by Alex MacWilliam
As we enjoy some glorious summer sunshine, I am excited to announce that the BRCA community hall is going solar! In partnership with the Enmax Community Solar Fund, solar panels will soon be installed on the awning covering the courtyard patio. With unobstructed south-facing exposure to the sun, we anticipate soaking up a lot of natural, renewable energy all year round, reducing our electrical consumption by an estimated 49%. With the ever-increasing electricity costs, reducing our dependency on supply from the grid will be a welcome benefit to the community association. We are very excited to be included in this energy-saving program that will reduce our carbon footprint and help the environment.
Some not so good news about our community hall is that the repairs of the damage caused by November’s fire are taking longer than we had expected. During the repairs, additional smoke damaged areas were discovered, necessitating further restoration work. We apologize to those inconvenienced by the ongoing closure of the hall and are very hopeful that the repairs will be completed and the hall re-opened for business by the time you receive the next issue of this newsletter.
At our May Board meeting, we received a presentation from representatives from the City of Calgary managing the next phase of the Bridgeland-Riverside Main Streets Project. Phase 1 of this project is underway on Edmonton Trail between Memorial Drive and 2 Avenue NE and Phase 2 will see construction commence later this summer. This second phase will involve operational and streetscape improvements along 1 Avenue from 4 Street to 11 Street and will include widened sidewalks, more plants, trees, bike racks, benches, new street lighting, and additional/upgraded pedestrian crossings. Further details will be provided on our BRCA social media once construction is ready to commence. Additional information is available on the City’s project website at calgary.ca/BridgelandMainStreets.
Our cover this month features our popular Farmers’ Market, which is celebrating its tenth year of operation. Our thanks go out to the dedicated band of volunteers who had a vision to bring local food, beverage, and craft vendors to the community and who have persevered through a pandemic and the vagaries of Calgary weather. The 2023 Farmers’ Market season kicks off on June 22. I hope to see you there.
Click here to the Bridgeland Community News home page for the latest Bridgeland community updates.
