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MOSSEL BAY NEWS - At the monthly public meeting of the Mossel Bay Municipal Council, held on 29 March, the following noteworthy items were discussed.
GRIFF to be supported again
PHOTO GALLERY: Monthly public meeting of Mossel Bay Municipal Council
The Garden Route International Film Festival (GRIFF) will take place at the Dias Museum from 2 to 6 August this year. In addition to this, there is a virtual offering from 1 to 14 August as part of the festival.
The festival supports emerging and established filmmakers and encourages community participation. It benefits Mossel Bay and the Garden Route District as a whole in promoting local economic development, as well as local tourism.
Last year, during the festival, Mossel Bay students had training in the film and hospitality industry, while employment was also created for the unemployed.
An application for a donation was received from GRIFF and council decided to donate R100 000, as budgeted, to the organisation for executing the festival.
Progress at regional landfill site
The establishment of a regional landfill site by the Garden Route District Municipality (GDRM) on Farm 419, Mossel Bay, is under way. The planned regional waste management facility will contain a domestic waste cell and a separate hazardous waste cell, to accommodate hazardous waste with low and medium hazard rating.
These waste cells will both have a life span of 20 to 22 years. Provision has also been made to accommodate a waste tyre recycling facility. The operations and maintenance tender specifications were finalised by end of March. In accordance with the current project timeline, a service provider is scheduled to be appointed by May.
The PetroSA waste disposal contracts of the participating municipalities were to expire by February, however, the GRDM submitted a request for an extension of the contracts for an additional 12 months.
The following stipulations have been made:
- The permitted height is not exceeded;
- No significant safety risks arise due to the continued disposal of solid waste;
- There be an increase in the PetroSA waste disposal tariff;
- Civil works to repair the access road leading to the top of the landfill is done at the cost of the municipalities;
- Reduction of waste received;
- Adherence to transport arrangements; and
- That GRDM expedites the construction of the regional waste management facility.
Matric festival
Based on the success of the first Matriekbaai event presented in December 2022, council grants permission to the organisers, Partyfest Entertainment, to host the event for a period of three consecutive years.
This December will be the first year of this permission period. A detailed application must be submitted to Council by the organisers by the end of April for consideration.
Kitchen facilities
Following the recent revamp of the Barcelona Indoor Centre, KwaNonqaba, council approved a recommendation that the kitchen facilities there be made available to charitable applicants, who provide food to the community of Mossel Bay.
Applicants must use the facility for preparation and distribution of food (soup kitchen) to the communities in the greater municipal area for a period of one year.
Where food is prepared and distributed by recognised NGOs, NPOs and community-based organisations, the kitchen facilities will be made available free of charge.
To make the project viable, the services account for electricity, refuse and water will be for the municipality's account.
Future of Louis Fourie transfer station
When the Louis Fourie transfer station was developed it was situated well away from town, but as Mossel Bay developed it is now almost surrounded by residential areas.
Being a facility where green and organic material is dumped, there are occasional fires. As a result, air pollution has been a concern to residents in the surrounding area.
The future use of the site can only be considered if the site is rehabilitated as per the closure permit issued.
A closure permit applied for in terms of the National Environmental Management Waste Act, stipulates the commencement of decommissioning by 24 November 2024. It is suggested that a sports facility be established on the site, once rehabilitated.
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