Alpine Community

Neighbourhood
Association
Alpine Community
Neighbourhood
Association
Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association Newsletter Oct. 2014 Page 1 of 6
Contact: Graham Jeffery, 519-578-9603, gwjeffery@rogers.com
Alpine Community
Neighbourhood
Association
Alpine Community
Neighbourhood
Association
Alpine Community
Neighbourhood
Association
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Special Appeal for Volunteers
In the past few months, two of ACNA's most dedicated volunteers have left Kitchener and
are no longer involved with the Neighbourhood Association. We thank Roberta Ness and
Anne Zeiger for the years of dedicated service they provided to our community. They are
missed as our small core of regular volunteers is very much reduced by their departure.
That's why we need YOU to help the Neighbourhood Association continue our work in our
community. Here's what you can do to help.
1) Attend our meetings which take place once a month between September and June. This
is where our need is greatest. In the meetings, we plan our regular activities and events,
keep track of the issues facing the community and learn more about what the City govern-
ment can do for our neighbourhood. You may even decide to join our executive team,
which will not take up much more of your time. We enjoy our meetings and try to keep
them to a reasonable length, usually an hour.
2) Help deliver our newsletter - four times a year. All newsletters are delivered by volun-
teers, and you can deliver as few as 50 each time on a regular route, although many decide
to expand that to 100, or more. A good walk does a body good. Even without getting more
involved as a volunteer, you can contribute an article to the newsletter, or even an article
suggestion.
3) Participate in our events. Going out for the Halloween Food Drive, or helping to plan
and manage the April cleanup day or the "Cinema Under the Stars" movie night.
4) Be a judge for our annual Garden and Christmas Lights contests.
You don't have to do everything listed above. Most of our volunteers decide to do some
and not others. It's entirely up to you.
We know our efforts are appreciated by our neighbours, and by the City of Kitchener,
which provides valuable support and recognition to this group.
Do you want to know more before committing? Come out to a meeting and sit in. And
you can call me, Graham Jeffery, at 519-578-9603 and ask me anything about the Neigh-
bourhood Association. I'll be happy to talk.
We look forward to seeing you!
Alpine Community
Neighbourhood
Association
Alpine Community
Neighbourhood
Association
Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association Newsletter Oct. 2014 Page 2 of 6
Contact: Graham Jeffery, 519-578-9603, gwjeffery@rogers.com
Volunteer & Donate to Our Halloween Food Drive
The days grow shorter and the nights chillier, and soon it will be time to dress up the children so they
can acquire large quantities of free sugar! It will be Halloween - time for fun and time to help others
too.
Each year, we collect food for the Food Bank of Waterloo Region, and here are the three ways you can
contribute.
1) Halloween Night October 31st - Weather permitting, we will be visiting homes in the neighbourhood,
and collecting food.
2) Haunted House! - In the past on Halloween Night, the Haunted House at 52 Lucerne welcomed your
food donations. We anticipate they will be back with their decorated home again this year.
3) From one week before Halloween to one week after - call 519-578-9603 for a food donation pickup
from your home at a time and day convenient to you. Only non-perishable food, still factory-sealed,
please.
In advance, Thank You for helping our neighbours keep food on their tables.
Our Christmas Decoration Contest
What new innovations in electrically lit decorations will we see this year? Santa on a snow machine?
Christmas Grumpy Cat? Ebenezer Scrooge flled with the Christmas spirit? If you put it on your home,
our judges will see it, as we are going around again this year, early in December, and recognizing the
best decorated property. A new winner will be chosen - we don't pick repeats - and that winner will be
recognized in this newsletter.
So deck the halls with lights aplenty, and help bring holiday cheer to the neighbourhood.
Alpine Community
Neighbourhood
Association
Alpine Community
Neighbourhood
Association
Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association Newsletter Oct. 2014 Page 3 of 6
Contact: Graham Jeffery, 519-578-9603, gwjeffery@rogers.com
Owners of small gardens have big dreams, and contend with even bigger challenges. Space is never
enough to satisfy all needs and desires but choosing plants often translates into magical visions.
This year we have decided to honour the small garden, and have selected a group of small gardens at
219 Kingswood Drive - Units 33 to 42. At this townhouse complex, each garden is limited by size, but
these neighbours together have planted a lovely row of fowers and bushes.
Every spring and summer, there are many beautiful front gardens in the neighbourhood and we encour-
age everyone to go out and view them. Thank you to everyone who contributes to the appearance of the
neighbourhood.
Plastic Bag Recycling
The Region of Waterloo has expanded its recycling program to capture more plastic from bags and wrap.
Here's what you can now recycle...
YES - #4 and #6 plastic bags and wrap. For example...
Grocery and retail store bags
Bags for ...
- Bread
- Fresh and frozen vegetables
- Bulk food
- Softener salt and road salt (cut off handle, which goes to garbage)
- Newspapers
- Dry Cleaning
- Milk - both the outer bag and rinsed inner bags
- Garden product bags for soil and mulch
- Zipper bags after the zipper is cut off and chucked in the garbage
YES also ...
Outer wrap for ...
- Paper towels, Toilet Paper, Diapers
- Soft drink cases, juice cases
NO - Do not recycle the following. Put these items in the garbage ...
- "Crinkle" bags e.g. pasta, snack and cereal liner bags
- Bags made with mixed or multi-layered plastic
- The zippers on the zipper bags, the handles off salt bags
- Bubble wrap
- Stand up pouches
- Cling wrap
- Bags and wrap that were in contact with meat and cheese
ACNA Garden Contest: Our Winners
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Alpine Community
Neighbourhood
Association
Alpine Community
Neighbourhood
Association
Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association Newsletter Oct. 2014 Page 4 of 6
Contact: Graham Jeffery, 519-578-9603, gwjeffery@rogers.com
Don't Miss Any of our Facebook Postings
Make sure you are seeing all the postings for the "Alpine Community Neigh-
bourhood Association" Facebook group. Facebook does not automatically place
all the postings for people/groups you "Like" in your home newsfeed.
Towards the top of the page, you will see the word "Notifcations". Click on
"Notifcations". When the drop-down menu appears, click on "All Posts". Then
you're done.
What To Do About Noise
A local resident was asking this past summer what to do about neighbours' barking dogs late at night.
The following excerpt from the City of Kitchener brochure "Your City Rules" applies to all animal / bird
noises too.
"The City's Noise By-Law prohibits making noise that is likely to disturb a resident. This by-law is in
effect 24 hours a day, however, there is typically a bit more tolerance for noise during the day and early
evenings. If you are charged and found guilty of an infraction under the noise bylaw, you will be fned a
minimum of $300 for each offence.
"Noise bylaws are enforced on a complaint basis by the city and the Waterloo regional police. To fle a
noise complaint, please call the police at 519-653-7700 and ask for dispatch. The police will then con-
tact the city's enforcement division."
On a cold dull winter day, it's always nice to see the fash of colour when a bird drop by the backyard
feeder for a bite to eat. Here's how you can attract many birds of different species.
What kind of feeder?
- You can buy very good bird feeders. There are hopper, platform and tube feeders as well as suet cages.
- Or you can make your own. A well-washed plastic bottle can be hung from a tree, after you put in a
small hole to let the birds get at the seed. Put a perch 3 cm below the hole to help give them access.
- Suet (animal fat) can be hung in an mesh onion bag, or be placed in a half coconut shell, pine cones or
a piece of bark.
- If you are making your own feeder avoid bare metal parts, which can harm birds touching them in very
cold weather.
Where to put the feeder
- Not too close to bushes... as squirrels can jump from a bush to a feeder, and predators can use the
bushes for cover to attack birds. Place at least 3 meters away.
Bird Feeder Tips
Alpine Community
Neighbourhood
Association
Alpine Community
Neighbourhood
Association
Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association Newsletter Oct. 2014 Page 5 of 6
Contact: Graham Jeffery, 519-578-9603, gwjeffery@rogers.com
- Not too far from bushes... because birds feel more secure if there is a bush nearby they can fy to.
- Away from windows... at least 9 meters, as birds may fy into the windows, mistaking the refection for
sky and vegetation. It can help to keep the blinds or curtain closed, or attach streamers or other decora-
tions to break up the refection. Feeders can work within 1 meter from the window as birds won't fy fast
around them.
What to feed the birds
- A mix of different seeds increases the number of birds attracted to your feeder.
- Sunfower seeds are popular with birds. The all-black seeds work better, as more species of birds can
crack them open than the striped seeds.
- Cracked corn is inexpensive, and does well on a platform feeder or on the ground as well. Watch for
wet corn going bad.
- Millet, especially white millet, is preferred by fnches. They prefer feeding from the ground.
- Niger seed is expensive and is usually dispensed from special feeders adapted to fne-billed birds.
- Blue Jays love unshelled peanuts.
- Suet is raw beef or mutton fat, and provides concentrated food energy calories for chickadees, blue jays
and other birds. Suet goes bad in temperatures above freezing and can harm birds if not replaced.
- If the birds are ignoring certain seeds, adjust the menu accordingly. Some commercial seed mixes may
have seed types of little interest to your local birds.
- Birds may also appreciate your providing water if the weather is not too cold; dirt, sand or eggshell as
grit, or even a little salt or wood ash for minerals. If you decide to provide eggshells, be sure to sterilize
them frst. You can boil them for 10 minutes or heat them in an oven (20 minutes at 250 degrees) before
crushing them. Water should be provided so that the birds won't get their feet wet when drinking.
Take care to do it right
- Place the feeder where you can see it often. That will increase the enjoyment and you will remember
to keep it flled.
- Clean the feeder regularly by washing it every three weeks, and rinsing in a 1 part bleach to 9 parts
water mix.
- Keep the squirrels out of the feeder. You can buy squirrel-proof feeders. Or you can place large fun-
nels or disks around poles or above hanging feeders to keep the squirrels off.
- Seed must be kept dry to avoid spoiling, and replaced if it becomes wet.
- Protect the seed from contamination by bird droppings. Clean up under the feeder occasionally.
- Keep the supply of food steady, even through bad weather, as the birds will rely on the feeder for their
food, especially if other people's feeders are far away. Keep feeding until May, when insects emerge and
some fruits and seeds begin to mature.
- Watch out for cats or dogs that may stray into the yard and attack the birds.
Final Words
- To keep your feed costs in check, measure out the same amout of seed consistently every day. Don't
worry if the birds go through it in an hour. They'll learn that they also have to fnd food elsewhere.
- Don't be discouraged if the birds don't fnd the feeder right away. Keep it stocked and be patient.
- Watch the birds from a distance. They can easily be frightened away. You can use binoculars to get a
better look.
- Enjoy
Sources: The websites of Hinterland Who's Who, Canadian Gardening, feederwatch.org. These and
other sources will provide more information.
Alpine Community
Neighbourhood
Association
Alpine Community
Neighbourhood
Association
Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association Newsletter Oct. 2014 Page 6 of 6
Contact: Graham Jeffery, 519-578-9603, gwjeffery@rogers.com
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 vol-
unteer 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 frst 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.
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 con-
cern, exchange information.
- Tell us what you want in this newsletter, suggest a topic, or write something yourself; perhaps an inter-
esting 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.
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, fre, 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 fed the scene, a motor vehicle collision where no inju-
ries 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 depart-
ment at 519-578-3660 x 5555.
Kitchener History Facts
Lord Kitchener had four spaniels called Shot, Bang, Miss and Damn.
The frst-ever Blue-Box recycling program in the world was launched in Kitchener on
September 17, 1981.
The Kitchener Rangers started off as the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters in the 1947-1948 season.
In 1960, their name was changed to the Guelph Royals. They were purchased by the New York
Rangers in 1963 and started playing in Kitchener as the Rangers that year. The team is now
owned by the season ticket holders, and not by the City or community as a whole.