KEY ISSUES DISCUSSED AT 3 FEB 97 MEETING

ATTENDEES

• Fred McLennan, President
• Alan Asselstine, Vice-President, Treasurer
• Peter Vasdi, Memberships
• Ken Donnelley, Community Development
• Nancy Seaby, Community Development
• Bill Royds
• Art Miskew
• Anne Brandel, SOGRAT
• Warren Munroe, Community Gardens
• Wendy Stewart, RMOC councillor
• Karin Howard, City Ward 0T8 councillor
• Gisèle Loiselle-Branch
• Jan Duncan, The News

KEY ISSUES

The following summarizes the issues discussed at the 3 Feb 97 meeting of the Hunt Club Community Organization (HCCO) at the Hunt Club Riverside Community Centre (HCRCC).

Councillors Reports

1. Regional Councillor, Wendy Stewart, reported on the following:

• Speed zoning on Hunt Club Rd. RMOC Transportation Committee has extended the western boundary of the lowered speed zone to just west of Hunt Club Place, as suggested at the last meeting of the HCCO. Wendy is also asking for a 10 km/h reduction in the proposed speed limit, which would bring it down to 70-60-70 km/h through the Hunt Club area.
• OC Transpo - Transplan 97. OCT is eliminating 7 routes by combining local and express routes. This affects routes 41, 44, 46 in our area. Public open house was held at HCRCC Community Centre on 3 Feb, and public can continue to submit comments until 21 Feb. New service plan to be finalized in Mar.
• Accountability. Wendy submitted complete financial statements for her 2nd budget year just completed: amount budgeted for year was $15,000, of which $8,600 was spent and $6,400 returned. These statements, and also a record of how she voted on all motions that came before Council, are available to the public.
• Free trees available from Ontario Forestry Association to community groups who want to plant trees on public lands. Contact Rudy Dyck for more information.
• Environmental projects grants. The Community Environmental Projects Grants Program is designed to help fund small-scale community-based initiatives that are managed by non-profit organizations interested in the environmental betterment of our Region. Total of $40,000 is available in 1997. Guidelines and application forms are available and deadline for submissions is 28 Feb 97 at 4pm.
• Impact of the changing government structure (see below).
• Central Experimental Farm (see below).
• Regional Official Plan review (see below).
• Airport Parkway/Hunt Club Rd. interchange (see below).
• Call Wendy's office for more information.

2 City Ward 0T8 Councillor, Karin Howard, reported on the following:

• Town hall meeting on local government reform to be held 7pm Mon 24 Feb at Max Bell Theatre at Carleton U. To be on Rogers TV22 live with phone-in. Discussion to center on how community can work together to model a suitable government (1-tier, 2-tier, etc.) for area.
• Mixed-use zoning for 4160 Riverside Dr. has been refused; Council to vote on 5 Feb.
• Taxes frozen for 1997. City budget is structured to incur no new debt during 1997.
• To protect us from going deeper into debt, the City has a reserve fund (a Pay-As-You-Go account) to collect money to cover future needs, such as road and sidewalk maintenance. Any money received from the Province that exceeds City budget estimates is put into this account. It is estimated that the money accumulated in this account for 1997 will reduce the necessary expenses for 1997 by $1.4M.
• As of 9 Jan, management layers at City Hall have been reduced to 4 levels, with an emphasis on reducing the number of staff at higher levels
• Karin is pushing to consolidate all Departmental Services efforts for all departments into one separate department in order to reducing spending on administration. This reorganization will be one step to a broader reorganization of City administration.
• Because of the provincial amalgamation of school boards, all Board of Education land sales have been frozen until 1998 or until amalgamation takes place. Consequently, the green space beside Twyford and Uplands will not be sold to developers and built on for the next year.
• One homeowner at 227 Twyford St. and 885 Cahill Dr. W. wishes to divide his property and restructure his residence into two semidetached homes on his property. His application for rezoning is to be heard on 6 Feb starting at 2:30pm at Freiman-Guigues Room, Bytown Pavilion, City Hall.
• Bowesville Rd. cash-in-lieu of parking, as described in last Jan 97 HCCO minutes. Request is to go before City Committee on 11 Feb, and will be voted on by Council on 19 Feb. Call Rose Kung for information.
• Brewer's Retail sign being planned for 1860 Bank St. near Walkley. They are requesting a variance to the bylaw to enable them to locate the sign right beside the street (.91m) rather than the required 15.24m and no underside clearance as opposed to the required 2.4m for visibility (can hide traffic from drivers).
• Clothing recycling stations have been established at 3 fire stations and in 18 community centers. More than 30 tons of clothes have been recycled in this way, thereby reducing the garbage landfill by that amount.
• Ward briefing series (produced 4 times a year) for period ending 31 Dec is available. Provides information on what is happening where in Ward and City.
• Experimental Farm (see below).
• Hunt Club Neighborhood Plan (see below).
• Help with snow removal (see below).
• Hunt Club/Riverside Community Center and Recreation Association - possibilities and funding (see below)
• For city-related issues, call Karin's office.

3. Impact of the changing government structure:

• Ontario is downloading (to the municipalities) a number of responsibilities (and costs) that they previously administered.
• This will force the municipalities to raise property taxes to finance these responsibilities.
• This is also forcing municipalities to exchange and reconfigure some of these responsibilities in order to keep costs down.
• Property tax increases after 1997 could range from 33-35% (in Ottawa) to 87% (in Sudbury). For example, a person owning a $150,000 home could face a $500/year increase.
• Region's budget submitted on 7 Jan proposed a tax decrease of $3 per household for regional taxes.
• Municipalities are to control and pay for their own policing. This means that parking and other fines would be paid to the city (in our case, the Region), and not the province as before. In turn, the Region will need to pay the cost of provincial courthouses, judges, and other services (previously paid by the Province).
• Province is promising to help finance any changeover costs, but much discussion and argument still remain about who does what and who pays for what.
• Repairing roads costs a lot.
• Regional budget 1997 was tabled on Tue 7 Jan at 1:30pm. Draft estimates were and will be considered at the following committee meetings: 9am 21 Jan - Corp. Services & Economic Development; 9am 22 Jan - OC Transpo; 1pm 28 Jan - Planning & Env.; 9am 5 Feb - Transportation; 9am 6 Feb Community Services; 9am 26 Feb - Council (final budget decisions).
• Call Wendy's office for more information.

4. Central Experimental Farm:

• Meeting to be held by Carlington Community Assoc. at 7:30pm on Tue 11 Feb to discuss current use and future plans for the Farm. confirm with Wendy if you wish to attend.
• Ontario Conservation Review Board rejected idea of moving the Booth Barn complex, and has denied Agriculture Canada's assertion that they are exempt from Ontario Heritage legislation. The Review Board finds all three levels of government (municipal, provincial, federal) "equal custodians of the National Capital Heritage".
• Algonquin College, however, has a contract to dismantle and move the barns to Perth. This contract will need to be broken.
• Call Wendy or Karin for more information.

5. Regional Official Plan review:

• The official plan (with maps) is available from the Region on a variety of media (hardcopy, CD, Internet).
• Residents should study this plan carefully, because it calls for development in many areas that are now visibly just green spaces, including the E-W hydro/rail green corridor that separates Hunt Club from Riverside Park.
• The Hunt Club Neighborhood Plan, which is being developed with help from residents, will go a long way to understanding and modifying (or adjusting to) the new development.
• Proposed schedule for developing the Regional Official Plan is: 6 Feb - Draft OP and Env. Assessment document released, council briefed, EA notification given; 10 Feb - 31 Mar - Brief local associations and residents; 25 Apr - deadline for comments; 20, 21, 22 May - Formal public meeting; 2, 3, 4 Jun - RMOC committees consider the draft OP; July - Council adops OP and approves Master Plans. Documents available on request.
• Call Wendy's office for more information.

6. Airport Parkway/Hunt Club Rd. interchange (see below).

• Public response at open house on 29 Jan was very positive.
• HCCO members looked at and generally agreed with the plans.
• Construction could begin in Jul 97 and be open to public by Oct 97.
• The new interchange will have lights and will also serve to further slow through traffic along Hunt Club Rd. through area.
• New access and exit route to southern communities will reduce traffic on Riverside Dr., as well as McCarthy Rd.
• One Hunt Club resident estimated that, having the parkway open would save 30,000 km on his car over 5 years.
• When wetland is excavated between the parkway and the transitway, there will be lots of earth available to build berms (long little hills) to protect residents in area from anticipated noise.
• Call Wendy's office for more information.

7. Hunt Club Neighborhood Plan:

• Funding approved.
• Southern boundary of plan area extended to include 4160 Riverside Dr. and airport lands.
• First Public Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting planned for Wed 26 Feb.
• Both the Airport Authority and Transport Canada are willing to participate in the Plan.
• Call Jeff Hunter for more information.

8. Help with snow removal:

• Senior citizens and disabled can obtain assistance by calling Operation Snow-Go.
• If snowfall exceeds 7cm (by forecast), parking on roads between 1-7am can cost the car owner $50.
• Homeowners can be fined for pushing snow onto road.
• Automated call-line 244-5344.
• Call Karin's office for more information.

9. Hunt Club/Riverside Community Center (HCRCC) and Recreation Association (HCRRA) - possibilities and funding (see below):

• Original building plans called for 2 stories, but was reduced to 1. When this reduction was implemented, building standards were also reduced, however, if a 2nd floor is required, existing columns and beams could be strengthened to support 2nd floor. Adding a 2nd floor, however, will not increase floor space by a cost-effective amount.
• City has agreed to set up a subcommitte under the Hunt Club Neighborhood Plan to investigate how the HCRCC is being used, and future requirements, in order to determine the kind of rooms the Center needs and how it should expand. For example, there is some requirement to expand the mandate of Center to include social services such as SOGRAT, and for additional meeting rooms.
• HCCO feels that much of the land around the RCC could be reconfigured and used differently - that there is land for expansion without requiring a 2nd floor.
• HCRRA funding, which was to be cut by 8%, has been cut by 5%.
• As at last meeting, it was mentioned that City has additional capital funds available, but it is up to residents and interested people to put together a plan and proposal to prove to the city that such funds would be wisely invested. This could be done through the HCN Plan.
• Plans and pictures can persuade even local residents to contribute.
• Call Karin's office for more information.

10. Protecting disappearing woodlands and our green spaces:

• South Keys Shopping Centres Ltd. is proposing to cut down 5 acres of wooded land by the South Keys OC Transpo station in order to build the 12-theatre complex, some adjacent buildings, and a parking lot.
• City parking requirements would allow for a small sliver of existing forest to remain; however, developer (contrary to site plan presented to the Greenboro/Hunt Club community on 5 Dec) now intends not to retain any of the forest.
• Immediate future potential problems could be higher water levels lower down on Sawmill Creek, such as in townhouse development east of Bank St. and Artistic Landscape Nursery. Longer-term future problems could be higher dust levels in summer and more blowing snow in winter.
• HCCO made motion to support effort to convince City to save some of the wooded area.
• City is to review the site plan on 25 Feb; public presentations are welcome at that time, but should be reserved through Diane in advance.
• Call Peter Vasdi for more information.

11. Other issues:

• Dana Splinter is leaving as leader of the local softball association, but will continue to help out for 1997 season.
• St. Mary's cement property just NW of Hunt Club Rd. and Riverside Dr. intersection is to be developed.
• Moved to pay a $30 annual membership fee to the Federation of Citizenship Association of Ottawa.
• Region may get a pilot photoradar to monitor intersections with stop signs.
• Development at Confederation Heights to go ahead. The revenue from Phase III is required in order to go ahead with the new stormwater plan. HCCO members (Bill Royds) has looked at the plan and determined that it is the wisest plan he has seen.

12. Next HCCO meeting to be held Mon 3 Mar 97 at 7:30 p.m. at the Hunt Club Riverside Community Centre at the corner of Paul Anka and McCarthy. Anyone is welcome. Call Fred McLennan for more information.