posting
12-17-2008, 10:53 AM
Winter Solstice Celebration and other MPNA news
2008-12-17
Winter Solstice at the Park
Join in the Winter Solstice Celebration on Sunday, December 21st. We'll start to gather in the Park at 4:30 pm. If you like, bring a song to sing, a bird treat to hang in a tree (or make one there with pine cones, lard and birdseed) and a lantern to light your way as darkness descends. The Wee Corner Store has generously offered to provide hot cider to warm our hands and throats.
Annual General Meeting Highlights
Over 40 people attended the MPNA AGM on November 24th at the Renaissance Event Venue at 285 Queen Street. Thank you to Paul Fortier for hosting us in this elegant space.
What a Great 2008
Alec Ross began by recapping the successes of 2008, including:
• resolved most "respect issues" in the park;
• unveiled historical plaque in planter;
• installed memorial plaques at donated trees;
• received grant from Trees Canada to plant trees along neighborhood streets (more about this below);
• hosted phenomenal Summer Solstice Festival together with the Skeleton Park Music Festival; and
• hosted biggest ever Halloween gathering.
A Grant to Plant
Anita Krebs from the Sydenham Ward neighborhood association, SWRTA, spoke about their efforts to plant trees on residential properties along King Street. Making use of the grant from Trees Canada required several steps:
• making an inventory of existing trees, and identifying where new trees should be planted,
• selecting target properties,
• researching and deciding which types of trees to plant,
• contacting property owners of target tree spots.
Several thousand dollars of the Trees Canada grant is earmarked for the MPNA to plant trees in our neighborhood. As you can imagine, there is a fair bit of work involved, so we'll need a team to make it all happen. If you are interested on working on this project, please contact me at sabragibbens@gmail.com and we'll meet in February to develop our plan.
Update from City Hall
City Councillor Rob Hutchison joined us to provide an update from City Hall. I'm including just a few highlights here:
• Upcoming closure of No Frills grocery store. See more about this under the "New Frills" section.
• Richardson Beach Improvement. Not in our neighborhood exactly, but it's our closest Lake Ontario access. The city has budgeted money and developed a preliminary plan for rejuvenating this beach. For more info go to http://www.cityofkingston.ca/residents/recreation/parks/richardson/index.asp.
• Traffic and Parking. Several streets around the 'hood still need calming, especially Barrie and Colborne and in front of Rideau Crest. In some cases, such in front of Central at Colborne and Sydenham, just repainting the white crosswalk lines would be a good and inexpensive start.
Land Use
• Nancy Foster updated us on the development of an apartment building at the corner of Barrie and Queen. She successfully lobbied for its height to be reduced from four stories to three.
• Lea Westlake informed us that the Queen Street United Church and its holdings in that block are up for sale. The buyers of that site and their plans for it could have a major impact on the neighborhood.
Playground Improvements
Sharon Way Brackenbury and Sergio Sismondo reported that the money and the plans are in place for a super cool new climber and a half-court basketball installation. Hooray!
New Co-ordinator
After two years as MPNA Coordinator, Alec Ross is handing over the reins to me, Sabra Gibbens. Bridget Doherty has generously agreed to assist with the co-ordinator responsibilities. Thank you, Alec, for your dedication to the neighborhood and this group. And thank you for continuing to be our webmaster.
My husband, Jon Miller, and I have been in the neighborhood for over three years. We moved to Kingston six years ago when Jon began teaching at Queen's. We have a daughter in JK at Central and a little guy cruising around our house on Quebec Street. I am delighted to accept this position for several reasons: I love this neighborhood, I love what neighborhood associations can accomplish, and I look forward to meeting and working with more of my neighbors. Please email me at sabragibbens@gmail.com with names and addresses to be added to or removed from our mailing list.
Bridget Doherty, who you may know through her political involvements or as a mother chasing her kids around the community, is my assistant. Bridget decided to lend her hand as she respects and appreciates all the great work that has gone before us. She and her husband share their Colborne Street house with their three munchkins.
A Call for Volunteers
We are looking for volunteers to assist with all of the following:
• newsletter committee, writes articles and publishes a print version periodically;
• social committee, organizes celebrations;
• park committee, you know … park stuff;
• land use committee, monitors property standards and development and raises concerns of the MPNA with the City;
• traffic and parking committee, identifies issues and raises them with the City.
• tree committee, get trees planted on residential streets around the neighborhood.
Please contact me if you are willing and able to join or chair one of these committees. All current and new committee members will get together in January to plan the year ahead.
"New Frills" Downtown Renewal Project
On Nov 29 Rob Hutchison hosted a meeting at Artillery Park to discuss the closure of the Bagot Street No Frills. Approximately 40 people attended. Many people suggested that trying to change corporate Loblaws' mind about closing the store would likely be a futile effort, and that our time and energy would be better spent envisioning and working towards a positive use of the space. For example, imagine a multi-use complex that included a mix of shops, affordable and market-price housing, a child-care centre, artists' studios, a food co-op and a community garden.
Towards the end of the meeting two general goals emerged. The short-term goal is to ensure that in the site does not become a neighborhood blight when No Frills closes up shop in January. The second long-term goal is to advocate for a future use of the site that contributes to the sustainability and vibrancy of our neighborhood and the downtown.
It will take considerable community efforts to make progress on both of these fronts. All interested parties are encouraged to attend the next meeting on Saturday, January 10, 2009. Time and location TBA. For more information, contact Sonia Nobrega at nosonia@hotmail.com or Jamie Masse at jamie@jamiemasse.ca.
Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood?
Like Sesame Street, but not just for preschoolers. This section of the newsletter will feature organizations, businesses and individuals around our neighborhood. If you have ideas for whom should be featured in upcoming newsletters, please send them to me: sabragibbens@gmail.com.
Joe Chithalen Memorial Musical Instrument Lending Library
Just in time for any New Year's resolutions you might make to develop a new skill … The Joe Chithalen M.I.L.L. has loads of instruments ready for you to take for a spin. Roger Eccleston coordinates this amazing community resource. The library is located in the former Robert Meek School at 559 Bagot Street. Stop by after school some day and check it out. For more info go to http://www.ajoeshow.com/.
Happy Holidays!
Sabra Gibbens
MPNA Co-ordinator
2008-12-17
Winter Solstice at the Park
Join in the Winter Solstice Celebration on Sunday, December 21st. We'll start to gather in the Park at 4:30 pm. If you like, bring a song to sing, a bird treat to hang in a tree (or make one there with pine cones, lard and birdseed) and a lantern to light your way as darkness descends. The Wee Corner Store has generously offered to provide hot cider to warm our hands and throats.
Annual General Meeting Highlights
Over 40 people attended the MPNA AGM on November 24th at the Renaissance Event Venue at 285 Queen Street. Thank you to Paul Fortier for hosting us in this elegant space.
What a Great 2008
Alec Ross began by recapping the successes of 2008, including:
• resolved most "respect issues" in the park;
• unveiled historical plaque in planter;
• installed memorial plaques at donated trees;
• received grant from Trees Canada to plant trees along neighborhood streets (more about this below);
• hosted phenomenal Summer Solstice Festival together with the Skeleton Park Music Festival; and
• hosted biggest ever Halloween gathering.
A Grant to Plant
Anita Krebs from the Sydenham Ward neighborhood association, SWRTA, spoke about their efforts to plant trees on residential properties along King Street. Making use of the grant from Trees Canada required several steps:
• making an inventory of existing trees, and identifying where new trees should be planted,
• selecting target properties,
• researching and deciding which types of trees to plant,
• contacting property owners of target tree spots.
Several thousand dollars of the Trees Canada grant is earmarked for the MPNA to plant trees in our neighborhood. As you can imagine, there is a fair bit of work involved, so we'll need a team to make it all happen. If you are interested on working on this project, please contact me at sabragibbens@gmail.com and we'll meet in February to develop our plan.
Update from City Hall
City Councillor Rob Hutchison joined us to provide an update from City Hall. I'm including just a few highlights here:
• Upcoming closure of No Frills grocery store. See more about this under the "New Frills" section.
• Richardson Beach Improvement. Not in our neighborhood exactly, but it's our closest Lake Ontario access. The city has budgeted money and developed a preliminary plan for rejuvenating this beach. For more info go to http://www.cityofkingston.ca/residents/recreation/parks/richardson/index.asp.
• Traffic and Parking. Several streets around the 'hood still need calming, especially Barrie and Colborne and in front of Rideau Crest. In some cases, such in front of Central at Colborne and Sydenham, just repainting the white crosswalk lines would be a good and inexpensive start.
Land Use
• Nancy Foster updated us on the development of an apartment building at the corner of Barrie and Queen. She successfully lobbied for its height to be reduced from four stories to three.
• Lea Westlake informed us that the Queen Street United Church and its holdings in that block are up for sale. The buyers of that site and their plans for it could have a major impact on the neighborhood.
Playground Improvements
Sharon Way Brackenbury and Sergio Sismondo reported that the money and the plans are in place for a super cool new climber and a half-court basketball installation. Hooray!
New Co-ordinator
After two years as MPNA Coordinator, Alec Ross is handing over the reins to me, Sabra Gibbens. Bridget Doherty has generously agreed to assist with the co-ordinator responsibilities. Thank you, Alec, for your dedication to the neighborhood and this group. And thank you for continuing to be our webmaster.
My husband, Jon Miller, and I have been in the neighborhood for over three years. We moved to Kingston six years ago when Jon began teaching at Queen's. We have a daughter in JK at Central and a little guy cruising around our house on Quebec Street. I am delighted to accept this position for several reasons: I love this neighborhood, I love what neighborhood associations can accomplish, and I look forward to meeting and working with more of my neighbors. Please email me at sabragibbens@gmail.com with names and addresses to be added to or removed from our mailing list.
Bridget Doherty, who you may know through her political involvements or as a mother chasing her kids around the community, is my assistant. Bridget decided to lend her hand as she respects and appreciates all the great work that has gone before us. She and her husband share their Colborne Street house with their three munchkins.
A Call for Volunteers
We are looking for volunteers to assist with all of the following:
• newsletter committee, writes articles and publishes a print version periodically;
• social committee, organizes celebrations;
• park committee, you know … park stuff;
• land use committee, monitors property standards and development and raises concerns of the MPNA with the City;
• traffic and parking committee, identifies issues and raises them with the City.
• tree committee, get trees planted on residential streets around the neighborhood.
Please contact me if you are willing and able to join or chair one of these committees. All current and new committee members will get together in January to plan the year ahead.
"New Frills" Downtown Renewal Project
On Nov 29 Rob Hutchison hosted a meeting at Artillery Park to discuss the closure of the Bagot Street No Frills. Approximately 40 people attended. Many people suggested that trying to change corporate Loblaws' mind about closing the store would likely be a futile effort, and that our time and energy would be better spent envisioning and working towards a positive use of the space. For example, imagine a multi-use complex that included a mix of shops, affordable and market-price housing, a child-care centre, artists' studios, a food co-op and a community garden.
Towards the end of the meeting two general goals emerged. The short-term goal is to ensure that in the site does not become a neighborhood blight when No Frills closes up shop in January. The second long-term goal is to advocate for a future use of the site that contributes to the sustainability and vibrancy of our neighborhood and the downtown.
It will take considerable community efforts to make progress on both of these fronts. All interested parties are encouraged to attend the next meeting on Saturday, January 10, 2009. Time and location TBA. For more information, contact Sonia Nobrega at nosonia@hotmail.com or Jamie Masse at jamie@jamiemasse.ca.
Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood?
Like Sesame Street, but not just for preschoolers. This section of the newsletter will feature organizations, businesses and individuals around our neighborhood. If you have ideas for whom should be featured in upcoming newsletters, please send them to me: sabragibbens@gmail.com.
Joe Chithalen Memorial Musical Instrument Lending Library
Just in time for any New Year's resolutions you might make to develop a new skill … The Joe Chithalen M.I.L.L. has loads of instruments ready for you to take for a spin. Roger Eccleston coordinates this amazing community resource. The library is located in the former Robert Meek School at 559 Bagot Street. Stop by after school some day and check it out. For more info go to http://www.ajoeshow.com/.
Happy Holidays!
Sabra Gibbens
MPNA Co-ordinator