Monthly Meeting
February 4, 2008
Attendees:
- John Sankey, President
- Alan Asselstine, Treasurer
- Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
- Fred McLennan
- Gisèle Loiselle-Branch, Membership Director
- Nichole Hoover, Assistant to the Councillor
- Marilyn Koch
- Kemi Abdurrahman
Motion: To accept last month’s minutes as amended. moved by Alan Asselstine, seconded by Fred McLennan, carried.
John Sankey: Bill Royds last month raised the issue of municipal taxes on parking lots. The City gives the same treatment to parking at South Keys as it does to parking at downtown parking lots.
Alan Asselstine: Bill meant that the City taxes parking lots at very low rates as opposed to much higher rates for parking garages such as the one at Bayshore.
Gisèle Loiselle-Branch: The City should put more priority on clearing the sidewalks that serve elderly and disabled persons.
Fred McLennan: Inevitably, after a heavy snowfall sidewalks will be blocked with snow. The City can only clear the sidewalks so fast.
Alan Asselstine: Sometimes the big snow plows that do the roads will block off the sidewalks which have been previously cleared by the small plows that do the sidewalks. Parents walking their children to school find their way blocked.
John Sankey: Presented Fred McLennan with a Certificate of Appreciation from MP David McGuinty for his service as President of the Hunt Club Community Organization.
Alan Asselstine: What did Maria McRae think about the pictures of Sawmill Creek? Alan offered to do a walk-about of the area to review his proposals for better access to the Constructed Wetlands and South Keys.
Nichole Hoover: Maria will look at this again when she gets back from Sudbury. In the meantime staff will follow up. A pathway to South Keys would increase transit use and so improve the modal split.
Gisèle Loiselle-Branch: A young man died crossing the Airport Parkway last summer.
There was a general discussion about how vegetation would grow in the Constructed Wetlands and how animals would adapt there.
John Sankey: Designed the pond at the Fletcher Park. In three years the pond looked completely natural.
Alan Asselstine: The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority has a complete study of the flora and fauna of the Sawmill Creek Watershed.
John Sankey: Shelley Parlow sends her regrets but reports that the NCC has refused our request to be a party to the mediation between the NCC and City. There will be a mediation hearing on April 24 and 25 at City Hall.
John Sankey: Councillor Christine Leadman sent an e-mail that details how parking rates will increase: rates will increase to $3/hour and be enforced until 9:00 PM Monday to Saturday and to 5:30 PM Sunday and she asked for our support in fighting it.
Next meeting: Monday 3 March at 7:30 pm