Hi Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour,
1) Ride with the Mayor! Friday, June 7.
Pick up a bike and come with us to ride with the mayor from Belle Park to Market Square for a free “Roll-In Breakfast” sponsored by Cycle Kingston. Meet at Belle Park (731 Montreal St. opposite Legion) at 7:45 for an 8 am start. Mostly off-road or safe quiet streets along the proposed Inner Harbour Heritage Trail. All welcome.
Free parking all day at Belle Park.
Part of Cycle Week and Kingston’s Commuter Challenge. For more events check out the Cycle Kingston and Health Unit`s webpages. If you would like to help the City of Kingston win in cities of like size, register at commuterchallenge.ca/getinvolved.
2) PUBLIC VISIONING WORKSHOP FOR DOUGLAS R. FLUHRER PARK
Wed. June 12, 7 pm at Memorial Hall. All welcome. Your voice counts! Please come.
The agenda includes a truly excellent pictorial historical overview of the Inner Harbour followed by small group break-out sessions where you will be able to voice your opinions and concerns about the future of the park and the waterfront.
3) Frontenac Arch Biosphere Network “Patron’s Choice” paddling tour Sat. June 22
Start the summer off in a very Canadian way. Highly respected author and speaker, Dr. James Raffan
A wonderful opportunity to experience both the Frontenac Arch Biosphere
4) Inner Harbour History Walking tour, Sat. June 22.
Meet at 10:30 am in Skeleton park for a 1 1/2 hour tour of the fascinating past of the Inner Harbour. Archival photos to compare with what we see today. All welcome.
5) Shoreline Shuffle – June 23, 2013 (Promises to be a great event for the whole family.)
WHAT: Join us for a walk/paddle/cycle along 7.7km of Kingston’s downtown shoreline. The event is intended to remind Kingstonians about the potential of our waterfront. It will be a chance to see firsthand what we have and what we could have. It is a celebration as well as a chance to push city planners for a more integrated, publicly accessible shoreline. On land, people will walk, cycle, skateboard and wheelchair their way along waterfront paths. On water, there will be a flotilla of craft moving along the shoreline, with people paddling, sailing, rowing. Bring your own mode of transport.
WHEN: June 23, 10:30 am (Rain or Shine). NOTE: water activities may be limited by wind for safety reasons.
WHERE: Meet at Douglas Fluhrer Park (near Metal Craft Marine). Finish at Lake Ontario Park, in time for the grand re-opening of this important public space. Estimated walking time: 2 hours.
NOTE: Participants are responsible for their own transportation and boats. Please also be sure to bring adequate food, water and proper clothing.
ADJOINING ART EXHIBITION: Entitled “Dear Kingston”, 15 word sculptures will be installed along the way by local artists. There will also be giant puppets to carry in the procession making things fun!
For further information about the puppet making workshops see the calendar at www.friendsofinnerharbour.com or the Shoreline Shuffle sites below.
** NOTE: You do not have to go the whole distance. You can stop wherever you want. In fact, you don’t have to walk or paddle at all. The important thing is to join us at the start to help send out the message that we want a better waterfront in Kingston!
For more details visit our website, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter
6) Wonderful show at the Marine Museum: Hundred Year Storm, May 18 – Nov. 30.
“The ‘White Huricane’ of November 13 was the worst maritime disaster in Great Lakes History. Many ships were lost or destroyed and hundreds of sailors died. Other Great Storms have ravaged the lakes before and since, but none quite like it so far. This new special exhibit marks the anniversary of that tragedy by honouring those lost, but also by looking at what has, and hasn’t, changed in the century since. Are we prepared for another Hundred Year Storm today.”
We especially liked the Breughal-like painting of persons on a sinking ship. Check it out.
7) Rideau Canal Voyageur Canoe Brigade
From August 5 – 16 this summer, up to ten crews will paddle replica fur canoes from Kingston to Ottawa on the Rideau Canal. They will visit Kingston Aug 6 to explore the town. We are planning a fun celebration and send off for them at 2 pm. Mark it on your calendars. If you would like to paddle with them part of the way, do get in touch. More anon.
8) Ongoing Concerns
Working proceeds apace on the Inner Harbour Heritage Trail audio-tour and map-brochure due to a generous anonymous donor. Thank you so very much!
Stumbling block for the first section of Inner Harbour Heritage Trail that was supposed to be started this spring. City working hard to resolve problematic property issues.
No word as yet re grant application for teens doing Zimbabwean Sculpture in Doug Fluhrer Park in the summer.
Family Wednesdays in July being organized. If you would like to help out with activities, do get in touch.
Check out the calendar on the webpage regularly for upcoming events in the park and along the trail throughout the summer. www.friendsofinnerharbour.com
Recent pics of the two recent clean-ups on webpage gallery. (Thanks Jolene and Rob) Always looking for more if you would like to contribute.
Ongoing work by the City of Kingston on Davis Tannery development, North Block development and feasibility study on 9 North St. (heritage building behind Rideaucrest)
Friends of Belle Park working hard to create a viable business plan to improve the course and keep it alive.
Local citizen’s group protesting Homestead application to build a condo at the Rideau Marina on the east side of the Great Cataraqui River. Contact: Jim at duquette.james@gmail.com.
Frontenac Arch Biosphere Network and Kingston Marina in ongoing talks re improving trail head at Kingston Marina/Doug Fluhrer Park.
We are now in a position to issue charitable receipts for donations. You can donate using PayPal on the webpage or send a cheque to Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour at 1 Place d’Armes, Unit 83, Kingston, K7K 6S6. Any help we could have to pay for operating costs like paper and ink cartridges would really be appreciated.
9) FYI -For future reference: Wellington St. Extension problems
Truly – If one were to try and think about how to create maximal congestion in the downtown, the extension would be the best way to do it!
Below are some of our major concerns for you to consider. Decide for yourselves.
General “Big Picture” concerns:
We shouldn’t be bringing more cars to the downtown when we are trying to reduce emissions in the downtown.
If there has to be a road, it should be a 30km/h, one-lane, one-way slow road for bikes, e-bikes, emergency vehicles and transit only with the direction into town in the am and reversed to going out of town in the pm. Other jurisdictions do this.
Park-‘n-Rides with free parking. Another “official” Park ‘n Ride at Belle Park along with the one north of the 401 would be good. Currently, there is free parking and a bus stop at Belle Park but it is not publicized and people don’t know about it.
A parkway designed for 70km/h is way too fast for our quiet neighbourhood park.
There will be a bottleneck at Bay St. followed by 5 stop lights and insufficient parking that will increase congestion in the downtown.
None of the major employers is actually in the downtown: KGH, Queen’s St.Lawrence, RMC.
The Parkway concept belongs in the 1960s. The conceptual plan is out of date. It does not fit with Focus Kingston and Sustainable Kingston values. It is based on a the car culture of the 20th c., not the sustainable culture of the 21st c.
Specific “Small Picture” concerns:
The road as designed is far too wide and takes up far too much of the green space, arcing into the park as it does. Particularly problematic where the City property meets the Woolen Mill property. The willows will have to be cut down there. This is a serious geographical constraint.
We don’t need bike lanes and sidewalks as part of the parkway when there will also be a multi-use pathway along the water. We should be maximizing green space.
Parking should be for visitors to the park, not otherwise.
We shouldn’t cut 5 m off the historic Dry Dock to accommodate a truck egress. Pedestrians, cyclists and heritage should trump trucks.
Planting trees along the retaining wall does not make sense. Many artists would love to do Art in Public Spaces there. The art on the 21 wall segments could become a major attraction.
Care must be taken to conserve the casual pathways to the park at both the north and south ends of Rideaucrest. Children, dog walkers and seniors with wheelchairs and walkers use these routes to get to the park. Their presence in the park is to be encouraged or healthy living.
Access from Rideaucrest should be a priority both for “eyes on the street” and for the personal well-being of the residents.
Thanks so much to you all for your continuing support. So very much appreciated.
See you in the park and on the trail in the months ahead.
Cheers,
Mary Farrar,
President,
Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour