GACA Board Meeting – March 3, 2020

• Carrie Bolton
• Gabrielle Dallaporta
• David Perkins
• Maja Rakocevic
• Sue Stefko
• Natasha Pei
• Annalisa Salonius
• Jonathan McLeod (Assistant, Office of Shawn Menard, City Councillor, Capital Ward)

1. Call to Order

• The meeting was called to order at 7:03 p.m.

2. Approval of Agenda

• Motion to accept the agenda was made by Sue and seconded by Maja.

3. Acceptance of minutes of February 4, 2020 board meeting

• Motion to accept the minutes was made by Gabrielle and seconded by Maja.

4. Business Arising from minutes of February 4, 2020

4.1. Public event attended: “Meet The Chiefs: Making Safer & Healthier Neighbourhoods in Ottawa”

• Carrie updated the board on the “Meet The Chiefs” event she attended on February 25th. The panel included Chief Peter Sloly of the Ottawa Police Service and Dr. Vera Etches, Chief Medical Officer for Ottawa.
• Discussion topics included dealing with addictions, hiring of new officers, mental health and virus-related information.

5. Update from City Councillor’s office

5.1. Transit and development

• Ottawa Light Rail
  • Discussed recent comments made by Councillor Menard and City Council on the Confederation Line and Stage 2 development.
• Carling Ave redesign
  • The city is planning to redesign portions of Carling Ave, which will include the widening of sidewalks and the removal of medians.
  • A request for proposal was posted by the city, but it will have to be resubmitted as no bids were received. This will likely delay the process.
• The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) is planning to replace Highway 417 overpasses over the next number of years for Rochester, Booth Bronson, Preston and Percy. So far, the MTO has only held an online consultation.

Action:

• Sue to send Jonathan information on the MTO online consultation.

6. Treasurer’s Update

• The group continued its discussion on banking options that will provide lower fees and more flexibility.
• Prior to the meeting, Maja distributed an overview of 10 Ottawa banks and credit unions, as well as their fees and services, to help guide the discussion.

• The board agreed to maintain the GACA’s current banking arrangement for now.
• Maja will open a no-fee bank account at a credit union (on a trial basis) before making any further recommendations to the board.

7.  Pollinator Garden Project

• GACA is submitting a grant proposal to the City of Ottawa for a pollinator garden in Dalhousie South Park.
• As per the terms of the grant, 33% of the cost must be provided from other sources – this can include in-kind contributions. Sue has submitted requests for donations from a number of local companies but has not received any positive responses to date.

• Sue put forward a motion for the board to spend up to $250.00 on the pollinator garden project to help achieve the required 33% minimum. The motion was seconded by Maja and passed by the board.

8.  Development Update

• Sue provided an update on the following building developments in the neighborhood:

7 Maclean St.

• Sue discussed the proposed GACA feedback to the site plan application. The feedback was developed following engagement with immediate neighbours, city staff and the developer.
• While we would like to see less density on that site, there are some positive aspects of the proposed application. Unfortunately, the existing trees will be removed.

Booth St Complex

• Remediation of the property has started.
• Canada Lands Company will be holding a public meeting March 10th to discuss the new city park that will be located on the property.

314 Bell St

• The owner of the rental property at 314 Bell St is planning to expand the current building to add additional units. The owner and the architect met with Sue for an initial discussion.

• Sue to update the board and the Councillor’s office once revised plans are received.

291 Carling Ave

• We finally expect to hear more from Canada Lands (CLC) soon – the next meeting of the advisory committee is scheduled for later in March. CLC advises that a number of changes were made as a result of community feedback. We will ask CLC to hold a public consultation on these changes.

275 Carling Ave

• We have been advised that the site plan application has re-started after a long pause, and the City expects that it will be approved in the next month or so. No large changes are evident, but if we would like to make any comments, we should do so soon.

9.  Yoga in the Park

• Gabrielle led a discussion on offering free yoga sessions in Dalhousie South Park this summer. The discussion included costing, the need for insurance, yoga instructors and the number of sessions that may be offered.

10.  Annual General Meeting planning – May 13th

• The draft agenda is being prepared by Sue. Neighborhood traffic will be the main topic for the evening; a member of city staff will present and be available to answer questions.
• Councillor Menard has confirmed his attendance as a speaker.

• Planning for the GACA 2020 membership campaign needs to take place prior to the AGM.
• The Glebe Community Association has invited GACA members to attend their pre-membership campaign planning session.

11. Adjournment

• Motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:30 p.m. was made by Maja and seconded by Carrie.

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