Tap O Noth Community Council Meeting
Minutes of meeting held at Rannes Hall Kennethmont
Monday 1st April 2019
Present: Paul Manning (Chairman), Colin Mumford (Vice Chairman), George Beverly, Janice Smith (Secretary/Treasurer), Maxwell Wallace, Alistair Rennie, Verona Groves.
In Attendance: Councillor Gwyneth Petrie.
Apologies: Duncan Connon, Peter Johnston, James Matthew, Cllrs Latham and
Withey.
Minutes of Previous Meeting: Approved: Colin Mumford; Seconded: George Beverly.
Matters Arising:
Defibrillator equipment ref donation to Sandpiper Wildcat.
John Drysdale attended the meeting in order to give an official thank you on behalf of Sandpiper Wildcat for the defibrillator equipment donation. This equipment will be used for training in schools and elsewhere in the area so that more people will be informed and able to use it.
Community Council Elections.
Notice of Elections will be published on Thursday 9th May. It was agreed that nomination forms would be left at the post office at Rhynie as well as being available from Marr Area Office.
Tap O Noth Community Council Website.
Verona has offered to look into dealing with the website.
Community Council representation at monthly meetings with the Roads Dept.
Paul attended a meeting with members of the Roads Dept and discussed new and outstanding issues. Paul gave an update on the outstanding work. Some has been completed although much is still ongoing. Further meetings have been arranged a few days before each of the Community Council meetings so that progress can be passed on to the Community Council on a regular basis.
Safe pathway to Kennethmont School from houses near Ardmore Distillery/ review of speed limit.
No update available.
Gartly School progress and defibrillator access.
The provisional date of reopening the school is the second week back after the holidays. Defibrillator access has finally been sorted out.
Garden Competition 2019.
It is planned to reinstate the Garden Competition this year. Verona and George have been working on this. Apart from the usual categories there will also be a “Best Newcomer” category.
Sarah Ramsey, Head Gardener at Leith Hall, has kindly consented to judge the event in the last week of July. Presentations to be given at Rhynie Gala. Posters will be ready in the next few weeks. Entrance forms will be left at Rhynie shop.
It is hoped that in the future the local schools could become involved but this would require some forward planning.
Tap O Noth Footpath.
George gave an update on the situation. He has met with contractors and the landowner. Drainage will be needed along with fencing. 204m of path needs to be formed.
Correspondence:
Graveyard at Essie, Rhynie rabbit problem:
Landscape services to look into this with a view to the possibility of fencing.
Community Council Insurance:
Concerns were raised by Community Councillors regarding repeated address/ email inaccuracies on the renewal policy. Janice to contact Zurich and Marr area office to resolve this.
There was a discussion regarding the excesses in the insurance policy. At the end of this the Community Council agreed to reimburse any individual Community Councillor for any excess charged against them as a result of any claim. This was proposed by George Beverly and seconded by Colin Mumford. All Community Councillors were in agreement.
GDPR: Renewal date to be looked into.
Planning applications: N/A
Individual Area Reports:
Clatt:
Nothing to report.
Rhynie:
Max reported that in NE Scotland there has been a spate of GPS systems’ thefts from Fendt tractors. Also tractor fuel theft. Therefore there is a need to be vigilant.
There is also a problem with Rooks making nests in trees on Essie Road on the edge of the playing field in Rhynie. There is significant mess and is a potential health hazard. Environmental Health will need to be contacted to advise.
Kennethmont:
Concerns have been raised by householders as to how the additional bins that are coming into affect shortly can be accommodated. Many householders have wheelie bins housed at the roadside on land that is not under their ownership. This has arisen because the council has arranged for the bins to be emptied by the roadside rather than at the houses themselves. In many cases the houses may be a mile or so away from the road. The additional bins may cause problems for householders and landowners.
Cllr Petrie will look into this and advise.
Gartly:
No representation.
AOCB:
Consultation regarding closure of the Jubilee Hospital, Huntly overnight. Meeting 24th April Stewarts Hall 3-7pm.
Community Run toilets- Rhynie. A letter has been received from Aberdeenshire Council regarding funding and requiring appropriate insurance cover. This to be deferred for further investigation. It was also agreed that pedal bins should be sourced for the toilets.
Next Meeting:
Monday 13th May 2019 at 7.30pm
Rhynie Community Centre
