Hello Woodparkers. First let me welcome to our board Jessica Holman. Jessica has recently moved into Woodpark and brings to the team both new ideas and a youthful outlook. She will be initially involved the social committee.
It is said that you can’t fight City Hall, but I keep trying. Much of my time recently has been spent working with and advocating on behalf of the community with the Stage 2 (LRT) office. This is a two head approach; current construction and future rail design. Sometimes I am digging into the issues of truck traffic on the local streets other times it is addressing poor quality work (e.g. drainage issues around the new sidewalks on Byron) and sometimes it is even something positive such as working with the City on locating a permanent water spigot for the community garden. I have also been coordinating with other developments in Woodpark (e.g. Wentworth & Hartleigh) where local neighbours have identified some concerns. Recently I have been spending about 10 hours per week on community issues it's quite a part time job.
We are often asked by the city to provide input into various projects in Woodpark. Most recently we provided feedback on the Stage 2 transit stations (New Orchard & Lincoln Fields) which for the most part was resoundingly ignored or dismissed. We hope Stage 2 will release final design plans for the 2km that wraps two sides of our community. It is frustrating, however we will continue to fight and encourage all members of Woodpark to contribute their thoughts and opinions. Perhaps if enough of us speak up, someone will start listening and respond appropriately. The City provides a mechanism to provide input at their Engage Ottawa website. Like I said earlier, you can’t fight city hall but we will keep working with the City to support the community.
Finally, the association is going to try to add some fun and joy with upcoming community activities. Be on the lookout for a blog post containing a proposed list of community events for the fall and winter. We want to encourage everyone to join in and have some fun. Until the next time, stay safe enjoy life in Woodpark.