Latest news with #RecreationandParksDepartment
IOL News
28-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Transforming Manenberg: City invests R13 million in sports facility upgrades
Completion of The Greens Sports Ground in Manenberg is set for June. Image: Facebook Seven years ago, the City's Recreation and Parks Department vowed to inject a total of R19.3 million into the upgrade of various community and sports facilities across the metro, including Manenberg. This week, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis introduced the work done at The Greens Sports Ground in Manenberg via social media, with the City confirming the upgrades to the facility would total R13.2million. It is expected to be completed by the end of June. Previously, when the upgrades were announced, a total of R17 million was to be ploughed into work expected to be done in Manenberg and Gugulethu. The upgrades at The Greens sports complex include: timber play structure, new outdoor gym equipment, new signage, new outdoor benches, upgraded lighting and electrical infrastructure; upgraded perimeter and internal fencing, upgrades to hard surfaces (pedestrian and vehicular), two upgraded multi-purpose courts (netball and basketball), a warm-up running track, two new 5-a-side football synthetic pitches, and one upgraded full-sized football synthetic pitch. Mayco member for Community Services and Health, Francine Higham, said the project is intended to bring much-needed recreational facilities to the community. 'The project is not completed yet and the projected budget is R13 247 480. Completion is set for end June 2025 (The Greens portion of work),' Higham said. 'The facility was intended for recreational purposes and more community members of varying ages and abilities including sporting organisations will be able to utilise the facility.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading According to Pastor Vernon Visagie of the Manenberg Community Policing Forum (CPF), educational programmes and recreation was needed for the youth. 'We are still faced with some challenges and this one is positive but is not going to solve our problems. 'Education and the high drop out rate is what is hampering positive changes." Meanwhile, between September 2024 and the end of January, several key milestones were achieved as part of the Recreation and Parks Department's maintenance, repairs and upgrades programme. Six projects were either completed, or phased milestones achieved, with an assigned budget of just over R43 million. Manenberg's youth will benefit from enhanced recreational facilities. Image: facebook/ Belgotex Sport
IOL News
14-05-2025
- General
- IOL News
Leaning wall of Milton Manor no more: City confirms removal of problematic tree after long wait
The prestigious Milton Manor on Beach Road in Sea Point Image: Tracy-Lynn Ruiters For more than a year, residents of Milton Manor in Sea Point have been locked in a frustrating battle with a tree whose invasive roots were not only damaging their boundary wall, paving and building foundations, but also threatening their safety. Some units in the block, located at 2 Milton Road and boasting spectacular views of the Atlantic and Table Mountain, are worth more than R3 million. And yet, this long-standing issue was growing increasingly urgent. The tree, which stood on City property just outside the building, had sent its roots deep into the structure. One elderly resident had to rearrange her furniture to keep it from being damaged. The wall was visibly leaning, the paving was lifting, and the building manager, Billy Ackerman, had even nicknamed the boundary 'the Leaning Wall of Milton Manor.' 'We've been passed from one department to another, and no one is giving us any answers,' Ackerman said at the time. 'It's been dragging on for so long, and winter's approaching. The wall is leaning more every day.' But now, after months of emails, phone calls, photographs, complaints — and a fair share of public frustration — there's finally been a breakthrough. Following recent media attention on the issue, the City of Cape Town has confirmed that the problematic tree at Milton Manor has been removed. According to a statement issued by the City's Recreation and Parks Department, the removal work was successfully concluded, and the clearing of the remaining stumps took place on Tuesday, 14 May 2025. The City also confirmed that the job incurred no direct cost, as it was completed using internal resources — a point that may offer some relief to residents who feared the process would be too expensive or complicated to resolve. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ This problematic tree was removed Image: Tracy-Lynn Ruiters Property manager Marion Koegelenberg, from S. Kempen Property Management, who has been speaking on behalf of the trustees throughout the ordeal, previously expressed how the issue had worn residents down over time. Ward councillor Nicola Jowell said she had been aware of the issue for some time and had been in regular communication with residents and the management agency. She acknowledged that the case had appeared consistently on their monthly tracking list with the Parks Department. Part of the delay, Jowell explained, was due to the City's lack of a continuous tree maintenance tender — a gap that hampered their ability to respond to such cases promptly. She also noted that decisions to remove trees are not taken lightly, requiring assessments from the City's arborist and, often, road closures to ensure the work can be carried out safely. Now that the trees have finally been removed, the mood among residents has shifted dramatically. The building is no longer hidden behind overgrowth, and there's a renewed sense of pride in the space. 'It took a while to have the two problem trees removed — two years plus — but the City did come to the party,' said Ackerman following the work. '99.9% of all the owners at Milton Manor are over the moon with the tree removal. The building also looks much better, not hiding behind those trees anymore.' He also expressed gratitude for the role that media coverage played in bringing the issue to a head. 'Thanks for your powerful article in the newspaper — it got them going.' Weekend Argus
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
San Francisco's 4/20 festival is off for the 2nd year in a row
The Brief There won't be an official 4/20 celebration in Golden Gate Park for the 2nd year in a row. The Rec and Park Dept. will hold a smaller, sports-focused event in the space where the 4/20 celebration is typically held. With 4/20 falling on Easter Sunday, there are plenty of options this weekend for events in the city including in Dolores Park and Japantown SAN FRANCISCO - For a second year, the massive cannabis celebrations that we saw in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park on April 20th are off. The backstory In years past, 4/20 saw massive celebrations filling Robin Williams Meadow and spilling over to Hippie Hill in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Now, for a second year, that festival has failed to materialize. San Francisco's Recreation and Park Department said it will be replaced by a smaller festival in the same place focused on outdoor sports and fun. "This is the second annual Peace Love and Polo Field Day," said Daniel Montes from San Francisco's Recreation and Parks Department. "So, yeah, it's a day filled with sports like kickball, volleyball, cornhole, spikeball. There'll be food trucks. A big day with fun. It is different than traditional years." Cannabis industry experts said, for a second year, the organizers of the 4/20 festivities were unable to find a sponsor to underwrite the cost of hosting a free event that in the past hosted as many as 20,000 people and featured food, cannabis booths and a stage with big-name musical acts. Patrick Goggin is an attorney working in the cannabis space and said the industry is maturing and facing some serious issues, including, he said, over regulation, over taxation, and bigger operators moving in and edging out smaller competitors. "They have control of the market, and they've got what they need, and they don't need to sponsor it," Goggin said. "The consumers are there. The industry is going to remain. The multi-billion dollar industry is going to continue to grow." The official event was called off last year as well, but that didn't stop some cannabis fans from showing up to the area to light up at 4:20 in the afternoon. Organizers behind the Peace Love and Volo Field Day said, although the event isn't focused on cannabis, it doesn't mean that those who wish to indulge aren't welcome. "People are welcome to celebrate however they want to celebrate on Sunday and whatever holiday they want to celebrate," Montes said. "We just ask that people be safe." There is also a lot of competition for attention on Sunday. It's also Easter Sunday, so there will be religious celebrations underway throughout the city, as well as organized events at Dolores Park to celebrate the holiday. So, there are a lot of options competing for attention on this 4/20. No word at this point if 4/20 organizers are going to try to revive the festival next year.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Columbus joins lawsuit after alleged DOGE freeze on tree program
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The City of Columbus has joined a federal lawsuit in anticipation of funding cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency for a grant that would pay for more than 1,000 trees planted in 'historically Black neighborhoods.' City Attorney Zach Klein announced in a news release that Columbus has spent $393,930 of a $500,000 urban forestry grant it expected the Recreation and Parks Department to reimburse by way of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The City sought the grant to 'further expand its tree canopy through the purchase and plantings of approximately 1,250 diverse, large-class street trees in disadvantaged areas.' Ohio Republicans form own version of DOGE 'In Columbus, neighborhoods targeted for tree planting were data driven — the areas selected lacked trees compared to other parts of town,' Klein said. 'Yet DOGE algorithms seem to have haphazardly targeted this important initiative that will lead to better health outcomes, air quality and home values for our residents simply because it was a historically Black neighborhood.' Columbus is one of more than a dozen plaintiffs in the complaint filed in a federal court in South Carolina. The document names President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, DOGE and other government officials and agencies as defendants. According to the lawsuit, the city became concerned that it would not receive the grant money on Feb. 18, when ODNR sent a letter to the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department. The letter stated that the U.S. Forestry Service was not processing Ohio's reimbursement requests and that the city should 'temporarily suspend expenses against their grant, given the risk that expenses would not be reimbursed.' However, after submitting a 'Sub Awardee Request for Reimbursement(s)' to ODNR for $393,930, an ODNR email confirmed the grant was 'approved for implementation' on March 13. The court filing reflects the city's fear that the federal government will 'continue to turn this grant on and off and may well not ultimately reimburse the city for the full amount of eligible expenses.' DOGE's claim of saving $1 million at Ohio State doesn't fit any records Despite the uncertainty of the City's request for compensation, the $500,000 USDA-originated grant does not appear on the DOGE website under its 'grant terminations' dashboard. The U.S. government's official spending site also listed the grant as 'in progress.' On its website, ODNR is accepting 2025 applications for Ohio's Urban Forestry Grant Program, stating that the funding is a 'follow up grant program to supplement the original grant program in 2024 to build upon executed awards and fund new projects.' Columbus City Council documents reveal that on March 3, the Recreation and Parks Department once again received the go-ahead to 'apply for grant funding from the … ODNR Urban Forestry Grant Program, which will be used to plant up to 250 street trees in disadvantaged neighborhoods in Columbus.' 'We will continue to make expanding our tree canopy a cornerstone of our environmental policies, not only to reduce energy usage, but to make healthier, equitable environments for residents in all of our neighborhoods,' said Mayor Andrew J. Ginther. The city said in the lawsuit that the money for the trees will have to come out of Columbus's capital budget if the grant money fails to materialize. Cat police, a topless barber: Seven of central Ohio's biggest April Fools' pranks NBC4 has contacted ODNR and DOGE for an update on where the grant money stands. Additionally, Green Columbus was also expecting $50,000 of federal funding through ODNR for trees planted at Columbus City Schools. Columbus City Council announced it will provide the organization $40,000 for its upcoming Earth Day efforts due to the reimbursement delay and Green Columbus having to 'dip into its Earth Month funds.' Final-Complaint-Federal-Funding-Freeze-Litigation-3-19-2025Download Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Columbus residents warned: Pruning city trees can lead to hefty fines
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — As the weather warms up, many central Ohioans turn their attention to yard work, including pruning trees, however for the people of Columbus, knowing if the tree is city property is essential before any alterations are made. A recent post on the social media site, Nextdoor, warned neighbors about the repercussions of clipping city trees. 'Just a reminder to everyone,' the poster wrote. 'The trees that are located in the area between the sidewalk and the street are considered city property in The City of Columbus. Be careful, my neighbor got fined $1,200 for taking … even dead limbs off a tree. If you want them trimmed, call the city.' Street trees, which are usually planted along roads in the space between the sidewalk and the street, known as the tree lawn, belong to the city, according to the Columbus Recreation and Parks website. The Recreation and Parks Department's Forestry section manages these trees, including planting, pruning, and removal. The site states that its team is on call 24/7 to handle tree-related emergencies. For those wondering about general tree maintenance, the city has clear guidelines in place, requests for service, such as pruning or tree removal, can be submitted through the City 311 Service Center at 614-645-3111 or online at People can also ask for a new tree to be planted through this service. Since these requests are prioritized based on public safety and available resources, residents should plan ahead when seeking tree maintenance. If homeowners prefer to pay out of pocket for trimming, treatment, or removal of a city-owned tree, the work must be done by a certified arborist with a permit from the Forestry section. Permits are free and are supplied after a city arborist makes an inspection. Figuring out whether a tree belongs to the city or a homeowner is key before any changes are made. To be sure, residents can check the Columbus public tree inventory map. This interactive online tool provides information about tree species, size, and location, helping homeowners understand whether a tree falls under city management. This knowledge can prevent accidental violations and ensure trees receive the proper care. In December 2023, NBC4 reported on increased fines for cutting down city trees. The newest tree code increased the penalty for cutting down public trees, from $200 per diameter inch to $260 per inch. In March of the same year, Dunkin' Donuts in Clintonville received an $8,000 fine for cutting down trees. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
