Publications
Fall 2006 Ward 2 Newsletter
date posted: 2006-09-01
September is the month that starts off our beautiful Fall season in Southern Ontario. The kids are back to school, summer holidays are now memories and it is time for me to once again report to residents of Ward 2 on items of interest. This newsletter is only one of the ways that I regularly communicate with constituents. Over the Spring and Summer I held my regular Ward 2 “Meet Your Councillor” meetings. I was also pleased to hold my annual meetings in each of the seniors buildings on Pugsley Ave. and Dunlop St. to share information with many of our seniors and listen to their concerns.
I particularly enjoy these sessions each year as not only the Ward Councillor but as a Council Liaison to our Seniors. Thank you to all who attended the various meetings - your feedback and views are important to me.
Crosby Park News
As reported previously, Crosby Park is due for a facelift and what a change there will be at this Park. Council has enthusiastically endorsed the re-construction of the Park facilities to make every aspect of the Park accessible to people of all ages and abilities. Such a park has been a dream of mine for years.
The Town has partnered with the Richmond Hill Mobility Foundation and our Fundraising Committee has set a target of raising 500 thousand dollars towards the project. Once complete, in the Fall of 2007, the Park will have an outdoor water play and splash pad featuring a wall of rain! - and, it will be fully accessible to children in wheelchairs and walkers! — there’s more — there will be extra wide walking paths with benches and rest areas for children and seniors—and a butterfly garden with bird-houses for some peaceful relaxation and an opportunity, particularly for seniors, to enjoy the outdoors. The new playground structure will include a tree-house and apparatus that will enable children of all abilities to swing and climb.
Access to Centennial Pool will be improved so that change rooms and washrooms are more accessible. For parents and grandparents who may have mobility restrictions, we will ensure the bleacher areas of the existing ball diamond and soccer field are completely accessible so they can enjoy the activities on the fields.
In June of this year, we hosted a Picnic and Family Fun Day. Due to the rainy weather that day, most of the events were held indoors and yet over 900 people attended. As Chair of the Steering Committee I can report that all of us were overwhelmed with the enthusiasm and support for this wonderful project. Special thanks go to M & M Meat Shops on Bayview Avenue for their generous donation of food for the BBQ and to the Richmond Hill Firefighters from the 8-4 Station on Elgin Mills Rd. for not only talking to the kids and showing them a fire truck but for helping cook the food at the BBQ.
What’s next for Crosby Park? - there are still opportunities to help including the purchase of trees at either
$50.00 or $100.00. If you would like to be a contributor to the Crosby Park Fundraising efforts, please call me
at 905-771-2535 or contact Barry Munro of the Richmond Hill Mobility Foundation at 905-508-4000.
Richmond Hill Centre For The Performing Arts
That’s the new name for the soon to be constructed Richmond Hill Theatre. As the Chair of this Steering Committee, it has been interesting and exciting to participate in the development of the Centre. This project is the largest ever undertaken by the Town of Richmond Hill and has been in the making for a number of years.
The showpiece of the site is a 650 seat performing arts theatre. The complex will incorporate the fully restored original Richmond Hill High School building at the corner of Wright St. and Yonge St. Parking for over 300 cars will be provided and available during the day for patrons of downtown businesses. The first of the planned rear laneways in the downtown will be constructed linking Wright St. and Richmond St. A rehearsal all/multipurpose room will link the heritage school house to the spectacular main theatre. This multi-purpose facility can be used for banquets, local community group uses, and small scale performances.
Bringing a long overdue focal point to our downtown area there will be a civic square which provides a meeting place and destination for the village core as well as an outdoor activity centre for the Theatre.
I believe that our Downtown needs to have people living, working, and walking on Yonge St. to make it a vibrant people place. The Performing Arts Centre will have ample parking, yet be pedestrian friendly, and is only steps from Public Transit.
The official ground breaking ceremony has been scheduled for Thursday, October 5th at 1:00 p.m. in front of the
Old Town Hall. Please join us for this historic kick-off to our Theatre Project.
...And Speaking Of The Downtown…
The Downtown Task Force was formed nearly three years ago and consists of three Members of Council. I also Chair this important committee and would like to report on our activities.
Since its inception, the Task Force has endorsed the Rear Laneway Project; assigned a Town staff member to fill the role of Downtown Facilitator, and reached out to local businesses. Façade Improvement Grants are reviewed and recommended by the Task Force. This year, some of the more significant efforts of the Task Force are now becoming evident. There are now more pedestrian benches and waste receptacles in the Downtown Core—and they are all new. Large sections of the interlocking brick sidewalks and planters are now being replaced. Street trees have been pruned and/or replaced as necessary. Several private renovations are underway and the old Lorne Block/Guarantee Trust building will soon be demolished and replaced with a replica of the original building
having retail outlets at the street level and office/residential above.
The Downtown Task Force is hosting an information exchange meeting on Wednesday, September 27th at 7:30 p.m. at the Elgin Barrow Arena. While the revitalization of the Downtown is a priority for Council, we also believe that businesses and property owners have an equal role to play in improving our Downtown. This meeting is open to all residents; however, the focus will be on Yonge St. and its businesses.
Gamma Foundries
In all the newsletters I have written over the last six years, this issue has probably been noted the most. Nearby residents do not need to be reminded of the unpleasant odours and emissions which clearly emanate from the Gamma plants on Newkirk Rd. Past efforts to address these complaints have not been successful despite the involvement of our local MPP, Frank Klees, and the Ministry of Environment (MOE). I have held several meetings
and written regular updates to residents which continue to verify that complaints persist.
With the committed assistance of a small group of residents acting on behalf of their neighbours, a Community Liaison Committee was formed nearly 3 years ago. We have had our ups and downs but there may be some light at the end of the tunnel. The Liaison Committee has reviewed technical and engineering proposals which have been approved by MOE whereby Gamma Foundries will install equipment designed to eliminate the unpleasant odours from its operations reaching nearby homes. Installation should be completed by next Spring or Summer.
Area residents should continue to report complaints regarding odours or emissions in the area to Mr. Dave
Fumerton at MOE at 905-427-5626 or the Gamma Citizens Complaint Hotline at 905-886-7022 extension 2602.
As always, I will keep nearby residents informed of progress on this matter. And I would once again like to thank the residents who continue to give their time and efforts on behalf of their neighbourhood to resolving this long standing problem.
Municipal Elections
The municipal elections will be held this year on Monday, November 13th. Advance Polls will be held on November 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th. All eligible electors will receive a voter notification card at the end of October.
This year, voter identification will be required at the polls. This means that you will be asked for an acceptable form of identification which verifies your name and address. Acceptable forms of identification include government issued documents such as driver’s license, health card, passport, or income tax assessment notice or a current Town of Richmond Hill tax or water bill, or a current pay stub from your employer which shows your name and address.
Ward Boundary Changes
Opposite is a map showing the boundaries of the new Ward 2 which are effective for this Fall’s elections. The Ward boundaries across Town were re-drawn to more equitably distribute the Town’s growing population throughout six Wards.
For election information, please call 905-771-5488.
Waste and Recycling Changes Are Here!
Town Council is fully committed to improving the way we handle waste and how it is disposed. I believe that sending garbage to land fill sites in Michigan, Southern Ontario and Quebec is wasteful, expensive, and harmful to our environment. To ignore the looming crisis over garbage or thinking it will go away is not realistic. Simply putting garbage at the end of the driveway is not the end of the process — it just gets moved somewhere else.
The Town of Richmond Hill is implementing an active program to help every one of us reduce and recycle our garbage. Here are some key dates and changes:
| September 12 | - Weekly recycling begins. Blue Box collection on a weekly basis encourages recycling and reduces garbage. |
| September 12 | - A new limit of 4 bags of garbage will be instituted. |
| April 2007 | - Weekly green bin collection starts. - Dry garbage collection will then take place every other week and the 4 bag limit will remain in place. Green bins will be delivered free of charge to your door mid March 2007. |
| Earlier this year | - many additional items are now eligible for blue box pick-up. Consult your waste management calendar and watch for flyers and advertising in the coming months to help you understand these changes. |
For more information, call the Operations Centre at 905-884-8013 or visit the Town’s website at www.richmondhill.ca.
Unity Park Basketball Hoops
As a result of complaints from some neighbours about inappropriate activities at the basketball hoops at the rear of Unity Park, I reviewed the site with both York Regional Police and Town staff. To encourage our youth to make use of the hoops and discourage other activities, I have asked that the hoops be moved closer to Pugsley Ave. This change will take place this Fall.
Tridel Condominium
The Tridel project has cleared all hurdles except for one — the sewage allocation issue which I have previously written about. This problem affects the Tridel project as well as others on the Yonge St. corridor.
Until we receive more sewage allocation from the Region of York most new projects in Town remain on hold.
In Closing…
For the last six years, it has been an honour for me to serve the residents of Ward 2. For the upcoming municipal elections, the area bounded by Major Mackenzie Dr., Elgin Mills Rd., Bayview Ave., and Hwy. 404 will no longer
be part of Ward 2 and will become part of the new Ward 3. I have worked with many residents in this area to bring about new parks, trails, and schools. These neighbourhoods will continue to grow and prosper.
Regardless of the outcome of the upcoming election, it has been a pleasure to serve as the Councillor for Ward 2.
I will continue to represent you every day, and I can be reached at 905-771-2535 or by e-mail at awarner@richmondhill.ca.
Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter.
