Garsfontein > Newsletters > Newsletters 2011

With the New Year ahead of us, the time has come to implement some of the decisions taken at the AGM. 2010 has been a challenging year with court applications against the council etc. This newsletter is an attempt to give our residents a better understanding of what is at stake for us in order to preserve this secure neighbourhood.

Review of GSP founding 2002

· In 2002 the crime rate in our area was totally unacceptable.

· Thirty percent of homes in the area had been burgled within a two year period.

· As a community it was decided to establish a secured area which would be affordable to all.

· It was a turning point for the community when we started working together to create a safer neighbourhood.

· We were extremely fortunate as we were the last area to get approval before the moratorium on closed areas.

· Initially each member paid a joining fee of R2 000 and a monthly contribution of R135 per month. This funded the traffic impact study which cost R25 000 and the initial application to council which cost R5 750.

· Guard houses were erected at R52 000 and 800 metres of palisade fencing was put up at a cost of R180 000.

· Our initial security fee with Coin Security was R12 675 per month.

· At that stage we had 80% membership.

· After two years the joining fee of R2 000 was waivered and new residents were only asked to pay the monthly levy, then R175.

Achievements

Eight years down the line, GSP has come a long way. We now have:

· a 24 hour patrol,

· a 24 hour emergency number,

· an electrified palisade fencing,

· security cameras,

· golf carts to patrol the area,

· a beautiful verge in Adela Street with trees planted,

· our own office in Adela Street,

· easy access through the new circle in Jacqueline Drive,

· during the past 8 years the crime statistics in the area has become negligible, except for a few minor incidents. Our longest crime free period was 442 days.

We have tried to create a community spirit with GSP Fun days, we have tried to keep residents informed with newsletters and SMS’s and most importantly we have managed to provide our residents with affordable security. In 8 years we have only increased our levy by just R85 rand per month.

Current challenges

However, the problems that we as GSP face continue to escalate. We are not able to deal with the problems on our own and have found it necessary to link with Residents Against Crime (RAC), consisting of 52 other areas in Pretoria, to form a united front against threats of the Tshwane Metro. This became necessary as re-application fees escalated to R62 000 and court application fees rose to R100 000. The continuous court battles with the Tshwane Metro, threatening the removal of all enclosed structures also led to increasing costs. Figures like these could only be paid if we joined forces and we contribute to RAC who represent all secured areas.

On top of this, maintenance costs have continued to soar and our own security bill now exceeds R45 000 per month.

At this stage we have 82% membership and it is imperative that we increase our membership. If we could achieve 100% membership we could increase our revenue by over R12 000 per month and this would certainly help to pay monthly bills and help to improve the security system that we have, with no increase in contributions of members.

Considering GSP’s track record, we managed to improve our security and still remained the most cost efficient secured area in the whole Pretoria region. This was mainly achieved through the prioritising of financial project expenditure. This has had a spin off for all residents. Insurance premiums are reduced. Property values increase as GSP is a sought after area and on top of it all, we enjoy good security in a safe, friendly area.

We have Directors who are committed to the safety of our area. They put in several hours a month, free of charge, so that we can all live in safety.

Reality check

For those residents who have not yet become members, consider what we have in GSP and put a realistic value to the security that you experience and consider joining GSP as a fully paid member.

Compare apples with apples. Compare your lights and water bill from 2002 with your present bill. In 2002 load shedding was unheard of, but despite the inefficiency of Eskom, the lights bill must be paid or the service will be discontinued. Then compare the GSP levy and compare what we had in 2002 and what we have now. GSP costs R8.33 per day, which equates to incredible value for money!

Increase in monthly levy

With this information as background we trust that all residents have a new appreciation for our area. It comes however at a price.

An increase of the monthly levy to R250 per month was approved at the AGM and will be effective from 1 March 2011. We are still the most affordable security area around.

We would like to thank those residents who pay their levy regularly. Without your support we would not be able to continue.

New Member Identification

In March this year we will be issuing 2011 member discs for vehicles. All electronic cards for Arthur Street and the pedestrian gate at Arthur- and Werd Street will have to be handed in at the office for re-programming as an ongoing security measure. The office hours will be extended to make it easier for our residents to pop in.

Please take pride in our area. Please do not throw rubbish out of the car window and please keep all verges neat and tidy. Overgrown verges become a security problem.

We wish all our residents a safe and prosperous 2011.

Ray Lamprecht

(GSP chairperson)

Garsfontein Newsletter January 2011

Dear Residents,

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed lots of quality family time!