WHERE DID WE COME FROM? WHERE ARE WE NOW? WHERE DO WE WANT TO BE? The Riverside Industrial City Improvement District (CID) Journey We reflect on how it all started, celebrate the change that we have already brought about and share with you our vision of the future of our CID as well as what inspires us to greatness.
WHAT DOES A CID REPRESENT? COLLECTIVE THINKING - NO MAN IS AN ISLAND, ALONE WE CAN DO LITTLE, BUT TOGETHER WE CAN CONQUER IT ALL; HOLISTIC APPROACH TO UPLIFTING THE ENTIRE AREA AND UNDERPINNING PROPERTY VALUE - IT IS WORTH NOTHING TO HAVE A PALACE LOCATED IN THE FILTHY PART OF TOWN; SAFETY - WHEN WE FEEL SAFE, WE WANT TO SPEND MORE TIME HERE; CLEANLINESS IF YOU ROLL WITH THE PIGS, YOU ARE GOING TO GET MUDDY; MARKETING BRINGING CLIENTS TO OUR CID, RATHER THAN SEEING THEM SPEND THEIR MONEY ELSEWHERE.
WHICH AREAS DO WE NEED TO FOCUS ON? CLEANLINESS SECURITY BEAUTIFICATION MARKETING
LET S LOOK AT CLEANING SAND SPILLED IN ROADS OVERGROWN VEGETATION LITTER TERMITE MOUNDS/TREE ROOTS/DEAD TREES CLEANLINESS ROAD REPAIRS REFUSE BINS WEEDS ILLEGAL DUMPING
WE STARTED WITH CHAOS
LITTER WAS A SAD REALITY, EVEN OUR STORMWATER SYSTEMS SUFFERED
SO WE CLEANED IT UP AND NOW HAVE A DEDICATED CLEANING TEAM, WORKING ON THIS FIVE DAYS A WEEK! ALL TO ENSURE THAT THIS CINDERELLA STAYS A PRINCESS ALL YEAR ROUND!
OUR ROADS DELIVERED A BUMPY RIDE SO WE PUT QUITE A BIT OF WORK INTO REPAIRS, FIXING NO LESS THAN 382 sq. OR 15 SECTIONS OF PAVED ROAD!
OUR OPEN SPACES WERE USED AS A DUMPING GROUND
SO WE THREW OUT THE TRASH LITERALLY BAKKIE LOAD AFTER BAKKIE LOAD!
WEEDS WERE AS COMMON AS LITTER
SO WE SPRAYED HERBICIDE AND DUG OUR HANDS IN AND REDISCOVERED MANY A LOST GARDEN!
REFUSE BINS WERE UNSIGHTLY AND OVERFLOWING THAT IS IF YOU COULD FIND ONE
SO WE INSTALLED NEW BRANDED BINS THAT ARE BEING CLEANED ON A DAILY BASIS. BEAUTIFUL, RIGHT?
DEAD TREES, AGGRESSIVE TREE ROOTS AND TERMITE MOUNDS ARE EITHER COMPLETELY ADDRESSED OR ARE CURRENTLY BEING ADDRESSED IN PHASES
WE WERE DROWNING IN SAND
SO WE SWEPT AND SWEPT AND SWEPT AND LIKE THE FAIRYTALE, WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES TWELVE (OR IN OUR CASE THE STORM HITS TOWN), WE NEED TO SWEEP AGAIN, BUT CLEAN IT WILL BE!
VEGETATION WAS UNKEPT
SO WE CLEARED OUT BIG TIME!!! ALL MUNICIPAL TREES WERE PRUNED; RUBBLE CLEARED OUT; OVERGROWN VEGETATION WAS TRIMMED TO ENSURE WE HAVE CLEAR OPEN SPACES - FROM THE BRIDGE TO THE EMBANKMENT - FULL HOUSE CLEAN UP!
LET S LOOK AT SECURITY CCTV RIVERSIDE CRIME PREVENTION UNIT SECURITY JAMMING DETECTORS RIVERSIDE SECURITY COMMITTEE
SECURITY STATS INDICATED CRIME WAS ON THE RISE SO WE INSTALLED PHASE ONE OF A THREE- PHASE CCTV SURVEILLANCE PLAN. 1 X LPR AND 1 X PTZ. ALL ENTRANCES/EXITS WILL BE COVERED BY END 2018
ALONG WITH CCTV CAMERAS, WE STARTED THE TESTING PHASE OF JAMMING DETECTORS THESE NIFTY LITTLE THINGS ARE CURRENTLY AT THREE TESTING SITES IN RIVERSIDE INDUSTRIAL CID; ONE HAS ALREADY ASSISTED IN THE APPREHENSION OF A SUSPECT TRYING TO USE REMOTE INTERFERENCE TO BREAK INTO A VEHICLE; THEY HAVE A 300m RANGE IN THE SHAPE OF A HALF CIRCLE; THE REMAINDER OF THE CID WILL BE COVERED DURING THE YEAR, ENSURING SAFE PARKING FOR ALL OUR CUSTOMERS!
WE JOINED FORCES WITH RIVERSIDE PARK AND HAVE A FULLY FLEDGED SECURITY COMMITTEE THIS COMMITTEE MEETS EVERY SIX WEEKS; CRIME STATS ARE SCRUTINIZED TO SPOT VULNERABLE AREAS WHERE ADDITIONAL SECURITY MEASURES ARE THEN DEPLOYED; THE COMMITTEE COMPRISES OF TWENTY PRIVATE AND PUBLIC ENTITIES
LASTLY, WE BEEFED UP OUR SECURITY BY CHANGING THE GUARDS ON BICYCLES TO A DEDICATED RIVERSIDE CRIME PREVENTION UNIT This vehicle is 24/7/365; Manned by senior officers; Dedicated contact number 072 772 2467; Their interventions in the CID have been nothing short of remarkable; The result of all of these changes brought about only one reported incident on the POLSEC stats for the last three months!!! This Facebook post alone reached 17k people!
LET S LOOK AT BEAUTIFICATION R37/R40 INTERSECTION PROPOSAL INFORMAL TRADERS KERBS AND BOLLARDS BRIDGE ENTRANCE BEAUTIFICATION R37 WALKWAY AND BOLLARDS R37 CIRCLE R37 FRONTAGE ENTRANCE
INFORMAL TRADERS ROAMED FREELY, TO BE PRECISE, WE HAD 11 OF THEM IN THE AREA AND THEY WERE INCREASING
SO WE TOOK ACTION TRADERS WERE FOREWARNED- CAUSING ONE TRADER TO FIND LEGAL SPACE ON A PROPERTY AND ANOTHER TO RELOCATE; THE LAW ENFORCEMENT UNIT (LEU) WAS CONTACTED; WARNINGS WERE ISSUED BY 17 MEMBERS OF LEU ASSISTED BY HI-TECH SECURITY (OUR SERVICE PROVIDER); MANY TRADERS MOVED AFTER RECEIVING THESE WARNINGS; ONLY THREE FULL DAY TRADERS REMAIN, ALONG WITH THE MORNING TRADERS FROM 05H00-08H00; THEY NEED TO BE REMOVED BY THE LEU TO ENSURE NO LEGAL ACTION IS TAKEN AGAINST THE CID. AFTER THE TRADING STATION AT THE BRIDGE-END WAS ABANDONED, WE HAD TO REMOVE THE STRUCTURE. TWO PROPERTIES HAD SUFFERED DAMAGES TO THEIR LANDSCAPING DUE TO TRADERS AND REHABILITATION WORK HAS BEEN DONE.
CRACKED AND MISSING COVERS MADE FOR AN EYESORE
SO WE REPLACED THEM
THE BOLLARDS AT OUR ENTRANCE WERE IN POOR CONDITION
WITH A LICK OF PAINT, WE HAVE A GOOD LOOKING LAUREL AND HARDY!
KERB STONES AND BOLLARDS WERE IN DIRE NEED OF REPLACEMENT
LEADING TO THE INSTALLATION OF OVER 80 KERB STONES AND 118 BOLLARDS INFACT, WE REPLACED KERB STONES
OUR PEDESTRIANS WERE IN NEED OF A SIDEWALK BECAUSE OUR GRASS WAS NOT SURVIVING THEIR DAILY RUN TO THE BUS SO WE BUILT A SIDEWALK ALL ALONG THE R37
THE ENTRANCE LOOKED DULL AND UNATTRACTIVE
SO WE GAVE IT A FACELIFT THIS YEAR WE CALLED ON OUR GUARANTEE FOR COLOUR TOUCH-UPS, MAKING SURE WE REMAIN TO BE A SHINNY NEW CID!
THE R37 FRONTAGE WAS IN NEED OF A DECENT CLEAN AND LEVELLING SO WE DID IT!
THE R37 CIRCLE IS ONE OF THE FOUR AREAS THAT LEADS INTO THE RIVERSIDE INDUSTRIAL CID; ACCIDENTS OCCUR HERE ALMOST ON A WEEKLY BASIS AND CLEANING IS DONE BY OUR CREW; WE SUBMITTED AN APPLICATION TO ADOPT THIS CIRCLE; ONCE THIS HAS BEEN APPROVED, A PLAN FOR BEAUTIFICATION WILL BE SET OUT; THIS WILL INCREASE VISABILITY AND HOPEFULLY BRING AN END TO THE ACCIDENTS.
OUR BRIDGE ENTRANCE SUFFERED A A TRUCK DRAGGED THE HEIGHT RESTRICTION BARRIER ACROSS THE BRIDGE TO OUR SIDE BIT OF A KNOCK THE MUNICIPALITY WILL NOT REPLACE THIS (A COST OF R14K) AND REQUESTED WE REMOVE IT
OTHER THAN THAT INCIDENT, THE CLEANING AND CLEARING REMAINS ONGOING
ORBIC ARCHITECTS HAVE KINDLY OFFERED THEIR SERVICES, FREE OF CHARGE, TO DRAW UP A BEAUTIFICATION PLAN FOR THE CID. THE FIRST R37/R40 INTERSECTION PLAN WAS SUBMITTED AND IS UNDER GOING SOME CHANGES BEFORE FINAL PRESENTATION TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. THIS WAS BUDGETED FOR AND WE HAVE BEEN SAVING FOR THIS DRAMATIC PROJECT SINCE THE 2016/17 FY. WE REGARD THIS TO BE THE URBAN MANAGEMENT EQUAVALENT OF A COMING- OUT BALL FOR A 16-YEAR OLD!
HERE IS A BIT OF A TEASER
ALONG THE JOURNEY WE THE HAD SOME CURVED BALLS - FROM ACCIDENTS TO ELECTRICAL REPAIRS CAUSING DESTRUCTION BUT NOTHING WE COULD NOT DEAL WITH!
LET S LOOK AT MARKETING FACEBOOK BRANDING THROUGH OTHER PROJECTS (BINS, ENTRANCE SIGNAGE ETC.) MARKETING WEBSITE SMS CAMPAIGNS
WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO ENSURE THAT THE PUBLIC KNOWS ABOUT THE CID AND THE BENEFITS OF BEING IN THIS AREA? THE POWER OF FACEBOOK HAS PROVEN ITSELF OVER AND OVER SO WE TOOK OUR FACEBOOK PAGE TO A NEW LEVEL.
OUR FACEBOOK LIKES HAVE MORE THAN DOUBLED IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS! AND WE ARE MAKING SURE PEOPLE ARE AWARE THAT THIS IS A MANAGED AREA. WE ARE EVEN RECEIVING FEEDBACK FROM THE PUBLIC ABOUT OUR GOOD WORK!
BUT WE DID NOT STOP THERE! TO ENSURE OUR FAMILY OF BUSINESSES PROSPER WE STARTED ADVERTISING THEIR POSTS ON OUR PAGE! WE HAVE SHARED NO LESS THAN 88 POSTS FROM BUSINESSES IN OUR AREA. IF BUSINESS PROSPERS, TENANTS PAY RENT AND PROPERTY OWNERS SEE A RETURN ON THEIR INVESTMENT.
AS OF FRIDAY, OUR WEBSITE HAS GONE LIVE! THIS HAS AN INVESTMENT PAGE; DIRECTORY PAGE; A NEWS PAGE WITH OUR LATEST NEWSLETTER; LOCATION MAP; CONTACT PAGE; AND BEAUTIFUL PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY DONE OF THE CID! A TEXT MESSAGING SERVICE ALLOWS US TO SEND BULK MESSAGES TO OUR BUSINESSES AND PROPERTY OWNERS, KEEPING THEM INFORMED ABOUT CID NEWS AT ALL TIMES!
WHAT ELSE ARE WE BUSY WITH? WE ARE CONSULTING WITH ENDECON FOR TRAFFIC CALMING FEATURES THAT WILL DOUBLE AS PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS. SINCE WATERFALL AVENUE IS AN A3 CLASSIFIED ROAD (AND THE FACT THAT IT IS PAVED CREATE COMPLICATIONS), WE NEED TO CONSULT WITH A TRAFFIC ENGINEER; WE ARE NEGOTIATING SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT WITH THE MUNICIPALITY TO ASSIST THEM WITH THE MAINTENANCE OF OUR STREET LIGHTS- 16 OF OUR 54 LIGHTS ARE NOT WORKING AT THE MOMENT; WE ARE ALSO BUSY LOOKING INTO SOLUTIONS TO STOP ILLEGAL REFUSE DUMPING AND IMPROVE THE STATE OF OUR REFUSE AREAS.
WHICH CIDs DO WE LOOK TO FOR INSPIRATION? LOCALLY WE NEED NOT LOOK FURTHER THAN OUR BIG SISTER ACROSS THE ROAD -RIVERSIDE PARK!
PRISTINE GARDENS GUIDED BY THEIR LANDSCAPING MANUAL, SIGNAGE REGULATIONS GUIDED BY A SIGNAGE MANUAL AND A CORPORATE IDENTITY GUIDE IS NOTHING SHORT OF INSPIRATIONAL GOALS! SHE BOASTS WITH MORE THAN 12 000 FANS ON FACEBOOK WITH A 4.8 STAR RATING FROM HER VISITORS! RIVERSIDE PARK HAS JUST CELEBRATED 21 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE; IT IS FIVE TIMES LARGER THAN WE ARE, WITH A MONTHLY BUDGET EQUATING THIS RATIO. WE NEED LOOK NO FURTHER THAN OUR OWN DOORSTEP FOR INSPIRATION.
GAUTENG OFFERS INSPIRATION IN THE FORM OF MENLYN MAINE
SA s first green city in the making seeking a four star rating; Comprising a whopping 35 000 lettable square metres; and Boasting a phenomenal art collection from Anton Smit, makes it easy to see why we look up to Menlyn Maine for a different kind of inspiration
WE ARE MOST CERTAINLY ON THE RIGHT TRACK THE ONLY THING LEFT TO SAY IS: WATCH THIS SPACE! THE END: QUESTIONS?