Community updates

At the Annual General Meeting in September 2022 Councillor Egli brought updates to several community issues.

780 Baseline Road (Lone Star Plaza)

The proponent of the780 Baseline Road redevelopment has bought a second house, 9 Hilliard, to accompany his previous purchase of 7 Hilliard. The adjacent properties, which abut the 780 Baseline property, are to be used as a construction staging area if the project is approved, and will then become a city park.

It is not clear where the funds to equip the park – which could include a play structure, benches and/or picnic tables, perhaps a basketball half court – will come from. Will that be funded by the developer as part of that project, or from direct city funding, or from the parks-in-lieu funds that accumulate in the ward and citywide? He said this proposal will not advance to Planning Committee until 2023.

Park improvements consultations for Gilbey and Parthia

As mentioned in the November 2021 community association newsletter, federal infrastructure funding has been approved to replace play structures in Gilbey Park (in 2023, value $161,000) and Parthia Park (in 2024, value $160,000). The funding is guaranteed, but can only be used to “renew the active play elements in the park,” the city says, not add new ones. Community consultations are to begin this fall for Gilbey Park and in fall 2023 for Parthia Park.

Councillor Egli said that replacement of Fisher Heights Park play structures is slotted for 2024, but this funding is not guaranteed as it must be included in the city budget, along with competing park priorities.

Fisher Heights Islamic School

The Islamic School has found sufficient funding to proceed with the full exterior cladding of the addition. This will improve considerably the appearance of the building. But occupancy is still a long way off, as after all exterior construction is completed, funds must be found to do the major work in finishing the interior – ceilings, walls, plumbing, electrical work, painting, furniture, equipping the science lab, construction and equipment of the gym floor and so on.

56 Capilano (Land at Curling rink)

The 56 Capilano development proposal is scheduled to go to the city Planning Committee on Oct. 27. councillor Egli shared that the proponent has negotiated an agreement with a social housing provider where it will operate the building after construction and will provide its specific recommendations regarding elements of the zoning amendment and if that is approved, the site plan.

Open house 1509 Merivale Road mid rise proposal – February 24, 2022

The mall that’s gonna go (pink roof building)

As you are likely aware, the Ottawa official plan has been approved by City council. It is now on the (provincial) Minister’s desk and community organisations are approaching the minsite with further changes. The plans means that over the next decades we will likely see changes starting to happen in our neighbourhoods such as infill and a bus corridor, more highrises (and way more traffic).

Cyclists Came Together This Weekend

This weekend we held our 2nd annual Bike Rodeo at Fisher Heights Park, and if you missed it, then read on to see all of the highlights and photos of the day.

It was a cool but perfect day on Saturday for neighbourhood velo lovers, as cyclists of all ages made their way to the park to share their love of cycling.

Visitors were given free safety gear including new bells and reflective straps by member of the Safer Roads Ottawa program; a City action plan promoting road safety in an effort to make Ottawa’s streets the safest around for commuters of all types.

From there, children participated in fun road safety training drills that included learning proper signalling techniques, and enjoyed smoothies made from cycling power.

One of the most popular stops on the day was the tune-up station, where cyclists lined up to receive free bike tune-ups generously donated by Cycle Salvation. Cycle Salvation is a tremendous enterprise that provides employment to people who are economically disadvantaged by training them as bike mechanics; and it also repairs and resells bikes that may otherwise be destined for landfill.

But the highlight of the day was the decorated bike parade, where young cyclists from all over the neighbourhood showed off their creative velo love.

We’d like to thank all the volunteers and organizations who donated their expertise and time to make the Bike Rodeo a huge success. Without you, these events would not be possible. We’d also like to thank everyone who attended on Saturday. It is such a pleasure to see so many smiling faces come together.

 

Meet Peter Loveless, the Angel Among Us

For neighbourhood resident Peter Loveless, helping his neighbours is as much an afterthought as is getting dressed in the morning. And for his warm heart and helping hand, Peter has been awarded the Snow Angel Award by the City of Ottawa.

A Snow Angel is a neighbour or friend that has volunteered to help you, or someone you know who is elderly or has a disability, to improve their accessibility during the winter by clearing snow or ice from their driveway, steps or walkway. – Ottawa.ca

I had a chance to sit down with Pete this week to get his reaction about the award, and to find out a little more about who this angel among us is.

I arrived at the door late Thursday morning to be greeted by a warm smile and a bellowing laugh. I was instantly overcome with a feeling of friendship and welcoming from a man I had never met. The man I was about to meet was Peter Loveless.

Pete grew up in London, Ontario, and in typical Canadian fashion, he grew up playing hockey. Pete played his junior hockey for the Hamilton Red Wings, and later went on to play two years of pro hockey in the Eastern Hockey League. Little did he know, but that experience would serve him well years later as he oversaw the maintenance of our neighbourhood rink for a couple of seasons.

But the real story started about four years ago when Pete simply decided to march up and down the street with his Hummer-sized snowblower and help clear the lane ways for a few of his more elderly neighbours. When I asked him why, a genuine smile fell across his face and he simply said “I felt like doing it, and besides, it helps keep me in shape“. And, in the fall, you’ll find him helping those same neighbours rake their leaves.

Pete speaks highly of his neighbours and his street. He is a member of the neighbourhood Bridge Club, regularly plays Euchre and board games with some other neighbours, and golfs with his mail man. He is a truly active member of the community, and he credits fellow community residents Ken Harten and Bob McCaw for getting him involved in the first place. And, when I spoke with Bob McCaw, he had this to say. ““I met Pete in the early days of the local Fisher Heights Bridge Club. He quickly demonstrated that he was an accomplished player who loved to help others learn and improve their game. His approach was the same when he jumped in to help with the community skating rink, teaching our new young icemaker how best to create a smooth ice surface. That’s just what Pete does – makes things a little smoother for the whole community.”

Pete is the real deal, and a true asset to our neighbourhood. His involvement and commitment to helping keep our little pocket in the city clean and safe is felt throughout the community. He is an inspirational figure for sure, and someone that those of us with young families in the neighbourhood can look up to.

If you know another unsung hero in our neighbourhood, we want to hear about that person. Please contact me, Shane, at sfrancescut@gmail.com

Helping Seniors to Prevent Falling

The City of Ottawa will be getting off on the right foot in the new year by offering an exciting and FREE new program at our very own Fisher Heights Community Place.

The program, called Better Strength, Better Balance, is a fall prevention group exercise class for seniors 65 years and older. Strong muscles, strong bones and better balance will make you more mobile and less likely to fall.

Classes begin Wednesday, January 7th, and run every Wednesday and Friday for twelve weeks. You can choose one of two time slots offered, either 1 to 2pm, or 2:15 to 3:15pm.

Registration begins on December 8, 2014. For more information please call Ottawa Public Health at 613-580-6744 (TTY: 613-580-9656).

The program is described on the City website as follows…

Participants can expect:

• Instruction by a certified fitness instructor to increase muscle strength, balance and coordination.
• Education on preventing falls provided by Ottawa Public Health nurses.
• To attend the program twice a week for 12 weeks.

For more information please visit www.ottawa.ca.

Share Your Community Stories and News

As your Community Association Board, we work hard to bring you the latest news and events from our community, but we don’t know everything that does on in our neighbourhood. That’s where you come in!

We would love to hear from you, and we’re looking for stories related to our community! Are there municipal issues that need to be shared? Do you have a remarkable neighbour or child? Did your grandfather play for the Stanley Cup winning Senators in 1927? Well, we definitely want to hear from you.

If you’ve got a story that you would like to share with the community, either through our website or our newsletter, we invite you to contact either Bob McCaw at Bob.FHACA@bell.net, or Shane Francescut at sfrancescut@gmail.com.

Your participation in community matters is highly valued and greatly appreciated, and it helps to make our ever growing neighbourhood a stronger one.