Attendees:

• John Sankey, President
• Jerry Beausoleil
• Gisèle Loiselle-Branch
• Fred McLennan
• Liz Russell
• Maria McRae, Councillor
• Nichole Hoover, Councillor’s Office
• Peter Foulger

Regrets: Peter, Kimberly & Martina with the flu, Alan is in South America.

Maria McRae distributed her report for February. She noted in addition that at the public meeting on the rezoning of 3930 Riverside Drive, all comments were in favour; the Riverside Gate condo corporation is also in favour. All improvements at the intersection of Riverside and Hunt Club are on hold pending the Taggart development. RFPs have been issued for the environmental assessment for the pathway to South Keys and are due 19 February, that process will take 12 months. Center expansion is proceeding on schedule, the associated public art envelope is $86k.

Motion: that the minutes be approved as distributed. Moved by Jerry Beausoleil, seconded by Liz Russell, carried.

The priorities of the HCCO for the coming year were discussed. Liz Russell will keep a watching brief on the Southern Corridor with the expectation it will be a priority for 2010.
Motion: that the major HCCO priorities for 2009 be the pathway to South Keys and traffic on Riverside Drive. Moved by Liz Russell, seconded by Jerry Beausoleil, carried
Motion: that the HCCO request Councillor McRae to continue her efforts to obtain improvements to the Hunt Club Riverside intersection. Moved by Jerry Beausoleil, seconded by Liz Russell, carried.

Motion: pursuant to requests made at the January meeting on behalf of that portion of the Hunt Club community west of Riverside Drive, the HCCO supports the request for rezoning as made by Taggart Realty. Moved by Jerry Beausoleil, seconded by Liz Russell, carried.

Next meeting: Monday 2 March 7:30 pm.

Attendees:

• John Sankey President
• Peter Brimacombe Secretary
• Fred McLennan
• Gisèle Loiselle-Branch
• Jerry Beausoleil
• Liz Russell
• Wray Jaques
• Mike Storeshaw
• Jacklyn Burnett
• Tim Larock
• Wade Wallace
• Brian Walker
• Sue McDonald
• Andrew Plant

John Sankey: Described the Hunt Club Community Organization and its boundaries. The City has received an application to rezone property west of Riverside Drive between Hunt Club Road to the south and Uplands Riverside Park to the north. Currently the zoning allows four commercial towers, the application is to allow two commercial towers and two retirement residence towers. This meeting will provide a forum in which to discuss the rezoning application and present motions on the subject. There is already a heavy flow of traffic south-bound on Riverside Drive and any new development will further strain Riverside Drive as well as increase traffic interior to the Quinterra neighbourhood.
Wray Jaques: The office towers are no surprise but the retirement residences are. They are right on the flight path of the Airport. Is this allowed? Won’t residents complain about the noise? Traffic on Riverside is jammed and he doesn’t want it to be expanded. He would be in favour of light rail.
Sue McDonald: In terms of streets in the Quinterra neighbourhood where is the traffic actually going to go?
John Sankey: The retirement residents will have more sound-proofing than single houses. If the two office towers and two retirement residences were built, fire regulations would require two independent roads to Riverside Drive. It would be hard to put a road under the Hunt Club bridge because the land on the south side is on a steep slope and is very unstable.
Mike Storeshaw: Traffic is brutal. What would concern me is if it has to go on Kimberwick Crescent. It’s a catastrophe to turn left from Kimberwick onto Riverside Drive.
Motion: With respect to the proposed development at the north-west corner of Hunt Club Road and Riverside Drive, that there be no development until traffic considerations are fully addressed. Moved by Tim Larock, seconded by Andrew Plant, in favour 13, opposed 3, carried.
Fred McLennan: There is already such a heavy volume of traffic on Riverside Drive that the increase from this development would be very small.
John Sankey: The traffic engineer from the City said that there were two possible improvements to Riverside Drive: to add a traffic light for the right turn from Riverside south to Hunt Club west and to add an extra lane so that there would be two right turning lanes and two straight-through lanes.
Motion: With respect to the proposed development at the north-west corner of Hunt Club Road and Riverside Drive, that the existing Uplands Riverside Park be protected. Moved by Wray Jaques, seconded by Mike Storeshaw, carried unanimously.
Wade Wallace: Who’s to say that the developer would proceed with the office towers?
Sue McDonald: Is concerned with structural damage to homes from pile driving.
Wray Jaques: The only access to Uplands Riverside Park is via Riverside Drive and there is no sidewalk access to the Park or to the bus stops. There is an information meeting at the Church of Perfect Liberty, 1008 Hunt Club Road from 17:30 to 19:30.

Motion: To approve the December 2008 minutes as amended. Moved by Fred McLennan, seconded by Liz Russell, carried.

Next meeting: Monday February 2 at 19:30

Attendees:

• John Sankey, President
• Alan Asselstine, Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Fred McLennan
• Kimberley Dagenais
• Martina Francis
• Liz Russell

Liz Russell presented Fred McLennan with a small gift and a card for his years of service.

Alan Asselstine described the meeting Oct 1, 2008 at City Hall that discussed the expansion of the Community Centre and the two organizations it would house: the Hunt Club/Riverside Community Services Centre (Services Centre) and the Hunt Club Riverside Recreation Association (Rec Association)
John Sankey: The Rec Association charges for its services but the Services Centre does not.
Alan Asselstine: Each organization has its own volunteer Board of Directors. The Hunt Club Community Organization and the Riverside Park Community Association started the Rec Association. The Services Centre arranged for the computers to be placed in the Community Centre.

John Sankey: Presented the agenda and asked for any additions. Liz Russell said she would like to speak later.

Motion: To approve the November minutes. Moved by Alan Asselstine, seconded by Liz Russell, carried.

Alan Asselstine: Letter to Transportation Committee about pathway over the Airport Parkway.
Liz Russell: The fact that the twinning of the Airport Parkway is cancelled may help with winning approval of the Pathway.
Kimberley Dagenais: When will the environmental study be done?
Alan Asselstine: It doesn’t need to wait to spring.
Peter Brimacombe: How should we approach the owners of South Keys Shopping Mall for support of the Pathway?
John Sankey: They should be approached through the South Keys/Greenboro Community Association.

Motion: To establish a priority list of items to present to the Councillor. Moved by Fred McLennan, seconded by Alan Asselstine, carried.
Alan Asselstine: Described the major issues of the HCCO:

• Southern Corridor
• Minto Development on McCarthy Road
• bus routes
• community safety

John Sankey led a discussion on how to enhance the area around the community centre and shopping centre as a social and visual centre of the Hunt Club community. Ideas discussed were:

• a garden with friendly seating in front of the new center
• encourage the owner of the shawarma shop to brighten up his interior and to always have at least one good coffee on tap
• community gateway features, marking the area as the center of the community
• a mural showing the history of our community
• street signs like on Preston Street
• develop Landry Park as a gateway to the Shopping Centre
• teen activities
• a wall on which youth can draw

Alan Asselstine: Paul Landry Park would be a good place to put up a mural.

Liz Russell: Has adopted McCarthy Road and has been out 20 times since April on various clean-up projects. She is trying to get the City to provide garbage receptacles along McCarthy Road. During the summer she provided her own garbage cans at Cahill and Fielding Drives. She has been out 12 times cleaning up graffiti – the big silver box at the CNR railway tracks is a favourite target. She contacted Mr Beauchamps of CNR to ask that it paint the box with special paint that makes it easier to remove graffiti. He told her that it was illegal for her to go and remove the graffiti but said that CNR would consider the special paint. Tim Hortons coffee cups are the single biggest item tossed on the Road. She contacted Bernie Horton of Metro Publications. He agreed that the people that deliver the newspapers to the bus shelters would pick up the old ones. On September 6, she was one of 10 that pulled shopping carts out of Sawmill Creek. There were no shopping carts from Giant Tiger and Independent Grocery Store because they have people assigned to managing them on their lots. Shopping carts migrate to the periphery and then get trashed by the youth. She contacted Mr Tate of the City on putting up concrete barriers along the stretch of McCarthy that runs through the NCC property. Cars run off the road on the corner and Liz wants to have concrete barriers to protect the pedestrians on the sidewalks. Mr Tate said no to the concrete barriers because last year no cars actually hit the fence. He did ask for a grading improvement on the Road. Liz plans to plant wildflowers up and down the Road.

Next meeting: Monday 5 January 2009 at 19:30

Councillor Maria McRae’s report was delivered the day after the meeting by email.

Attendees:

• John Sankey President
• Alan Asselstine Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe Secretary
• André Nichol Councillor’s Office
• Bonnie Conlon Councillor’s Office
• Phurn Ball Services Centre
• Sheena Bolton The News EMC

Phurn Ball: is the Executive Director of the Hunt Club/Riverside Community Services Centre (Services Centre). Phurn has a Masters in Social Work. She has worked in the Federal Civil Service, particularly the Coast Guard. She presented her report, Justification for Expansion of Space. The basic model of the Services Centre is to provide programs at no cost to its clients. Examples of programs are Crisis Intervention, Emergency Baby Supply Cupboard, Play Group for children 0-6 years old and Youth Drop-in. The Services Centre currently is renting a store-front at the A & P Plaza but will be moving to the Community Centre once it is expanded. The Board asked her questions and got a good understanding of the operations and space requirements of the Services Centre.

André Nichol: presented the Councillor’s report for September and October. The Transportation Master Plan recommends that the Airport Parkway be twinned. The City has prepared a draft strategy Diversion 2015 which seeks ways to recycle the waste from businesses and institutions. The City has published its Fall 2008/Winter 2009 Recreation Guide which is a catalogue of courses, programs and activities.

Alan Asselstine: The modal split is the ratio of trips in public transit to trips in private cars. The current modal split is 14% (for public transit) and the goal is to increase it to 30%. Even though the policy is to encourage more public transportation, the City has identified two roads that can be upgraded at a reasonable cost: extension of Hunt Club Road to the 417 Highway and the twinning of the Airport Parkway. For many years we have looked for a way to build a pedestrian pathway across the Airport Parkway and now the City has approved an environmental assessment. The pedestrian pathway has to have right-of-way access. It can go along the existing CN railway line or further south at Plante and Cahill. There should be more consideration for bicycle paths – right now the bike path along the Rideau River ends at Mooney’s Bay.

Peter Brimacombe: The City should have authority over waste from businesses and institutions. This would allow it to effectively manage this kind of waste.

Motion: To approve the September minutes. Moved by Alan Asselstine, seconded by Peter Brimacombe, carried.

John Sankey: Last Wednesday, four members of the Board attended the meeting at City Hall on the expansion of the Community Centre. Shelley Parlow has resigned from the Board and we need to plan for the Annual General Meeting. The tennis courts at Uplands Park need to be resurfaced.

Alan Asselstine: The tennis courts on Owl Drive are in better shape even though they are older and are used for a skating rink in winter.

Annual General Meeting: Monday November 3 at 19:30

Attendees:

• John Sankey President
• Alan Asselstine Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe Secretary
• Fred McLennan
• Gisèle Loiselle-Branch
• John Reid
• Sheena Bolton The News EMC

John Sankey: During the LPGA held at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, Chatsworth Crescent was jammed with cars parked along the street despite the fact that the Club provided ample parking south of Hunt Club Road and a shuttle bus. The parked cars in some cases blocked the driveways of the residents. After a resident called him, John called 311 but the City refused to send its bylaw enforcement officers to ticket the parked cars. John contacted Maria’s office, he sent an e-mail expressing his frustration to the members of the Board and at the end of the week sent it to the Ottawa Sun.
Fred McLennan: This event happens only once so why get upset about it?
Peter Brimacombe: Felt that the event was a real plus for the City despite the problems with parking.
John Reid: Noticed that temporary parking restrictions were out in place on the residential streets behind the Hellenic Centre during Greek Fest.
Alan Asselstine: He saw John’s e-mail and Art Miskew’s comments but didn’t think that John would send an e-mail to the Ottawa Sun. He noted that due to previous problems, that all external communications from the HCCO require board approval. In his view if the City was selectively refusing to enforce its bylaws that was a serious problem.

Motion: To accept the minutes of June 2008, moved by Alan Asselstine, seconded by Gisèle Loiselle-Branch, carried.

John Sankey: John sent letters asking to be included in the planning of the library kiosk which is included in the expansion of Community Centre. He sent a letter to the Ottawa Public Library Board which did not reply. He sent a letter to Jan Harder President of Library Board. She acknowledged his letter but did not address his concerns. John feels that we have a legitimate need to be included in a major community project such as the expansion of the Community Centre. There are some matters such as personnel which should not be brought before the Hunt Club Community Organization.
John Reid: referenced a copy of the Draft Capital Budget of the Ottawa Public Library which says that a library kiosk will be part of the expanded Community Centre. It will be a pilot project which would be evaluated.
It was agreed that Alan would help John Sankey and John Reid draft an email to the Chair of the Library Board to express the HCCO’s approval of the Kiosk and to reaffirm our willingness to assist in this project.
Fred McLennan: Why should we be involved in the governance of the Community Centre? We should have a public meeting so that the City and the Ottawa Public Library can explain their plans.
Alan Asselstine: Maria McRea advised us in June that she has been working with the two organizations involved with the Centre’s expansion: the Hunt Club Riverside Services Centre and the the Hunt Club Riverside Recreation Association. Alan feels that it is too soon for a public meeting. He is active but pragmatic which means in this case that it is best to wait.
Gisèle Loiselle-Branch: What about the idea of a library kiosk at the old Bayview Public School?
John Reid: Thinks that a library kiosk at the old Bayview School is unlikely.

John Sankey: The City plans to expand the Green Box Program to the rest of the City. The Green Box Program is the collection of organic waste such as potato peelings. To be successful, residents must separate the organic waste from the regular garbage which goes to landfill. The City plans to collect the Green Boxes every week but plans to reduce collection of the landfill garbage from every week to once every two weeks. The City thinks that 30% of the regular garbage should be diverted to the Green Box Program. On his street (Uplands Drive) there is only the regular garbage collection and no Green Box Program. John personally inspected the garbage on his street and found that only 10% of the garbage could be diverted to the Green Box Program. John feels that it is unrealistic to reduce the collection of the regular garbage.
Alan Asselstine: On his street there is a Green Box Program and it is working and effective.
Gisèle Loiselle-Branch: What about the idea of sending in all the garbage which is then sorted by paid employees at the dump?
John Reid: Something has to be done – the move to collect landfill waste once every two weeks is the motivation so that people will spend more time sorting the organic waste.
Gisèle Loiselle-Branch: Educate, educate, educate. People need to be educated and receive the message in many ways and formats. For example La Presse encourages sorting of garbage in Quebec. Gisèle recently returned from New Zealand where she was impressed with the sorting and collection of garbage.
Motion: The Board supports extension of the green box program throughout the City but feels that bi-weekly collection of landfill is unrealistic without further education. Moved by Peter Brimacombe, seconded by Gisèle Loiselle-Branch, carried.

Peter Brimacombe: has followed the mortgage crisis in the United States for three years. Mortgage default and foreclosures have a direct bearing on community safety and health. Financial stress leads to mental health problems which affect families. Foreclosures and evictions cause families to abandon their houses which become hangouts for gangs. It is in our direct interest in the Hunt Club Community that lending standards be tightened so that only people that can afford houses be given a mortgage.
John Sankey remembers when lending standards were much stricter and that you had to have a 10% down payment to get an insured mortgage (CMHC) and to get an uninsured mortgage you had to have a 25% downpayment. Lending standards have become lax.

Gisèle Loiselle-Branch: Reminds the residents of the parking by-laws in her co-op. When she spoke to a man in her co-op about parking in visitors’ parking instead of in his own spot, he swore at her.
The Board felt that she was right in reminding him of the parking by-laws and felt that the co-op should hire a private company to enforce them.

Next meeting: Monday Oct 6 at 19:30
Annual General Meeting: Monday November 3

Attendees:

• John Sankey President
• Alan Asselstine Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe Secretary
• Fred McLennan
• Shelley Parlow
• Nichole Hoover Assistant to the Councillor
• John Reid
• Sheena Bolton

Nichole Hoover: presented the Councillor’s Report.

The City has drafted a Statement of Work to study the Pathway Connection between the Hunt Club Community and South Keys. The Transit Committte will consider this matter at its meeting Wednesday, June 4 at 13:30. There was complete agreement to support the Pathway Connection.
Alan Asselstine: There has always been an informal pathway between Plante Drive and Bank Street.

Peter Brimacombe: He attended the Rapid Transit Open House at the Jim Durrell Arena. He was in favour of Option 4 but thought the extension to Bowesville Road was too expensive.

Motion: To approve the May minutes. Moved by Alan Asselstine, seconded by Shelley Parlow, carried.

John Sankey: He has received no answer from City staff on the junk mail motion passed April 2008. Another motion passed May 2008 requested that the City review its property standards bylaws because they are affected by the provincial ban on pesticides. Susan Jones, Director of Bylaw Services said that the City would not take action unless public health or safety was involved. On the one hand there are the Property Standards bylaw and the Use and Care of Roads bylaw and on the other hand there is the stated enforcement policy. There is a substantial discrepancy between the bylaws and the enforcement policy.

Shelley Parlow: The OMB held mediation talks with three parties: the City, the NCC and the Greenspace Alliance over the zoning of three areas: Rochester Fields, the Nepean Corridor and the Southern Corridor. The parties have agreed not to proceed with a hearing at this time. Rather, the NCC will proceed with its Capital Urban Lands Master Plan Study. Following the completion of this study and its consideration and approval by the NCC, a re-examination of the position of the parties will be able to take place including up to one year being available to the City of Ottawa to conduct further studies should the City wish to do so. Until 2011, there will be no change in use or ownership, except sale or lease to the City, or lease to a community for uses allowed by the existing zoning. If the NCC’s Urban Lands study comes out against retaining these parcels as Open Space, then the City has a year to do its own study to bolster its case for Open Space in a hearing. The mediation is adjourned without a date and a verbal agreement is in the works saying that the OMB member who did this mediation will continue to manage the case

Shelley Parlow: Greenspace Alliance is holding a benefit concert on June 24: We should renew our membership ($15)
John Sankey: We currently pay memberships to the Greenspace Alliance ($15) and the NCF ($20). We should pay these memberships as recurring annual expenses.
Alan Asselstine: We should also continue our membership in the Federation of Citizens’ Associations of Ottawa-Carleton (FCAOC) ($30).
Motion: To pay our memberships in three organizations as recurring annual expenses: Greenspace Alliance, NCF, FCAOC Moved by Alan Asselstine, seconded by Shelley Parlow, carried.

Alan Asselstine: The 2003 Regional Transit Program did not go because the extension to Barhaven would have resulted in a $16 million loss and because the east-west corridor would have gone to South Keys rather than through downtown. The new proposal is to build from the centre out and is a much better proposal.
John Sankey: There will be pressure to add more stops than needed – there should be only 3 stops plus the 2 stops at both ends. John is keeping a scrapbook of items that relate to the HCCO. If anyone finds something of interest bring it to him.

John Reid: He lives on Vanhurst and is a member of the Arts, Heritage and Culture Advisory Committee. He expressed concern that River Ward does not have a library, noting the community benefit, especially to kids and immigrants. As the work plan for the Ottawa Public Library (OPL) Board includes an item on kiosk service at the Hunt Club/Riverside Community Centre, he asked that the HCCO ensure the community be consulted before such a service be implemented.
John Sankey: The OPL allows on-line ordering of books which can be picked up at the bookmobile.
Alan Asselstine: The bookmobile stops at Bayview Public School located on Owl Drive and at the A&P Shopping Plaza.
Motion: To draft a letter of inquiry to the OPL clarifying the role of the bookmobile and library kiosks. John Reid and John Sankey will draft the letter. The HCCO supports improved library service in our neighbourhood. Moved by Alan Asselstine, seconded by Shelley Parlow, carried.

Next meeting: Monday September 8, 2008 at 19:30

Attendees:

• John Sankey, President
• Alan Asselstine, Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Fred McLennan,
• Shelley Parlow,
• Art Miskew,
• Nichole Hoover, Assistant to the Councillor
• Liz Russell

Motion: To accept the April 2007, minutes, moved by John Sankey, seconded by Alan Asselstine, carried.

Liz Russell: has adopted McCarthy Road, she picks up the garbage and removes the graffiti along its entire length. Corporate sponsors donate equipment and supply cleaning products to remove the graffiti.

Shelly Parlow: The OMB presided over mediation talks among three parties concerning the Southern Corridor: the NCC, the City and the Greenspace Alliance. The three parties were asked not to reveal the details of the discussions. Shelly feels that we will probably be reasonably happy.

Nichole Hoover: Presented the Councillor’s report.

Shelley Parlow: Can we remove graffiti from poles along the street?
Nichole Hoover: The kit is for smooth surfaces only. She is not sure if it will work on concrete poles.

Alan Asselstine: The 50 km/hour speed limit on Walkley Road is too low. It should be 60 km/hour like Riverside Drive and Hunt Club Road.
John Sankey: A speed limit that is too low infuriates drivers and makes the road unsafe.

Alan Asselstine: Again stated that the HCCO sees the expansion of the Hunt Club/Riverside Community Centre as very important and is very interested in the governance issue. On another topic, he noted that there are new stop lights on Riverside Drive at Mooney’s Bay Place but wondered how drivers using Riverside were consulted.
Nichole Hoover: Lights were installed because traffic and pedestrian volume met the warrants.

John Sankey: There was a request for a zoning variance to allow signs along River Road south of Hunt Club Road. There are big commercial signs along River Road but it is being widened from two lanes to four, the signs cannot be moved back because of the airport fence. John wrote to deny the request to allow the signs based on safety and noted that the intersection at Hunt Club and Riverside is one of the most dangerous in the City.

John Sankey: Next spring, the province of Ontario is restricting the use of lawn pesticides. As has already happened in municipalities that passed their own pesticide bylaws, more people in Ottawa will switch to natural gardens from pesticide-dependent lawns. This will increase complaints based on property standards bylaws and on encroachments onto city-owned rights of way adjacent to homeowner properties. The City should review its property standards and encroachment bylaws to ensure that they take account recent court rulings in Toronto, which disallow aesthetic considerations in such bylaws.
Shelley Parlow: Property standards say that you have to have grass on property but the pesticide ban will make it harder to maintain the grass. On Gillespie Drive, a woman has extended her cactus garden onto the City right-of-way. The City may find it is contrary to the property standards.
Motion: Whereas cosmetic use of pesticides will be banned for household use, on January, 2009 and water costs and restrictions are increasing, the HCCO requests that the City review the regulations – the property standard bylaw and the bylaw respecting City right-of-way where residents maintain City property. moved by Alan Asselstine, seconded by Liz Russell, carried.

John Sankey: The Hunt Club Golf Course asked the City for a grant to add flowers to City property along Hunt Club Road. Result is a stretch with very pretty shrubs and flowers below the spruce trees.

Liz Russell: has picked up garbage along McCarthy Road this spring and has another day planned on May 10 from 8:00 till 13:00. She has asked the City to put up garbage cans at five locations along McCarthy Road – Provost, Southmore, Plante, Cahill and Pigeon Terrace. The garbage cans would help people keep the Road clean. On another subject, there will be a free CPR course on Saturday May 10 [ to be confirmed ] from 9:00 to 13:00 at the Ottawa Paramedic Service, 2465 Don Reid Drive. Register by phone – 613 580-2424 or by e-mail cpr@ottawa.ca
Motion: To thank Liz Russell for her work in adopting McCarthy Road. moved by Alan Asselstine, seconded by Peter Brimacombe, carried.

Next meeting: Monday June 2 at 19:30

Attendees:

• John Sankey, President
• Alan Asselstine, Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Fred McLennan,
• Shelley Parlow,
• Art Miskew,
• Gisèle Loiselle-Branch,
• Nichole Hoover, Assistant to the Councillor
• Sheena Bolton, The News EMC

Nichole Hoover: Presented the councillor’s report.

Alan Asselstine: The In-Service Review of Hunt Club road from the Airport Parkway to Albion Rd. should take into account that Hunt Club at the Airport Parkway is very unfriendly to pedestrians and cyclists.
John Sankey: The fact that Hunt Club Road is not friendly to pedestrians and cyclists makes the Pedestrian Pathway to South Keys more important.

Alan Asselstine: It is very important to examine and comment on the latest transit plan to ensure it is well done because the last one done in 2003 wasn’t.
John Sankey: The new Transit Study is very important. Taking a bus to Merivale produces more carbon dioxide than taking a car. A well-designed transit system would result in less carbon dioxide emissions.

Alan Asselstine: Is there anything new on Landsdown Park?
Nichole Hoover: Councillors Monette and McRae are interested. Studies are ongoing.

Motion: To accept the March minutes as amended. Moved by Alan Asselstine, seconded by Fred McLennan, carried.

John Sankey introduced the expansion of the Hunt Club/Riverside Community Centre.
Alan Asselstine: The Hunt Club Community Organization does take an active interest and notes that the expansion has been approved and money allocated. The outstanding issue is the governance which is directly related to the two service organizations: the Hunt Club Riverside Services Centre and the Hunt Club Riverside Recreation Association

John Sankey: There will be a strategy meeting next week on the Southern Corridor. John will be there.
Shelley Parlow: The Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) will hold mediation meetings with the City, the NCC and the Greenspace Alliance on April 24th and 25th at City Hall. She is looking for material that shows that the Community was opposed to development in the Southern Corridor.
Peter Brimacombe: Most people were opposed and the petitions and motions that were passed reflect that opinion. Even so, the long term increase in transportation costs is making further expansion of the suburbs impossible which makes more urgent the development of the Southern Corridor.
Gisèle Loiselle-Branch: As people get older they won’t need their houses so overall the City won’t need more houses.

John Sankey: The City has a by-law that provides a no-junk-mail sign that residents may post. The bylaw specifies that this sign will not apply to prevent the distribution of newspapers delivered to paid subscribers; community newspapers; material produced in the context of a campaign for elected office; or information circulars produced by governments or their agencies.
Motion: That the City use whenever possible distributors who respect the by-law and deliver the specified material to residences posting the sign. Moved by John Sankey, seconded by Alan Asselstine, carried.

Shelley Parlow: Last week a family lost a two-year-old in a fire. The family is moving into our community and we wish them well.
Everyone agreed.

Next meeting: Monday 5 May 2008 at 19:30

Attendees:

• John Sankey, President
• Alan Asselstine, Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Fred MacLennan
• Shelley Parlow
• Maria McRae, Councillor
• Nichole Hoover, Assistant to the Councillor

Motion: To accept the February minutes. moved by Alan Asselstine, seconded by Fred McLennan, carried.

John Sankey: Has located copies of various environmental studies concerning the Constructed Wetlands. He is planning a study on the effect of the Wetlands on the plants and animals.
Alan Asselstine: The Transitway made a mess of the Sawmill Creek but near the Sawmill Creek Swimming Pool, the Creek is quite beautiful.

Maria McRae presented her report.

Shelley Parlow: The NCC has turned down our request to be a party to the mediation between it and the City. The Crestwood Community Association wants to presents some documents to the OMB. We should put forward some of the motions and documents that came from the Hunt Club Neighbourhood Study. The OMB mediation will be on April 24 and 25, 2008.

John Sankey: There is an application to approve a new shopping centre at 300 Hunt Club Road (south side of Hunt Club, east of the Rideau River). There are height restrictions because it is so close to the Airport.
Alan Asselstine: We don’t need another traffic light on Hunt Club.

Next meeting: April 7, 2008 at 19:30

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

Attendees:

• John Sankey, President
• Alan Asselstine, Treasurer
• Peter Brimacombe, Secretary
• Fred McLennan
• Gisèle Loiselle-Branch, Membership Director
• Shelley Parlow
• Nichole Hoover, Assistant to the Councillor
• Bill Royds

Motion: To accept last month’s minutes as presented. moved by Shelley Parlow, seconded by Peter Brimacombe, carried.

Motion: To proceed with Peter Brimacombe as Secretary, Gisèle Loiselle-Branch as Membership Director and Fred McLennan as director. moved by Shelley Parlow, seconded by Gisèle Loiselle-Branch, carried.

Nichole Hoover: Councillor Maria McCrae is visiting her mother-in-law in Sudbury this week. Nichole will bring items to Maria as requested.

Alan Asselstine: The City has purchased the former Bayview School on Riverside Drive. It could be used for recreation in which case the HCRCC http://hcrcc.ca/ should operate the recreation program.
Nichole Hoover: The HCRCC Board did discuss this at its last meeting.
Motion: The HCCO supports the concept that the HCRCC operate the recreational programs out of the former Bayview School on Riverside Drive. moved by Alan Asselstine, seconded by Peter Brimacombe, carried.

Shelley Parlow: On December 6, 2007 the City and the NCC appeared at a pre-hearing of the OMB and asked for a deferment. They agreed to mediation among the parties: the NCC, the City and the Greenspace Alliance. Mediation is to take place on April 24th and 25th with another pre-hearing scheduled for May 6, 2008.
Motion: Whereas the HCCO is a participant in the appeals process, we request to be a party in the mediation process. moved by Shelley Parlow, seconded by Fred McLennan, carried.

Motion: To renew our membership in the Greenspace Alliance. Fee is $10. moved by Shelley Parlow, seconded by Fred McLennan, carried.

Bill Royds: Presented the Poet’s Path. The Greenspace Alliance wants the NCC to preserve land for parklands rather than development. Would we be interested in including the Poet’s Pathway in community activities?
Alan Asselstine: Ottawa will continue to grow and there are two options: it can go up or out. You can’t say not here and not there. At some time the City will have to decide to go up somewhere!
Motion: That the HCCO support in principle the notion that the Poet’s Pathway run through our neighbourhood. Moved by Shelley Parlow, seconded by Gisèle Loiselle-Branch.
Fred McLennan: We are not defining the width of the Poet’s Pathway.
Motion was carried.

Alan Asselstine has studied ways of getting access from our neighbourhood to the constructed wetlands and South Keys. He presented a map of the constructed wetlands and described seven potential access routes. Updated documentation is attached for comment and then presented to Councillor Maria McRae. There was a general expression of appreciation for Alan’s work.

John Sankey: The Hunt Club/Riverside Community Services Centre has a Homework Club where high school students can get special tutoring. However, the people running the Centre cannot offer this service to more students because they have only a very small room. John is trying to find more room.

Peter Brimacombe: In the last year, there has been a 50% increase in oil prices. This increase is an indication that we have reached peak oil. The major oil fields of the world are in decline. Housing developments like Findlay Creek and Riverside South make less and less economic sense. As energy costs continue to rise, we need higher density developments in the core because they allow us to develop more efficient infrastructure like transportation, water and sewers. The Southern Corridor is an obvious place to put such developments.
John Sankey: $100/barrel oil is what is needed to develop the oil sands. Syncrude was started with the prospect of $100/barrel oil. Shell Oil also is developing the oil sands. The higher price of oil should allow for more efficient use of water and the development of nuclear energy to extract the oil from the sand.
Bill Royds: The oil is still being exhausted. Greenspace is still essential within the urban areas because plants filter out toxins in the air and water. You can plan to have higher density and keep the greenspace.
Alan Asselstine: In Essen, Germany, people live in high density housing but have vegetable gardens in nearby open space. Ownership of the gardens is separate from the housing.

John Sankey: receives planning documents concerning our neighbourhood. He would like someone with more experience in our neighbourhood to review them.
Bill Royds: The City provides “Heads Up” notices of the planning documents.
Fred McLennan: will ask Nichole for the Heads Up notices. On another subject, the new downtown parking rates are too much and should be reviewed.
Bill Royds: South Key merchants have an advantage over downtown merchants because the South Key merchants pay minimal tax on their parking lot.

Next meeting: Monday February 4, 2008 at 19:30