Minutes of the Meeting of the Paignton Home Garden and Allotment Society held at the RAOB Club Paignton on Monday 3rd November 2014

Present: Keith Parker, Jane Parker, Gary Buckingham, Colin Weymouth, Pat Messenger, Kay Mason, Joe Wallace, Pat Marriott, Phil Moore

The Chairman welcomed  everyone to the meeting

1.    Apologies: Tracy Clarke, Flis Cotton, Alan Smith, Liz Barnes, Christine Guiver.

2.    Minutes of the previous regular meeting were read and approved.

3.    Matters arising from the minutes:

• Chairman confirmed that the additional skip was obtained and rubbish from Derrell Road and Oakleigh was cleared. The total cost was over £600. Site Reps were asked to keep a watch on members bringing non allotment type items to the sites.
  

4.    Correspondence:

• A letter had been received from the Council stating that they wished to vary the terms of the new lease in that they would transfer the responsibility for the trees on sites to the Society or would increase the rent. As this was an open statement the Chairman was tasked with contacting the Council to determine what the new rent would be. This would allow the Committee to make an informed decision.
  
• A letter confirming the continued use of the RAOB Club for 2014/15 had been received. The Chairman thanked Joe Wallace for obtaining this facility. Meetings would continue to be held on the first Monday of each month apart from April and May 2015. These would be held on Tuesday 7th and Tuesday 5th respectively. 
  
• A letter of complaint was received from the plot holder 20 Derrell Road stating that he had asked for help after being hospitalised and that the help he received was not sufficient and he criticized the Chairman for the work carried out. This person has a poor record of cultivation over the years and the plot has been allowed to become overgrown and has been the subject of a number of complaints from his neighbour. Several letters have been sent by the Committee about the state of the plot. He also informed the Committee that he would be renewing his lease next year. Some discussion took place and it was decided to see if any improvement was made and it would be the Committee that would decide if the lease would be renewed.
  

5.    Chairman’s Report:

• The issue of the insurance claim for the loss of Lower Penns strimmer was discussed as the claims form required information about the loss that would clearly demonstrate that the loss could be from negligence as there was no damage. In this situation the Chairman was not prepared to sign the forms.
  
• Colin Weymouth had acquired the replacement strimmer and would be responsible for the security.
  
• Chairman apologised in that he had not contacted the local PCSO yet.
  
• Padlocks on Derrell Road had been replaced with combination locks. The padlock for Lower Penns was too small and Phil Moore said he would obtain a larger one 50mm from South Devon Farmers. Phil was asked to get a spare for Derrell Road gate as the robustness of the one fitted was unknown.
  

6.    Vice Chairman’s Report:

• In the absence of Alan the matter of buying Chicken Pellets was raised on his behalf. It was stated that these should be obtained before Christmas, however the outlay would bring the Society bank balance below the threshold set at £800. As there were still monies to be spent on the Oakleigh toilet and to allow for contingencies it was agreed that the pellets would be puchased a little later to reduce the risk.
  

7.    Treasurer’s Report:

• Current Account £340.00
  
• Deposit Account £1394.43 
  
• Cheques:

           - SW Water          £44.27           Lower Penns
           - Jewsons            £100.00         Oakleigh Toilet   
           - Alan Smith        £30.37           Oakleigh Toilet.

8.    Site Reports:

   Derrell Road

• 20 - Covered earlier.
• 10b re-let no work carried out to date.
• 3b not much done this year, send dirty plot letter 1.

   Lower Penns

• 8a - No work carried out, not been seen for some time. Send dirty plot letter 1. 
  
• 8b - not much done.
• 25b - send letter 2
• 20 - send letter 2
• 19 - Progress on termination ? 
  

   Oakleigh

• 7a - send dirty plot letter1
• 7b - watch
• 13 - watch
• 41/42 - Picked apples and strimmed, nothing more done.

9.    Any other Business:

• Anti-vandal paint to be obtained for Derrell and Oakleigh gates. Cost around £13.00.
  
• Buying trade weed killer and sprayer for Oakleigh track was approved.
  
• Joe Wallace raised the issues of cups and black cloths, some of which he feels were owned by the Society and are not to hand. This matter refers back to the time of the launch of the Society and no history is available. Chairman said he would speak with previous Committee members to see if they could shed any light on the matter.
  
• Asset register would be updated.
  
• Plot numbers required for 19 & 20 Oakleigh.
  

10.    Date of next Meeting:

• Monday 1st December 2014 @7.30pm @ RAOB Club.
  

Meeting closed at 8.45pm