Annual General Meeting
November 3, 2008
Attendees:
- John Sankey President
- Alan Asselstine, Treasurer
- Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
- Fred McLennan
- Gisèle Loiselle-Branch
- Maria McRae, Councillor
- André Nichol, Councillor’s Office
- Nichol Hoover, Councillor’s Office
- Sheena Bolton, The News EMC
- Bill Lang
- Lori Swain
- Terry Kennedy
- Anne Kennedy
- Jerry Beausoleil
- John Reid
- Troy Francis
- Gillian Villeneuve
- George Acres
- Martina Acres
- Liz Russell
- Peter Vasdi
- Heather Dawson
- Loyd Dagenais
- Brenda Francis
- Taryen Francis
- Amber Francis
- Kimberley Dagenais
- Martina Francis
- Andrew Lacasse
- Jonathan Pinnack
- Gerry Tremblay
- Ezio Subissati
- Robert Shaw
- Yvonne Jackson
John Sankey: Welcomed everyone, described agenda and asked Fred McLennan to conduct the election of officers. The President, Treasurer and up to 15 directors are elected.
Fred McLennan: Acclaimed John Sankey as President and Alan Asselstine as Treasurer. Four new directors were acclaimed: Liz Russell, Jerry Beausoleil, Martina Francis and Kimberley Dagenais.
Alan Asselstine presented the Treasurer’s Report.
Motion: To accept the Treasurer’s Report. Moved by Fred McLennan, seconded by Liz Russell, carried.
Maria McRae: Presented her Report to the Hunt Club Community Organization
Troy Francis: Asked about twinning the Airport Parkway.
Maria McRae: The Airport Parkway Pathway Connection is described in her Fall 2008 flyer. The HCCO has pushed for the Pathway Connection across the Airport Parkway. There is no safe pathway over the Airport Parkway. The previous Mayor Bob Chiarielli had tied support of the Pathway to the Light Rail Project. Unfortunately it was cancelled and so was his support of the Pathway. Recently, the Transportation Committee agreed to fund an environmental study of a pedestrian pathway. The Committee has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the environmental assessment. We will have public consultation on the Pathway. Transit Linkage is the first priority!
Loyd Dagenais: Is the City going to widen the Airport Parkway?
Maria McRae: Debate regarding the widening of this road will take place at a Joint Committee of the Transportation and Transit Committee on November 19, 2008.=CA Whether or not the widening will take place in phase one of the TMP update will depend on the results of the debate and Council’s ultimate vote on the issue.
Troy Francis: Didn’t the City consider access to the pathways along the Constructed Wetlands when they were designed?
Maria McRae: The pathways are part of the Constructed Wetlands which were built to control and protect Sawmill Creek and improve water quality. The Constructed Wetlands was not designed primarily for recreation.
John Reid: Thanked Maria for coming to the meeting and for her support of a library kiosk in the expanded Community Centre. Would Maria support budget cuts that impacted the quality of life?
Maria McRae: Has yet to hear from her residents and will not draw any conclusions or make any decisions before she hears from the public.
Martina Francis: Why didn’t the environmental assessment of the Constructed Wetlands include a pathway to cross the Airport Parkway?
Maria McRae: The Constructed Wetlands were designed to control storm water runoff. The pathway is a separate issue.
Kimberley Dagenais: How can we speed up the pathway? It’s human nature to take the short-cut.
Maria McRae: By building support in the community, by making people aware of the issues.
Alan Asselstine: Hunt Club Road is overused and Walkley Road is underused. Walkley Road should be made a truck route.
Maria McRae: Would not commit any support at this time because she also represents the residents of Riverside Park and they do not support this suggestion. Councillor McRae said she would ask City staff about the implications of opening Walkley as a truck route and report back to the association.
Jerry Beausoleil: Are Councillors, in their deliberations of the City’s budget, taking into account the effects on taxpayers of the anticipated recession?
Maria McRae: Yes there are but Ottawa is more insulated than other areas because many people are employed by the Federal Government.
Motion: To approve the October minutes. Moved by Fred McLennan, seconded by Alan Asselstine, carried.
Alan Asselstine: The minutes are published on the HCCO’s internet site: http://hunt-club.ncf.ca/ We have been looking at the pathway for 10 years. There is no good route between Hunt Club and South Keys. Hunt Club Road near the Airport Parkway is dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists. We want to keep it (the pathway) on the agenda and to show that it is worth the cost (the bridge over the Rideau Canal at the University of Ottawa cost $5 million). All the land except for the CPR Railway is owned by the City and the best way to get the City’s support is to link it to transportation.
Loyd Dagenais: There is already a path under the train tracks.
John Sankey: Alan Asselstine has done a thorough study of different options.
Ezio Subissati: What benefit would there be for public transit?
John Sankey: There are 13,000 people in Hunt Club and a pedestrian pathway should make the Transitway more attractive.
Kimberley Dagenais: My brother died crossing the Airport Parkway and we have a petition to support the construction of a proper pathway.
Lori Swain: I cannot walk to the Transitway because there is no pathway. I would drive but the Park-and-Ride is always full.
Motion: The HCCO should draft an e-mail and send it to Councillors Maria McRae and Diane Deans and the chairs of the Transportation and Transit Committees. The e-mail would point out that there is no safe route between Hunt Club and Bank Street and that a young man died crossing the Airport Parkway last year. A safe pathway would boost public transit. Right now there is no access between the transit hub at South Keys and Hunt Club. Moved by Alan Asselstine, seconded by Jerry Beausoleil, carried unanimously.
Next meeting: Monday December 1 at 19:30
