It is understood a contractor has been engaged to construct an eco-classroom for the Arboretum upgrade. They have been on site for about a month and, save for about four trenches, they have not been able to show anything for the time they have been there – all, no doubt, at a cost of hundreds of thousands of rands. We are confident the City of Neumarkt in Germany, which made the generous donation for the upgrade, would not be happy to hear about this??
We wonder how often the Park Manager walks, not drives, through the Arboretum. We are sure that had she/he done so they would have noticed, firstly, a pile of clothes and blankets had been dumped in the stream at the concrete drift. These are an eyesore and, unless removed, will no doubt be washed down into the Berg River following the next heavy rains?
Last year a team started removing the alien vegetation along the river. Uncompleted, the task now appears to have been abandoned.
Before Christmas cable thieves dug a trench from the pump house to the transformer at the rail bridge. Since then most of the trench has been refilled, but a gaping hole has been left in the newly laid pathway – this opens the municipality to a liability claim!
The parkrun distance markers were very generously donated by Clift Granite. At least two years ago the 4 km marker was broken in half, and there does not seem to any indication that it is about to be repaired anytime soon.
The Africa/South America continental rock at the spruit was knocked off its foundation about two to three years ago – that seems to have now been abandoned.
When the newly erected information board at the pedestrian bridge at first erroneously indicated Abraham Gabbema had discovered Paarl in 1955 this was reported to the municipality, but no action was taken. The top half of the notice has now been torn off, probably as a sign of frustration for lack of response from the municipality?
The Arboretum should be a “show piece” for Paarl, but is fast becoming an embarrassment.
The municipality is very good at installations, but is weak at maintenance.
