Herald Autumn 2012.Indd
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THE HERON PARK HERALD http://heronpark.ca/herald Autumn 2012 A lot of fun events happened in Heron Park this summer. They were all well attended and led to an abundance of photos. Pool Opening Day, Car Wash Fundraiser, Sawmill Creek Plaque unveiling, Luau Day, Community Day and all the other days that saw the wading pool being so well used. BIG THANKS to all the volunteers and pool staff whose efforts made this another wonderful summer in Heron Park. SO MUCH FUN WAS HAD BY ALL INSIDE THIS ISSUE DATES TO REMEMBER Page 2 Presidents Report BREAKING NEWS: Page 3 Peregrine Falcon Watch in Heron Park October and November - The sidewalk on the west side of Bank Page 4 City Beat Street, south of Billings Bridge Plaza, will be closed to pedestrians Page 4 Sawmill Creek Stream Barbs Plaque Unvieled to allow repair work on the retaining wall to be undertaken. Page 5 Success for Hidden Harvest Ottawa Pages 6-7 Heron Park Timeline, Part 2 of 3 CITY BUDGET CONSULTATIONS IN CAPITAL WARD: Page 8 Report on Lansdowne Demolition Councillor Chernushenko will be hosting a community consul- Page 8 Brookfield Bike Path Update tation for the upcoming city budget. Follow capitalward.ca for Page 9 Alta Vista Library Programs details on the date and location, and heronpark.ca to discuss Page 10 -11 Political Columns concerns shared by Heron Park residents. PAGE 2 THE HERON PARK HERALD AUTUMN 2012 COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION President’s Report Heron Park Community Association Submitted by James McLaren The Heron Park wading pool season has been a big success this Executive Members summer. After residents expressed their concerns to the councillor the parks department reversed its decision to cut pool hours on President: James McLaren weekends and the pool has been well-used by area families. The ([email protected]) pool staff did a tremendous job holding great parties and special Vice-president: Rodney Ryan events. The Wednesday Night Program crew put on barbecues Treasurer: Colin MacLean during the pool parties, selling hot dogs, hamburgers, drinks, and Secretary: Rosella Mac Neil Freezies. This was very popular and raised lots of money for the ([email protected]) Community Association. Thanks pool staff, Colin MacLean, and the Wednesday Night Program participants for a great summer! Members at Large We should find out by early September whether our new Maritala Robinson, Leo Derome, charitable organization will be granted status by Canada Revenue Adam Dodd, Jason Garlough Agency (CRA). This has been quite a lot more challenging than first anticipated, but I’m optimistic we will soon be successful, The Herald Staff at which point we will launch a major fundraising initiative for a new community centre. We don’t have to raise the entire amount Editors: James McLaren, Rosella Mac Neil, (around $1.5 million to $2 million) for a new community centre Donna Silver but we do need to show that we seriously want this to happen. Advertising: Donna Silver A charitable organization will help as it means people can get a ([email protected]) charitable tax receipt for their contributions. Layout: Donna Silver Distribution: Judy Mordy (613-737-4196) As many residents will be aware, recently the owners of a small Rosella Mac Neil (613-526-0062) single family home on Secord applied for a minor variance of Contributors: Colin MacLean, James McLaren, the zoning in order to build two semi-detached houses on the Donna Silver, Francois Marshall lot. The reason why they need this is that the lot is about 3 m too narrow for semi-detached dwellings according to the zoning Opinions and information published in the Herald in letters, indi- bylaw. Neighbours are not happy with the prospect of having vidual columns and articles do not necessarily reflect the opinion what is essentially a large two-unit townhouse block next door. of this newspaper, its staff or the Heron Park Community Asso- Unfortunately, the Committee of Adjustment, who decides these ciation president, its directors, or its members. Submissions are things, voted 3 to 2 in favour of the developers. On the plus side, edited for space, inappropriate content and language. this was the closest decision I’ve ever seen at the C of A. Usually they’re unanimous in favour of the developer. The wider problem We always welcome letters to the editor and suggestions on what is that this decision becomes a precedent for the next time a we can do better or things you’d like to see included in your developer wants to buy a single family home, tear it down, and community paper. Send your comments and/or questions to: build townhouses. Because they will become desirable for such re-development, single family homes in Heron Park would then [email protected] and [email protected] become unaffordable for actual families. Small homes next door to one of these developments would be far less enjoyable to live We look forward to your insight. in as they would be significantly shaded and probably suffer from increased surface flooding due to the increased run-off from the larger roof area adjacent. As I write this, we are awaiting the written decision from the Committee and we will probably appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board. I am not sanguine about the probability of success, but if people don’t appeal these egregious Thank You to all those who deliver the Heron Park Herald: decisions nothing will ever change. Angie Bueneman, Bill Weatherup, Cynthia Modjeski, Diane Ferrier, Eileen McGurrin, Greg Gregory, Gloria Williams, James Our Heron Park email list has been quite successful, currently with McLaren, Jane Supino, Joan Lesiak, Johanne Bérubé, Judy about 120 members. We have been using the list to announce Mordy, Julia Driedger, Kelly Thomas, Lyn McDonald, Lynn Heron Park events, and also occasionally to notify people of other McKenzie, Miriam Koene, Mrs. Paquette, Randy Paladeau, local or city events that we think might be of community interest. Rosella Mac Neil, Ruth McDonald, and Suzanne Hiscock. Recently, I sent a survey to the list asking if people liked this format – 84% of respondents voted to continue to post events that don’t Volunteers needed! We can always use a few more folks to directly relate. However, 87% stated that they would join a separate make short work of distributing The Herald. Contact Rosella at email list for community events if we instituted one. In view of the [email protected] or 613 526-0062 to sign up. difficulty in managing a separate list and the limited number of non-Heron Park events we post, we will keep the email list as it is for now. We may establish a new list later on. If you would like to be added to the email list, or if you have any comments, you can go to our website heronpark.ca, click on “About”, and “Heron The Women’s Applewood Acres Bowling League Park Mailing List”, and send us a message using the form. (We is looking for new members discontinued the display of email addresses on the web site due for the September to April season, to the number of spam messages it generated.) I really appreciate at the RA Centre, the comments and suggestions that people made via the survey on Tuesdays from 1:00 to 3:00. (especially the “keep up the good work” comments!). Common suggestions were to make better use of the website and Facebook, Call Mary Flowers at 613-733-9301. and to try to get more people signed up for the email list. We will work on these in the near future. AUTUMN 2012 THE HERON PARK HERALD PAGE 3 COMMUNITY NEWS Falcons make themselves at home in Heron Park By François Marshall crows in a tall tree right next to busy Bronson Ave. It is on Ottawa Peregrine Falcon Watch volunteer occasions like this that volunteers need to be particularly aware of the chicks’ actions and get ready for a rescue. Af- A family of raptors discovered this summer in Heron Park ter a couple of hours of worrying about Amber ending up in caught the Ottawa Peregrine Falcon Watch (OPFW) by the middle of traffic, and wondering if and how one should surprise and kept volunteers very busy. retrieve a Peregrine from a tree, we were thrilled when she suddenly flew back to the building on her own. The OPFW has been monitoring a pair of Peregrine Fal- cons at Albert and Lyon since 1997, but the downtown Data, an ambitious flier from Day One, made volunteers nest failed to produce chicks for the past three years. So nervous not by landing in dangerous places, but by practis- it was great news when we learned on June 13 of another ing daring aerial acrobatics within a couple of days of nest at the Data Centre at 875 learning to fly. The precocious Heron Rd. youngster chased his mother Clockwise from when he was hungry, enthusias- left: Amber on By then, two chicks were al- tically performed barrel rolls and the Data Centre ready furiously flapping their loop-the-loops, and soared so wings, getting ready to take security cam- era (photo by high that we lost sight on him on their first flights. There was a many occasions. To our great scramble to find last-minute François Mar- shal), Data, relief, he always came back. volunteers to be on site from Ivanhoe and sunup to sundown, ready to Rowena (pho- After a 10-day watch, the OPFW rescue the young birds of prey if tos by Anouk decided that Data and Amber necessary.