posting
01-09-2007, 10:32 PM
Hello all,
Welcome to 2007! I hope you all enjoyed a happy and restful holiday. (To all parents of young kids ... sorry I mentioned it.)
• In case you couldn't attend, the annual Winter Solstice party on Dec. 21 went very well. About 75 friends and neighbours gathered in McBurney Park to sip hot apple cider, to sing and listen to holiday carols, and to help kids make bird feeders out of pine cones, seeds and suet. Some of them (the bird feeders, that is) are still hanging in the park. Thanks to all who helped and participated.
• The City has posted the plans for the long-promised reconstruction of Alma and Balaclava streets at
http://www.cityofkingston.ca/residents/development/almabalaclava/index.asp.
I won't repeat the City's information here except to note generally that a) the plan is to make Alma one-way southbound; b) the western edge of McBurney Park will be extended about two metres further west (i.e. to near the middle of present-day Alma); c) the intersection of Alma & Ordnance (i.e. at the southwest corner of the park) will be rebuilt to make it safer for pedestrians. There will also be a new sidewalk.
• One of our neighbours, Jonathan Rose, has a key role in the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform. If you haven't heard of it already (on TVO, in newspapers), you will soon. The Citizens’ Assembly was established in the spring of 2006 to examine Ontario’s electoral system and recommend whether we should keep it or adopt a different one. One hundred and three raXºŒ¸<ÿÿÿÿlZb ndomly selected Ontarians are now assessing Ontario's electoral system, and in May they will recommend whether the province should retain its current system or adopt a new one. As part of this process, Ontarians are being asked to examine their current electoral system and determine whether it still reflects their values. If the Assembly recommends a change, all Ontario voters will have a chance to vote on it in a referendum on October 4, 2007 – the date of the next provincial election.
The Citizens' Assembly will hold a public consultation meeting to hear what Kingstonians think about Ontario's electoral system on Tuesday, January 16, 2007 at 7 p.m. in the Wilson Room of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library on Johnson Street. If you'd like to make a presentation at the meeting, you can register online at www.citizensassembly.gov.on.ca (http://www.citizensassembly.gov.on.ca/) . Click“have your say” to make a submission online or to register to present at the Kingston meeting. On this page, you will also find a documententitled“Citizens Talking to Citizens” which might be helpful in preparing for your presentation.
• If you were at the Skeleton Park Music festival last year, you may remember an entertaining and intriguing play involving giant puppets about the benefits of eating locally grown food. That show was the creation of the Spiral Soup Community Players, "a popular theatre company that promotes social and environmental justice. Through the use of giant puppets, story banners and original music, we involve community volunteers as puppeteers, musicians and performers to empower individuals and transform communities." Spiral Soup needs 16 people for a new play to be staged at St. James Anglican Church (on Union Street), as part of the "Footprints in Our Food" gathering on Saturday January 27, 2007 (performances at 1:00 and 2:15 p.m.). If you're interested in participating (no acting or puppetry experience necessary!) please contact (by tomorrow!) Gordon Darrall at 613-353-9989 or Wendy Luella Perkins at 613-549-3102 or send an email to spiralsoup@visionweaver.net .
• Finally .... I am hereby issuing the last call for McBurney Park newsletter ideas and stories. I'd really like to get something out soon. Please send your suggestions/submissions to me at alecross@sympatico.ca. (Thanks to those of you who have already sent something in.)
That's all for now.
All the best,
Alec
Alec Ross
Co-ordinator
McBurney Park Neighbourhood Association (MPNA)
www.mcburneypark.ca (http://www.mcburneypark.ca)
Welcome to 2007! I hope you all enjoyed a happy and restful holiday. (To all parents of young kids ... sorry I mentioned it.)
• In case you couldn't attend, the annual Winter Solstice party on Dec. 21 went very well. About 75 friends and neighbours gathered in McBurney Park to sip hot apple cider, to sing and listen to holiday carols, and to help kids make bird feeders out of pine cones, seeds and suet. Some of them (the bird feeders, that is) are still hanging in the park. Thanks to all who helped and participated.
• The City has posted the plans for the long-promised reconstruction of Alma and Balaclava streets at
http://www.cityofkingston.ca/residents/development/almabalaclava/index.asp.
I won't repeat the City's information here except to note generally that a) the plan is to make Alma one-way southbound; b) the western edge of McBurney Park will be extended about two metres further west (i.e. to near the middle of present-day Alma); c) the intersection of Alma & Ordnance (i.e. at the southwest corner of the park) will be rebuilt to make it safer for pedestrians. There will also be a new sidewalk.
• One of our neighbours, Jonathan Rose, has a key role in the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform. If you haven't heard of it already (on TVO, in newspapers), you will soon. The Citizens’ Assembly was established in the spring of 2006 to examine Ontario’s electoral system and recommend whether we should keep it or adopt a different one. One hundred and three raXºŒ¸<ÿÿÿÿlZb ndomly selected Ontarians are now assessing Ontario's electoral system, and in May they will recommend whether the province should retain its current system or adopt a new one. As part of this process, Ontarians are being asked to examine their current electoral system and determine whether it still reflects their values. If the Assembly recommends a change, all Ontario voters will have a chance to vote on it in a referendum on October 4, 2007 – the date of the next provincial election.
The Citizens' Assembly will hold a public consultation meeting to hear what Kingstonians think about Ontario's electoral system on Tuesday, January 16, 2007 at 7 p.m. in the Wilson Room of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library on Johnson Street. If you'd like to make a presentation at the meeting, you can register online at www.citizensassembly.gov.on.ca (http://www.citizensassembly.gov.on.ca/) . Click“have your say” to make a submission online or to register to present at the Kingston meeting. On this page, you will also find a documententitled“Citizens Talking to Citizens” which might be helpful in preparing for your presentation.
• If you were at the Skeleton Park Music festival last year, you may remember an entertaining and intriguing play involving giant puppets about the benefits of eating locally grown food. That show was the creation of the Spiral Soup Community Players, "a popular theatre company that promotes social and environmental justice. Through the use of giant puppets, story banners and original music, we involve community volunteers as puppeteers, musicians and performers to empower individuals and transform communities." Spiral Soup needs 16 people for a new play to be staged at St. James Anglican Church (on Union Street), as part of the "Footprints in Our Food" gathering on Saturday January 27, 2007 (performances at 1:00 and 2:15 p.m.). If you're interested in participating (no acting or puppetry experience necessary!) please contact (by tomorrow!) Gordon Darrall at 613-353-9989 or Wendy Luella Perkins at 613-549-3102 or send an email to spiralsoup@visionweaver.net .
• Finally .... I am hereby issuing the last call for McBurney Park newsletter ideas and stories. I'd really like to get something out soon. Please send your suggestions/submissions to me at alecross@sympatico.ca. (Thanks to those of you who have already sent something in.)
That's all for now.
All the best,
Alec
Alec Ross
Co-ordinator
McBurney Park Neighbourhood Association (MPNA)
www.mcburneypark.ca (http://www.mcburneypark.ca)