Tala Council Newsletter February 2014

Happy New Year!  

DONATIONS

I would like to say a very big thank you to all those who very generously donated gifts and food parcels to needy families, particularly in the lead up to the Christmas period.   All were very gratefully received and I was very proud of the way the whole community pulled together to ensure that no-one was left hungry or in need.  St Stephen’s Anglican Church in Tala has been particularly supportive and a new initiative is being considered which will allow the members of the church to interact more closely with those families badly affected by the financial situation.

A number of people have handed in bags of good second hand clothing and the like.  Such goods are always useful and I can assure you that nothing will be wasted.   If you have second hand clothing or other items which are surplus to requirements these can be left either at the council office or SKE [Welfare Centre].

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all those who helped at the Christmas Bazaar and who provided knitted goods, cakes, or other gifts for this event.

SAPA

As most of you will know from the email issued, SAPA are in the process of issuing invoices to all residents in respect of the sewerage charge.   Since the email, SAPA have agreed to a special meeting regarding Tala but a date is still awaited for this.    I have also had an interview on Paphos Radio by phone.  Unbeknown to me, Mr Vergas was on another line to the station and he has said over the air that he hopes the situation will be resolved by the end of February, and that Tala residents should not pay any invoice received.

In the meantime, if we manage to exclude ourselves from the SAPA road based sewerage system, it looks likely that, due to EU regulations, our existing septic tank arrangement will be unacceptable.   We are, however, pursuing  details of an alternative which converts our septic tanks into ‘domestic treatment units’ – and such units are acceptable to the EU.   It is felt that this option will be cheaper and result in far less disruption than the road based system that SAPA seem keen to include us in! 

Our first task, however, is to get SAPA to agree that they will not charge Tala residents as this is the main priority at the moment.  Thereafter, we will pursue the alternative we suggest with the Government and see if this can be accepted.  The 80% Government subsidy for whatever system we have is unlikely to be available for a number of years – 2020 is the current earliest estimate.

Peyia are in a different situation as they are a municipality and therefore do not qualify for any Government funding.   In addition, their Council has elected to proceed with the road based system.

As soon as there is anything further to report, you will be advised.  In the meantime, it is imperative that you do not pay the SAPA invoice. 

GREEN AREA PLANTING

Now we have had some winter rain, a number of areas will be planted up by the council.

These will be :

Alongside the Council vehicle storage area

Top of Peristerion

PLANTING IN PAVEMENTS

Please note that a Government instruction has now been issued that there should be no new planting of anything in pavements due to the damage caused by root growth, and also to avoid obstruction of the pavement. 

Several residents have allowed the pavement outside their homes to be used for vehicle and boat parking, or as a general dumping ground for items that don’t fit on their drives or in their garages.  Could you please ensure that the pavement is kept clear for pedestrians and also report any offenders to the Council so we can contact them. 

SUBSIDING BUILDINGS AT THE ENTRANCE TO KAMARES

I have finally received information from the District Office regarding the recent work undertaken at the site.

a) Cracks on the patios, area surrounding the pools, drives, paths, etc have been filled in to stop further erosion of the subsoil. 

b) The swimming pools have been covered with panels to avoid ingress of rainwater. 

c) A trench was created at the back of the block of flats to divert rainwater away from the building and into the ravine.

d) A trench was created alongside the main road into Kamares – again to divert rainwater.

Finally, green mesh has been erected to prevent access to the site either from the main or top road.

OLD CEMETERY

Work has been done to tidy up and improve the old cemetery.  A dividing wall between the old and the extension has been removed, and concrete paths have been installed to separate and mark the plots.

POST OFFICE

Some of you may remember that a few years ago, in order to employ a second person at the Post Office and improve the service, the wage for the existing member of staff was halved with the result that the Post Office had two employees for the price of one.

The situation is that each of the 2 members of staff earns €300 a month – from this they have to provide, maintain and fuel the transport they use for deliveries.   Obviously, with increasing costs of fuel  the current position cannot continue and, as the Post Office are unwilling to increase pay, the only improvement that can be made from the staff’s point of view is to reduce their delivery area.

With immediate effect, therefore, those living in the roads shown below will no longer receive a mail delivery and should organise a post box at the post office for their mail.  The roads affected are those in rural areas or where the road surface is poor and unsuitable for a moped, and it is hoped that disruption should be minimal.  All have been notified:

Panaretou Ieromonahou, Dimitri Liperti, Maroniti, Levantas, Iakinthos, Tzoumayias, Rebekkas Andreou, Kafkalla, Lambousa, Christou Keli from 17 onwards, Ioannou Horevti, Irakleous, Papadaniel, Ntirris, Melanos,  the rural area where the new cemetery is to be, all agricultural roads and any roads in Melissovounos where it is difficult for a moped to travel.

Unfortunately, one member of staff, Andreas,  has now handed in his notice as he travels on a daily basis from Peyia to Tala and, with the low pay and increasing costs, he felt that the job was no longer viable.  Andreas  leaves at the end of February and I would like to thank him for the good service he has provided.  We are waiting for a response from the Post Office as to how they will now proceed and I will let you know, in due course, if any further change to the service  will be made.  From the end of the month, with one member of staff, deliveries are likely to be affected unfortunately. 

VOTING – EUROPEAN ELECTIONS

Elections for members of the European Parliament will take place in Cyprus on 25 May.   EU citizens are entitled to vote, providing they do not hold a vote in any other country.   If you already have a vote for the Cypriot local elections, you may have applied for an EU vote at the same time.  Unfortunately, no voting book is issued for European elections.

The District Office is in the process of issuing letters to those who have a local vote but not an EU vote so letters [in Greek] with application form [in Greek and English] may already have been received.

Anyone who does not have a vote in the local elections can also take this opportunity to apply for this at the same time.   There is a separate form and photographs will be needed for this.

Cathi has a supply of the application forms if you email her on toffee@primehome.comadvising which vote you wish to apply for.  There is also a small supply of the forms in the Tala Council Office.

The District Office is on the main street in Ktima where Marks & Spencer’s foodhall is.   The office is up the road from the Post Office and next door to the building surrounded by scaffold and green mesh and is the building with the main door reached by a number of steps up from the pavement.   Once you go through the door, you need to go to the office on your left.

Cyprus will have 6 MEPs.  Details of the candidates are not yet available.

DOGS

The Council receives a lot of complaints about dogs – whether it be regarding the noise that they make, fouling or wandering the streets.  As the Police appear not to be interested, a  decision has been made by the Council to write to all owners about whom complaints have been received.   If there is no improvement after the warning letter, legal action will be taken against the owners. 

If you are affected by problems, please either write into the council or email Cathi on toffee@primehome.com.  Please state the nature of the complaint and the full address of the offending owner.

COMPUTER SYSTEM AT THE COUNCIL OFFICE

Work is underway in respect of  the new computer programme.   We will try and keep disruption to a minimum but in the event that the system is down, payment can still be made and a manual receipt will be issued. 

The council website has moved under the control of the new technical suppliers and there will be times over the course of the next few weeks, when this is unavailable or where information may be out of date.   Efforts will be made to ensure that work is done as quickly as possible so that the site is fully operational again.   Please note the address for the new website is  www.thevillagexpress.com.   Once you log onto the site, click on the Union Jack in the right hand corner [for English] and then Paphos and scroll through the list to Tala.  Alternatively, you can type Tala into the search engine at the top of the page. 

Newsletters will be in Documents.   Events are listed under Events and you can also click on the calendar in the bottom left hand corner if you wish to see if there is any entertainment on specific dates. 

The site is still a work in progress and documents, photos  and information will be added to the site shortly.

VOLUNTEERS

If anyone has a few hours each week where they can make themselves available to help whoever needs it in the community, their assistance would be appreciated.   We have a number of people who are incapacitated due to illness or operations, who are housebound, or whose health is failing meaning that they can no longer drive to the supermarket or bank.    Help could consist of driving, a little shopping or other errands, or simply having a coffee with someone to break up their day.   If anyone is interested, could they please contact Cathi on toffee@primehome.com.

EASTER CHARITY RAFFLE

Tickets for the above will be available from 1^st March at the Council Offices and also at SKE [Welfare Centre].  They are priced at €1.50 per ticket, or €5 per strip of 5.   There are numerous prizes from alcoholic beverages of varying descriptions, tickets at amphitheatre events,  through to meals at local tavernas.   Funds raised will remain in Tala.  The draw will take place on Easter Monday in the Square at 1700.

EVENTS

14 Feb – Vatouthkia – Valentine’s Night with Neil James

23 Feb – Vatouthkia – Sunday lunch with Amy

28 Feb – Kendall & Morrelli – Rob Cairns as Marc Bolan/T Rex at Vatouthkia

28 Feb – Carnival Dinner Dance at Epsilon Taverna, Emba.  Tickets €20 available from the Council                office.

2 Mar – Vatouthkia – Sunday lunch with Crystal Clear

9 Mar – Vatouthkia – Sunday lunch with Ian G

21 Mar – Church Hall in Tala – Concert by Yuri Zhislin and Katya Apekisheva.  This will comprise works from the classical repertoire including Schubert’s Arpeggione Sonata and arrangements of lighter works such as Scott Joplin, Johann  Strauss, tangos, rhumbas as well as well-known Russian and Italian songs.  Tickets €12 available  from  SoEasy Kiosk in Tala, online at www.apollonartists.com      or to reserve via Cathi on toffee@primehome.com.  There is also a helpline [8.30am-10.30am and 3pm-5pm] on 7000 9303

22 Mar – Kendall & Morrelli – Andrew Browning as George Michael at Vatouthkia

 13 Apr – Easter  Charity Bazaar at SKE [Welfare Centre] 

Coming up:  [All dates after May are provisional at this stage!]

80’s explosion at Vatouthkia – 25^thApril

Tom Jones tribute at Vatouthkia – 16^thMay

Mercury & May – the Ultimate Queen tribute [6^th and 8^th June at Amphitheatre]

Ian G With Strings Attached – octet playing popular music [14^th June at Amphitheatre]

Barrie Rowe – from Glen Miller to Motown [provisional 18^th June at Amphitheatre]

Rod Stewart tribute – back at the Amphitheatre again by popular demand [20^th and 22^nd June]

Bee Gees tribute – [11^th and 14^thJuly at the Amphitheatre]

Karen Kendall Covers [26 July at the Amphitheatre] – the music of Cher, Blondie, Karen Carpenter, Elkie Brooks and Chrissy Hynd

Simon & Garfunkel  tribute [8^th  August at the Amphitheatre]

Sister Act direct from the UK [7^thSeptember at the Amphitheatre]

Jersey Boys – back at the amphitheatre by popular demand [19^th, 24^th and 27^th September]

Engelbert Humperdinck at Vatouthkia – 24^thOctober

The Rat Pack makes a return – Vatouthkia  - 28^th November

Vatouthkia events – booking direct with Vatouthkia [99 459163, or 99 751007], or via Derek on derekincyprus@gmail.com

Kendall & Morrelli shows – tickets, including international buffet, available from Vatouthkia, SoEasy Kiosk in Tala, via Cathi on toffee@primehome.com, or on 96818066

Amphitheatre shows – tickets can be pre-booked with Cathi on toffee@primehome.com

BLOOD DONING

This will take place at SKE [Welfare Centre] on Wednesday 5^th March from 5pm to 8pm.

Next newsletter 15 April

Areti Pieridou