ACNA January 2014 Newsletter

Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association
CONTACTS: President of ACNA, Graham Jeffery, 519-578-9603, gwjeffery@rogers.com or Vice President of ACNA Anne Zeiger - azeiger@rogers.com Website: http://alpine-cna.blogspot.com/ Alpine Community
ACNA NEWSLETTER January 2014
Neighbourhood Public Skating Near the Alpine Area Association

The closest indoor rinks in our area are at the Activa Sportsplex at 135 Lennox Lewis Way, and the Lions Arena, 20 Rittenhouse Road. Their winter public skating schedule continues to the middle or end of March, depending on which day and time. The schedule below does have certain closure dates, so check out the detailed schedule at: http://www.kitchener.ca/en/livinginkitchener/public_skating_schedule.asp Mondays 4:15 pm to 5:05 pm - Activa - Free Tuesdays 11:00 am to 12:50 pm - Lions - Free Tuesdays 4:00 pm to 4:50 pm - Activa - Free Wednesdays 11:00 am to 12:50 pm - Lions - Free Wednesdays 4:00 pm to 4:50 pm - Lions - Free Thursdays 11:15 am to 12:05 pm - Activa - Free Thursdays 4:15 pm to 5:05 pm - Activa - Free Fridays 10:15 am to 12:05 pm - Activa - Free Saturdays 1 pm to 2:50 pm - Lions - Pay Fee Sundays 3 pm to 4:50 pm - Lions - Pay Fee There are also special free holiday skate sessions around Christmas and New Year's, so check the web page noted above for those times and dates as well. There are outdoor rinks which will be in operation (weather permitting) through the winter. The City Hall rink is already operating. Located closer to us, they are at: - Country Hills Community Centre, 100 Rittenhouse Rd - Chandler Mowat Community Centre, 222 Chandler Dr - Elmsdale Park, 83 Elmsdale Dr
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Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association Newsletter Jan. 2014 Contact: Graham Jeffery, 519-578-9603, gwjeffery@rogers.com or Anne Zeiger - azeiger@rogers.com
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A New Bridge for Block Line Road On November 22nd 2013, the new road bridge opened, which extends Block Line Road to Courtland Avenue. This bridge provides quicker, shorter access to the shopping district along Fairway Road, which includes Fairview Mall. From the Homer Watson/Block Line roundabout, the new route to Fairway Road is about a mile shorter (1.6 km) and should be 2 to 4 minutes quicker than the alternate routes via Hanson and Hayward, or via Bleams and Manitou. Halloween Night Food Drive - Our Thanks To 52 Lucerne It rained on Halloween eve and this prevented our volunteers from going door-to-door to collect for the Waterloo Region food bank. Rained out for the second year in a row! However, thanks to Joe and Sandra and their family at 52 Lucerne, 138 pounds of food was collected from those courageous people who braved their horrifically scary Haunted House. We thank everyone for the food donations and we all look forward to better weather next October Winter Parking and Snow Clearing - Doing Our Part for the Community City of Kitchener winter parking rules are in effect until March 31st. Until then, there is no parking on the street between 2:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. every day. During a City-declared "Snow Event", there is no parking on the street during all 24 hours of that day from midnight to midnight. During that period, cars which impede snow clearing can be ticketed ($80) and possibly towed as well. Residents who suspect their car has been towed should call 519-741-2330 to find out where their car has been relocated. A snow event may also be declared if there is more than 8 centimeters of snow forecast. You can keep track of snow events through the local media. City by-laws require property owners or occupants to remove snow and ice from sidewalks within 24 hours of a snowfall. To report unshoveled walks, call 519-741-2330, but wait until 24 hours after it stopped snowing before you call. If called, City staff will inspect the property and issue a notice to the resident. If the sidewalk is not cleared upon re-inspection, city staff will remove the snow and invoice the resident. Thank You Neighbour! Recently Colleen Coulson retired from the executive group of our Neighbourhood Association. She was one of those who started the Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association in 2007 and served in the years since as President and then Secretary. Along with her husband Gary, she attended our meetings and participated in our regular events, like the Halloween Food Drive, the Earth Day community cleanup, and newsletter delivery. Thank you to both of you for all you have done for our community!
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Holiday Lights and Decorations Contest Winner At this time of year, we have just 9 hours of daylight, compared to almost 15 hours in the middle of June. That's why it is so nice to have our neighbours put up lights during the Holiday Season, to brighten the long winter nights. There were many homes with beautiful displays, so it was tough to choose a winner, but our judges chose 53 Geneva Crescent. Congratulations! A new winner is chosen each year and we look forward to next year's displays.
Activa Sportsplex
Track Hours Starting Tuesday, Sept. 3 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., daily (Sunday to Saturday) unless otherwise posted. 1. Individuals are required to wear proper footwear (running shoes or approved walking shoes). Street shoes, spikes, inline skates, flip-flops, clogs, socks and bare feet are not permitted. 2. Walkers, joggers, and runners share the same track. Please be considerate to all users. 3. All individuals on the track are to move safely at all times. 4. All individuals must travel in the same direction (please be cautious when passing). 5. In order to ensure traffic flow, individuals are not to travel in groups larger then two across. 6. Individuals with strollers are to stay on the inside track and must stay in a single file line when traveling in groups. 7. No food or beverages (other than water) will be permitted on the track. Spitting water is not permitted. 8. No exercise apparatus (i.e., skipping ropes, medicine balls, floor mats, etc.) are permitted in the track area. 9. Please refrain from wearing perfumes, and colognes. 10. Children under the age of 13 must be accompanied by an adult. 11. Teams using the track must have an adult Coach or Manager present at all times. 12. Music selection is at the discretion of City of Kitchener staff. 13. Lockers are available for daily use. No overnight storage; patrons must bring their own locks. 14. The City of Kitchener is not responsible for any lost or stolen items.
...............submitted by Roberta Ness Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association Newsletter Jan. 2014 Contact: Graham Jeffery, 519-578-9603, gwjeffery@rogers.com or Anne Zeiger - azeiger@rogers.com
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Law of the Garbage Truck One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.' He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you.. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, So .... Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't.
Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it! Have a garbage-free day!
...............submitted by Dennis Haid
Janes Walk is a series of neighbourhood walking tours. Named after urban activist and writer Jane Jacobs, Jane's Walks are held annually during the first weekend in May to coincide with her birthday. Jane's Walks are led by volunteers, and are offered for free. The walks are led by anyone who has an interest in the neighbourhoods where they live, work or hang out. They are not always about architecture and heritage, and offer a more personal take on the local culture, the social history and the planning issues faced by the residents. Since its inception in 2007, Janes Walk has happened in cities across North America. In 2009, over 10,000 people took part in a Jane's Walk led by volunteers in 263 neighbourhoods in 24 towns and cities across North America. Cities that have participated in Jane's Walk include Calcutta, Calgary, Halifax, Ljubljana, Montreal, Ottawa, Sudbury, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Waterloo, Kitchener, Windsor, Winnipeg, Anchorage, Boston, Dayton, Detroit, New Orleans, New York City, Oakland, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle and St. Louis. In 2009, a walk in Mumbai, India was added. In 2011 the first Jane's Walk in Madrid was held. In Slovenia Jane's Walk was organized in 8 cities in 2012. The organizer, Institute for Spatial Policies, also published a manual how to prepare and organize the event. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. ............submitted by Roberta Ness
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Clean Humour Q: What do you call an elf who sings? A: a wrapper! Q: What goes "oh oh oh"? A: Santa walking backwards Q: Why does Santa Claus go down the chimney on Christmas Eve? A: Because it soots him Q: Why cant the Christmas tree stand up? A: It doesnt have legs. Q: Whats the difference between the Christmas alphabet and the ordinary alphabet? A: The Christmas alphabet has Noel. Q: What is the most popular Christmas carol in the desert? A: Camel ye Faithful. Q: What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus? A: Claustrophobic. Q: What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? A: Frostbite Q: What Christmas carol is a favorite of parents? A: Silent Night Q: What do snowmen eat for breakfast? A: Frosted Flakes The 4 stages of life: 1. You believe in Santa Claus 2. You dont believe in Santa Claus 3. You dress up as Santa Claus 4. You look like Santa Claus Come Attend a Meeting! Our upcoming Neighbourhood Association meetings will be at Alpine Public School on February 4th, March 4th, and April 1st. We discuss issues affecting the neighbourhood, plan our community events, and keep up-to-date with City of Kitchener news affecting us all. Anyone can come and attend. So please do. These meeting dates are all Tuesdays and all meetings take place at 7:00 pm in the school library. Please be on time as we have to lock the school's main doors soon after 7:00.
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There's Lots Happening at the Kitchener Public Library The nearest Kitchener Public Library branch to the Alpine community is at St. Mary's High School, just off Block Line Road, just east of the Homer Watson roundabout. Besides the books, magazines, CDs, and DVDs, the Country Hills branch also has events and programs for adults, children and babies. Here are just a few of these... Brain Research and Learning Problems - What works to help those with learning problems? - January 27 at 7:00 pm (Registration required) Growing Roses - January 21 at 7:00 pm Protecting Our Bees From Pesticides & Mortality - Feb. 11 at 7:00 pm Seedy Saturday - February 22 from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm - featuring gardening workshops, community information booths, seed sales and exchanges, Master Gardeners to answer questions and more. To learn more about these and other events, go online to kpl.org or pick up the KPL "In Touch" magazine at your branch. Nature in the City This Winter The Kitchener Natural Areas Program has three guided walks with a naturalist this winter 2014... Saturday, Jan. 18 @ 9 a.m. - Winter birds along the Walter Bean Trail. Walk the Walter Bean Trail along Pioneer Tower. Look for winter birds including a variety of songbirds, ducks, geese and maybe even a wintering bald eagle. Bring binoculars and proper winter footwear. All ages and birding skill levels welcome. Meet at the parking area off Lookout Lane south of Deer Ridge Drive. Sunday, Feb. 2 @ 1 p.m. - Winter wildlife tracking. Learn to recognize some of the common winter animal tracks and enjoy a leisurely hike through the forests and field of the Huron Natural Area by Trillium Drive. All ages welcome. Be prepared for outdoor conditions. Meet at front entrance picnic shelter. Saturday Feb. 22 @ 7-9 p.m. - Owls in Kitchener's natural areas. Spend an evening learning about the different owls that live around here. Begin with an indoor slideshow and then head outside to call and search for local owl species. All ages welcome! Location: Huron Natural Area by Trillium Drive. Meet in school portable near main entrance parking lot. LIMITED SPACES - REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Register by sending an email via this web page... http://www.kitchener.ca/en/livinginkitchener/KitchenerNaturalAreasProgram.asp
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Get a Head Start on Gardening Season Plant Seeds Indoors The gardening season in Kitchener is short starting after the last frost of spring (around May 11) and ending with the first frost in the fall (around September 29). Gardeners can sow their seeds outside after the middle of May, but this limits the varieties of plants that can be grown. Or they buy potted seedlings when the growing season begins. However, many gardeners start their plants indoors. This is cheaper and will provide for a greater variety of species than nurseries supply. Tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, eggplant, cauliflower, melons, squashes, herbs and flowers can all start successfully indoors. Some plants dont transplant well and have to be sown outdoors after the last spring frost. These include many root, tuber or bulb crops (like beets, radishes, turnips, onions, potatoes, carrots) and leafy greens (lettuces, spinach, cabbage, chards). Working back from the last frost date, plant indoors based on the type of flower or crop. For example, some flowers should be started 8 weeks in advance, while tomatoes can start 6 to 7 weeks before. You should expect to plant outdoors a couple of weeks after last frost. Check the seed packets for plant variety information. It's important to keep seeds warm and damp so they can germinate. Set the temperature at 21 degrees C (70F) or a bit higher to help germination and growth. Provide extra heating if you keep your home thermostat down during winter. And dont let them dry out! Put a clear plastic cover or sheeting (lifted away from the surface of the soil) to help keep them humid. This cover comes off after germination. Use a light seed-starting soil, not potting soil or soil from the garden. You can use commercially-sold planting trays, or individual pots like commercial peat pots, yogurt cups or milk cartons. Make sure there is a hole in the bottom for drainage. Place your pots on a tray so you can water from the bottom up, which soaks the soil well and prevents seeds from being dislodged by water poured from above. Or a spray pump bottle can be used to water from above. Plant your seeds to the depth indicated on the seed packets and label your pots so you know which plants are in which containers. When the seeds sprout, give them air, light and nutrients. A sunny window and ordinary fluorescent light tubes work fine. Keep the artificial light 10 centimeters above the plants. Youll have to raise the lights as the plants grow. Turn the lights off at night. A weak all-purpose fertilizer solution will help growth. Carefully water them from above, and avoid overwatering. As the plants grow, they will have to be carefully transplanted to larger individual pots, perhaps more than once, using regular potting soil at this stage. When the time comes to move them outdoors into the ground, start by setting their pots outside during the day and taking them in at night, to get them used to outdoor temperatures and conditions. This gives you an idea of how to start your garden indoors. It seems like a lot of work, but once youre set up, youll benefit year after year. There are more details youll need to know to manage this successfully but they can be found in books and on the internet. Happy Gardening in 2014!
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Some important numbers:

Emergency! - Call 911 if there is an immediate risk to the safety of people or property, like a crime in progress, medical emergency, fire, or serious motor vehicle collision. Call the police at 519-653-7700 for non-emergency situations, like theft from a vehicle, property damage where suspects have fled the scene, a motor vehicle collision where no injuries are reported, and general inquires. For Alpine Public School property issues, please call Bestel Security at 519-749-3838 For Our Lady of Grace School property issues, you can call the Catholic School Board facilities department at 519-578-3660 x 5555. 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 tribute to a special neighbour, through the newsletter, blog or Facebook page. - Get involved in our events - like our Earth Day Cleanup, or Halloween Food Drive. - Join our Facebook page and contribute there. - Help us deliver the newsletter. It's a volunteer effort! Four times a year and no more than a few dozen for each person to deliver. Call Graham at 519-578-9603 or email gwjeffery@rogers.com for details on any of these.
ACNA is on Facebook. Look for our group under the name Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association and join up. The group page will provide notification of upcoming events and provide a link to our blog, where you can learn more about ACNA and our neighbourhood. Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association - Who Are We? We are the neighbourhood association for the area bounded by Block Line Road, Homer Watson Blvd, Strasburg Road and Ottawa Street. Anybody living within these boundaries is welcome to join. We volunteer to ensure a better social, economic and business climate in the neighbourhood. We publish this newsletter, organize events, hold an annual food drive, provide our neighbours with useful information, and focus on problems in the neighbourhood. We meet once a month during the school year, usually the first Tuesday of each month, in the Alpine Public School library, at 7:00PM. Feel free to come to a meeting! For more information, call Graham Jeffery 519-578-9603.
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ACNA January 2014 Newsletter

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ACNA January 2014 Newsletter

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Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association

Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association

ACNA NEWSLETTER January 2014

Neighbourhood Public Skating Near the Alpine Area Association

Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association

Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association

...............submitted by Dennis Haid

Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association

Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association

Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association

Some important numbers:

Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association

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