Durand Neighbourhood Association
 

The yearly meeting is tonight. Is anyone else going?

I'm sure Jack MacDonald will be. haha.

Jack McDonald? Isn't he the one who said the old city hall and Birks building were ugly?

I'll be there for my 1st meeting with them. We'll see how it goes.

No sign of Jack McDonald though I wouldn't recognize him anyway. Bob Bratina was there and I learned he used to live 3 doors down from my house! Right by the train tracks of course. Also a guy from city staff who designs alot of our parks and streetscapes.

A few interesting points:

The houses on Charlton beside Durand Park will not be demolished, though the current DNA and their allies in city hall had pushed for it, there was no sale. I'm happy about that but it's not such a clear cut issue.

The current plans for housing development on the Thistle Club site are apparently very well progressed, and we should see some action on it.

The uphill battle to get pedestrian friendly design implemented on our streets particularily around Durand Park still goes on. They're pushing for lighted crosswalks on Charlton and Herkimer. 2-way, for about the 36th year, remains a pipe dream. The abandoned crosswalk next to Central School(!) has been deemed unsafe to cross so the city is letting the paint fade until people eventually know for sure it's not a designated crosswalk. In the meantime, we just hope that we never get a pedestrian who sees the line and a motorist who doesn't at the same time.

My favorite part was walking up to the Football Hall of Fame and finding the main entrance fenced off with a pile of rubble and half the staircase blasted out.

I joined.

:tup:

Most interesting stat of the night, came from Bob Bratina:
According to the city's equation that calculates recommended greenspace for a neighbourhood, the Durand falls short by the equivalent of 18 football fields!

The city's park planner was visibly nervous squeezing his hands trying to break the bad news as lightly as possible: The Durand has to wait until 2011 to get the proposed upgrade to the park started. He kept mentioning new subdivisions that don't even have a place for kids to play.......

yes they do. Their x-box systems in front of one of their 3 flatscreen TV's.

The postage stamp sized park was also a priority for the many seniors in the area.

You mean the one that was for all intents and purposes was empty on the two sunny and warm mid-Sunday afternoons I passed by this summer..........

Way to go, it's steps like yours that make neighbourhoods better.

So to me that says we need to increase the levy on home builders / developers to cover basic amenities. Yet another case of sprawl development which is otherwise profitable resulting in a net loss to the city.

Tonight

DURAND NEIGHBOURHOOD ASSOCIATION

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING NOTICE



MONDAY, OCTOBER 19TH, 2009

6:45 p.m.

Central Presbyterian Church

165 Charlton Avenue West

(Corner of Charlton & Caroline)



Please join us for our Annual General Meeting followed by an informative and exciting presentation from Ryan McGreal about

“Community Media in Hamilton: Moving From Concern to Information to Action.”



The Agenda is attached for your review as well as the Minutes from the 2008 Annual General Meeting which are to be approved at the upcoming AGM.



Thank you.

oops. would have come. but i either didnt know about it or forgot about it