DEMOLITION of houses in Maclennan Crescent is due to start in March, Merkinch Community Council heard at their September meeting in the Primary School. It was not yet officially known whether Cairn or Albyn Housing Association had won the contract, but Councillor Peter Corbett said that whichever it was, quite a few changes were needed to their proposals. The rumour was once again raised that housing was possibly to be made available to asylum seekers, but there was no evidence of this.

Councillor Corbett and Brian Cain reported that they had attended a safety seminar at the Caley Stadium on 16th September. Among the topics discussed were anti-social behaviour and community wardens (funded for two years), but as it appeared there were only to be two of these appointed for the whole of Inverness it was not thought this would be particularly effective. Councillor Chrissie Cumming commented that they now had a part-time caretaker in Glendoe Terrace and that had made a tremendous difference.

The Highland Energy Efficiency Roadshow was to visit Merkinch Community Centre on 2nd October between 10am and 7pm. Members of the public could get all sorts of advice about how to save power - and money - and the opportunity to win energy-saving prizes.

The bill for the floral decorations in the Grant Street area had come in-Merkinch Traders had already contributed their share, and when the Council had paid theirs, Councillors Corbett and Cumming would contribute their share from their discretionary budgets as they did last year.

The question of Telford Avenue being turned into a one-way street was to come up at Highland Council’s Roads committee meeting this month.

Plans to install traffic slowing measures on Carse Road have themselves been slowed down - apparently by lack of money. Councillor Cumming said she would pursue the matter.

There was quite a lot of whistle-blowing going on in the area, Community Beat Officer Raymond Fraser reported. Three drugs detections in the Quayside Court area were made within half an hour in one incident and drugs detection rates had gone up. However, there had been a firearms incident and a drugs death - enquiries were still going on. Vandalism had seen an increase, but breach of the peace and drunk driving in the area were both down.
Constable Fraser reported that the Merkinch Arms had been closed that day.

Councillor Cumming reported on the work going on at Huntly Street, where an old building gutted by fire was now well on its way to full restoration. “It will be a nice wee development ( by Cairn) when it is finished, with houses for the disabled at the back round a wee cobbled courtyard, to be entered from the back,” she said.

Dell McClurg said the South Kessock Project had now closed for the season. It had been fairly quiet and there had been few sightings of dolphins. There was to be a meeting in October to see where they were going with the project. Among the possibilities was the idea of a wee ferry boat for trips across the former ferry route. South Kessock was down to 10 voids, Brian Cain reported: “It’s all good news,” he said.

The MCC’s next meeting is on 16th October.