by CCCA President Jordan Charbonneau
For more information on the contents of this report, contact us via the information provided at the end of this article.
Excellent Turnout for May 30 Public Meeting
Over 150 people attended the public meeting on the draft Centretown Community Design Plan (CDP), which the CCCA hosted on 30 May 2012 at the McNabb Community Centre.
Councillor Holmes and several City staff members were present. Based on a show of hands at the beginning of the meeting, most of those present had not attended the City-sponsored public meetings on the CDP that were held over the past two years and were, therefore, relatively new to the significant issues addressed in the CDP. It was clear by their questions, comments and applause, however, that the level of interest and concern was very high.
Several presenters, including Brian Bourns on the original Centretown Plan, George Dark on the draft CDP, Judy Forrest for the CCCA, Graeme Hussey for the Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation and Nancy Oakley for Heritage Ottawa, provided information on the plan and, in the case of the three community presenters, the views of their organizations on what is good in the draft plan and what needs to be improved.
All of the presenters found much that is good in the draft CDP. With some improvements, they want it to be approved as quickly as possible and they want it to be respected once in place.
After the presentations, over an hour was dedicated to a lively public forum, during which attendees asked questions of the presenters and provided comments on what they had heard. Comments were also submitted after the meeting.
Based on the feedback, the CCCA is preparing a draft report for review at the June CCCA Board meeting (see below.) When finalized, this report will be submitted to the City and will inform CCCA action on the CDP going forward.
For further information on the CDP, please contact Judy Forest (judy.forrest@rogers.com) or Rob Dekker (robert.dekker@sympatico.ca) or visit www.centretowncitizens.ca.
Remember the Minto Park Sale!
This is one of my last opportunities to remind you of Councillor Diane Holmes’ Minto Park Sale, which will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on June 16, 2012.
The CCCA will hold its annual barbeque at the sale from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., a baked goods sale, a plant sale (see below) and, new this year, an electronic waste collection service, all of which are designed as fundraisers for the CCCA.
For the electronic waste collection, residents are encouraged to bring in their unwanted electronic devices so that they can be recycled responsibly.
See the Recycle Your Electronics website for details on what we will be accepting. We hope to see you there!
Trees and Greenspace Committee
On June 16, 2012, the Trees and Greenspace Committee will hold its plant sale as part of the annual Minto Park Sale. The plant sale’s proceeds will go towards the CCCA’s Tree Fund, which allows the CCCA to plant trees and other plants in the community. Please support a greener Centretown!
Good news about the proposed greening of the yard at Centennial School: in 2010, the Trees and Greenspace Committee worked with City forestry staff to document spots that needed some trees. Of the 15 or so chosen spaces, the City planted all of them last year except one: Centennial School, since it required much additional preparatory work. The Trees and Greenspace Committee submitted that application on June 1, and the committee is very hopeful that the space will be planted as part of the 2013 season. Trees in school yards are particularly beneficial because, not only do they provide shade for outdoor activities, but, according to a growing field of studies, they also have a calming effect on youngsters and other people: in hospitals, even a drawing of a tree on the wall decreases the required healing time of patients.
The Trees and Greenspace Committee has also documented some spaces along Gladstone Avenue and Gilmour Street for possible City plantings this fall.
Seniors Committee
The Seniors Committee met on June 1 to discuss what was presented at the CCCA’s public meeting regarding the forthcoming Centretown CDP (see above). Topics of interest to the committee are the CDP, Section 37 community benefits, and an expected new zoning by-law because each of these will have an impact on seniors’ lives in Centretown. The committee agreed on the need to follow these and related issues, such as transit and condo fees, in the months ahead. The committee has an article elsewhere in this paper on specific aspects of the CDP that attracted the attention of its members.
Next CCCA Board Meeting and Summer Gab ‘n’ Graze Events
Our next Board meeting will take place at City Hall (Honeywell Room) on Tuesday, June 19 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. After that, the CCCA Board is not planning to meet until September, though, should the need arise, a meeting will be scheduled. Instead, for the months of July and August, we will be holding our annual Gab ‘n’ Graze events, which are an opportunity for all CCCA members to gather together for a meal at a local establishment and enjoy each others’ company. We’ll be distributing further information on these events through our various communications media, so be sure to let us know if you’re interested!
Contact Us
You can keep up to date on events in Centretown by subscribing to our email newsletter (contact us at ccca@centretowncitizens.ca), following us on Twitter (twitter.com/CentretownCCA) or visiting our website (www.centretowncitizens.ca). We would be happy to hear from you!