Heritage Director – Update
My message was a little off in the last newsletter. Marilyn Williams is stepping back from some of the things she has been doing as heritage director but is willing to carry on with most of what she has been doing. We welcome others to get involved with heritage in various ways. If you are interested, please contact me at [email protected].
Environment Director
Shannon MacLeod is stepping down from the role of Environment Director. Shannon is willing to help a new person learn this role. It includes working with adjacent communities to organize the Pathway and River Clean-Up in May and organizing our Community Clean-Up Day in September. This person also liaisons with our two community gardens. There is an opportunity to take on additional activities, like writing newsletter articles, depending on your interests. If you would like to explore this important role, please contact me at [email protected]. We would like to thank Shannon for all she has done for the community.
New Board Member
I should have noted in the last newsletter that we have a new director-at-large. His name is Ted Knudtson. We welcome him to the board.
Clarification on my comments in the last newsletter
In the last newsletter, I noted that we have been receiving fewer development permit applications during the last year, but that we still receive some large applications that keep us busy.
I got a couple of e-mails as a result, specifically inquiring about what is happening at the NE corner of 23rd Avenue and 5th Street SW. We do not have any details at the time of writing this column (early October). However, based on our experience elsewhere and what we are observing, they may be getting prepared to redevelop or sell the property.
Another thing I should clarify is that we do not support demolition of our heritage buildings, although it does occur when properties are redeveloped. For comparison, the Rouleau House has been empty for many years and is just now being brought back to life. There is always hope for an adaptive use of these buildings.
There is an important issue that neighbours have identified. The site has not been properly secured. We are supporting efforts to get this corrected.
For your information, the corner house at this site was built in 1908, which makes it one of the oldest houses in Cliff Bungalow. The adjacent house was built in 1912 when many of our older original houses were built. Thomas Cullen, a rancher, was the one of the original co-owners of the corner house and was the original owner of the adjacent house. There were other houses in our community that were owned by ranchers. I suspect it may have been partly because of their wives, who found ranching less than enchanting year-round. This was a way to be part of both ranching and a vibrant urban centre with all of its amenities.
Thank You Casino Volunteers
We had a casino back on September 30 and October 1 that we could not have done without the wonderful volunteers who worked shifts during the days. Casinos are the largest fundraising activity we have. We will receive the net proceeds from this casino around mid-November.
We want to thank the following volunteers: Peter Bartsch (2 shifts), Brenda Brown (2 shifts), Brenda Christie (2 shifts), Constantine Cioraneanu, Mariana Cioraneanu, Shauna de’Andrea, Janice Dicken, Thomas Fielding (2 shifts), David Frishman (2 shifts), Lynn Gaudet (2 shifts), Sue Gryzenhout, John Gryzenhout, Murray Hiebert, Georgia Hoffman (2 shifts), Rob Jobst, Ted Knudtson, Florence Lye (2 shifts), Josh Lyttle (2 shifts), Allan MacInnes, Roberto Montagni, Frits Pannekoek, Ailsa Teskey, Robin Thompson, Shelley Wheaton (2 shifts), and Rick Willams.
