Janet's just back from Las Vegas (along with Helen, my sister in law and council colleague, and my mother in law) - she's more than a bit jet lagged! Was at the launch of the Safer Travel Textline with Travel Dundee earlier today. The photo shows Jim Lee, the Managing Director of Travel Dundee, and myself at the launch. The Textline is an excellent innovation, allowing bus passengers to text specific details of an incident on a bus to Travel Dundee's Safer Travel Team. This will be helpful to both Travel Dundee and Tayside Police is tackling any incidents of bus crime. (Click on headline above to view story in tonight's Evening Telegraph).
I have been in correspondence with the Director of Leisure & Communities about various issues concerning Balgay Park and Hill. He has given a very useful response to the matters I have raised on behalf of residents :
"Hird Bridge - the investigations in respect of the Hird Bridge that were required as part of the funding agreement with Historic Scotland has been carried out and the City Engineer is poised in relation to progressing tender documentation ready for the tendering process for the Bridge. The key difficulty at the moment is the specialist nature of the work and the fact that a specialist engineering organisation was a specific requirement of Historic Scotland and there was an estimated shortfall of around £56,000 in the budget.
This can be funded through Quality of Life money and the Engineers have advised that the work can be tendered for and progressed for completion this financial year.
In terms of seating at the ground to the west and south of the Mills Observatory we will endeavour to get some seats in this location.
In respect of the paths and steps requiring repair - substantial funding is required to renovate all the paths and steps to their former glory. At the present moment there have been some repairs undertaken and we are encouraging voluntary groups to get involved through the Prince's Trust etc in order to take this forward. However we recognise that there is a major restoration job required and the long term solution is to provide concrete steps rather than the wooden steps at the moment. It may be that as part of the Friends of Balgay that a bid can be put in for monies to renovate the whole area although this process may take years rather than months.
In respect of the fence around the rose garden we will inspect this as a matter of urgency as our understanding was that the fence had been repaired.
I trust this satisfies your enquiry. However please note that there has been a regular meeting of the Friends of Balgay over the past few years where there is dialogue with park users in respect of improvements."