Present: Darlene Charron, Iain Wood, Sylvia Milne, Peggy Kampouris, David Perkins, Melanie Cave, Lisa Furrie
The meeting was called to order at 7:03pm.
Welcome
Sylvia Milne welcomed everyone to the second meeting of the Board of Directors of the Glebe Annex Community Association (GACA). She told the group that Susan Harris has resigned from the Board of Directors. She added that Brenda Quinlan has offered to help Gina Clark and Darlene Charron with the membership drive.
Approval of the Agenda
There were no additions to the agenda.
New Business
Sylvia said she added a discussion of the annexation of GACA to the Glebe Community Association (GCA). The GCA is holding their AGM on 11 June and the potential annexation of GACA will be on the agenda. GACA needs to have a position on this potential annexation.
Approval of Minutes from 20 March 2013
Peggy Kampouris moved to adopt the minutes from 20 March; this was seconded by Darlene Charron. The motion was adopted.
Business Arising from the Minutes
There was no business arising from the 20 March minutes.
City Clean-Up
Darlene proposed that the volunteers meet in the parking lot of 265 Carling at 10am on Saturday, 11 May for the community clean-up. She said she would ask the local Tim Horton’s if they would provide coffee. She recommended that everyone bring heavy-duty rubber gloves to the clean-up; the gloves provided by the City are not thick enough. Responding to a question about what we would do with the garbage that is collected, Darlene said she is willing to dispose of the garbage if it is brought to her house. It was suggested that those in attendance could all take some of the garbage home with them.
She suggested that volunteers should either wear green or safety vests (which Darlene can provide). That way volunteers will be easily recognizable and could answer questions about GACA.
Action: Darlene will provide Lisa Furrie with information about the clean-up to send out to GACA membership. Following the event, Lisa will send out a thank you, mentioning the individuals who participated.
Responding to a question about graffiti in the neighbourhood, Peggy said that murals are a great way to stop graffiti. She said she will suggest this to the owners of the Vac Shack — a frequent target of graffiti.
Media
Lisa said that it is important that GACA is strategic in its dealings with the media. Press releases should highlight key messages and should be available on the Association website.
Action: Lisa will develop and distribute a template that can be used for press releases.
Communications/Website Utilization/What’s New?/Newsletter
Iain Wood said it is important to develop a communications piece that highlights “our story so far.” It will be crucial to make it clear that the community is not anti-development. This “story” could be housed on the website. This would make it easier for media to get the information that they need regarding the history of the Association. David Perkins concurred, adding that the information that is currently on the website could be adjusted as necessary and new information added. For example, information about the clean-up day could be on the website.
Action: Iain will begin to develop some communications materials.
Action: David said that he will make any requested changes to the website. He will also provide Iain and Lisa with log-in information for the GACA Twitter account.
Sylvia said that EMC is keen to attend GACA Board of Directors meetings. Iain said that information about upcoming meeting dates could be on the website. The website is also a crucial tool for the membership drive.
Committee Activation/Volunteers
There is a need for the Membership Committee to begin thinking about its membership campaign. Sylvia said that Doug Milne is interested in setting up a book sale table — either on the clean-up day or during the Great Glebe Garage Sale — where there could also be information about the Association. At this point in time, the fee for membership will be voluntary; however, it would be ideal if people were willing to spend $10/household for their membership.
Transportation/Bridges Project/Bronson Avenue Interchange
There is currently a long-term project to replace the bridges along the Queensway. An open house on 3 April provided information on the proposals for Bronson and Parkdale. Peggy said that the old school board building on Bronson will be torn down to make room for an expanded off ramp from the Queensway. The proposal is available on the city website. She said that some interesting recommendations were made regarding traffic calming on Chamberlain. There is another meeting scheduled for 22 May; Peggy will keep the Board updated as more information is made available. Responding to a question, Peggy said that her feeling was that the city did want to engage with the affected communities. This situation is quite unique, Peggy said, because the province is responsible for the Queensway while the city is responsible for the streets around the Queensway. This is an opportunity for dialogue.
Action: Peggy will explore the possibility of enlarging and laminating a map of the GACA area. (Update since the meeting: Darlene had a large-scale map printed and laminated. Peggy now is in possession of the map.)
Crime Prevention Conference Report
This was an interesting, although not well-attended, conference hosted by Crime Prevention Ottawa, Darlene said. Peggy added that there was an interesting presentation from Seattle-based Jim Diers about how community engagement can have an impact on community crime. More information about Jim Diers is available at www.neighborhoodpower.org. More information about the conference is available at www.crimepreventionottawa.ca. Peggy said that Saskatoon is a city that is held up as a model for community planning and consultation. The success in Saskatoon speaks to the need for there to be community space included in any new development, Iain said. He wondered if there were any currently unused community spaces that could be reconfigured for community use. Darlene asked if anyone had any information about the proposed changes to the Booth Street complex. David said that Sue Stefko had tried to get information on where things stood, sending emails to Michael Powell and Paul Dewar. Sylvia suggested that Diane Holmes would be a possible source of information. David said that there would be a point where the community can have input into the redevelopment process.
Update on FCA, Bank Account, Registration of Association, Treasurer
Sylvia said she is now the Chair of the Planning Coalition for the FCA. She said part of her role will be to assemble a list of experts who could help communities that are launching OMB appeals. She said this will help GACA if it proceeds with an OMB appeal regarding 265 Carling. She said FCA has asked that community associations to at least begin the OMB appeal process because this generates additional work for the city and is a way to register the general sense of displeasure with the City’s current planning process. Iain told the group that he should be receiving information from his Access to Information request to the city regarding 265 Carling.
Sylvia said that GACA has 20 days after the third reading at council to launch its appeal. This will likely mean late May/early June. The challenge is to get input from a retired planner and lawyer regarding how best to handle an OMB appeal. Launching the appeal is a relatively easy, low-cost proposition. After the appeal is launched, the Association can meet to decide if and how to proceed.
Sylvia said the Association now has a bank account, although hers is the only name on it until a Treasurer is named. She told the group that Chris McCann has offered to take on the role of Treasurer if someone else would agree to become Vice-President.
Parks
Sylvia said that she wondered if Sue knew anything about the Life-Cycle Renewal for Parks. She suggested that this is something that Sue to investigate further.
Action: Lisa will forward the names of individuals who have expressed interest in helping with the Parks and other subcommittees.
New Business – Annexation
Sylvia said that the Dow’s Lake Community Association is annexed to the Glebe Community Association. The idea behind annexation is that it gives smaller associations a stronger voice. As well, insurance for directors and GACA would be covered by the GCA. In return for annexation, the Glebe Community Association would take a portion of any membership fees collected.
Peggy said that it is important for GACA to keep its own identity. She said she is also concerned about the loss of membership fees.
Action: Sylvia will add a motion regarding annexation to the agenda for the next Board of Directors meeting.
Other Business
Peggy said that there is a website where individuals can get regular crime statistics and alerts tailored by neighbourhood.
Action: Peggy will provide the Board with the link to this website. A link can then be added to the website.
Next Meeting
The next Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, 15 May at 7pm in the Meeting Room at the Glebe Community Centre.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:03pm.
