Thornhill Estate April 2018 | Page 2

MODDERFONTEIN NO REGISTRAT aPRIL, MAY & ION FEE JUNE 7:00am – 5:30pm A solid Christian education is the best gift you can give to ensure your child’s success in life. 9 Harley Street Modderfontein 3 Months to Grade R Contact Astrid [email protected] Astrid de Roubaix 063-545-6412 011-608-3135 011 608 3135 or / 063 545 6412 [email protected] www.treasuretots.co.za www.treasuretots.co.za FROM THE CHAIRMAN It is not just the weather that is heating up of late, the issues surrounding the shops and our entrance are certainly coming to a head. Not a bad thing after years of waiting and wondering how it was all going to affect us. Our joint committee with Lakeside has been meeting with Nevada in order to ensure our concerns are addressed as best as possible. One of the issues that I personally was not keen on was the removal of our roundabout at the entrance. I always felt these were more efficient than traffic lights and much safer as people slowed down enough. Nevada and the JRA have pointed out that once a dominant traffic flow is established it is hard for the others to enter and that could see us with traffic backed up deep into our estate. So, traffic lights will be the order of the day as progress sweeps our suburb out of the backwater we have loved so much into a new, busy neighbourhood which is ‘greater Modderfontein’ or ‘Long Lake’if that name ever takes off. The strip mall that should be finished sometime this year will busy from day one of that we have no doubt. Over 3 000 new homes are due to be completed shortly, half are already up and being marketed. Those numbers dwarf Thornhill and Lakeside and the centre of gravity for the area will move away from the dam and more towards the proposed new Gauteng Station. In the meantime other item’s we are still engaging with Nevada on are the type of ‘clever’ traffic lights we can expect, a possible slip road out of the estate, storm water impact on the area as well as the issue over the taxi rank and further developer feedback sessions to the residents. With any luck, and good working relationships with the powers that be in the area, we should see our area being promoted as the ‘heritage’ centre of Modderfontein. We can see paved pathways cutting through the parks around the dam so let’s hope that sense prevails, and we do manage to retain some of that park-Like feel we got so used to over the past couple of decades. All the same, our thanks go out to the committee that are working with the developers; it is a thankless task for all concerned around the table, but we are all behind them as we work hard to retain as much as we can of the country ambiance of the place we call home. Changing pace now, you will have recently received a notice regarding your mu- nicipal valuation since the valuation roll is being updated. The properties owned by the association have also been revalued, though in some cases this is due to our own applications to change the status of the land to one that is cheaper in terms of rates applied. There is a double hit when all of this takes place; first it is the revaluation of the property in question and then the next one comes if they hike the factor too. There is not long to object so apply your mind to your values, and if need be, get your objection in as quickly as you can. Now for the BIG APPEAL. Have you noticed how well attended some of our social functions have been over the past couple of years? Sadly, Michelle has stood down from heading the Social Committee so we need to appeal to you all for new mem- bers. If you think you have a good idea or could make a difference to the communi- ty this committee is for you, please contact Linda in the office for more details. Stephen W Burrow, Chair, THOA