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A message from the mayor after the turn of the month

I have decided to make it a regular feature to put together a few words at the end of each month to report on interesting projects underway within the municipality and to share the highs and lows of the month's challenges, ideas, visits and meetings. There is much to report, but with this I want to better inform residents and other stakeholders about the progress of matters and plans within the municipality.  

They say time flies when you're having fun, and that is certainly no exaggeration. No two days are the same for the City of Hafnarfjörður, and there is great value in chatting with both its residents and those who use the municipality's services. The staff who provide the service have a good sense of what could be improved, as do the residents and businesses that receive and use our services. I see it as one of my main roles as Mayor to listen to as many voices as possible to get the clearest picture of the situation. That is how we can best put things right. I then work on the ideas and suggestions with my department heads, who are fortunate to have in their teams proactive and thoughtful individuals who keep the interests of the wider community in mind in their projects and actions. This approach has proven successful, and I will continue, as much as possible, to meet with as many people as I can and do my part to connect the right people and individuals, with the aim of improving and paving the way for realistic new ideas and opportunities. The power lies not just in what we, the staff of the City of Hafnarfjörður, can do, but in what the community as a whole can do, and we must therefore focus on paving the way for implementation and success.

Visits to the nursery

Last winter, I visited the primary schools of Hafnarfjörður with a distinguished entourage, where I met the school staff – my colleagues – who have the significant and challenging task of educating our children, great and small. These visits were very rewarding, and the outcome was a list of ideas for actions designed to improve the services of the primary schools, as well as the satisfaction of staff and pupils. This list has now been handed over to an action group. Currently, similar visits are underway for staff at the nursery schools here in Hafnarfjörður. We have already visited five nursery schools and will complete these visits in the spring. In these visits, I will meet at least 500 of the council's roughly 1,800 employees, and I feel that the visits are bringing me closer to our core services. I already have the sense that it is often the small details and minor things that make a huge difference. and make a big difference to the whole. It is necessary to work on the major projects too, but we must not get so caught up in them that we forget the rest. Yes – the lessons from these visits are many, and for that, I am grateful.

Positive signs in the air

It is quite clear that the austerity measures and the council's difficult financial situation in recent years have not only had an impact on the residents and businesses in the borough, but also on our staff. People have, until now, found it difficult to believe that brighter times are ahead and that the council's position is improving, which is truly the case. To some extent, external factors influence this, but no less so do factors relating to the council's operations and the change in mindset that has occurred in recent quarters. We at the City of Hafnarfjörður have been treading carefully in many respects, minimising borrowing, repaying unfavourable loans and carrying out projects with our own capital. All of this is done to build for the long-term future. These steps are intended to ensure the council continues to be well-positioned, despite fluctuations in the economy, although such fluctuations will, of course, always have some impact. It is also the role of our staff to minimise the impact of such fluctuations and to continue to maintain the services of which we are proud and strive to improve.

Thanks to residents and businesses

We continue to look forward with optimism. I would like to take this opportunity to thank residents sincerely for their response and participation in the snow clearance following the recent snowfall. If everyone clears snow from drains, cleans around their rubbish bins and shovels in front of them, things go incredibly smoothly. That was proven a few days ago. 
Let's go, everyone!
Attached is a summary of the news for February, and my aim is to compile such a summary at the end of each month for all our information:

• 1500 Harbour Board meeting. The 1,500th meeting of the Harbour Board was held on 1 February 2017. The first meeting of the „Harbour Committee“ was held on 9 September 1909. The committee's first task was to prepare for the construction of a harbour ship quay. It was considered fitting on the occasion of the 1,500th Harbour Board meeting to present proposals for further harbour works, namely the so-called High Quay, which will run between Óseyrarbryggja and Suðurbakki, in front of Háagrandi and Fornubúðir.
• A timetable for the overall road repair strategy. It has been emphasised to the Althingi and the ministry that there is a great need to establish an overall strategy for road improvements on the main road network that runs through Hafnarfjörður. In recent months, traffic on this route has increased significantly, and the figures clearly show that the two most accident-prone roundabouts in the capital region are those at Lækjargata and Flatahraun; they also top the list for accidents involving tourists. This needs to be looked into in particular.
• Nursery School Day, 6th February. The day was celebrated, among other places, in the nurseries of Hafnarfjörður, and for the eighth time. The day is dedicated to the good work carried out in the country's nurseries and highlights what has been achieved, not least through the 'Jobs of the Future' promotional campaign. Measures within the municipality have aimed to promote and strengthen professional nursery work.
• Positive prevention has an effect. For six years, Jón Ragnar Jónsson, a singer, entertainer, economist, footballer and positive role model, has visited all Year 9 pupils in Hafnarfjörður with an educational programme on healthy living and tobacco prevention. Jón connects well with the children, and the results have not failed to materialise.
• Residents' satisfaction is growing. In Hafnarfjörður, 88% residents are satisfied with the municipality as a place to live, according to the results of an annual Gallup service survey which were recently made public. The City of Hafnarfjörður has participated in this survey for a number of years and has systematically incorporated the results of each sector into its projects and work.
• The town opens its books. The City of Hafnarfjörður has decided to open its accounts and make them accessible on its website. The aim is to increase users' access to financial information and to explain the allocation of the municipality's funds in the simplest possible way and in a visual format. The new reality calls for new solutions, and with this initiative, Hafnarfjörður wishes to respond to the call for increased visibility and transparency, as well as for greater interest and public awareness of its operations.
• Event and project grants. The Culture and Tourism Committee of Hafnarfjörður is inviting applications for grants for projects and events in the field of culture and the arts in Hafnarfjörður. Applications must be submitted electronically by 15 March 2017. Each application may include only one project.
• Bright days – your participation. The cultural festival will be held from 19th to 23rd April, in connection with the first day of summer, as in previous years. Bjartir dagar is a participatory festival and is based on institutions, voluntary organisations, businesses and individuals taking part in creating events related to the festival, or taking part in the programmes organised by others. Ideas for events can be submitted until 5th April.
• 43% sales outlets do not observe age limits. At the end of January, the City of Hafnarfjörður conducted a survey to see if teenagers could buy cigarettes at tobacco retail outlets in Hafnarfjörður. Six out of 14 outlets sold cigarettes to the teenagers, or 43% of the outlets accessible to young people. The Sports and Leisure Committee of Hafnarfjörður expressed concern about this development at its meeting yesterday and stresses that the frequency of these surveys should be increased and that retailers must be repeatedly reminded to respect age restrictions.
• New lift at Ásvallalaug. A lift for disabled people and others who generally find it difficult to get into larger swimming pools has recently been installed at Ásvallalaug in Hafnarfjörður. The lift in question is called the Poolpod and comes from Scotland. It was originally designed for the London 2012 Olympic Games and has since been installed worldwide. The lift at Ásvallalaug is the first of its kind in the country, powerful and convenient, and meets all requirements for this type of equipment. The lift is the finishing touch in making Ásvallalaug fully accessible.
• Loftorka and Suðurverk with the lowest bid for the flyover junction. The joint bid from Loftorka Reykjavík ehf. and Suðurverk ehf. was the lowest for the construction of a grade-separated junction at the intersection of the Reykjanesbraut south of Hafnarfjörður and the Krýsuvíkurveg. Three other bids were received. Loftorka and Suðurverk bid 918 million króna for the project, which is to be fully completed by 1 November this year.
• Career presentation at Flensborg. Flensborg School in Hafnarfjörður invited companies, the municipality and institutions to take part in a careers and education buffet on 21 February. A group of staff from the City of Hafnarfjörður presented the city's diverse jobs and activities. The city employs around 1,800 people across approximately 70 locations, and the jobs are highly varied, requiring different education, skills and knowledge. There are around 150 standard job titles and approximately 237 educational levels within the roles. Horticulture, tourism studies, sociology, building engineering, archaeology, primary education, economics, nursing, carpentry, design, architecture, law, marketing, fine art, computer science, mechanical engineering, ethnology, gerontology, and the list goes on.
• New Head of Department at Family Services. Guðrún Frímannsdóttir has been appointed Manager of Support Services for Family Services. A qualified social worker, Guðrún has worked in the profession for most of her career. We welcome Guðrún to the team!
• New headteacher of a primary school in Skarðshlíð. Ingibjörg Magnúsdóttir, a department head at Hraunvallaskóli in Hafnarfjörður, has been appointed headteacher of a new primary school in Skarðshlíð, off Völlunum in Hafnarfjörður. The new primary school in Skarðshlíð will open this autumn, initially in temporary premises at the Ástjarnar parish hall, and from autumn 2018 in a new school building in Skarðshlíð. Ingibjörg is welcomed to the school!
• Summer jobs for 17 and over. Hafnarfjörður is looking for hard-working and energetic individuals for summer jobs. Positions are available for application as group leaders, instructors and assistant instructors for sports and play schemes and in school gardens, as well as roles in environmental and gardening courses and with the Hafnarfjörður Folk Museum. The application deadline is 24 March.
• Congratulations, Víðivellir! Viðivellir Nursery School celebrated its 40th anniversary on 28 February. The anniversary was celebrated in various ways. Guests were invited to a birthday sing-along in the hall with the oldest children, and in the afternoon, the children went on a parade through the neighbourhood, singing the birthday song and songs about Víðivellir and Hafnarfjörður at the top of their voices. Víðivellir has been run as an inclusive school since 1992. Today, Víðivellir has 126 children and 44 staff members.