Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association

June 2016

Our Annual Garden Contest

One thing that is noteworthy about
almost every property is that if there is
enough space for a lawn, there is more
growing there than just grass. People
want to have a mix of grass, bushes,
trees and flowers in their front yards.
For some residents, the additional

vegetation is very basic, but others

put many hours of work into what they
display to the community.
Each year, we honour these special
gardens by selecting those worthy of
greater attention. Our volunteer judges

Printed in co-operation with The City of Kitchener

will be out in July, and we will let you

know on Facebook, our blog and
this newsletter which gardens merit a
second look.

Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association

June 2016

ACNA Has A New

Executive Team,
But No President
Successful
Community
Cleanup and
Family Fun Day
In April, ACNA held its annual community
cleanup day to remove litter from the
public areas in our neighbourhood. A
day later we partnered with the Country Hills Recreation Association for the
always enjoyable Family Fun Day at the
Community Center. We would like to
thank the following for the success of
these events:
Our neighbours who cleaned up
litter, and those who volunteered
and donated to the Food Bank at
Family Fun Day
Tim Hortons for donating free coffee
at Family Fun Day, and (along with
Sobeys) thank you gifts for the
cleanup day
The City of Kitchener for their
support of both events

ACNA held its Annual General Meeting in May and we have a new executive team,
but no President. After 5 years as President, Graham Jeffery decided to step down,
but remain active with ACNA. Nobody as yet has volunteered to replace him. But
our executive team is in place, and will decide how active we wish to be.
We are always looking for volunteers to participate in our neighbourhood-building
activities, and new volunteers are never pushed to take a senior role with the
organization, if they dont want to.

The new executive team is:

President: none volunteered
Susan Bishop (Vice President)
Graham Jeffery (Secretary)
Jeff McKinnon (Member at Large)
Ann Whittle (Member at Large)
Karen Van Sickle (Member at Large)
Alexis Brenner (Member at Large)

All are welcome at our regular

meetings. After the summer break,
our first meetings are:
September 13th, 7:00 pm at Country Hills Community Center
October 4th, 7:00 pm at Alpine Public School
November 1st, 7:00 pm at Alpine Public School
Contact Graham Jeffery (gwjeffery@rogers.com) if you would like to know more.

Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association

June 2016

Neighbourhood Strategy
The City of Kitchener is now developing
a Neighbourhood Strategy program
which is designed to ...help people
connect and work together to do great
things in their neighbourhoods. This
program will make it easier for people
to take good neighbourhood-building
ideas from concept to reality.
For example, using a neighbourhood
strategy, a neighbourhood could have:
more vibrant community
gathering spaces
more relationships
between neighbours
more people engaged in a positive
and proactive approach to
neighbourhood development
more support for vital community
partners in the work theyre
already doing
a greater sense of belonging to the
neighbourhood and to the City as
a whole
This program will coordinate all the
different elements of a neighbourhood,
including people, groups, places and
spaces. It will facilitate greater access
to resources and support at the
neighbourhood level and foster greater
collaboration among neighbours,
community partners and city programs
and services.
For example, under a Neighbourhood
Strategy program...

Residents could be asked for their input on their neighbourhood as a whole,

and on how we can work together to
make our neighbourhood better.
Positive initiatives can be proactively
started for a neighbourhood, rather
than nobody taking any action
beyond simply fixing problems.
City and Region government red
tape can be reduced.
People in neighbourhoods can
better know those who provide
City government services, making
it easier to get projects started
and completed.
The Neighbourhood Strategy project
team is a broad-ranging group of local
volunteers who are active in neighbourhood associations and community
development, along with a number of
Kitchener city staff involved with neighbourhood issues, Graham Jeffery of
ACNA is one of these volunteers on
the team.
The strategy is still being built, using one
of the largest community consultation
exercises ever done in Kitchener. This
summer, they will be going out to ask
people what they want to see in their
neighbourhood and how they would
like to work with the City to implement
it. To see how you can contribute your
ideas go to the City of Kitchener website, click on Living in Kitchener, then
Neighbourhoods, then #lovemyhood.
We look forward to your ideas.

Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association

June 2016

Cinema Under
the Stars

l to prioritize the programs and services delivered by the city and set direction for the work to be
r. This process includes consideration of the operating and capital budgets, public input, and then final
uneven sidewalks having a trip hazard
Dear Alpine Residents,
t.

that is greater than the acceptable limits

To know
what matters
important
to theset
the Province.
Please the
be city
aware
erations, council
considered
funding are
for all
of the services
cityby
provides
as well as funding
you
is
the
best
way
for
me
to
ensure
I priorities:
he proposed budget focused on the consideration of three
(1) Canadian
Keep currentweather
tax supported
cityour
that our
keeps
e investment
arms length
(3) Increase
utilitybusy
infrastructure.
canincontinue
to organizations.
get things done
for our investment
crewsinvery
with this, as new
Ward 6 community. I will again circulate

locations
are constantly
ovided with a high-level summary of the Accelerated Infrastructure
Replacement
Program being
(AIRP).added.
The
a Ward 6 survey this summer in the
Tree roots
can
beitsa ability
common
cause
rioritize and replace underground city-owned assets (infrastructure)
before
thealso
end of
to deliver

Alpine neighbourhood. Part of this survey

of lifted sidewalk slabs. If you have an
will be to gauge your interest in having
address that needs maintenance, I
there is limited
disruptionsgarden
or risk tointheordelivery
of the
essential services, but proactive maintenance also
a community
around
would
forward
thatofinformation
our underground infrastructure. The increasingly frequent water
main happily
breaks are
an example
what
Alpine Village area.
to operations for attention.

stments to infrastructure dont occur. Therefore, I have spoken in support of a balanced, but proactive
infrastructure.

Recently, there have been a number of

Planning has already started for the

Cinema Under the Stars FREE annual
family movie event, which will take place
at Country Hills Community Center later
this summer. We hope to show the
film outdoors but would relocate to the
Community Center gym if the weather
obliges us to.
Keep an eye on our Facebook page
and blog for the date and time of the
event, and the title of the recently
released family movie to be shown.

Development at Strasburg and Block

residents
have
come
forward
or ward related
matters.that
I can be
reached
by email
at paul.singh@kitchener.ca,
or number
call me atof
519-741-2793.
Line Roads: A
residents have
expressing their desire for a community
garden. I personally am an advocate
and agree with multiple studies that
have shown that natural areas such as
community gardens grant a variety of
social benefits. Natural places foster
recovery from mental fatigue, improve
outlook and quality of life. (Maller et
al., 2005). Most importantly community
gardens are a great equalizer, helping
to bring people together.

I have tried some other tools to engage

with the Ward 6 community in addition
to my monthly meetings at the Country
Hills Community Centre on the third
Wednesday of every month from
7:30PM to 8:30PM.
These were some of the topics that were
frequently raised:
Dips in the Sidewalk: This continues
to be a city-wide priority. I can assure
you that crews are assigned over the
spring/summer/early fall months to
mark, patch with asphalt, or mud jack

contacted me over the past few months

expressing their concern over the land
parcel at this corner. Im glad to inform
you that the developer has recently
been in contact with our planning staff,
which now has a site plan application in
process. Construction is expected to
The budget process allows council to prioritize the programs and services delivered by the city and set direction fo
begin sometime
this year.year. This process includes consideration of the operating and capital budgets, publ
completed
over the upcoming
review and approval of the budget.

Constituency engagement and acces-

Dont Miss Any

of our Facebook
Postings

During
operating
deliberations,
council
sibilitythe
will
remainbudget
a corner
stone of
my considered funding for all of the services the city provides as w
provides to other organizations. The proposed budget focused on the consideration of three priorities: (1) Keep cu
purpose as your elected representative
services at status quo. (2) Increase investment in arms length organizations. (3) Increase investment in utility inf

at City Hall. Please dont hesitate to

Earlier
in the
year,
council
was provided
with aor
high-level summary of the Accelerated Infrastructure Replacemen
forward
me
any
of your
questions
Make sure you are seeing all of the
primary
objective
of
AIRP
is
to
prioritize
and
replace
underground city-owned assets (infrastructure) before the en
concerns. I am happy to make myself
postings for the Alpine Community
service.

available to meet with you at a time and

Neighbourhood Association Face-

This
not only
helps
ensure that there
is limited
risk to theFacebook
delivery of essential
but proac
location
that
is toconvenient
to you.
You disruptions
book orgroup.
does services,
not
helps
prolong
our underground infrastructure. The increasingly frequent water main breaks are
can to
reach
methe
at life
Citycycle
Hall of
519-741-2793,
automatically
place allI have
the spoken
postings
happens when the necessary investments to infrastructure
dont occur. Therefore,
in support of a b
by email
at paul.singh@kitchener.ca,
for the people/groups you Like in
approach
to investing
in our hard infrastructure.

or follow me on Twitter @paulsingh-

your home newsfeed.

Please
do contact me about any city or ward related matters. I can be reached by email at paul.singh@kitchener.ca, or c
ward6.

Sincerely,

Sincerely,

Councillor
Councillor
PaulPaul
Singh Singh
Ward 6 Ward 6

Towards the top of the group page,

you will see the word Notifications.
Click on it, and when the drop-down
menu appears, click on All Posts.
Then youre done.

Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association

June 2016

Summer
Fireworks Safety
For safety reasons, the City of
Kitchener regulates the use of
fireworks the general public can
set off. Here are the rules...
Fireworks can only be set off on
Victoria Day and Canada Day and
the days immediately before and
after Victoria Day and Canada Day.
Fireworks cannot be sold to anyone
under the age of 18.
Firecrackers are different from fireworks, are illegal and cannot be sold
or set off anywhere in Kitchener.
Fireworks must not be set off:
On any city street or highway
In any woodlot, public trail, or ballpark
On any City of Kitchener parkland,
unless you have a permit to do so

Heres some advice as well. When

setting off fireworks, always:
Use fireworks outdoors only;
Choose a clear, open area;
Check wind direction and speed;
Always have an adult present;
Have water handy;
Use eye protection and wear
non-flammable clothing;
Read and follow label directions;
Keep spectators at least 20 metres 65 feet - from launch area;
Wait 30 minutes after display has
ended and dispose of fireworks
properly (soak in water then dispose
in trash bin).
Never:

Within 25 feet - 8 metres - of any

building or structure

Experiment with homemade

fireworks;

In areas containing dead

undergrowth or trees.

Give fireworks to small children;

Light more than one firework at a
time, or relight duds;
Throw or point fireworks at
other people;
Carry fireworks in your pocket;
Shoot fireworks in metal or
glass containers.

Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association

June 2016

Garbage and
Recycling Rules
Will Change
In March 2017, the rules for curbside
garbage pickup provided by the Region
of Waterloo will change. According to
the Region, this will help to:
Preserve and protect our environment.
Improve air quality.
Reduce costs and save space in
the landfill.
Encourage everyone to think about
the waste they generate, and to
manage it responsibly.
While the details of these changes will
be communicated closer to March,
here is some basic information. There
will be...
Bi-weekly garbage collection: Four
garbage bag/containers (maximum
of 50 pounds or 23 kilograms each)
will be collected once every two
weeks. This is a reduction from the
current 10 bag/container weekly
limit. 86% of Waterloo Region
households only put out one or two
bags of garbage each week.
A bag tag program to accommodate
garbage set-out beyond the four
item limit. A garbage tag is a sticker
that will be needed on each bag or
container above the limit. It will likely

cost about $2 for each extra item.

The Region will offer an initial grace
period and provide a small supply of
free tags to help residents get used
to the program changes. More information about how to purchase tags
will be available closer to the launch
of the program.
An exemption program for special
circumstances, like for those homes
with significant amounts of
medical waste.
Bi-weekly collection of appliances
and bulky items. Three items will be
collected once every two weeks.
Unlimited weekly blue box and green
bin collection.
Bi-weekly yard waste collection (April
to November).
Double-up days around the holidays,
allowing people to put out more
garbage without having to buy tags.

What can you

do to be more
involved in your
neighbourhood?
Come out to our monthly meetings.
We enjoy getting together. We plan
events, discuss issues of concern,
exchange information.
Tell us what you want in this newsletter, suggest a topic, or write
something yourself; perhaps an
interesting story you want to share.
Pay a special tribute to a neighbour,
through the newsletter, blog or
Facebook page.
Get involved in our events - like our
Earth Day Cleanup, or the events
we organize with the Country Hills
Recreation Association.
Join our Facebook page and
contribute there.
Help us deliver the newsletter. Its a
volunteer effort! Four times a year
and no more than a few dozen
copies for each person to deliver.

W ebsit e: h tt p: / / al pi ne - cna.b logs p ot . c om/

F ace book gr ou p: Al pi ne Co m m u n it y N eighb ourhood A s s oc ia t ion
GRAHAM JEFFERYPRESIDENT OF ACNA
519-503-4795 GWJEFFERY@ROGERS.COM

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BOURKECOTTAGE@GMAIL.COM