Author: Christina Leadlay
NECA Board Meeting: Tuesday June 20, 8 p.m.
The New Edinburgh Community Alliance (NECA) will meet on Tuesday June 20, 2017, at 8 p.m. at 255 MacKay St. (Nectar).
The draft agenda is available here.
Meetings are open to all New Edinburgh residents. Anyone wishing to make a presentation to the board should please contact Cindy Parkanyi in advance to arrange scheduling.
New Heritage Conservation District Plan!
April 2017
Important message from Nectar
The Future of New Edinburgh House: Have Your Say!
The community is invited to participate in a meeting on Tuesday, April 18th at 7:00pm in the Community Room at 255 Mackay Street to discuss this important topic. If you wish to attend, please contact info@nectarcentre.ca or call 613 745 2742.
AN IMPORTANT LETTER FROM NECTAR
March 2017
As some in the community are aware, Nectar and its predecessor organization, the Crichton Cultural Community Centre (CCCC), have always been obliged to operate as non-profit, charitable organizations delivering programming and services for the community without any ongoing operational support from the municipal government. The only City-owned and supported facility in New Edinburgh is the Stanley Park Field House, which is not equipped to host the types of programs and services offered by Nectar, programs and services which are offered with City support in other communities throughout Ottawa.
Almost six years ago, the purchase of 200 Crichton was notionally considered to secure a home for community services and programming, but the process and terms for acquiring the building were simply too costly and onerous to overcome. Faced with the imminent collapse of our organization and loss of community programming when the building was acquired by The School of Dance, the Board worked with its partners at the MacKay United Church to acquire 255 MacKay Street (New Edinburgh House) as the main hub of operations, and to lease Memorial Hall at 39 Dufferin Street to house larger programming classes and events. The Board recognized that this was a costly rebuilding period for the organization, and that New Edinburgh House was really an interim plan to get the organization back on its feet for the next 5 years.
It is now a little over 5 years since that fateful time, and Nectar as an organization has made enormous strides since nearly folding. In addition to a thriving Afterschool Program, Playgroups, and Music Program, there has never been a more varied and extensive catalogue of Fitness and Leisure Programming on offer to the community. However, the transitional reserves the Board set aside for this costly rebuilding period over the past 5 years have now been depleted, and the organization has reached an important crossroads. After numerous discussions with City Parks & Recreation Staff, the City has definitively confirmed that its legal and regulatory framework rules out the possibility of providing operational support to New Edinburgh House, support that Nectar needs to remain financially sustainable.
In January 2017, the Nectar Board agreed to a forward-looking plan to address our current financial situation. The principal steps in our plan are:
1. Membership Campaign: Launch a new Membership Program to provide Nectar with a consolidated means to reach out to its base of users and stakeholders, and further bolster the Nectar community. This program is already garnering significant support from Nectar program participants and residents via a door-to-door campaign. For a token fee of $10 single and $25 family, members receive a monthly E-newsletter and event discounts, and perhaps most importantly, help Nectar continue providing quality programs to over 1000 people a year.
2. Program Needs Assessment Survey: Inform our facilities and staffing plan with the data/information obtained from the NECA-lead initiative to conduct a Community Program Needs Assessment Survey in the spring of 2017 to determine local residents’ programming priorities and preferences.
3. Possible Sale of New Edinburgh House: Revisit the need to retain New Edinburgh House in light of our current financial reality. Many in the community would deeply regret the loss of this welcoming, gracious house which has become a much loved community hub and home. Unfortunately, the lack of any roadmap towards ongoing operational support of this facility by City of Ottawa Parks & Recreation has resulted in the Board needing to take action in the coming months to explore a possible sale of this community asset. But before we move ahead with such a major step, we invite community members to join us in a conversation about the future of New Edinburgh House (see details below).
4. Transitional Move to MacKay United Church Facilities: Work in partnership with Mackay United Church to explore the possibility of hosting a larger share of Nectar operations within their facilities for a period of transition until a more permanent, sustainable home for our operations is identified. Discussions are underway and to date have been extremely productive.
5. Explore Options for a Permanent Home: Kick-start the process of looking for alternative solutions for a new location for Nectar so that New Edinburgh has a permanent, financially viable community centre and hub. In addition to the residual equity in New Edinburgh House (the result of the generous support from the Nectar community and stakeholders), Nectar presently has $250,000 of City of Ottawa capital invested in New Edinburgh House. The Board remains wholeheartedly committed to ensuring these investments made to our community remain within the community!
Nectar Board of Directors
Sean Flynn, Isobel Bisby, Cindy Ryley, Bethann Robin,
Seanna Kreager, David Horley, Jennifer Barbarie
Meet the Community Construction Monitoring Committee
The Community Construction Monitoring Committee held its first meeting on March 3, 2017. This forum was set up as a result of the Community’s meeting with Mayor Jim Watson on Feb. 6 to discuss our concerns over the CSST.
Meetings are expected to be monthly throughout the lifecycle of the project, and the details are contained in the attached background sheet.
The City stressed their intention that the Committee be used as a conduit for information and to share concerns in both directions and to monitor progress on addressing concerns. It is not intended to be a decision making body to commit the community to any proposals that the City might bring forward. The City also stressed that they will continue to welcome direct contact from individuals and they also agreed that further Open Houses or public meetings may be held where necessary.
For more details, visit the complete CCMC page here
Advisory of upcoming CSST preparatory work
As of Feb. 27, please be advised of upcoming preparatory work occurring in Stanley Park for the CSST Project.
When: The work will take approximately half a day to complete and will occur later this week, dependent on the weather.
Why: To confirm the height that is required for a replacement communications (SCADA) pole to be installed for the CSST Project.
What: A truck bucket lift will be used to achieve the height of the proposed SCADA pole. A radio will test the quality of the signal that can be achieved at that location.
Where: Within the fence of the existing Odour Control Facility and half of the pathway beside the facility.
Pathway access will be maintained and there will be no interruption to park users. There will be no ground disturbance.
Feb 22: Open House re. CSST Truck Routes
The City of Ottawa is holding a Public Open House on Feb 22, 2017, 5:30 p.m. at St. Bartholomew’s Church, 125 MacKay St. to discuss the CSST project.
Stantec’s “Technical Memorandum: Review Alternative Trucking Routes for Site 5 / Stanley Park” will be presented at this meeting. Read it here.
Click here for more details.
Feb 6 demonstration: CSST Call to Action!
CSST CALL TO ACTION!
at OTTAWA CITY HALL ON MONDAY, FEB 6, 4:30 PM
Let’s show the Mayor we mean business and support the community delegation’s meeting with the Mayor. The delegation includes Tim Plumptre, Joe Chouinard, Sean Flynn, Sonny Dhanani, Pamela Howson and Marta Klepaczek.
We believe Council took its decision to approve the design of the CSST project in 2013 with incomplete information, both in terms of the engineering aspects of the project and the health/safety risks posed to residents of New Edinburgh. We also believe the City has behaved in a manner inconsistent with the spirit of its strategy on public engagement that was issued by Council in 2015.
WHEN: Monday, Feb 6, 2017 @ 4:30 pm
WHERE: Ottawa City Hall (Lisgar Street entrance)
Wear construction gear (headphones, hard hats, vests, etc.), if you have it. Make signs if you can, but most importantly BE THERE!
