Perth Voice Interactive

THE first of this year’s Transart temporary art projects has been put up, with Perth city council commissioning WA artist Richard Hammer’s kinetic sculpture MMM Energizer which is suspended from two trees in Stirling Gardens for 11 weeks. Allegedly it performs “a mesmerising dance for the viewer” but it was kinda lank when we had a look, more UMMM than Energizer, so maybe it needs higher winds. The next Transart project is by Matt Aitken and Mei Swan Lim, who are putting on the “Swamp Clubb” eco-ghost tour of the wetlands that used to flourish in the CBD and Northbridge from 1830 to 1880. That’s on May 6, 13, and 21, it’s free, and head to visitperthcity.com or call 9461 3181 for more info.

PERTH city council is trialling “female-friendly” car bays close to the entry/exit points so women don’t have to wander through dark carparks alone. There are 28 pink-painted bays in the Pier Street car park. Men won’t be fined if they park in the bay but they’re “encouraged to support” the trial. While the backlash from grognards, mens rights activists and plenty of women online has been typically grumpy, WA Today reports National Council of Women president Marion Ward saying it could make women feel safer: “Anything that keeps women safer, I am all for it”. But pink? Seriously?

WOLF LANE has come a long way since being a handy place for a sneaky late night tinkle, and Perth city council is planning more laneway spruce ups with McLean Lane the next in line. In a press release lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi says the council is aiming to get the laneway a little more active by making it safer and more engaging for pedestrians and alfresco dining. “Not all changes in the city are large infrastructure developments like Elizabeth Quay,” she said. Check http://www.engageperth.com.au to see the McLean Lane enhancement proposal.

GOT a dirty secret in your back shed?

Probably, says Tim Frodsham, who reckons most people would be unaware how much of a pollution-spewing villain their lawn mower is.

Largely unregulated two-stroke motors get away with emissions that would make a Volkswagen executive blush.

A joint university study published in Nature in 2014 found cancer-causing benzene spewing from two-stroke scooters at levels 146 times higher than what US workers are allowed to breathe in before having to don a mask.

“Waiting in traffic behind a two-stroke scooter, for example, at junctions and while the scooter is idling, may therefore be highly deleterious to health,” the study concluded.

The UN Environment Program also published a document in 2006 which found emissions from a single two-stroke engine, including carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and ozone, were “comparable to those from a diesel truck or bus”.

Spurred on by findings such as these, Mr Frodsham has been busy developing a zero-emissions mowing round and is now trying to make it viable through crowd-funding.

“I’m working to acquire a number of cordless electrical power tools which I could charge up the batteries for with a set of solar panels I’ve set up on a purpose-built bike trailer,” Mr Frodsham says.

He does expect to use some mains power until solar technology improves even more, but says he pays the green power premium to ensure it comes from renewable sources: “I plan to take the clippings away in bulk bags, load them on the trailer and run them through worm farms. Then I sell the liquid and solid castings back to the customers.”

Mr Frodsham says the plan is to eventually add an electrical motor to the bicycle trailer he made from recycled bits and pieces, in order to give him greater mobility and capacity.

He’ll also be using his round to convince some customers to convert their water-guzzling, mono-culture lawns into native gardens to increase their carbon sequestration and biodiversity.

His crowdfunding page can be found at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zeroemissionsmowing/zero-emissions-mowing-project

BAYSWATER council wants to hear what locals reckon about the historical significance of Halliday Park, with the chance of giving it stronger heritage protection hinted as a possibility.

But the man who’s fought hardest for the park’s history to be recognised says the process is “just a complete and utter waste of money”.

Town planner Greg Smith has long-battled the council over tree removals in the park. It’s the oldest park in the city and named for the first president of the roads boards (equivalent to the mayor today), but is rated as the lowest classification (level 5) in the city’s inventory, which offers very little protection.

Mr Smith says the old trees within the park should be seen as heritage too and preserved instead of pulled up when the council reckons they’re getting dangerous. He even protested tree deaths with a sandwich board at the council’s Carols by Candlelight, leading him to be ejected from the grounds.

“You don’t need to hire a consultant to tell you the time,” he says. “You just have to look at the City of Bayswater’s own history book to see the importance of the park.”

Mayor Barry McKenna says reclassifying the park requires thoroughly going over its aesthetic, social and cultural values criteria, as set out by the WA heritage council.

“The open day and community consultation to better understand the park’s value to the broader community is an important component in making an assessment against those criteria.”

Those less cynical than Mr Smith about the heritage review can head along to an open day to share thoughts. It’s at the park clubrooms at 6 Coode Street, 9am to 1pm on Saturday April 16.

by DAVID BELL

MORE than 80 concerned locals turned up to a meeting on the weekend over the poor health of the Brearley and Bungana Lakes in Maylands.

The lakes are suffering toxic levels of algae. Stenches waft up towards nearby houses. Fountains have had to be turned off to avoid kicking up nasties into the air. The wildlife’s generally unhappy and many dog owners let their pooches run wild down there, and recently a dog was spotted running off with a turtle in its mouth.

Bayswater councillors Catherine Ehrhardt, Dan Bull and Sally Palmer along with environment staff met with the locals to hear them out and explain the plan.

Cr Ehrhardt says the council can’t do a lot until the one-year water quality monitoring program’s finished (otherwise they don’t have data from the whole year round). Whatever happens could be a long process but they want to get it right and not rush in, Cr Ehrhardt says: Eric Singleton Reserve took years of work and millions of dollars including state government funding to rehabilitate, but is “now an example of a very healthy wetland”.

Since the issues are common to other wetlands in the area, Cr Ehrhardt says “Cr Bull thought it’d be a good idea to form an initiative called Friends of the Maylands Lakes, and nearly 80 per cent of people [who attended] signed up,” and local Geoff Trott is the inaugural chair.

Along with the council plans, residents have a big slice of responsibility for the lakes and the group can help with educating locals: Some of the biggest problems are caused by so much nitrogen getting in the water. That’s being fed big time by people using nitrogen-rich fertilisers on their lawns that then run off eventually winding up in the lakes and fueling algae. One bloke’s even been spotted emptying his backyard pool into the storm drains, which go straight to the lakes (chlorine, pee and all).

The one year water quality monitoring ends around June and then they can start planning proper treatments.

Concerns from the locals noted on the day:

• stop people feeding ducks and geese, which adds to the build up in the lakes. Also someone picked up a goose. Signs are required saying not to do these things;

• the old brickworks site could have contaminated the ground over its century of operation;

• people need more education on which fertilisers and pesticides are lake-safe;

• in-water oxygenation is needed instead of fountains to reduce the algae risk;

• people let their dogs run rampant and don’t pick up their poo. Also, a dog ran off with a turtle in its mouth recently.

• there should be signs near stormwater drains showing people that they lead straight to the water bodies (Vincent paints dolphins near drains to discourage chem dumpers).

by DAVID BELL

GAS supplier ATCO did not set up portable showers at a Tenth Ave complex as we reported last week (“Jim tips a bucket on hot water cut”). The complex’s strata company had to run the showers because pipe problems that were leading to gas leaks were its responsibility, not ATCO’s.