River Ward Update

Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre Now Open

Our community centre fall opening hours:

●  Weekdays (7:30 am – 9:30 pm)
●  Weekends (8:30 am – 4:45 pm)

The weight and cardio room has re-opened and is available by appointment for one-hour time slots during the above times and days. Visit the City’s website and click on “schedules” to reserve your spot. Up to four people are permitted per time slot. The library kiosks have been loaded with fresh items and the holds pickup service has returned. Rentals of the community centre will be considered within the updated restrictions.

After school care will be provided in September. Registration has been heavy.

Ottawa Public Library

The Ottawa Public Library’s Bookmobile continues to make pit stops in Hunt Club every week, including every Wednesday from 3:30-5pm at 3310 McCarthy Drive and at 185 Owl Drive from 6:15-8pm.

Consultations

Curbside Waste Diversion
The City of Ottawa is engaging on options for the Solid Waste Master Plan, and curbside garbage collection is up first. Between now and Sept. 12, the City is seeking your input on 3 options to divert more garbage:

● Partial pay-as-you throw: Households would be allowed to place a set number of garbage items out for collection. Households with more than this limit would purchase garbage tags for each additional item. Recycling, organics, and leaf and yard waste would still be picked up without any tags and with no limits.

●  Reduced item limits: Households would set out a reduced number of garbage items for collection. Anything above the limit would not be collected.
●  Clear garbage bags with recycling and organics bans: Households would set out their garbage in clear bags. Recyclables and organic waste would not be permitted in the garbage.

Visit ottawa.ca/wasteplan to have your say by completing an online survey and signing up for virtual workshops.

Development

1026-1054 Hunt Club Road – Claridge Homes

Construction of the Foxview Retirement Community by Claridge Homes is just wrapping up and is scheduled to open in September. The 8-storey residence at 1026 Hunt Club Road near the Airport Parkway will feature 147 units. Claridge says it has set aside its plans for Phase 2 and it is not yet known if or when that will move forward. The City had been waiting for the company’s formal resubmission of its Phase 2 proposal for 1054 Hunt Club Road to address staff and community feedback. The company’s revised vision was to construct a 7-storey building with 77 rental apartment units with one and two bedrooms rather than an early vision of a 150-room hotel.

400 Hunt Club Road – Otto’s BMW Development Proposal

The zoning amendment application for 400 Hunt Club Road by Otto’s BMW has been lifted. This means that this application will not be heard at the Sept. 9 Planning Committee meeting. Otto’s has been considering plans to expand and lease lands from the Ottawa International Airport Authority to transform almost 4 acres of red pine forest into an employee parking lot and outdoor vehicle storage area. During separate meetings with the applicant and Airport officials, I have been very clear that suitable land is available in the vicinity that can yield a win to all parties. This must be reviewed. At the applicant’s request, the application was pulled from the meeting agenda to allow more time to review their application and consider different viable options. After this review, the applicant may choose to abandon their application for 400 Hunt Club Road or resubmit it and it will appear at a future Planning Committee meeting. This review will take a number of months to complete.

Thank you to community members who have been steadfast in their opposition to this application and who have mounted an unprecedented campaign that has brought an important focus on the value of urban forests. I applaud their efforts.

Riverside Drive at Hunt Club Road

Taggart Developments is kicking the tires again on this dormant file. I expect to learn more about their revised plans soon and will provide another update at the Sept. 13 HCCA meeting.

Parks & Greenspaces

McCarthy Park Basketball Court

Plans to construct a 15m x 28m regulation-size basketball court where the outdoor rink is in McCarthy Park at the Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre are proceeding. The project will include a new asphalt pad, two removable uprights and new lighting. An accessible pathway will be added. The tender for the project closed August 5. Construction is expected this Autumn.

Uplands-Riverside Park

The lines of the basketball court in Uplands-Riverside Park in the Quinterra community, northwest of Hunt Club Road and Riverside Drive, are expected to be repainted this summer.

Reforestation Work
This fall, forestry staff will be doing tending and planting work in three areas of the ward where
ash trees were removed due to impacts by the Emerald Ash Borer.

●  Paul Landry Park,
●  the woodlot adjacent to the Airport Parkway and at the rear of Plante Drive and
●  the woodlot adjacent to the Airport Parkway at the rear of Cromwell Drive.

Following the removal of ash trees impacted by Emerald Ash Borer, and subsequent reforestation work, tending and planting operations are now required to ensure the successful rehabilitation of these wooded areas. Operations will include the removal and treatment of invasive plants and other competing species to allow for existing and planted native trees to succeed in addition to large-scale tree planting. Typical reforestation species include: red, sugar, and silver maple, bitternut hickory, blue-beech, burr and red oak, poplar species, white pine, white spruce, hemlock, larch, and dogwood. Operations are planned to begin the week of September 27. I have connected the Forestry Department with a community association member who has been very active on the reforestation plan for Paul Landry Park.

Roads & Infrastructure

Fibre Optic Installations

Telecon has been contracted by Bell Canada to install fibre optic networking cable on the City’s right-of-way along Uplands Drive, Gillespie Crescent, Rich Little Drive, Vanhurst Place, Archer Square, Country Club Drive, Chase Court, The Masters Drive, Fox Hunt Avenue, Ratan Court, Rhapsody Lane and Huntwood Court. Currently underway, the anticipated completion date is November 10. The work will include directional boring, where trenching is required, to place new Bell conduit. New Bell service wire and new grade-level boxes will be installed.

Telecon is also installing a new Bell Canada fibre optic network along the City’s right-of-way on Vizard Street, Hackett Street, Welby Court, Singler Place, Chatsworth Crescent, Gillespie Crescent from Uplands Drive to Hackett Street, Uplands Drive from North Bowesville Road to Gillespie Crescent, and Foxrun Lane from Uplands Drive to The Masters Drive. This work will also include directional boring, micro trenching, hydro excavation and existing conduit infrastructure. The project, including restoration, is expected to be complete by the end of September.

Both projects were granted municipal consent earlier this year. For questions or concerns, please email Customer.care@telecon.ca or call 1-833-386-8227.

McCarthy Road Curve

I remain persistent in my pursuit to improve the overall safety of the McCarthy curve, between Plante and the train tracks. Speed and carelessness is the number one factor that causes most vehicles to leave the road. I remain very concerned for the safety of pedestrians on the east side sidewalk and I am working with City staff to possibly try a new feature in 2022.

Airport Parkway Widening

The first phase of the Airport Parkway widening project, from Brookfield Road to Hunt Club Road, has been initiated and a Request for Qualifications has been completed. Four consulting firms have been shortlisted and will be invited to submit proposals to undertake the design work. City staff anticipate awarding the engineering design contract this fall with the design work to be complete by the end of 2023. Construction is currently scheduled to start early in 2024 with substantial completion anticipated by the end of 2025. As part of the widening project, a southbound off-ramp to Walkley Road and a roundabout will be built. When the off- ramp at Walkley opens, there is a proposal to reduce the number of travel lanes from 4 to 2 between the Parkway and McCarthy Road. A new multi-use pathway will also be added on the west side of the Parkway from Brookfield to Hunt Club.

Hunt Club Road Resurfacing

The westbound lanes of Hunt Club Road, from the Airport Parkway to Paul Anka Drive, are expected to be resurfaced this year. The project’s tender closed August 3. Construction is expected to begin this fall and take approximately one month to complete. I anticipate receiving an update soon once the contractor finalizes their project timelines.

Stage 2 Trillium LRT Construction

Greenboro LRT Station
The platform duct bank has been poured. Underway now is construction for the new platform slab and installation of the platform stairs. Upcoming work will include the installation of structural steel for the existing platform.

South Keys Station
Work continues for the under-slab insulation, waterproofing and base slab pour. Crews also continue to work on the north wing wall. Construction has started on the north grade beam. Also ongoing is the installation of underground plumbing and waterproofing of the station. Upcoming works will include structural steel installation for the station, the south distribution approach slab, base slab for the station and the pedestrian tunnel.

Hunt Club Rail-over-Road Bridge
The rail and pedestrian bridge over Hunt Club Rail continues to take shape. Vertical construction in the median of Hunt Club Road continues in preparation for the installation of the bridge supports later this fall. Crews will also be working on the rail bed in the north and south approaches to the rail bridge.

Events

E-Waste Depots

I held two successful electronic waste depots this year, one on April 24 at the Hunt Club- Riverside Park Community Centre where more than 30,000 pounds of waste was collected. On August 21, I co-hosted an electronic waste drop-off event with Alta Vista Councillor Jean Cloutier at the Jim Durrell Recreation Centre, my second depot this year. Just over 32,000 pounds of electronic waste were collected.

Household Hazardous Waste Depots

Mark your calendar. Future dates for The City of Ottawa’s household hazardous waste depots: ● Sept. 12, 8 am to 4 pm: Tunney’s Pasture
● Sept. 26, 8 am to 4 pm: Trail Road Waste Facility, 4475 Trail Road
● Oct. 24, 8 am to 4 pm: Westbrook Snow Dump, 200 Westbrook Road

River Ward Newsletter

Stay up to date on everything happening in your community by signing up for my monthly e- newsletter. Visit RileyBrockington.ca, scroll down to the bottom of the page, enter your email address under ‘Connect’ on the left, and click ‘Subscribe.

Riley Brockington
City Councillor, River Ward
Conseiller municipal, Quartier Rivière 613-580-2486

Riley.Brockington@Ottawa.ca

RileyBrockington.ca

Ottawa’s Vaccination Updates
Beginning Tuesday, May 18, the Province extended vaccine appointments to residents 18 years and older. As of Sunday, May 23, youth between 12 and 17 years of age are eligible to book a vaccine. Book yours with the provincial online booking system at Ontario.ca/BookVaccine or call 1-833-943-3900.

Second dose information
Residents who are waiting to schedule the date of their second vaccine dose will be able to access an appointment within the specified interval. The second dose interval for some is approaching next month. A solution is in place to accommodate appointments for these individuals. Contact my office to have your name included on our second dose notification list if you require this information. You can also sign up for the COVID-19 vaccination updates e-subscription for regular news on the vaccine roll-out, including updates on second doses.

Hunt Club resurfacing
Hunt Club Road westbound from the Airport Parkway to Paul Anka Drive is scheduled to be resurfaced sometime this year. The project has yet to be finalized. Once it is, it will then go through the tender process and a contract will be awarded. Staff will keep my office updated and I will share information about the schedule and traffic impacts with the association and local residents.

Pollinator Garden
I am supporting the creation of a new pollinator garden with nine varieties of native wildflowers and two butterfly houses at the front of the Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre this Spring. City staff are also planning to make “pollinators” the theme of the City’s summer camps at the centre and have the campers maintain the garden before local residents take over its care this autumn. The new garden is an excellent opportunity for residents of all ages to become involved in their local community, to instil a sense of local pride, support natural ecosystems and enhance the natural beauty of the area. The garden itself will feature asters, butterfly bushes, milkweed, echinacea, yarrow, salvia, black-eyed Susans, day-lilies and stonecrop/sedum.

Sawmill Creek Pathway Upgrades
Three segments of the Sawmill Creek Multi-Use Pathway are scheduled to be rehabilitated this year. One section is at the northern end to the west side of the pond, and west of the north end of the Greenboro Station’s park and ride. A second section is on the west side of the middle pond directly west of Loblaws at the South Keys Shopping Centre. The third location is on the east side of the southerly pond east of Michael’s at the shopping centre. The exact dates for the pathway’s rehabilitation in 2021 have not been finalized.

Stage 2 Trillium LRT Construction:
Work on the Trillium Line, which is extending south 16 kilometres from Bayview to Limebank in Riverside South, is progressing. This massive project includes eight new stations, renovations to five existing stations, a new Walkley Yard Maintenance and Storage Facility and an airport link. To date, the Stage 2 LRT Construction Team has installed 127 girders on 14 rail and pedestrian bridges across the entire O-Train South extension.

Greenboro LRT Station
Greenboro Station is an existing transfer station on the O-Train South Line that will receive a new, longer platform. Crews have completed demolition, and platform construction is underway. Structural backfilling is ongoing, as are formwork, rebar and concrete works. This year, crews will also continue prepping and laying track in this area. Across the South Line, track work between Walkley and Greenboro Stations is expected to be the first segment completed in Summer 2021.

South Keys LRT Station
Concrete foundation work is now complete at the new South Keys Station. Forming and reinforcement of the walls that will support the platform continue and installation of engineered, lightweight fill is underway north of the station. In the coming months, crews will proceed with installing light weight fill and utilities south of the station. Backfilling and waterproofing of the pedestrian tunnels and station walls are ongoing, as are formwork, rebar and concrete works at the platform level. A slight change in the temporary multi-use pathway was implemented April 21 and will be in place until June 14. This serves as a temporary detour of a segment of the MUP to route pedestrians and cyclists around the work zone and to maintain station access. Throughout the duration of the station’s construction, the MUP will be altered to make way for construction. Pedestrians and cyclists will be required to pay attention and adhere to flagging personnel and detour signage to reach their destination.

Hunt Club Rail-over-Road Bridge and MUP
The Hunt Club MUP will run along the rail bridge to connect South Keys Station via the Sawmill Creek Pathway to pathways south of Hunt Club Road. Pedestrians and cyclists using this new link will be safely separated from rail lines by a 2.4-metre-high cement barrier. The crane and drill rig have been demobilized from the Hunt Club Road median following the completion of the drilling of the caissons, which form the deep foundations that will support the bridge structure above. The remediation work now includes caisson remediation and excavation work to prepare for the column pours. Fencing has been installed around the site to minimize traffic disruptions.

Urban Cycling Workshop
Join me for Urban Cycling – a Virtual Workshop presented by EnviroCentre’s Let’s Bike Program on June 21 at 6:30 p.m. Delivered by an experienced cyclist, this workshop will provide participants with tips on incorporating cycling into their everyday lives. You’ll learn helpful hints, rules of the road, and receive advice on choosing a route to your destination. This workshop is adapted for cyclists of every age and ability. REGISTER AT: tinyurl.com/CycleWithMe

Riley Brockington.
City Councillor, River Ward
Conseiller municipal, Quartier Rivière
613-580-2486
Riley.Brockington@Ottawa.ca
RileyBrockington.ca