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A message from the mayor after the turn of the month

February was a month of great activity, with interesting and enjoyable events and projects, and visits to schools and businesses. In addition, I have had numerous visits from residents of Hafnarfjörður, entrepreneurs, and individuals seeking premises and plots of land for new ventures.  In February, I visited both Víðistaðakirkja and Ástjarnarkirkja, where I met with a group of individuals who work within the churches or are involved in their activities in one way or another. I was introduced to the work and projects, the developments taking place, and the vision for the future. At the beginning of the month, I also had a good conversation with parents of pupils at Hraunvallaskóli, along with fellow councillors, where the school's accommodation needs and proposals for the future structure of school operations in a rapidly growing neighbourhood were discussed, among other topics. It has been proven that active participation from residents and other interested parties in the affairs of the municipality has an encouraging effect on the implementation of projects. A good recent example of this is the works aimed at improving the noise situation at the Landsnet substation in Hamranes, which are now in their final stages. A sound-dampening wall has been installed, which is intended to reduce noise and significantly improve the acoustic environment in the area. These measures were undertaken after residents' associations in Völlunum and the local authorities in Hafnarfjörður joined forces and demanded action. The cooperation of the parties involved is yielding results, and it is hoped this will also be the case with the flyover at the junction of Krýsuvíkurvegur and Reykjanesbraut. The joint pressure and proposals for solutions and ways forward are hopefully moving the plans of the state and the ministry forward in the direction of enabling construction on the flyover to begin as early as next autumn. As mayor, I want to ensure this kind of cooperation and dialogue, as this is the best way to get things done.

As with January, I have put together an overview of some of the projects we have been working on this month:

Governance

• Museum Night in Hafnarfjörður. Museums in Hafnarfjörður took an active part in Museum Night with a varied programme and over 20 events.
• Council grants. Applications for grants to the Hafnarfjörður City Council in the first allocation of 2016 are now open. The application deadline is 1 April – applications are submitted via My pages
• The music schools' theme week. A theme week was held at the Music School at the beginning of the month, with the theme being the nationalities in Hafnarfjörður. Ensemble groups played music from most of the countries to which many residents of Hafnarfjörður trace their origins.
• Madame Rannveig's disguise. Annríki – National Costumes and Jewellery has, for the past two years, been working on the sewing of Madam Rannveig Sívertsen's undergarments. It is a challenging undertaking, based primarily on history and descriptions from Rannveig's estate. Ten individuals have volunteered their time for the project, which represents an invaluable contribution to the preservation of the historical heritage of the town of Hafnarfjörður.

Education and leisure services

• The Great Reading Competition. Year 7 pupils across the country have been practising their reading and pronunciation for the National Reading Competition over the past few weeks and months. The festival in Hafnarfjörður will take place at Hafnarborg on 8 March, marking its 20th anniversary. Awards will be presented for reading, short stories and poetry.
• The primary school party. The primary school festival took place at the beginning of February and, as always, was a great credit to all of us, our young people and their projects. Pupils from all of Hafnarfjörður's primary schools showcased the results of all kinds of artistic work, as well as enjoying a dance in the evening where the winners of the youth club singing competition performed.
• Allocation of achievement grants. In February, the Board of the ÍBH Excellence Fund awarded grants to ÍBH member clubs for major championships in 2015 in all age categories. Eighteen projects in the senior categories and sixteen projects in the youth categories received grants.
• The children's book and film festival. A new cultural festival in Hafnarfjörður was held in mid-February. The festival aims to encourage children of all ages to actively participate in constructive and interesting literacy and cultural projects and events. In the town's schools, great emphasis was placed on books, films, stories, reading and listening, as well as Bæjarbíó offered cinema screenings and the museums of Hafnarfjörður workshops, Flash fiction competition, Children's Book Exchange Market and much more. In Setberg School Second-year students worked on a project based on the first book by the Hafnarfjörður author Guðrún Helgadóttir about Jón Odd and Jón Bjarni.
• Reading Ambassadors of Hafnarfjörður. Fanndís Friðriksdóttir, a national team footballer, and Friðrik Dór Jónsson, a musician, were appointed reading ambassadors for Hafnarfjörður in the middle of the month. They will hold the title this year and will be the face of reading and literacy for the children of Hafnarfjörður, encouraging them to make progress and succeed in their reading.
• Nursery School Day. For us, every day is Nursery Day, but one day a year is especially dedicated to the work of nurseries and the important job that takes place within their walls. To mark the occasion, I visited Álfaberg Nursery School and met the cheerful staff and children, who told me about their activities and the projects they are currently working on.
• The nurseries' tablet project – new website. Kindergartens in Hafnarfjörður celebrated Kindergarten Day, among other things, with the formal opening and launch of a new website which features videos and information about the creative projects of the kindergartens in Hafnarfjörður. The aim of the site is to draw attention to the creative use of tablets in nursery school education.
• 900 staff members learn at an organisational day. A staff group of 900 from Hafnarfjörður's nursery and primary schools attended a joint training session on the schools' planning day on 24 February. The training was linked to the town's literacy project, 'Reading is the Game of Life', with the theme of the fundamentals of reading. Following the session, professional groups met across schools to share their experience and knowledge.
• Name for a new nursery school. The nursery at Bjarkavellir will be a four-unit nursery for 100 children and is scheduled to open next autumn. At the beginning of the month, we sought suggestions for the new nursery's name from residents. Over twenty suggestions were received, which are currently being processed. The name will be announced as soon as it is finalised.
• Lower entry age for nursery school. From the autumn of 2015, the entry age for children in Hafnarfjörður nursery schools was lowered, so that all children born in January and February 2014 were offered a nursery school place. All children born in March 2014 were then allocated a place from 1 February 2016. For the first time this year, children are being admitted twice a year, and it is hoped this will continue in the future.
• Tobacco survey. A survey into whether teenagers can buy cigarettes or tobacco at tobacconists in Hafnarfjörður revealed that 9 out of 14 outlets sold cigarettes to teenagers and 6 out of 14 outlets sold tobacco. The findings call for increased enforcement in this area to ensure that no retailer in Hafnarfjörður sells tobacco to young people.

Family services

• Make an impact in later life. A residents' meeting on the affairs of older people was held at Hraunsel on 11 February. Around 100 people attended the meeting and took an active part in discussions and conversations about issues that were decided on the spot by the participants themselves. Topics of discussion at the meeting included housing options, social activities, the environment, purchasing power and benefits, home care services, care homes, and transport. The outcomes of the group work will feed directly into the work on elderly care in Hafnarfjörður, and the meeting's findings are currently being processed.
• Centre for Elderly Care Services. Preparations are underway for the construction of a sixty-bed care home on the Sólvang site. The plans by the local authorities in Hafnarfjörður are to partly use Sólvang as a service centre for the municipality's elderly residents and partly as accommodation for twenty elderly people.
• Food for the elderly. A large number of senior citizens make use of the option to have meals delivered or use the services available at Hjallabraut and Sólvangsvegur. Around the last New Year, ISS took over meal production following a tender, and since then, feedback has been received regarding the quality of the food. Immediate improvements were demanded from ISS. The council's ambition is to ensure that all services for senior citizens are exemplary.
• Healthcare continues in Hafnarfjörður. The Executive Board of the Capital Region Health Service decided in early February to merge home nursing in Kópavogur, Garðabær and Hafnarfjörður without any consultation with the municipality. This decision has been opposed by the Family Council of Hafnarfjörður, which places great emphasis on integrating social home care and home nursing on the basis of user needs, and on the municipality being at the forefront as the service provider and coordinator. The City of Hafnarfjörður has requested to take over home nursing and integrate it with home help services.

Environmental and planning services

• Organisational changes. Proposals for planning changes are now, as ever, on public display. To improve accessibility for all concerned parties to the advertised changes, we have set up a dedicated section on our homepage where the proposals currently on display are posted.
• Your place. Our town. Our vision is for Hafnarfjörður to become one of the most sought-after municipalities in the country for living and working. Two reports have been published concerning the municipality's vision, which consider several scenarios, including with regard to Urban densification and Flensburg Harbour. No decisions have been made, and the intention is for March to be a month of discussion and consultation on planning matters with residents and other stakeholders. On 9 March, a planning exhibition will open at Hafnarborg, where proposals for the scenarios will be presented visually. I encourage residents and all interested parties to attend these events and take the time to view the vision and scenarios on offer.

I hope this writing is informative and sheds light on some of the diverse projects we are currently working on. I would like to remind residents and businesses of my weekly surgery hours on Tuesday mornings, where I am happy to meet with anyone who wishes to have a chat with me. Appointments can be booked by calling 585-5506 or with audur@hafnarfjordur.is

Kind regards, Haraldur