Upgrades require funds
THE letter titled “Ramshackle beach facilities are a disgrace”, Cape Argus January 4, refers.
I have in the past inspected the two beach ablution facilities which Mr Blake photographed and wrote about, and I do know the state of disrepair these buildings are in.
There is a plan to refurbish the many facilities that need attention, but securing the funds necessary for upgrades is a big challenge, considering some of the other budget priorities around water augmentation programmes and so forth.
Some of these facilities were built before 1994, when the budget realities facing the council were very different, and these facilities are deficient in both their design and sustainability.
Rehabilitation of these buildings and the high costs associated with keeping them open, clean and safe may simply be impossible for the council to afford.
The toilets featured by Mr Blake are in an isolated location and not close to a designated bathing place, with no adjacent lifesaving clubs or City services. This means they’re vulnerable to vandalism and misuse. When they were open they were damaged daily and often used for criminal activities. As a result, the recreation and parks department is in the process of obtaining a demolition order for both buildings.
I know Mr Blake would want to have everyone believe that the City is neglecting its responsibilities and is incompetent to run its coastal facilities effectively – but these buildings are not in the state they are because we forgot about them.
The inability to invest in them is born out of necessity. The City’s Transport and Urban Development Authority has considered at length how best to distribute resources and has developed a plan for all coastal facilities on the False Bay coastline.
Cape Town is a beach destination and we are committed to maintaining our internationally recognised high standards around beach cleanliness and safety, but it is not possible to do this for the entire coastline.
The most popular beaches where swimming conditions are safest are the locations where we must concentrate our efforts. I trust Mr Blake can understand this.
We are meeting with our colleagues in relevant departments to determine how best we can improve and refurbish the facilities, and where we can find the budget to do so from other projects. We may need to look at new strategies for maintaining some of these facilities, including outsourcing their management, as has been done elsewhere in the world.
A Coastal Optimisation Plan is due at the end of January and will cover all these aspects.
ALDERMAN JP SMITH Mayco member for Safety and Security; and Social Services