Earth Day Cleanup, April 24, 2015

The MHBPNA is sponsoring our 2nd Annual Earth Day clean up at George Lippert Park. The action starts at 5:30 pm. This is also a great opportunity to discuss how we use the park and what we hope the scheduled rehabilitation will accomplish.

Here is our poster (click on it for larger size). Please come out and meet your neighbours.

Spur Line Trail information

For many years people have been using the spur line trail (from Wilhelm and Weber to Willow street in Waterloo) to walk and cycle between Kitchener and Waterloo. But it has never been maintained, except by the footprints of local wanderers. It has been both well known and "rough hewn." The idea of creating a paved and lighted trail was studied and approved by the region but there were no funds allocated.

Last fall Metrolinx became a surprise player in this story by offering partial funding for this project. There is an article about the spur line proposal here. 

Waterloo Region had an open house on February 26, 2015 to discuss all elements of the trail including its proposed completion date of October 2015. It is happening fast!

If you would like information on this project Waterloo Region there is web page with links to all the information here. The information letter is here and the link to all the display material (which is the quickest way to get an overview of the project) is here. 

This is a great project that will make it much easier to walk and bike between Kitchener and Waterloo and it looks like everything has been thought out and designed very well. It will be a 'gateway' between the two cities. We applaud the many levels of government that have worked together to build a link between our communities.

The MHBPNA would like to draw attention to one small quote in the "Information Package" document. It states "The Waterloo Spur Line crosses Weber Street in the vicinity of Wilhelm Street. Concern was raised by local residents about the safety of pedestrians and cyclists using the proposed Spur Line rail or attempting to cross Weber Street to access Lippert Park and schools in the area. A pedestrian cross over at this location was incorporated into the plans for the reconstruction and widening of Weber Street. The reconstruction of Weber Street was initiated in June 2013 and is expected to be complete by May 2015. The installation of the pedestrian crossover at the Wilhelm Street intersection will occur in the spring of 2015 as part of the final phases of construction." 

The "concern" raised by residents and by the Mt Hope - Breithaupt Park Neighbourhood Association was for the safety of adults, children and handicapped people crossing Weber Street after it had been widened to four lanes. Initially, the Region had planned only for a pedestrian island to be placed at the Wilhelm Street crossing in the middle of a busy four-lane street. The MHBPNA lobbied politicians, encouraged residents to write letters and made presentations to regional council. Eventually, this resulted in Regional Council approving a pedestrian activated crosswalk (called a "pedestrian cross over" in the Spur Line documentation). 

It is important to MHBPNA that we keep our history straight. The pedestrian crossover was not simply "incorporated into the plans" for Weber street. It was fought for by the residents who wrote letters and by the MHBPNA. The fact we achieved this has subsequently affected the design of the Weber Street widening because it has made Wilhelm and Weber a focal point and now they will build "a new multi-use trail on the west side of the widened road from Wilhelm Street to Water Street to provide a more direct route for pedestrians and cyclists wishing to access the existing GO/VIA Station, the future King Victoria Transit hub and the downtown core of Kitchener." The crosswalk will also make it much easier for cyclists and pedestrians to cross Weber street to the east side and continue their trip to several destinations including the Breithaupt Centre, Lancaster Street or across the Margaret Avenue Bridge to Centre in the Square.

So we applaud both staff and politicians at the city, regional and provincial level for making this happen. But we do not want to forget that it was individual citizens and the MHBPNA who helped shape these projects and make them better for everyone.

Winterfest in the 'Hood is coming tomorrow!

Hey, let's not forget that we have an excellent time planned for everyone tomorrow (Saturday, February 21, 3-9) at Hillside Park.

The event was posted here. We have also been selected as one of the "5 things to do on the weekend" and that link is here. You know you have really "made it" in KW when you make that list.

Another thing to bear in mind: We at the MHBPNA have heard people complaining about the weather and how it has been unseasonably cold. This is true, it has been chilly lately. And many schools cancelled classes today because of the temperature. Well, we have hooked up with some serious "global powers" and as you can see from this weather page, we will warm up to -6c on Saturday! 

If you would like to chat about the event, we have a Facebook page as well. 

Click on image below for all the details:

MHBP Pen Pal Project announced

Check your mailbox and find a fun surprise to help you survive the rest of the winter! 

When was the last time you wrote a letter? Not an email. But a real, honest to

goodness letter…. With paper, pen and an envelope with an address and a stamp on

it…  For some, it might be more than a decade since you’ve put pen to paper and

connected with a friend or family across the miles, then eagerly awaited a reply.

No need to get stuck in the nostalgia of letter-writing because now you can

participate in the Mount Hope-Breithaupt Park Pen Pal Project!


A group of neighbourhood residents have a fun way to help you survive the rest of

our southern Ontario winter AND connect with a resident of our large & diverse

neighbourhood that you probably don’t know!

Most people in a community neighbourhood look for some sense of belonging and

connection to the place where they live and the people who live there. The Pen Pal

Project will help you do this!


How to Pen Pal in 5 easy steps

1. Sign up to be a pen pal

2. Eagerly await your pen pal match & participation package

3. Start exchanging letters with your new pen pal

4. Watch your mailbox fill up with letters!

5. Plan to meet your new pen pal at a neighbourhood picnic in June!

6. Encourage your neighbours to participate too!

Need more information? Get in touch…. 

W: penpalprojectmhbp.wordpress.com

E: penpalprojectmhbp@gmail.com

T: 519.741.0190 ext.300 (Matt)

This project is organized by neighbourhood residents Ted, Juanita, Meg, & Sarah

with friends Matt & Kim at Extend-a-Family Waterloo Region (this organization is in

our neighbourhood). This project was made possible with a grant from the Safe &

Healthy Community Advisory Committee (Kitchener) and support from MHBPNA and

Extend-a-Family.

Submitted by

Juanita Metzger

Fun Family Toboggan Party Feb 21

You will want to reserve Saturday, February 21 for some fun and excitement. The MHBPNA is sponsoring and organizing a most excellent and amazingly exciting event. We will be having a toboggan party! Please read the poster and think happy thoughts. Come out with your family and zoom down a hill. If you would like to volunteer, contact us at mhbpna@gmail.com.

The 2015 Year Ahead with the MHBPNA

Our Neighbourhood Association executive has met over the past month and identified a number of events and initiatives we would like to promote.

Please contact us at mhbpna@gmail.com if you would like to volunteer for any of these events. We always appreciate help. 

Feel free to attend any of our meetings. Our meeting schedule is listed here.

Events

‘Winterfest’ 2015 Hillside Park: Saturday February 21. We are planning to brighten and warm up the middle of winter. Would your child like to toboggan down the hill and have their speed clocked with a radar gun? Food, lights, music, families = lots of fun!

Jane's Walk: May 2-3, 2015. Here is what we did last year. We should have at least two walks scheduled this year.

Ahrens Street Painting: Please "like" our Facebook Page to follow this initiative. 

PenPal Picnic: June (this is open to everyone, but part of the "Pen Pal Project" initiative).

Soap Box Derby (tentative, depending on interest) Saturday August 22nd. Building a soap box racer is not so hard. Look here. 

3rd Annual Neighbourhood Bike ride. Probably June?

Margaret Avenue Bridge opening celebration with Olde Berlin Neighbourhood association when the bridge opens. Hopefully in late summer!

MHBPNA will also support other projects such as Dekay St Party, KW Lantern Walk, Dekay Bike Rodeo. 

What else would you like to do? Contact us for our help!

Advocacy

Transit Hub Development:

Advocate for an intelligent entrance off Breithaupt St. so cyclists and pedestrians can continue from Waterloo street down to Victoria. 

Advocate for Community Space to be built in the Transit Hub. The region's website is here.


Neighbourhood Planning:  We will work with the City to list all the existing City and Regional plans so we understand the scope of development planned in the MHBP neighbourhood.

152 Shanley: we will continue to lobby for this building to be developed in a positive manner that will benefit the neighbourhood. For the history of this property please read these two Blog posts here and here.

Maze project  (on hold). We do have a few people interested in creating a "living maze" in Breithaupt Park. Let us know if you would like to be involved.

Margaret Avenue Street Painting (bike lanes will be re-painted).


Use our Web Site as a resource! This BLOG is devoted to providing updated information about "what is going on". These stories feed into our new website where we also have sections for Events and Issues.  

Lantern Walk 2014

The 2014 Lantern Walk on December 21 was a great success, with over 100 people in attendance (some counted over 200)!  Community members began showing up around 6pm, just after dark, and by the time the walk started down Hett St., toward Wilhelm, the crowd had grown to fill an entire city block at a time.  After rounding several blocks, the walkers returned to the starting point by about 7:30pm.  

(Click on Photos to Enlarge)

The MHBPNA coordinated with the City of Kitchener and Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro to turn off the street lights in the neighbourhood, making the streets extra dark on this already dark and clear night. Refreshments were served (hot apple cider) prior to the walk, and a local carolling group provided an excellent musical performance!  In a speech prior to setting off, participants were reminded that the walk was an opportunity to reflect on the year past and coming, and on the importance of finding peace during the busy holiday season.

Of course, no overview of the Lantern Walk would be complete without mentioning the lanterns themselves!   Of these, a wide variety of shapes, sizes and designs were on display.  From the hollow, ice-globes housing tea-lights along the boulevard to the oversized rectangular paper lantern that served as the central beacon around which revellers gathered, the lanterns lit up the darkened streets and provided a very enchanting experience. 

Many were built around mason jars, which seemed to be the easiest and safest method to creating your own lantern.  But everybody added their own embellishments to make their mason jar lantern truly their own.

One really special lantern looked just like a 'Despicable Me' minion.  Cool!

Last but certainly not least, who could forget the giant white dove that led the walk down the street.  Hoisted on sticks held by three supporters, the dove lantern was a suiting icon for the message of peace the organizers' wished to convey (if a slightly awkward one to carry down the street!).

We at the MHBPNA, and in the community, would like to gratefully thank the organizers of this very enjoyable event, including Sarah Anderson who has been at the helm for the past two years. Several local businesses helped out and the City of Kitchener supported us with funding and organizational help. We are eagerly looking forward to taking part in the 2015 Lantern Walk! Happy New Year!

James G.