not consulting them prior to granting of the licence.

The residents’ committee is providing this information to the residents so that as many people as possible are aware of what has happened and that proper representation was made, to ensure that the residents of the estate were acknowledged for their suffering and that a best possible outcome could be achieved for all parties. The residents’ committee has to respond to the council by Thursday 15th April 2010, accepting the proposals. If you have a strict objection/concern regarding any of the proposals then please e-mail us on residents_at_grangemanor_dot_org and let us know by Wednesday night, April 14th so that we have time to put them to the council.

The Grange Manor Residents’ Association annual general meeting will take place next Wednesday, December 16th at 7:30 p.m. in the Farronshoneen Community Hall beside the Ardkeen Credit Union (and most probably the voting station of all Grange Manor residents).

Items on the agenda will include a review of the year 2009, tasks ahead for 2010, and the election of a committee for the coming year.

The residents’ association would like to take this opportunity thank everyone who contributed to the estate maintenance fund this year, to help keep our estate looking good and also those who showed up to lend a hand on the Spring Clean earlier in the year. While a committee of people is elected every year to help coordinate tasks and deal with the council on various matters, it is ultimately everyone in the estate, working together, that provides for any success. If we don’t all help each other then life becomes very difficult for everyone that wants to make a difference.

We’d like to say thank you to all those who have so far contributed the €40 Estate Maintenance Contribution. If you have not already paid, a representative from the Grange Manor Residents Association will be calling to collect your contribution in the next few weeks. GMRA members will carry ID when collecting. All funds raised will be singularly reserved for maintaining the shared green areas in the estate that we all enjoy, and improving the appearance of our community.