251 August 2015 - Gryffe Advertizer
The Advertizer - Your local community magazine to the Gryffe area.
The Advertizer - Your local community magazine to the Gryffe area.
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
38 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk<br />
kilmacolm & quarriers<br />
.....................................................<br />
July is normally a quiet month for us with<br />
the Council in recess and this year has<br />
been no exception.<br />
We have received a lot of positive<br />
feedback about the Council’s upgrading<br />
of the A761 between Kilmacolm and<br />
Bridge of Weir. Further investment in the<br />
roads infrastructure in Quarrier’s Village<br />
is planned for this month. Craigbet<br />
Road, Torr Avenue, Craigbet Avenue and<br />
Craigbet Crescent will be resurfaced. It is<br />
hoped this work will be completed in <strong>August</strong> however this is weather dependent,<br />
which as we know is rather unpredictable around these parts.<br />
We will continue to lobby for further investment in the roads in and around<br />
Kilmacolm and Quarrier’s Village in the years ahead.<br />
Smithy Brae in Kilmacolm will be closed to traffic from 8am on Saturday 1st<br />
<strong>August</strong> to 6pm on Sunday 2nd <strong>August</strong> in order to enable the demolition of the<br />
former Kilmacolm Institute building to be completed. Pedestrian access will still<br />
be possible during this time. As you may be aware, the demolition works were<br />
suspended previously following a serious accident.<br />
It was brought to our attention that excess commercial waste was being dumped<br />
next to the bins in the Kilmacolm Community Centre car park. This issue was<br />
raised with officers in the Council who then visited the site and found that the<br />
glass-recycling bins were under utilised as a result of the introduction of the<br />
kerbside glass-recycling scheme. Officers are now considering the removal of<br />
a number of the glass-recycling bins and replacing them with blue dry mixed<br />
recycling bins which will hopefully address the issue of excess waste being<br />
dumped.<br />
The Cross Cafe in Kilmacolm is a family business that has been at the heart of<br />
the village for 90 years. We would like to pass on our best wishes to Alda and<br />
Johanna as they make plans towards their well-earned retirement.<br />
Cllr McColgan - Surgeries: Thu 6 Aug, 6–7pm in Kilmacolm Community Centre<br />
& Tue 18 Aug, 6–7pm in Clune Park Resource Centre. Call: 01475 712727<br />
(during office hours) and 07881 280016 (anytime) Email: james.mccolgan@<br />
inverclyde.gov.uk. Write: Inverclyde Council, Municipal Buildings, Greenock<br />
PA15 1LY. You can keep up to date with my work as a Councillor by visiting<br />
my website: http://jamesmccolgan.com. You can also follow me on Twitter @<br />
jamesmccolgan.<br />
Cllr McCabe - Surgeries: Tues 11 Aug, 6pm- 7pm in Clune Park Resource<br />
Centre and Tue 25 Aug, 6.30pm – 7.30pm in Kilmacolm Community Centre.<br />
Call: 01475 712020 (during office hours) and 871368 (home) Email: Stephen.<br />
McCabe@inverclyde.gov.uk. Write: 10 Victoria Gardens, Kilmacolm PA13 4HL.<br />
You can keep up to date with my work as a Councillor by visiting my blog:<br />
http://councillorstephenmccabe.blogspot.com/ and follow me on Twitter @<br />
CllrSMcCabe.<br />
Business as usual<br />
It's true that the Cross Cafe in Kilmacolm is being<br />
marketed for sale, but contrary to some rumours<br />
circulating, it is not closing. It's business as usual<br />
for Jo and Alda - until a suitable buyer is found.<br />
Carfest returns to<br />
St Vincent’s Hospice<br />
The Council have recently carried out extensive improvements<br />
to drainage and have completely resurfaced a section of<br />
the A761 Kilmacolm to Bridge of Weir Road at a cost of<br />
£300,000. The work which was carried out in collaboration<br />
with neighbouring Renfrewshire Council had been badly<br />
needed and will hopefully make this part of the road much<br />
safer.<br />
At the last meeting of Kilmacolm Community Council it was<br />
reported that well known village resident Jim Wood has<br />
proposed a Heritage Centre be created to display the history<br />
of the village. I think this is a very good idea and well worth<br />
supporting. At the meeting I did suggest if there is the room<br />
that part of the Village Centre could possibly be used for this purpose. Here is<br />
hoping Jim Wood’s proposal can get adequate support.<br />
My colleague Derek MacKay MSP has recently been unanimously re-selected<br />
as a candidate for the Renfrewshire North & West constituency, which takes<br />
in the Kilmacolm and Quarrier’s Village part of Inverclyde. Derek has done a<br />
fantastic job as both an MSP and a Scottish Government minister since he<br />
was elected in 2011. Before that he had been a councillor and Leader of<br />
Renfrewshire Council. My congratulations go to Derek in being re-selected as<br />
candidate and I wish him all the best in the campaign for next year’s Scottish<br />
Parliamentary Elections.<br />
My next surgery is on Monday 3 <strong>August</strong> in Kilmacolm Community Centre from<br />
6pm to 7pm. Alternatively constituents can also contact me by emailing me at<br />
jim.macleod@inverclyde.gov.uk, phoning me at my office on 01475 712727 or<br />
on my mobile on 07747 765 839 or writing to me at the Municipal Buildings,<br />
Clyde Square, Greenock, PA15 1LZ.<br />
howwood<br />
& elderslie<br />
.....................................................<br />
Hi there, I hope everybody is having a good summer. The<br />
weather has not been great and as I write this article play is<br />
suspended at the British Open Golf at St Andrews! Still, we<br />
might get some sun next year!<br />
Good news for the village is that Street Stuff has arrived in<br />
the village. The school holidays can be very long for children<br />
and parents alike so this will hopefully keep young villagers<br />
amused.<br />
I missed the July meeting of the community council due<br />
to being on holiday and they themselves take a break in<br />
<strong>August</strong>. They meet again in September but even though<br />
there are no meetings I'm sure they will be keeping their eyes on the goings on<br />
in and around the village.<br />
The Bowfield had appealed against the councils decision to refuse their recent<br />
planning application. They won that appeal so we will see some changes at the<br />
hotel in the coming months.<br />
You may have noticed that the new car park has now opened at Johnstone<br />
Railway station. This improvement was hard fought for and hopefully benefit<br />
commuters and local residents.<br />
My next surgery in the village hall is at 6pm on 27th <strong>August</strong>. That is quite a while<br />
away but I can be contacted on 07717 432899 or by contacting the council.<br />
Enjoy what’s left of the summer!<br />
St Vincent’s Hospice in Howwood welcomed visitors to their annual motoring<br />
extravaganza ‘Carfest’ on the 23rd June.<br />
The event featured a host of classic, vintage and specialist cars including<br />
exclusive marquees such as Bentley and Maserati as well as motor bikes and<br />
other vehicles of interest. Carfest is the brainchild of local Health and Safety<br />
guru, Willie Chrystal of MaxSafe Solutions.<br />
Last year, Carfest 2014 raised over £3500 which goes to help provide special<br />
care for people living with life-limiting medical conditions.
Change language