PROPERTIES COMMITTEE LATEST MINUTES

MINUTES OF THE PROPERTIES COMMITTEE MEETING
Held on Friday 22 March 2013
at 10am in the Otho Peter Room.

PRESENT: Cllrs Gordon (Deputy Mayor), Hogan (Chairman), Facks-Martin, Sandercock, Tremain (Town Mayor) and Mrs Young. In attendance: Rita Skinner (Town Clerk), Steven Fry (Properties Manager).

1303/68 Apologies for Absence
All members of the committee were present.

1303/69 Declarations of Interest
There were no Declarations of Interest.

1303/70 Minutes of the last meetings
The minutes of the meeting held on 25 January 2012 were signed as a correct record.

1303/71 Newport Toilets
Mr Fry explained that the original proposal for the positioning of the disabled toilet would not work. He had identified an alternative scheme whereby the disabled toilet would be installed in the existing ladies side and the gents and ladies would change places. This scheme would be easier to construct and would work better than the original. Mr Fry suggested creating a disabled parking bay. He was in the process of obtaining quotes, and estimated that the total cost would be in the region of £20-£25,000. It was agreed that white tiling and making good should be undertaken to save the costs of complete refurbishment. Some work would be undertaken by Council staff and some by students from St Austell/Launceston Colleges as part of their training in construction. Their labour was free and the Council would supply materials. The electricity meter would be contained in an external box.
It was hoped that the toilets would be ready for re-opening on 8 June as part of the Causley Festival. Cllr Mrs Young said she would approach St Stephen’s School about the children’s participation in this, with a performance of The Roundhouse.

1303/72 Newport Roundhouse
It was agreed that the Roundhouse should be open during daylight hours once the toilets were open, initially for a trial period. The two buildings would be opened and closed at the same time. It might be necessary to employ someone more local to undertake the caretaker role at Newport (including the Priory).

1303/73 Cyprus Well
A meeting with the Trustees would follow this meeting to discuss the detail of the Service Level Agreement between the Council and the Charles Causley Trust. The tender documents had been prepared but were not yet available on the Cornwall Council website. The house contents had been removed to the unused garage in the Westgate Street car park for temporary storage. It was agreed to leave the piano in the house due to its weight.

1303/74 Property Manager’s Report
Car park – the lights would be replaced in the winter of 2013; the height of the top floor lampposts would be reduced to ease maintenance.
Lawrence House Museum – the work to the kitchen was about to commence.
Town Hall – the St Austell/Lanceston College students would be painting the internal doors as part of their module in painting and decorating. They would be supervised at all times.
The external stonework needed attention and it was agreed that David Gynn should be asked to look at the walls and give an assessment of what needed doing most urgently.
CCTV cameras had been installed in the Dunheved Bar.
TIC – work was complete apart from some minor work to the display units.

1303/75 Health and Safety and Risk Assessments
Mr Fry reported that he was reviewing the Health and Safety Policy of the Town Council, and reviewing the Risk Assessments for all areas.
The committee considered the emergency out of hours contacts for the Town Hall, Lawrence House and the TIC. It was agreed that the contacts for all premises should be the two caretakers together with the Property Manager. The caretakers would receive double time payments when called out. The committee also considered the risks associated with lone working in the Town Hall, the difficulties of keeping the building secure during events and the responsibilities of locking up after events. These issues would need to be considered at a future meeting.

1303/76 Urgent Items
No issues were raised.

Date of the next meeting
The next meeting will be held on Friday 24 May 2013 at 10am in the Otho Peter Room.

The meeting ended at 11am.