RIVER WARD CITY COUNCILLOR MARIA McRAE’S REPORT TO THE RIVERSIDE PARK COMMUNITY RIVERSIDE PARK COMMUNITY & RECREATION ASSOCIATION October 30, 2013 I would like to extend my thanks to the Riverside Park Community Centre & Recreation Association Board of Directors, under the leadership of President David Hutchinson, for the tireless work they have dedicated to the Riverside Park community. Thank you to all the residents who work with my office on important issues, to ensure that everyone enjoys the benefits that Riverside Park has to offer. Happy Halloween! Solid waste collection will end early on Thursday, October 31, 2013, Halloween night. For everyone’s safety, collection vehicles will end their routes so that they do not interfere with youngsters when they go trick-or-treating. If you have Thursday collection, the collection vehicles will do their best to collect yours items before 5 p.m., however, if your items are not picked up by 5 p.m., please leave them at the curb and they will be picked up on Friday, November 1, 2013. Remember to put your jack-o’-lanterns in your green bin once Halloween is over! I hope that all kids have a safe and happy Halloween! Let’s be on special lookout for these little trick or treaters when they hit our neighbourhood streets tomorrow. Continued Investment in Pedestrian and Cycling Infrastructure I am pleased to announce that the Sawmill Creek Pedestrian/Cycling project has begun. As part of the 2013 budget, City Council unanimously approved $2.5 million to further connect the network of pathways that run along the east side of the Airport Parkway between Hunt Club Road and Walkley Road. This pathway, another important investment in River Ward, will link Walkey Road to Brookfield Road. 1 River Ward Speed Boards As you know, community safety, including traffic safety, is a top priority of mine. In response to community concerns about speeding, 6 new speed boards are available for exclusive deployment throughout our Ward. While some of the speeding “hot spots” are known to me and the Ottawa Police Service, if you would like City Traffic engineering staff to assess your street for use of the speed board, please give my office a call. I have made arrangements for deployment of the speed boards year round. Ottawa’s Fall Tree Planting has Begun The City’s fall planting program has begun in Riverside Park and will run until the end of November 2013. This includes tree planting in parks, at City facilities, and along streets throughout Ottawa. Notification letters were provided to the homeowner in advance of planting, when a tree planting is scheduled close to a private residence. Residents should expect to see utility locate flags and paint on the ground prior to planting in the area. The City is planting trees in Riverside Park at the following locations: Cromwell Drive, Dupont Street, Farmington Avenue, Flannery Drive, Garner Avenue, Garwood Avenue, Harkness Avenue, Hartman Crescent, Hobson Road, Kincaid Court, Mooney’s Bay Place, Otterson Cresent, Otterson Drive, Quesnel Drive, Revelstoke Drive, Riverside Drive, Sandhurst Court, Southmore Drive, Springland Drive and Thorndale Drive. Draft 2014 Budget The City of Ottawa’s 2014 Draft Budget was tabled on October 23, 2013. The draft budget proposes a stable financial plan, which respects taxpayers’ expectations that the City will live within its means, improve service delivery and invest strategically in initiatives which will shape the community in future years. Please visit ottawa.ca/budget2014 for more information, including the draft budget documents. You can comment on the proposed budget by contacting me directly, attending a budget consultation hosted by the City or by registering as a budget delegation at any of the Standing Committee meetings. The budget consultation for central district is taking place next week: Date: Thursday, November 7, 2013 Time: 7 to 9PM Place: City Hall, Andrew S. Haydon Hall 110 Laurier Avenue West Available live on Rogers TV, Cable 22 2 Waste Reduction at Home – Green Bin and Household Hazardous Materials The green bin is a great way to help reduce your household’s waste. Most food and yard waste can go in the green bin. The green bin is collected each and every week, 52 weeks a year. A few simple steps are all you need to keep your green bin clean and free of animals, bugs and odours. Keep your small kitchen container and larger green bin clean by lining them with flyers, a couple of sheets of newspaper or yard waste paper bags. Looking to keep animals away from your green bin? Remember to lock the lid to keep them out. The City offers multiple Household Hazardous Waste Depots each year. This is a great way for the community to come together and safely dispose of hazardous materials such as, paints, stains, pool chemicals, syringes, batteries and fluorescent tubes. The next Household Hazardous Waste Depot will take place on Saturday, November 9, 2013 between 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at 2705 Stevenage Drive. If you can’t attend the Waste Depots, please visit the City’s award-winning Take it Back! program (ottawa.ca/takeitback). This program encourages local business to “take back” many of the hazardous materials that they sell, and to ensure they are reused, recycled or disposed of properly. Bi-Weekly Collection Shows Increased Recycling and Waste Diversion in Ottawa Residents sent 12 per cent less material to the landfill and 15 per cent more material to be recycled or composted, according to solid waste data collected over the past four quarters. Comparing the most recent quarter to the same period in 2012, the total amount of waste collected increased by three per cent, while the waste taken to the landfill decreased by 10 per cent. In the same period, total recycling (blue and black box, and green bin material) increased by 26 per cent, while total organics collection increased by 54 per cent and blue box tonnages were up by 13 per cent. The City implemented new curbside waste collection service October 29, 2012 with weekly collection of organics, bi-weekly collection of residential garbage and alternate week collection of recycling. For tools and tips to help improve your household waste management, visit ottawa.ca New 18-Month 2013/2014 Waste Collection Calendar By now, you should have received your new 18-month Waste Collection Calendar in the mail. Your new calendar can also be accessed online at ottawa.ca. A new feature of the calendar allows you to sign-up for weekly telephone, e-mail or Twitter reminders regarding your upcoming collection day and identifying the materials being collected that week. You can set the method and timing of the notification to suit your needs. Sign up for this reminder online at ottawa.ca or by calling 3-1-1. 3 OC Transpo Route 87 – Autumn 2013 Update As you may be aware, last year I approached the General Manager of OC Transpo to determine if OC Transpo was in a position to improve transit services to St. Patrick’s Home. In response to my concerns, OC Transpo has adapted a Special Service on Route 87 to better address the travel needs of St, Patrick’s Home workers, volunteers, and visitors. OC Transpo Route 87 was changed in September 2011 by combining a part of Route 87 with a part of Route 140. Route 87 now provides the all-day service on Springland Drive and Flannery Drive, and as a result, there is no all-day service provided on the section of Riverside Drive between Ridgewood Avenue and Heron Road. With this change, there is no longer all-day service provided at the bus stops in front of and across the street from St. Patrick’s Home. The nearest all-day service is provided at bus stops at Ridgewood Avenue and Riverside Drive, about 400 metres to the south. OC Transpo – New Special Service Funding In January 2013, using new funding that was provided by City Council for targeted services of this type, OC Transpo introduced a new special service, providing two bus trips to and two bus trips from St. Patrick’s Home each day, seven days a week. The trips to St. Pat’s currently arrive at 11:32AM and 2:32PM Monday to Friday (11:37AM and 2:37PM on Saturdays and 11:33AM and 2:33PM on Sundays). The trips from St. Pat’s currently leave the home at 11:33AM and 2:33PM Monday to Friday (11:37AM and 2:37PM on Saturdays and 11:34AM and 2:34PM on Sundays). OC Transpo – St. Patrick’s Home Continued Dialogue At my request, in March 2013, senior OC Transpo staff met with staff, volunteers, and family members of residents at St. Pat’s to discuss possible ways that the transit service could be adapted to better meet travel needs. Because of this meeting, the following improvements are now underway: • The bus stop on Riverside Drive in front of St. Pat’s is being relocated to a location closer to the front entrance of the current building and closer to the front entrance of the new building now under construction. • A new bus shelter and a new bench are being installed at the bus stop. • More succinct information about the times of the special trips is being posted at the bus stop. • OC Transpo staff are discussing with St. Pat’s representatives possible changes to the trip times to better match workers’ and volunteers’ start and finish times. If agreed, these changes would begin in September 2013. • Staff responsible for the City’s open data program have connected a software developer with IT staff at St.