Neighbourhood Summit, 2014

The City of Kitchener supports its neighbourhood associations in many different ways. They print our newsletters, pay several support staff to help our associations with planning our events and (hopefully) cutting through red tape and each year they hold a Neighbourhood Summit which brings together many of the associations to meet each other and talk over success stories and plan for the future.

This year's summit was held at the Victoria Park Pavillion on Wed, November 26 and included a nice dinner and dessert. Four members of the MHBPNA executive attended.

The evening began with an address by Michael May, Deputy CAO, Community Services and he discussed the new focus the city would be having on neighbourhood associations. Kitchener will be asking us more questions about what we want and how to provide services.

The Boardwalk NA and Forest Heights CA representatives gave a short presentation on how they were working together and pooling resources since Boardwalk is so new (in fact, it is still not on the City of Kitchener's map of associations). 

After dinner we had two 40 minute "table talk" sessions where we broke into four or five groups to talk about specific issues.

The topics included Event Planning, Inclusion, Social Media, Running Programs and a few others. One thing I found most fascinating was the Cherry Park representative who declared that while Facebook and websites were great, they achieved the best advertising by simply planting signs on the ground a week prior to events. People see them as they are walking or driving and respond! Your MHBPNA representatives discussed our own media strategy, the launch of our new website and some of our past events like six years of Jane's Walks.

The final talk was from Glenn Scheels from the Auditorium NA and the topic was the Knollwood Park Rehabilitation. The City of Kitchener was spending $100,000 for landscaping and planting trees to make it a more vibrant and engaging space. The NA felt that a pavillion would really help with community events like baseball and soccer games and anything else that would benefit from shade and tables. But there was not enough money in the city's budget. So the Auditorium NA set about on a fundraising drive which eventually raised $54,000 ($10,000 was from a Festival of Neighbourhoods grant they won and they received a huge cheque for $25,000 from the Kitchener Rangers). This was an inspiring story of many people working together to create a permanent structure for the community.

We look forward to another Neighbourhood Summit in 2015.


Ted Parkinson

Who are you going to call?

Congratulations to all those people who, on Monday October 27, won the right to represent us at local and regional levels. And thanks to all the people who worked so hard running for office, attending debates, knocking on doors and putting out their ideas into the community. 

The MHBPNA looks forward to working with everyone in these exciting times of development and engagement.

We have several levels of government so here is a list of who now represents you:

Ward 10 Councillor: Sarah Marsh

Mayor of Kitchener: Barry Vrbanovic

Kitchener's Regional Councilors: Karen Redman, Tom Galloway, Wayne Wettlaufer and Geoff Lorentz.

 

MHBPNA Annual General Meeting Update

On October 4, 2014 we held our Annual General Meeting at the Breithaupt Centre and were very excited to see about 35 people in attendance. We had Lego for the kids, coffee and food for the older folks and lots of information about what has been happening in our community over the past year and what we would like to work on for the future.  We also elected a full slate of Executive Members.

We began with current board members giving an overview of the past year where we have been very successful in engaging government and citizens. 

We have followed the Weber Street Widening closely and successfully lobbied for a pedestrian-activated cross walk at Wilhelm. We found some problems with the train tracks next to Louisa and Weber and CN sent crews to repair the deficiencies within a couple of days. We had several people out for our Earth Day cleanup.

We led a successful Jane's Walk, where we celebrated the history of our neighbourhood, and held our 'second annual' bike tour of the area. We ran Lego programs at the Breithaupt Centre, a Much Music Dance Party and are involved in supporting the Spur Line Trail, fast tracking the Margaret Avenue Bridge and painting one of our intersections.

We would like to thank the Kitchener Optimists who have disbanded but who gave us their Abitibi paper collection bins. It took many phone calls and emails to sort all of that out, but we now receive over $1000 per year from those bins in the parking lot of the Breithaupt Centre, so please continue to drop off your paper!

Prior to the AGM we were also presented with a certificate of appreciation from the Guelph Street Garden because of our financial (and community) support. We have also supported a Lantern Walk last winter and a Bike Rodeo and street party on Dekay.


We appreciate that all four candidates for Councillor, Ward 10 attended and spoke about their background and platform (Adam Kochanski, Sarah Marsh, Gabrielle Korschewitz and James Howe). And Geoff Lorentz and Ken Seiling from the region also attended and Ken provided an update on Weber Street construction. 


Here is our new 2014-2015 executive:


Lane Burman: CoChair
Ted Parkinson: CoChair
Chris Dewar: Partnerships Director
Linda Vandenakker: Secretary
James Gaede: Communications Director
Trudy Beaulne: Treasurer
Dan Lackner: Special Events Director
Louis Burback: Member at Large
Graham Jackson: Program Director

We would like to thank everyone who came out to the meeting and all of you who follow our Blog and Facebook and participate in any of our activities. We look forward to an exciting year ahead!

Margaret Avenue Bridge Update (from the city of Kitchener)

Construction to start on Margaret Avenue Bridge

KITCHENER – Work to construct the new Margaret Avenue Bridge is set to begin Oct. 27, 2014.  Access to all local businesses will be maintained throughout the construction which is estimated to be complete by July 2015. Alliance Verdi Civil Inc. has been awarded the tender.

“We are pleased that construction of a replacement bridge is going to start soon,” said Steve Allen, manager, engineering design and approvals. “We recognize how important this bridge is to the neighbourhood, and we would like to thank the community for their patience."

In June 2013, a structural engineers’ report recommended the bridge be closed due to safety concerns and was subsequently removed after further structural analysis. In June 2014, staff provided options to council regarding the size of the new bridge after investigating what future needs might be required in light of the potential for enhanced rail service.  Council approved staff’s recommendation for a two-track bridge once GO Transit confirmed it would be sufficient for all current and future GO operations. 

More information about the Margaret Avenue Bridge replacement can be found at www.kitchener.ca/Margaretbridge. Updates will be made available on the webpage as construction progresses.

AGM on Saturday

Mt. Hope Breithaupt Park Neighbourhood Association

Annual General Meeting

Saturday October 4th

10:00am-12:00pm

Breithaupt Centre Room 207

AGENDA

Introduction of Current Board

MHBPNA Year in Review

Reports from Executive

Ward 10 Candidates Introductions

Constitution Amendments

Election of New Board

Discussion of Priorities for 2015

EVERYONE WELCOME

COME SEE WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE 

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Have a coffee on us!

Delisle -- Peltz Road Construction Open House

INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES DEPARTMENT

ENGINEERING DIVISION
NOTICE OF 1st PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE
ROAD RECONSTRUCTION

Delisle Avenue (Moore St. to Dekay St.) and
Peltz Avenue (Moore St. to Waterloo St.)

The City of Kitchener, Engineering Division, is proceeding with the reconstruction of Delisle Avenue and Peltz Avenue. The work includes the replacement of the underground sanitary sewer, storm sewer and watermain, as well as complete installation of new pavement, curb and gutter, and sidewalk. Construction is tentatively scheduled to commence on or about April 2015, with an anticipated completion date on or about August 2015.

All interested parties are invited to attend an Open House for this project to be held as follows:

Wednesday September 24, 2014

Learning Room – City Hall, 2nd Floor

200 King Street West, Kitchener

6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

City of Kitchener staff will be present to answer your questions, and your comments will assist the Project Team in making decisions on this project. Information and plans will also be available for viewing after Wednesday September 24, 2014, at the Infrastructure Services Department, Engineering Division, City Hall, 200 King Street West, 9th Floor, Berlin Tower, Kitchener. If you are unable to attend the Open House and would like to make your views known, please address your comments to either person listed below.

Mr. Kevin Mick P. Eng.
Telephone: 519-741-2200 Ext. 7884
Fax: (519) 741-2230
E-Mail: kevin.mick@kitchener.ca

Infrastructure Services Dept., Engineering Division, 200 King Street West Berlin Tower, 9th Floor, P.O. Box 1118, Kitchener, Ontario N2G 4G7

Ms. Amanda J. Froese P. Eng.
Telephone: (519) 623-1140
Fax: (519) 623-7334
E-Mail: amandaf@meritech.ca

Public Service Announcement: Word On The Street

This Saturday is going to be busy, busy, busy. On a personal note, we have friends who are coming to stay. But aside from that, Kitchener has Word on the Street AND there is Doors Open Waterloo Region going on as well. Oh yeah, and there is some kind of Faire in Waterloo park. Don't say you have nothing to do!

Here is the Word on the Street official press release from the City of Kitchener.

Word on the Street features stellar author line-up and new downtown partners

KITCHENER – Downtown Kitchener welcomes The Word On The Street!  Join us this Saturday, Sept. 20 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for a day jam-packed with author readings, poetry, author talks, playwrights, music and children's activities in a number of locations in downtown Kitchener. 

The Waterloo Region Record Stage will host some of the biggest names in Canadian literature all in one place. Book signings will follow each reading. This year’s headline is Gail Vaz-Oxlade.
one of Canada’s most successful and respected financial writers. She has authored several bestselling books, including the #1 bestseller Debt-Free Forever, Money-Smart Kids and It’s Your Money. She has doled out her no-nonsense approach to finance as host of the television shows, Money Moron, Princess and Till Debt Do Us Part.

The Kitchener Market will host author Joy McCarthy.  Joy is a holistic nutritionist, health and nutrition coach, and writer and recipe developer forJoyous Health, the popular health and recipe blog. Her own experience with hormonal imbalance led her to changing her diet, addressing her lifestyle and educating herself on an all-encompassing approach to health.

New this year is the Word on the Street Bites. Join us at participating coffee shops, restaurants and the Kitchener Market for a stellar line-up of authors, poets, meet & greets, bloggers, workshops and book signings. Have a bite to eat and experience the written word and downtown Kitchener in a whole new way!

This year the Kitchener Public Library will feature the OverDrive Digital Bookmobile. Hop aboard the 74-foot-long traveling exhibit, which has five separate spaces to showcase eBooks, audiobooks, a gadget gallery and more. Bring your devices!

And, of course, there is a lot to do for the kids! The Department of Canadian Heritage Kids Square on Civic Square will feature make-and-take crafts themed with featured books, face painting, music with Erick Traplin, comics and caricatures, take your photo with a princess and learn how to read braille with Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB). Drop by the Canadian Reading Rocks Stage and listen to some of Canada’s best loved children’s books read by local celebrities!

The Word on the Street is celebrated in five cities across Canada on the same day: Lethbridge, Saskatoon, Toronto, Halifax and Kitchener. Admission is free. For information on all programming and activities, please visit www.thewordonthestreet.ca/wots/kitchener.

Hockey Tournament -- Put together a team! TODAY!!!

Please read this poster from our friends at EAF. Click on image for larger size! Tournament is TODAY!

MHBPNA Fall Programs

Here are a list of the fall programs we are running at the Breithaupt Centre. They can be found on page 89 of the Kitchener Leisure Magazine which is delivered to your home and it is online here.

Click on image for larger picture.

Another Newsletter is being written and published

We are in the process of writing and publishing another neighborhood newsletter. This is all volunteer written and delivered and we usually print about 2500 copies. The city of Kitchener prints them for us as part of their commitment to Neighbourhood Associations. We have more than 5,000 people living in the MHBP neighbourhood but we can only print what we can deliver. 

Can you help us deliver? If you can do your block or street please email us at mhbpna@gmail.com. We hope to begin delivering the newsletter the first week in September. 

Be sure and check out our fall programs in the City of Kitchener's Leisure Magazine!

To read our archived newsletters, please click here. 

Biking in Kitchener

The CBC Kitchener website posted a thoughtful series of comments from citizens about biking around our area.

Now here is the challenge: identify the member of our own Neighbourhood Association who is interviewed in this article! 

Read the article and write the name in our comments section.

Please write any comments you have about cycling in our neighbourhood as well. Do you cycle through Breithaupt Park? Along Union etc.? What are your experiences?

The CBC article is here.  

Neighbourhood Association Meeting tonight

Our Neighbourhood Association meeting is open to anyone interested in the business of MHBP. It is at 7 pm in room 201 of the Breithaupt Centre. 

We will be discussing many issues in our neighbourhood including the Margaret Avenue Bridge, Street Painting, supporting local initiatives.

Come out and join the conversation.

Victoria Common Fire Investigation

Most people in the Kitchener area know about the unfortunate and costly fire at the Victoria Common development on July 22, 2014. We have been asked to post the following in case anyone can help out with the ongoing investigation. Thanks!

FIRE
Incident #: WA14164729
Publish Date: Jul 24, 2014
Incident Date: Jul 22, 2014
Location: LOUISA ST, KITCHENER, ON Canada
The investigation into this incident is continuing and is now being led by Waterloo Regional Police General Division detectives. There are circumstances surrounding the cause of the fire that are concerning for police and it is now being treated as suspicious. Investigators are appealing to anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the area around the time of the fire to contact North Division at (519) 650 8500 ext. 6397 or call Crime Stoppers 1 800 222 8477.
PREVIOUS SUMMARY or SUMMARIES:
Published: Jul 22 2014 5:43PM
On July 22, 2014 at approximately 5:30 a.m., Waterloo Regional Police responded with the Kitchener Fire Department to a large structure fire in the area of Louisa Street and St Leger Street in Kitchener. A number of condominium units were destroyed or sustained damage in the fire. Some of the units were occupied and other were at various stages of construction. No injuries were reported to police. At this time, the cause of the fire is not known. The Ontario Fire Marshall's Office attended the scene and will be investigating. Police are assisting in the Fire Marshall's investigation. Anyone with information about this fire is asked to call Waterloo Regional Police Detectives at 519-650-8500 Ext 6351 or provide information anonymously to CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

Another weekend, what to do?

Last weekend we had the Waterloo Jazz Festival and the Kitchener Ribfest and Craft Beer in Victoria Park as two events. They were a lot of fun. Of course, we have the Kitchener Blues Festival in just a couple of weeks as well.

There is an ongoing exhibition and events for Building Waterloo Region. Please check out their website.

This weekend there are even more events in downtown Kitchener which is just a short walk from our neighbourhood. Enjoy the summer!

Here is a press release from the city:

KITCHENER – The chrome and motorbikes will be shining on King Street during this year’s Rock and Rumble this weekend, so wear your sunglasses.

Expanded to a two-day festival, the event kicks off on Friday night with The Ring on King.  From 7-10:30 p.m. on Civic Square, check out live boxing under the lights, featuring a full line-up of amateur contenders as they continue their journey toward the Pan Am Games in 2015. From power sports and industry suppliers, to a DJ, and licensed area, interactive exhibits, food vendors and a chance to test your skills on the mechanical bull, there is something for everyone.

The Rock and Rumble Bike Rally will take place on Saturday from 1-8 p.m. and features hundreds of motorcycles from across Canada and the United States. The bikes will line King Street in front of city hall while downtown rocks from the full line-up of bands on the main stage at Civic Square. This year, Trixter will headline, supported by hard rockers Last Bullet, The Keith Hill Project and more up-and-coming local talent.

Band schedule:

1:10-2 p.m.         The Keith Hill Project
2:10-3 p.m.         Three Quarter Stone
3:10-4 p.m.         7T8
4:10-5 p.m.         Drew Leith and the Foundation
5:10-6 p.m.         Last Bullet
6:30-8 p.m           Trixter

There will be a beer garden, food concessions and on-site sponsors.

How else do you top off an awesome weekend in Downtown Kitchener?  By stopping by on Sunday, July 27 for the Outlaw Food Truck Rally of course!  Happening from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. come out and eat your way along King Street with food choices from 14 food trucks!

Neighbourhood Mobilization Alliance -- Final Meeting?

The Neighbourhood Mobilization Alliance (NMA) has been meeting for about 15 years. It was started when the Mt. Hope - Breithaupt Park area was a little "rougher" than it is now and it has brought together citizens, police, fire department and By-Law officials to talk about neighbourhood problems and issues.

Involvement in this group has risen and fallen as issues come and go. Currently we have a very active Neighborhood Association (NA) and the city of Kitchener has a call center for By-Law complaints and other issues. The police also have a Liaison Officer assigned to our area. 

Fewer people have been coming to the NMA meetings and so a questionnaire was sent to all those on their asking residents how they wished to stay involved in these kinds of issues. As a result of feedback, the meeting this Wednesday, July 16 at 7 pm in the Conestoga Room at Kitchener City Hall will probably be the last meeting of the NMA in this form.

Many things can happen in the future, and if you are interested in participating in the dialog, then please come out.

Neighbourhood Association Meeting, the Roads ahead

MHBPNA had a meeting on Wednesday, July 9th at the Breithaupt Centre. All our meetings are open to the public and we encourage you to come out. The rest of the meetings for 2014 are marked on the calendar to the right side of our Blog. They are usually the first week of each month, either Wednesday evening, or Saturday morning.

Here are some items we discussed:

Street Painting initiative:  

On Monday, June 20, at the Kitchener city council meeting, Lane Burman, on behalf of MHBPNA, presented our idea to paint the intersection of Ahrens and Wilhelm (this topic has been mentioned here and here). City council approved Dan Glenn-Graham's motion to take this idea to staff and have them study it (and communicate with other cities where it has been successful) and bring a report back to council for the August meeting. 

At our MHBPNA meeting we approved a motion to donate up to $500 for the paint for the intersection. We felt this would encourage council to support the idea and we hope that other intersections might be painted in the future out of the city's budget.

Our plan is open this up for ideas and perhaps have people submit illustrations and we can put them on the Blog and have a vote. If everything is approved, we hope to paint the intersection in the spring of 2015. We will also be talking with residents who live near that intersection to get their input.

Last week the Kitchener Post asked a Poll question: are you in favour of painting certain Kitchener intersections. MHBPNA was surprised to see that 55% said "no" and only 45 % said "yes". It is worthwhile for everyone to read about the success this practice has had here, here and elsewhere. We believe it is a great way to build community and slow traffic.

Spur Trail:  

We continue to follow the Spur Trail development (or lack, thereof). This would run from Wilhelm and Weber to downtown Waterloo. The Weber street construction has taken this plan into account and there will be bike/shared trails on both sides of Weber beginning around Wilhelm. 

A mixed use trail has been approved but currently has no funding! We believe part of the problem is jurisdiction. Waterloo Region owns the land but CN maintains it and it runs through two municipalities. Everyone knows the trail is well used (with no paved walkway) and turning into a well maintained and safe bike/pedestrian route benefits everyone. So what is the hold up? MHBPNA continues to talk to the Region and other levels of government about this issue.

Breithaupt Park Rehabilitation and Shade structure: 

There have been several Blog entries over the past year about the city's plans to "rehabilitate" Breithaupt Park. The city's plan for the park is detailed here. Although we had several meetings with citizens and the city, very few of our ideas were implemented in the final plan. For example, we had asked for a clear trail to be created to join the two halves of the park (the trail would run next to the splashpad area so cyclists would not have to ride through the parking lot). It is unclear whether or not this will happen (we are still asking for clarification).

We also asked for a shade structure to be built around the splash pad. Many residents have complained there is no shelter and the sun is harsh on young children's skin. The city has planted a number of trees (which they say cost over $5,800). But these will not offer any shade for another 5 to 10 years (if they survive). We are requesting (through our councillor Dan Glenn-Graham) that they city build a permanent shade structure for families now.

Video Dance:

For the second year, MHBPNA hosted a Much Music Video Dance.  We advertised on the Blog, Facebook, with posters, Twitter and via other means. We made a lot of younger and older kids very happy, but lost several hundred dollars because we did not get the numbers we wanted. But those kids that came had an excellent time! Next year we may not have a dance, or we will look to alternative providers.

Contact Us:

As always, if you would like to be involved in our initiatives, need more information etc. please post to the comments here, or email us at "mhbpna@gmail.com". We are volunteers who live in this great neighbourhood and we'd love your input.

City of Kitchener and its "Partners"

Please tell the City of Kitchener how you feel about selling 'branding' rights to private companies. How does "Woodside Park, sponsored by Ed's Bar and Grill" sound? Or the "Adele's Cheesecake Ice Pad"? It could happen.

Corporate branding can bring in additional funds that can pay for services and infrastructure and save tax dollars. Perhaps Ed's Bar and Grill could pay for the historic interpretors the Federal government abandoned. 

Should we allow the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium to be renamed? Or individual rooms inside it? 

Please fill out the survey and Have your say!

Road Construction in our 'hood

The Weber-Victoria intersection shuts to all traffic Monday, July 7 through Friday, Aug. 15.

Victoria Street opens to traffic on Aug. 15, but Weber remains closed between Victoria and Wellington Street until Sept. 12.   

So, beginning Monday, Weber Street (at Victoria) will be closed for 10 weeks!     

The full story is here.            

Bike Rodeo, Sunday 1-4

The MHBPNA is helping sponsor this fabulous event. Please click on image to enlarge. Even if you do not have children aged 3 - 8 you will want to see the bike polo demonstration!

Building Bridges, Painting Streets and Making a Bike Rodeo

We have had a great deal happening in our neighbourhood over the past week. Summertime seems to be very busy. Here are a few updates:

A small, but influential, delegation from the MHBPNA presented our neighbourhood's position on the different options for the Margaret Avenue Bridge at a Kitchener City Council meeting on Monday, June 30th. We spent almost 5 hours at the meeting to ensure our neighbrouhood was represented and the bridge is built as soon as possible. This 'revisiting' of the issue came up rather suddenly but we believe we have helped the city to move ahead more quickly than they might otherwise have chosen to do. Here is a Record article.

Your Neighbourhood Association also spoke in favour of an initiative for street painting to help with traffic calming. Here is an earlier Blog article about this idea with a link to a great video showing what they did in Halifax. And here is the Record's article on our presentation and Dan Glenn-Graham's motion.

Lane Burman will be interviewed on CBC radio about the traffic calming after the 7 am news, Thursday July 3rd (www.cbc.ca/kw). The interview was written up here.

Finally, reserve time this Sunday (July 6) from 1 - 4 because your NA is involved in hosting a Bike Rodeo on Dekay Street (from Peltz to Deslisle). We will have a poster up soon. 

No Parking at Lippert Park

The widening of Weber street is bringing a great deal of change to our neighbourhood. Streets will be closed (Breithaupt and, ultimately, Waterloo), houses have been torn down and Lippert Park will gain some land as Weber is straightened.

This is Lippert Park as it appeared a couple of years ago:

Notice the wide shoulder on the street. There was a nice 3 metre boulevard between the street and the park where people often parked their cars. The boulevard could easily accommodate three cars. Parents with children could unload strollers, food and other essentials as they guided their young charges into in the park. For events like the annual picnic this small amount of parking was useful for delivering tents, tables, food, musical equipment and other items. We have also had fire trucks and police cars park there (and drive into the park) for community events.

Weber Street is being widened and straightened so Lippert Park will gain some area (the new side-walk has already been finished). But despite the increase in size, there will be no parking in front of the park. The closest location will be on Louisa Street which is around the corner:

The MHBPNA has contacted several people from the Region of Waterloo (Weber Street is a "regional road") and the City of Kitchener over the past year to ask about parking and ensure it can be a part of the plan. The reply we received recently from Peter Linn (who is an engineer and Senior Project Manager with the Region) sums up the government's position on this issue:

"I had requested feedback from the City of Kitchener Parks Department on this issue several weeks ago. Their response was as follows;
 · Current City Parks Bylaw prohibits parking on park frontages, including parking on boulevards whether paved or grassed
· Lippert Park is classified as a “Neighbourhood Park” and as such is meant to be a “walk to” park
· The City does not have any plans to develop a parking lot within Lippert Park

The Weber Street right-of-way is obviously under the jurisdiction of the Region of Waterloo. The Region does not allow off-street parking areas within its designated road right-of-ways to service abutting land uses."

Huron Park, which was the original name for George Lippert Park, was created as a result of a donation of 2.5 acres of land by a developer in 1936. It is reasonable neighbours have been able to park there for over 50 years and this has not been abused. Without any consultation (or acknowledgement the parking even existed) this convenience has been erased. 

Canada Post is claiming we will all be switching to community mailboxes over the next few years and our neighbourhood association felt Lippert Park would be a perfect location. 

As we can see from this "Google Satellite" image:

there is a great deal of space around the park and there will be even more after the construction is finished. Our Neighbourhood Association believes that if we had even three "time limited" parking sports they would encourage parents with young children to use the park. There is also a community garden that is several years old and gardeners may wish to bring soil and heavier implements at certain times. If the park is used to host events then equipment delivery would be made much easier with parking. This park will also be the terminus of the "Spur Trail" which will join Kitchener and Waterloo. 

For the corner of Louisa and Weber the design was originally going to include an ornamental fence and a "landscaping bed". Both items have been deleted for budget reasons.  

There is an opportunity here to plan for something exceptional, a flexible location with very limited parking, a community mailbox, spur trail interface and more. If different levels of government talked with each other and engaged residents we could achieve a great deal and help build community. Instead, the present road design, which has "no parking" curbs and side-walks some distance from the park itself, discourages all of these uses.

What do you think? If you have an opinion please comment on this Blog entry and/or email us at mhbpna@gmail.com. Our Neighbourhood association cannot pursue issues of park design unless we see support from the community. 

Ted Parkinson
Communications Director
MHBPNA

The ART of Traffic Calming

On Monday June 30th, the MHBPNA will be representing our Neighbourhood in support of a pilot project to create intersection artwork to help traffic calming. 

Councillor Glenn-Graham is bringing forward a motion to start a feasibility study for a pilot project with the intent of starting with Ahrens and Wilhelm.  

Please come to see the presentation.  Any support would be helpful.

Here is an example of what we can do:

Watch the Placemaking Halifax video on this page. 

Lane Burman

Co-Chair, MHPNA

Last Saturday night was a excellent and good time in Kitchener

Kitchener celebrated the 'first annual' Summer Lights festival. I think that is what it was called. Here was King Street:

Here was city hall plaza with rocking good music:

Here was the NUMUS improv ensemble in front of the KWAG with random conductors.

It was quite the party. Stores open, lots of great food and fun. 

Now THIS coming Saturday there is going to be another extremely fun event at the Breithaupt Centre. Do you know what it is?

Volunteers needed for dance this Saturday

Please help us put on an amazing dance this Saturday evening at the Breithaupt Centre for the 0-9 and 10+ crowd. Much Music will be presenting videos and fun. We cannot do this without the help of our community. 



Email us at mhbpna@gmail.com if you can help. Are you a high school student needing volunteer hours? A neighbour with insomnia? A great person just looking to help? 8 pm to 12 pm is our most need time frame.

END OF THE YEAR MUCH VIDEO DANCE

Remember those dances??

The Mt Hope Breithaupt Park Neighbourhood Association is hosting a MUCH Video dance on Saturday, June 28th at the Breithaupt Centre.

As we did last dance, the time from 6:00pm to 8:00pm is reserved for children ages 0-9 (please bring sufficient hearing protection for infants) and from 8:00pm to 11:30 is for children 10+.

0-9 $5.00 at the door

10+ $10.00 at the door

There will be refreshments for purchase.

(the food for sale may, or may not resemble the food in this picture)

Music is geared towards each age group. Barney, Kermit and Hannah for the 0-9.  Katy, Taylor and dare I say Justin for 10+

How many times will we hear, Happy, or Gangnam Style, or What does the Fox say?

Parents are freely admitted.  This works well for the 0-9 group, but the 10+ may have issue with it.  If you want to hang out while your pre teen is at the dance, the City provides free WIFI.

I invite you to share this with as many people as you can. Give us a hand at making this a successful night. 

Dance, Dancer, Danced, Dancing

Please share with any young persons you know. MHBPNA is sponsoring a fun "end of year" Much Music dance at the venerable BC. Check it out and drop in!

Please click to enlarge:

And another option:

Second Annual Neighbourhood Bike Tour a success!

Our Neighbourhood Association's Partnerships Director, Chris Dewar, led us on a fun bike tour of our neighbourhood. On Sunday, June 1, we met at the parking lot across from the Breithaupt Block. 

Chris brought his trusty pump to ensure everyone's tires were up to the 2 hour ride.

We had about 16 people show up at the parking lot, eager to cycle through our neighbourhood and talk about some of the landmarks. We had kids on bikes, seniors on 'one speeds', higher end mountain and touring bikes, and everything in between. It was a mosaic of bikes and people (click for larger image).

Chris led us on a route that was roughly around the edges of our neighbourhood (our neighbourhood boundaries can be seen here).  Here we are heading down Breithaupt Street beside historic buildings.

We did the route that is shown here. Just over half way through the ride we stopped at Breithaupt Park for a rest and some refreshments provided by the Mount Hope Breithaupt Park neighbourhood association. We had a chance to chat about our area. Most residents don't realize that our neighbourhood stretches from King street on one side, all the way to the edge of the expressway on the other. Our route through Breithaupt Park includes a challenging hill, but walking is always an option. No one got left behind! (click for larger image)

We cycled over 10 kilometres in about two hours and had some time to talk about some of the ongoing neighbourhood issues and meet new friends. The weather was beautiful and it was a great experience. We hope to see everyone out again next year!