River Community Council Controversy - minutes challenged!

The Firhall Bridge issue came back again to the River Community Council with a challenge to the minutes and debate about the custom and practice of River CC voting procedures for decisions made during meetings open to the public.

Suffice to say that most people went away from the last meeting of the council thinking that Murd Dunbar had the support of the council for his popular campaign to enable better access to the Firhall Bridge. However the situation after reading the minutes was confused to say the least and the debate too was shall we say, lively!

It is quite unusual, perhaps for the minutes secretary to challenge the minutes but nonetheless that’s how things went tonight. In fact the minute on the Firhall Bridge was challenged successfully on three points. The Gurn subscribes to cock-up rather than conspiracy theory here.
Over the years this observer has many times seen the River CC invite members of the public present to vote with members and for that decision to then become the Council’s policy. This situation was raised stating that what was happening was that in doing this the Council were de facto co-opting the public into the decision making process. There was agreement that this was the case from one councillor, although another stated that, ‘this had been happening recently but it was wrong.’
So thus the confusion, the subject returned again during the ACOB part of the meeting, there was lively and passionate debate with members of the public failing to see why the Council didn’t want to back Murd. Another vote was called for to clarify the position of the council but this process was never completed as the Council decided that the best way forward would be to gauge the feeling of a public meeting.
Liz MacDonald told the meeting that the Access Panel was now backing better access to the bridge. Soon Murd will take his case to the Suburban Council too, having already won the support of the West CC. Maybe a public meeting on the issue would be superfluous or perhaps just the thing to get the whole campaign up a gear or two. The Gurn fails to see the problem, if Murd eventually gets the go ahead, no Highland Council money would be involved, no one would lose a job and no schools or day care centres would be closed. Other funding would be sourced, perhaps somewhere up the bureaucratic food chain there is someone that can put insurmountable obstacles in Murd’s path but surely that shouldn’t be the job of a local community council.
The Gurn has no wish to dwell on this subject, it is obvious that the newly elected Council is deeply divided on the issue and democracy sometimes comes with hiccups. So let’s move onto the rest of the meeting.
Constable Swan put in an appearance to update the Council on Law and Order issues in the town, quite successful activity again by the local constabulary it seems with the town centre being quieter again during January. There was a request to see if separate crime figures were available for Nairn rather than the entire division itself.

Liz MacDonald reported her progress on trying to get better gritting for the Fishertown by having some areas classified as pavements rather than roads which would perhaps work out with The Fishertown getting some gritting faster than it did last time. It seems she has pinpointed issues which lead to the delay in calling in the help of contractors to clear snow and ice.
There was again concern about the lack of proper facilities to view planning applications in the town. Carol Clark raised issues about the difficulty in replying to notifications when they are issued at times when the council offices are shut etc.
The River CC has more electors than the two other councils combined, 3,797 compared to the West’s 1,072 and Suburban’s 2,653.
Stephanie Whittaker showed the meeting correspondence between herself and the Director of Social Work and the Chairman of Housing and Social Work on Highland Council concerning respite care and MacLean Court Day Care. She felt that the responses were very unsatisfactory. Stephanie feels very strongly on these issues and the meeting mandated her to continue the correspondence in the search of further information.
There was of course debate on the Firhall Bridge as explained above. The meeting was also shown plans for a bungalow at Whinnieknowe. There simply remained a vote of thanks to the former treasurer Margaret MacKintosh, she was presented with a bouquet of flowers and applause for her years of service to the community.

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Links School - report of the meeting

Hopefully the following will do the event justice, you really had to be there though to get the raw emotional feel of the meeting. It was inspiring to be in a room full to standing room only with people that wanted to get involved in saving the Links School building. More proof, if any were needed, that Nairn is a caring community. 

Graham Marsden opened up the meeting by explaining that within 12-18 months the Links School would be redundant with the new hospital completed and that a number of the 27 groups that use the building would have moved up to the new facility. The process of the community taking ownership of the Links School would be long and arduous and it would be necessary to get started as soon as possible. He pointed out that there was no immediate threat. NHS were responsible for maintenance in the short term but their lease would run out in Jan/Feb and decisions would have to be made over the next 6-9 months.

There was some discussion of the specifics of the lease/ownership situation and the best way forward for the community as regards the two issues. A representative from NHS Highland pointed out that they had made a significant investment of £25,000 in the building over the past 3 years. It seems that NHS Highland would consider still using the building after their lease expires but are very wary of incurring maintenance costs.

The meeting then moved onto to hear other contributions from the floor that really outlined the deep emotional link that many in the community has with this building. It was outlined by users how the building was a far more friendlier environment than either the hospital or the community centre, it was more a space were you could feel at home: you couldn’t put posters up on the wall at the community centre for example and it was very costly. Personal testimony was given of how the Links School was helpful to sufferers of post-natal depression. One woman told the meeting that she wouldn’t have been here today if she hadn’t had the help available from the building.

From the floor the very valid point that the Council might make some money from the sale of the building but what about the cost to society from those who would suffer the consequences of its closure in terms of ill health etc.

It was a powerful emotional event and a committee has been formed to explore ways to bring the building into community ownership. One of the first things the committee will do is to find out who quoted the price of £100,000 to fix the roof and see whether that is indeed the correct price, the committee is also mandated by the meeting to apply for a £15,000 ‘Invest in ideas’ grant that is available up until the end of March. 

These meeting was indeed very positive and a remarkable contrast to the very stormy previous meeting on this topic held two or was it three years ago. It looks like the Links School might survive after all. Also in attendance for the Highland Council was Sandy Park. 

If there's anything important missed or something you disagree with, please let us know. 

 

History of the Seccessional and Links School

Information presented to those attended the meeting this evening: 

The building opened in August 1836 establishing a school in the Fisher Town area of Nairn for the benefit of its seafaring classes and residents. The Cost, including the school room and teachers house was £216.13.8d.

It was financed by subscription, the money coming from as far afield as India. The ground had been bought for £45 from Mr. Robert Cameron, a local shoemaker and Town Councillor.

As far as possible, it was to provide free or low cost education for very poor children within Nairn’s fishing community. Additionally; it would also serve as a Sabbath School, free to all.

A third of the schools Directors would be representative of the Nairn Kirk Session, with Rev.James Grant as Chairman. Other Directors were chosen from the subscribers.

In its first month, the school’s headmaster, Mr Donald Sinclair, registered 118 children with 101 attending regularly after 3 months. Over a third of these pupils came from the fishing community.

The school continued until the introduction of the Education (Scotland) Act in 1872 when it became compulsory for all children to be educated. The school was then transferred to the town and run by the Burgh School Board. The name was changed to The Links School.

During the Second World War, the building was requisitioned by the army and pupils were taught at the Seamen’s Hall. It remained as a school until the late 1960’s. 

Since its closure as a school, it has serve a myriad of users and uses including adult education; the most recent is as an anti-natal clinic and for support groups hosted by the NHS. Local Quakers meet there on Sundays.

There is no doubt this unique building has served the community well over the past 174 years and has become very much part of the heritage of Fishertown. What now?

Links School - a very successful meeting

Standing room only, very positive discussion and a way forward mapped out.  Quote of the night:

'It's very easy to be paranoid about Highland Council'  Graham Marsden.   More soon

Tweet of hyperlocal praise

A recent tweet by a guy called Will Perrin mentions the Gurn and MyNairn:

'willperrin two excellent #hyperlocal sites in tiny Nairn in 
highland scotland http://bit.ly/aKYigQ and http://bit.ly/bUvgQl'

Will has a site called Talk About Local and here's a couple of snippets from the site.

'Talk About Local is a project to give people in their communities a powerful online voice. We help people communicate and campaign more effectively using the web to influence events in the places in which they live, work or play.'

'A good, modern voice on the web can help communities communicate better, become more active and empowered. Community websites and forums make it easier for people to become involved in changing their area. The web can lower the barriers to finding basic information and make it easier to have your voice heard.'

Perhaps some might find it a bit of a specialist scene but the Gurnmeister likes it and will probably have a look after coming back from the Links School meeting tonight, via the Co-op for a Nairnshire of course.  Here's Will's site. 

Bridge potholes no more?

Bear tackle the A96 bridge potholes.

Highland Green party in press release shock

Finally the Green Party have made the P&J headlines, calling for 22 members of a Highland Council committee to be sacked.  No doubt Glenurquart Road trembles with fear today. Sorry the Gurn just can't take the local Green Party seriously. They had the chance to build up a proper 'sustainable' grass roots organisation when Eleanor Scott got into Holyrood but it just didn't seem to happen. The Green Party seemed to have as little to say about public concern about over-development in the A96 Inverness-Nairn corridor as all the other parties. They seem to have said nothing too about many issues dear to Nairnites, Sandown, Sainsbury's, the town centre etc. If they have then please let the Gurn know. 

It would be nice to vote for an effective green party but really if they want support they will have to work harder for it.  Down in the Brighton of the South it seems the Greens are the favourites to win the Parliamentary seat, they came second last time. In the Brighton of the North, looks like they blew it. 

A96 bridge potholes - a need for warning signs?.

Picture will enlarge. Is it time for this kind of sign to alert drivers to the dangers the potholes on the bridge present?

The Links School - Meeting Monday night 7.30 p.m.

Does this building have a future or will it be demolished for redevelopment? Details of the meeting here for those that wish to have their say.

Grey day bridge birds

Tha fios fithich agad.

You have a raven's knowledge.  - Gaelic proverb/ Sean fhacal Gàidhlig

Picture will enlarge a little.

Still 'a walk in the park' for Danny?

It should just be plain sailing for Danny Alexander when the general election comes. He has a reputation as a hard-working MP and he comes out of the expenses scandal whiter than white. So one would think that he'd get a second term. As the stats on the propaganda freesheet that came through Nairn doorsteps last week show, the Labour party were in second place last time and the Liberals are warning us that they might sneak it if we don't go and vote for Danny. Well over previous general elections the vote in this constituency has been pretty fluid and I remember a pundit saying a few years  ago that it was 'a four-way marginal', I think that was the time when Labour took the seat with Dave Stewart.  

Are there any dark clouds on the horizon for Danny at all? Perhaps one, the Liberals are the majority group on Highland Council, a council that is hardly universally proper and will soon be making deep and severe cuts to the services they deliver. Will those upset with the cuts and the performance in general of the council punish Danny for the actions of the Liberal councillors? The same might happen to the Labour Candidate too. Does this give the SNP's John Finnie any chance at all or is the real fight here for second place? 

All's well that end's well at Blockbusters

Magnus states on his you tube page:

'Thankfully, Blockbusters have taken mercy on me and let me off with this video. I apologise for any trouble I might have caused'

The Highland News has taken up the story now too.   

A Co-op announcement due in March

Nothing on the Courier website but the dead-tree edition has three small paragraphs about how the Co-op will announce details of plans for a new store in Nairn next month. Seems they're up for it now.

What a silly waste of time it all was sending a team of suits along to the public inquiry to try and stop Sainsbury's then. They could have had the old community centre demolished by now. Perhaps they'll get on with that at the same time as the streetscape, then we can get all the disruption over in a oner.

News of another major development for Nairn!

Thanks to Irene for once again sharing another snippet from her considerable research into Nairn's past.

The swan cycle

This was the scene back in May, the latest situation is detailed on the swan blog.

Donald pipped at the post for annual media gong

Local investigative journalist Donald Wilson is this year's runner up in the 'Reporter of the Year' category in the Highlands and Islands media awards. Nice one Donald, look forward to more of your work making waves in 2010. Gurnites will remember that we linked to a few of his Highland News articles last year, including his deep digging into issues concerning asbestos in Highland schools. Today the Highland press corps will be heading towards Nairn for their annual gathering and awards ceremony tonight.

See the full list of awards here.

Wind-breaking news?

The list of sites being considered by the Scottish Enterprise as bases for off-shore wind farms includes Ardersier!  Perhaps the yard will come back to life after all but not in the way we've been anticipating recently. Instead of housing, after the blue denim rockers will we see the blue denim overalls again?  It would be a good solution, a chance for Nairnites who work offshore and elsewhere in the world to find something closer to home again? 

'Adrian Gillespie, senior director of Scottish Enterprise's energy team, said: "The further development of a first phase of locations is critical to Scotland establishing itself as a leading location for manufacturing and assembling wind turbines and marine devices.

"Over time, the industry will offer significant opportunities for the whole of Scotland.

"Investing in these sites will provide companies and investors in offshore wind with suitable locations to base themselves to develop, service and support the opportunities that will be created in Scottish and UK water for renewable energy."

More on the BBC site. And more still on the STV pages:

"Each of the five sites identified in the Highlands and Islands possesses significant natural and infrastructural assets. Renewables manufacturing is already underway at Nigg, Campbeltown and Arnish. We look forward to working with partner agencies, developers and community representatives to further explore the opportunities for reinvigoration of facilities at Ardersier and Kishorn, both of which have a history of successful fabrication in the energy sector.”

Renewable energy sector in Scotland could be 'as big as oil and gas boom of 1970s and 1980s'

Fochabers waited through the swinging sixties and the cold war but they got a by-pass

A link to a Scotsman page has been sent in by a regular reader of the Gurn. How long will Nairn have to wait? We do get a mention in the article however.

Local Press review

‘When are the buses coming?’ is the demand that headlines the front page of the Nairnshire this week. John Mackie of the Suburban council is getting his teeth into timetable troubles again and wondering how folk wanting to get to see their GPs in the afternoon will fare when the Lodgehill clinic moves to the new hospital. There is plenty of information this week to get you up to speed with local bus issues. Here at the Gurn we feel that if people are ever to be weened out of their cars in the Nairn and Inverness area then the price of public transport will have to come down and come down a lot.

The West Community Council are now backing Murd Dunbar in his efforts to improve things at the Firhall Bridge, he just needs the Suburban on side now and he’ll have a full set of town community councils under his belt. Next to the article about the bridge project is an advert alerting us to the forthcoming Suburban Community Council elections, just as with the River Com C if more than five people put their names forward there will be an election. 

Page 3 contains fears Nairn Rersidents’ Concern Group have over the Highland Council’s forthcoming involvement in the Sandown Public Inquiry, i.e. whether they are really up for it. Sandy Park dismisses this fear and thinks someone is being a bit ‘naughty’ here, you’ll have to get the paper to find out more. 

Further down the page West Councillor Graham Vine is quoted as saying the he doesn’t support any attempt to reopen the Bailey Bridge to vehicular traffic. A sentiment that won’t go down well with River’s Jean Tolmie. The Gurnmeister has to admit that he prefers the Bailey Bridge the way it is now without cars to worry about. It just adds to the entire holiday atmosphere in that area, let’s leave it that way now!

On to page 5 and more from the West mob, this time details for their submission to the forthcoming public inquiry.

A very good letter this week from former Tory councillor and Provost of Nairn Nigel Graham. The Gurnmeister has had his run-ins with Nigel in the past but would recommend that the Nairnshire Liberation Movement co-opt him as a potential spiritual leader on account of his excellent letter this week.

Plenty of other stuff including details of curling and soccer achievements. Soccer is something we haven’t seen in Nairn for 8 or is it 9 or 10 weeks now? Football withdrawals have long since come and gone. Maybe sometime this month? Well done Kyle Whyte for his appearance in the Scotland U-17 squad and for scoring a goal too! 

The Nairnshire, the ultimate 40p treat on a freezing Tuesday morning!

Status Quo - a 29 year gap since the last Nairn gig

The revamped Ballerina Ballroom site (remember the blog for the Rock Exhib that was meant to go ahead alongside the Cinema of Dreams) gives the last gig as August the 7th 1970. I went over to that blog for a look after the following comment came in on the other Quo post.

'Flower Power said...

Elton John, Rod Stewart, Status Quo all wrinkly rockers what next
in the highlands LADY SAGA.
*****
Saw The Quo twice in The Ballerina
& also would you believe in The
Town Hall, Cullen when i had hair.'

Just wondering where the bands used to stay after the gigs. B&Bs in Nairn? Did the Quo stay somewhere in Nairn?

Gurn Potholes 2010

We've started Gurning to Fergus Ewing MSP about the state of the potholes on the town bridge. The Gurn will  continue to do so from time to time when we come across other dangerous potholes on the roads in Nairnshire.  You can find Gurn Potholes here on Flickr.

These holes on the bridge started forming before the recent cold spell and they should now be a priority as they are growing dramatically every day. Drivers are swerving to avoid them thus presenting another danger to pedestrians that use these paths everyday, many of those pedestrians being children. There's no shortage of potholes in the country now but surely the like of these on a trunk road in a town centre should be a priority?

Miracle of reincarnation in Harbour Street

It may be a wee shoppie but it has a reputation as a 'super' store for many Nairnites. Good luck to the next reincarnation as Fishertown Stores. Picture will enlarge.

Highland Council pays £22,000 per day on consultants

We keep hearing there's no money but the Press and Journal has come up with some alarming statistics:

'Highland Council is spending almost £22,000 a day on consultants – £5,000 more than the average annual salary of workers in the region.
It spent £9.5million hiring outside experts over a 20-month period between April 2008 and November 2009 – the equivalent of £21,883 every working day.'

Five days worth of consultants would fix the Links School roof then? You'll get the full story on the Press and Jounal site.

A free Tilda film

Tilda goes barefoot in a film made by Ryan McGinley for Pringle of Scotland. 

Rocking all over the Carse! - The Quo for McDermott's yard!

Seems the stuff of dreams but Status Quo will be playing this year at the former McDermott's Ardersier site known these days as Whitness Head.

'A charity concert to be headlined by veteran rockers Status Quo is to be held in a former oil platform construction yard near Ardersier.
Rock 4 Life's organisers, Caledonian Productions, had planned to stage the event at Bogbain Farm off the A9 near Inverness. '

'The former McDermott construction yard at Whiteness on the Moray Firth is earmarked for a housing development. The developers have donated the site for Rock 4 Life on 1 and 2 May. '

More on the BBC site, thanks to Nairni49 for forwarding the good news to the Gurn. Man those Dolphins sure rock! Anybody looking for accomodation for this event and has just landed on this post then try www.visitnairn.com for a wide range of delightful places to stay. If you want to see a few pictures of our area and Nairn the nearest town to this Status Quo event (a town with two delightful beaches) then try a few of the picture sets on this page. Nairn is a really friendly town, we look forward to seeing the Quo fans!

Can Gurnites think of any appropriate Quo lyrics that could be adapted to commemorate the occasion?

Now you can recycle batteries in Nairn

Now at last you don't have to wait until you go to a neighbouring town to recycle batteries. The co-op will accept them from you. Today Britain comes into line with the rest of Europe and retailers have to have collection points. Just hand your used batteries in at the co-op counter.

Nairn swans needing a bit of space

The swans are encouraging their young to leave now. Here's a video from yesterday and further images here.

And some images of yesterday's hight tide on the Gurn flickr pages.

Hold on to your dreams loon - all the Gurn dreamers are with you!

The video info says:

'This was just a spur of the moment thing, I had just bought the (500) days of summer soundtrack and was dancing to it and my colleague suggested that he film me doing it.
This is an example of how to love life even when you work in a small video rental shop in a town that nobody has heard of.'

Seems someone is taking this a bit too seriously however - read more on the info on the video's utube page. Seriously hope the discipline threat evaporates, Nairn needs more dreamers not less! You deserve a bonus for bringing the shop to the world's attention!

Love the other video too. Dinnertime with Dad

Firhall Footbridge Accessibility Report

The Gurn supports the efforts to enable better access to the Firhall Bridge. A recent post has encouraged some debate on the issue, most of it supportive. Anyone showing an interest in this worthwhile project may like to read a copy of the consultant's report for themselves.  Your chance to see just exactly what is involved in bringing about this important project.  The document is over four megabytes and might take a few moments to download.

Time to move the goalposts?

Snow again but this time the variety that melts from most of the pavements by mid-day. Picture will enlarge.