March was an excellent month for the implementation of several innovations, including pond lighting, fountains in the pond and lagoon as well as introducing a house-cleaning program. 

Coincidentally and happily, it was also a month of minimal emergency work needed on sewers, water leaks and dune fences!

A summary of the teams’ activities this month are below:

Lighting around the pond

Through the years of the Islands existence, the only lighting around the pond has been from several pillar lights.  In order to create a more modern and attractive ‘look’ to the pond we have this month installed subdued lighting in and below the gazebo, and up-lighting in several strelitzias and the ‘dragon’ trees.

The lights were installed experimentally using extension cords, in order to provide flexibility to find the best spots for appearance - through trial and error.  Several small adjustments are still to be completed, and pending approval will be permanently connected to the nighttime street lighting circuit.

Fountains in the cascades and pond

The algae in the pond  is proving difficulty to control.   The ‘BioDyne” treatment that has been provided by experts in that field is proving partly successful. However, additional aeriation was/is required.

For that reason – as well as serendipitously providing additional circulated water to power the fountains in the pond and cascades - we have installed an additional pump to feed all these aeration fountains.   All are adjustable through individual valves, though we are still in the process of experimenting with the best nozzles and fountain heights.

To cater for strong winds potentially blowing the fountains onto house windows and pathways, we are in the process of selecting and installing equipment to reduce the output from the new pump when high winds occur.

House High Pressure cleaning

The trustees have recognized that the spider webs – occurring because of spiders feasting on the midges from the lagoon – significantly degrade the appearance of the houses while simultaneously reducing the appeal of WBI to potential buyers and residents alike. It has therefore been agreed that the maintenance department will (at the expense of WBI) use our own staff and high-pressure water trailer to wash the spiders off walls of all houses throughout the Island.  It will be appreciated that this task will take time, since the team will be able to complete only a limited number of houses each month.   We shall prioritize the houses where the highest incidence of spiders occurs – these being on houses facing the lagoon along Woodbridge Drive and Mariner.  

At later stage an estimate of the time needed to clean all houses on the island will be provided. 

Painting

In addition to house painting – which is outsourced to painting contractors - other painting on WBI is undertaken by maintenance.   During this month, the maintenance painting focused on street painting and transformer painting.  In addition, other sundry painting including trellises and external walls.

Sewer blockages

The extent of sewer blockages this month was minimal.  However, the sewer-scanning project (delayed until April) will identify problem areas – which we intend to then address so as to minimize future blockages.

Water pipe leaks

Once again this month several water leaks occurred - these being again in the piping feeding houses (off the main lines).  We have not yet reverted to reducing the pressure, but this may become necessary should this trend continue.

Refurbishing street lighting

Marc Miller has succeeded in locating a look-alike replacement unit for the round streetlights.   The bulb will be different, but we will install several in the area in front of the office as a trial.   Rotten light poles will be replaced, and useable poles refurbished.

Complete List of Major Tasks Completed:

• Straighten trellises …Woodbridge and Winton
• Fit new notices to dune fences
• Fit first charcoal water filter
• 23 Mariner - flush water meter
• HP wash hose and garage walls – 19 houses
• Fit aluminium angles to hide subsidence of wing walls
• Paint white wall behind water tanks
• Complete re-painting yellow lines
• Finish repainting white lines
• Repaint  bottom of walls along Chandos north side
• Remove and refurbish 3 light poles from Admin square
• Complete fitting new numbers on garages
• Complete fitting new numbers on revetment
• Restress top strand of fence at Cybelle lagoon side
• Build and commission fountains along cascades
• Fit lights in and below Gazebo
• Mount uplighters in strelitzias
• Finalise sound-proofing at tank farm
• Attempt to clear out algae at Office-area lagoon inlet
• HP clean walls outside WBI in road
• Remove and clean brushes in filter
• Repair post boxes in Rastede and mariner
• Prepare and refit three light poles in Admin square
• Recondition sleepers over brush filter and cut to length
• Make steel bracket to support 2nd charcoal filter and fit
• Remove box  around dosing pump and refit insulation
• Make and fit trellis around north side pump housings
• Clean and paint transformer in Mariner
• Clear out litter from amongst algae in lagoon
• work on reducing glare from  gazebo under lighting
• re-paint pond pump houses
• Fit experimental lights around pond and gazebo
• Paint trellis at pond pump house
• Treat pond with BioDyne bags
• Replace tall pole at workshop with shorter
• Move house number plate in Winton
• 85 Winton downpipe replaced
• Weld gate hinges
• Flush pressure reducer
• Implement pump system to create fountains
• Finalise installation of new fountains in pond and cascades
• Finalise sound proofing at pump
• Tank farm and pond maintenance and management
• Pressure cleaning house frontages - 21 houses
• Pressure cleaning many paving and other areas
• Cleaning team JD :   pools, refuse bins, dumping 
• Odds and sods - immediate requests... etc