Dear Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour,
Thanks so much to all of you for your continued support. So very much appreciated.
Special thanks also to David Johnston of the City’s IT Department, our community webpage, www.friendsofinnerharbour.com is now also accessible from the City of Kingston webpage.
This month’s items:
- Critical Meeting at Doug Fluhrer Park
- AGM in November
- Inner Harbour Heritage Trail
- Waterfront Master Plan Working Group
- Tannery Lands
- Petitions and Effective Representation Issue
1) Most Critical Public Meeting Yet!
Concept for Douglas R. Fluhrer Park (Articulated Wild) to be presented to public
Wednesday, Oct. 30, Memorial Hall at City Hall, 216 Ontario St. 7 pm http://www.cityofkingston.ca/documents/10180/42317/Doug+Fluhrer+Park+-+Draft+Concept/a0148429-edb9-4
Comments can be filed at http://www.cityofkingston.ca/city-hall/get-involved –
Input collected at this presentation will influence a refined plan. Although the park design includes a number of wonderful ideas including grassed lawns and naturalized spaces, water access, hierarchy of pathways, central activity area, overlooks, tree plantings, reinstatement of shoreline buffer and heritage interpretation sites, the major problem is tacit acceptance of the proposed Wellington St. Extension, in our view an unwanted unnecessary expenditure of tax dollars that flies in the face of Sustainable Kingston and that would create further congestion in the downtown.
Given the extreme divisiveness of this issue, at the very least the City should be encouraged to develop two conceptual plans, one with and one without the extension.
Please consider coming to the meeting to hear what others have to say and to express your own views.
2) Annual General Meeting of the Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour
Thursday, November 7, Councillor’s Lounge, 3rd Floor, City Hall, 7 pm. All welcome. Free goodies.
In addition to year end reports, we are considering more community outreach and events.
3) Inner Harbour Heritage Trail
Volunteers urgently needed end Nov. for trail landscaping. Contact: doncampbell1941@gmail.com or inverarymary@yahoo.com. Free goodies and dignitaries.
Consultations ongoing on a number of fronts to try and figure a way to complete the audio-tour and map brochure (or possibly smart app?) for our heritage tour that goes from the downtown Tourist Office to the Woolen Mill and includes archival and present day photos as well as short blurbs on 30 sites.
4) Waterfront Master Plan Working Group
On Oct 1, City Council passed a staff recommendation to establish a Waterfront Master Plan Working Group. This stakeholder group will consist of staff, two councillors, representatives from the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority, KFL&A Public Health, the Municipal Accessibility Advisory Committee, the Kingston Environmental Advisory Forum and the Queen’s University School of Urban and Regional Planning as well as six interested citizens. If you are interested in applying (deadline Nov. 22), visit http://www.cityofkingston.ca/city-hall/committees-boards/current-openings
5) Davis Tannery Lands: Inner Harbour Development Opportunity
This fully serviced 37 acre site 1 km north of downtown Kingston, adjacent to the Great Cataraqui River is eligible for financial assistance through the Community Improvement Plan for Brownfields. Parties interested in responding to the Request for Information should contact Carola Bomfim Lima at 613-546-4291 x 1250 or cbomfimlima@cityofkingston.ca
6) Petitions and Representation Issue
Friends of Belle Park Petition
A group of dedicated golfers are interested in saving the municipal golf course – an affordable healthy life-style choice for young and old, serving disadvantaged youth and seniors and the whole community. To learn more visit http://www.activism.com/en_CA/petition/save-belle-park-fairways/45243
Save Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute Petition
A group of dedicated citizens has put together a viable business plan to refurbish this heritage property near the Queen’s campus rather than spend more tax dollars on the construction of a new school in the north end. KCVI serves students from all across the county who are in the International Baccalaureat and French Immersion programs. It rescues bright and gifted students who are painfully bored with their normal high schools and at risk of dropping out. It is only fair that if disabled students deserve special programming so should students at the other end of the spectrum. KCVI also serves as a neighbourhood school for the whole of the downtown. The socio-economic level of KCVI students is in fact lower than that of many suburban high schools. One final thing – If KCVI is closed the IB program will have to reapply in a new setting which takes 5 years so students in the interim would be denied the opportunity. To find out more and to sign the petition visit soskcvi@gmail.com
Citizens for Effective Representation
Several Community Associations have come together to support Citizens for Effective Representation. The by-law that was passed by City Council has been appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board. Results are pending. The impact of ignoring the recommendation of City staff, not including students and eliminating one of the districts in the urban core will be a major reduction in our representation on City Council. FYI, organizing members are confident that the OMB hearing will result in a win as this issue has in the past in other jurisdictions. A win will include payback of all legal costs incurred and will result in donations being reimbursed. Donations to support the appeal can be made by cheque to Citizens for Effective Representation, P.O. Box 582, Kingston, ON K7L 4X1 or at www.ygkeffectiverepresentation.com