A FRUSTRATED Station Hill builder has taken on the job of improving sections of Station Hill roads himself, by fixing the worst potholes and making some repairs to structural collapses.
Anton Valentine, who works as a small-time private contractor, said he was just one of many members of the community who were sick of seeing their neighbourhood in the “broken state” it was in.
TotT came across Valentine recently while he was busy offloading a bakkie full of excess building rubble to fill potholes. “I know it’s not the right materials, and that it won’t last but it’s something for now – to help with safety,” Valentine said.
Bathurst Street, a popular back road between Alfred Road and Station Hill, is riddled with big potholes and dongas.
Valentine said the road was used by a large portion of the community every day, from construction trucks to taxis.
It is a quick link between the East Bank and Station Hill and is used by parents who take their children to Port Alfred High School every morning.
Valentine said he believed the municipality had just turned a blind eye to the area. “People have complained hundreds of times – it doesn’t help. “The municipality says there is no money,” Valentine said.
The humble builder said he was not doing anything extraordinary, but just wanted to do something to improve the area. “I could just as easily dump the leftover materials, but I see it as a chance to make an improvement,” he said.
TotT asked the municipality if it intended fixing the road. We had received no response at the time of going to print.
