Away with the tagging

In a previous posting, I commended Laing & Continental Landscapes for some recent work in Feltham Park.  I mentioned the removal of tagging on some equipment.  Here are some pictures:

It looks so much better than before!

Feltham Arenas

I hope to post more about this over the weekend but when I was away on my hols, I was alerted that a number of residents in Shaftesbury Avenue have been concerned about the cutting down of trees at the rear of their properties.  We are looking into this.

Not withstanding the above, it is good to see some action on this site.  The time taken to discharge planning conditions was very frustrating for me and colleagues.  I popped over on Tuesday evening.  The main difference, of course, is with the stand – which has had to come down due to fears of vandalism, ASB, Health & Safety and the like – work is almost complete.  I took one picture as it went dark:

A lot of work is clearly now taking place.  This maybe of interest to residents (note if you do not click on link within short period after this posting, the link may refer to another site)?

Very hopeful on Feltham Park

Councillors Hutchison, Wilson and I attended an inspection of Feltham Park and Poets Corner on Tuesday.  With regards to the latter, we have lift off (well, some maintenance):

 With regards to Feltham Park, my views are as follows:

• I have already seen a big improvement with the level of litter picking.  I take this view because I always see less litter (and broken glass) than before;
• Some defects in the childrens’ play area (that I recently reported) have been made safe;
• The tagging on the equipment (that I recently reported) in the childrens’ play area has been removed;
• Some paths in the park are not ideal (but I expect that there are worst examples in other parks- the worst in Feltham Park was removed a few years ago);
• There are still bits of overgrowth in and around the park that are untidy;
• The pond, whilst not quite as bad as before, remains the Achilles heal of the park

With regards to the last three, I accept that these need time and my expectation is that there will be big improvements 12 months from now.  There is a real opportunity with the Winter Maintenance Programme!

Here is the picture of the pond on Tuesday:

It is the green surface that bothers post people.  It is clearly not as great or thick as before but I really hope that this will be maintained weekly and we will eventually have a clear pond.  The lifebuoy and other appartaus being in the pond remains a problem.

It will take time but as far as Feltham North goes, there has been a decent start on the part of Laing and Continental.  I am very optimistic about the future of the parks and open spaces in Feltham North.

Back now from hols!

…though with me being the worlds worst long-haul traveller, I may not be back totally for a couple of weeks.

Thoroughly enjoyed my time in both New York and the Cayman Islands.  My first time at the former but been to the latter many times with my in-laws living there.  I got to spend the day in Queens, which was the setting of my favourite movie of all time, Coming to America.

Loved all of the coverage of the US Election.  I find the standards of political coverage much higher on US Networks.  My favourite is probably CNN, which would surprise most people but I find that both the left and right are given a pretty even shot at getting their message across.  I also enjoyed listening to Hardball.

The concensus of the analysts was that this is a year for a Democrat but that Obama does not have a huge lead in the polls at a time when he should.  Key States will include Ohio & Florida.  The bad news for McCain is that he does not have the usual large GOP lead in states like Colarado, Montana, New Mexico & the Dakotas.

The impact of the former Mayor of New York is still talked about fondly.  Without exception, all the New Yorkers I met, spoke very highly of the Rudy Giuliani legacy.  Some were keen to stress that they felt that Mayor Bloomberg has continued the good work.  I do not recall a legacy like this before.

How would I have kept in contact with the UK 20 years or so ago?  The good news with my email was that I could keep in touch with some things in Feltham North.

One of the things waiting for me when I returned was the Voter Registration form 2008/09.  If there are no change of details, it is possible to confirm this online.  You will need the two security codes but urge everyone with internet access to confirm their details this way.  The url is here.

Bedfont Lane (again)

Not sure if this is property is in the Feltham North of the Feltham West bit of Bedfont Lane but it is news worth sharing.

Currently in the USA!

This is why there have not been postings since Tuesday.

Of course, I am keeping a close eye on the Presidential Election.  I am going for John McCain.  In a shuttle bus earlier today, a few of us were talking and I was the only one backing McCain (it is New York so I am not too worried).

Just seen a page on this and remarks from Boris Johnson.  Comments like this (assuming that they have not been mis-reported) are ones I find very annoying.  These crass remarks insult the undoubted ability of Barack Obama as much as anything else.  He should be considered on his abilities alone and not because of the colour of his skin.  The vast majority of people would think it crazy if a well known politician claimed that a McCain victory would be a “fantastic boost” for white people.  The same should apply here.

It is also insulting to assume that black people automatically support Barack Obama and it reminds me of the time when someone told me he could guarantee that I did not know a black person who supported the Conservative Party.  It was not even worth giving these claims the time of day!