Neighbourhood Flower Gardens: UPDATE

The Park Board passed unanimously my motion to allow neighbourhood groups to plant flowers in unused public spaces. With a slight tweak to the costing sources, all commissioners spoke in favour of the motion. My thanks to all the folks who spoke wrote and otherwise supported this initiative. Thanks also to the COPE, Vision and NPA commissioners who saw the value in this.

Also at last night's meeting, motions on using underused indoor and outdoor park spaces for community groups passed, as well as support for childcare. Last night was an example of how a Board of disparate groups can work together for the common good. let's hope this spirit can continue.

Rooting for a plan to reclaim the land

Commissioner aiming to convert unused parts of the city into useful gardens

By Frank Luba, The Province June 23, 2011

Small, unused and neglected bits of the Vancouver landscape could get turned into flower or vegetable gardens if a motion by Green Party commissioner Stuart Mackinnon gets approved at the next Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation meeting.

Mackinnon has a motion before the board Monday asking staff to identify underutilized public spaces such as boulevards or verges.

He wants those spaces, many of which are not regularly groomed because of parks board cutbacks, to be turned over to neighbourhood groups for beautification.

Most of the spaces probably aren't big enough for vegetables, but Mackinnon hopes to see patches of flowers instead of weeds, invasive plants and blackberry bushes.

"I'd love to make Vancouver a more beautiful city," said Mackinnon.

He got the idea from a neighbour in his community who cut down the weeds bordering a path running along some railway tracks and replaced it with flowers.

MacKinnon doesn't know how much unused space is available.

"That's what we need to find out," he said.

The Cambie Heritage Boulevard already has a defined use, but the boulevard on King Edward Avenue is a possible spot for Mackinnon's motion.

"I can't see why we wouldn't want to do this," said Mackinnon, whose proposal wouldn't require funding beyond some possible initial clearing.

"This is not land that's being used," he added. "It would get people in the community involved."

fluba@theprovince.com

twitter.com/frankluba

© Copyright (c) The Province

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/Rooting+plan+reclaim+land/4992032/story.html#ixzz1Q6kM2ADW

What Are the Bees Telling Us?

Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us?

A documentary on the global honeybee crisis coming to Vancouver June 24-30@ Denman Cinema: 1779 Comox Street - find out how you can help bees!

Bees are losing habitat all around the world due to intensive monoculture-based farming practices, pristine green (but flower-barren) sprawling suburban lawns and from the destruction of native landscapes. Just planting flowers in your garden, yard, or in a planter will help provide bees with forage.

My motion (see blog entry below) supporting community flower gardens on public verges, boulevards and empty lots will help the bees. Please support my motion by writing to the Park Board (pbcomment@vancouver.ca) or sign up to speak to the Board.

A Splash of Colour for Every Neighbourhood

In my neighbourhood the Park Board used to cut the verge along the railroad tracks 4-5 times a year. This has been reduced over the past few years to the point where I don't think it will be cut at all this year. This would be in-keeping with the cuts to the Parks budget for maintenance. What used to be a neat trim grassed area has become a tall weed and invasive species area growing rampant so that in some areas you can't even see the train as it passes by.

One of my neighbours took it upon themselves to clear up a portion of this area a couple of years ago and plant a beautiful flower garden. Now, instead of the tall unkempt weeded areas found elsewhere along the path, we have a beautiful blooming festival of colours and shapes.

I wondered why we couldn't do this in every neighbourhood. In most areas of the city you can find empty lots owned by the city, or boulevards, verges and little unused spaces that would be just right for someone or group to use to plant flowers . The Vancouver Public Spaces Network does guerrilla gardening in some of these areas but many more remain empty and unused. Now that the Park Board is no longer going to do even rudimentary cutting in many areas, I think this is the right time for local people to use this land to plant neighbourhood gardens.

With that in mind, at the next Board meeting on June 27th I will be presenting the following motion:

Whereas there is a need within the City of Vancouver for citizens to fully enjoy public lands;

And whereas there are public spaces within the City that are not being used for useful purposes including verges, boulevards and empty lots;

And whereas the Park Board budget for maintaining these spaces has been reduced and a policy of naturalization of these spaces been adopted;

Be it resolved that the Park Board work with the City and its unions to identify underutilized public verges, boulevards and other spaces not already used as parkland, to partner with neighbourhood groups to use this land for neighbourhood gardens. And be it further resolved that the Park Board assist neighbourhood groups in the clearing of this land in preparation of the gardens.

Lord Stanley meets Stanley Park Horse-Drawn Tours

Video Here

A Walkable City

One of the great pleasures in my life is walking with my dog along the Fraser River, at Riverfront Park. There is a path that starts just east of the Knight Road bridge and follows the river to Boundary Road, where it becomes the riverside path that follows the river further along to Marshlands near the edge of New Westminster. I never tire of watching the working river, or looking for the beaver and the river otter that occasionally swim by. The scenery is magnificent, no matter what the season. Just up the hill off Kerr street is Everett Crowley park which sits on the old dump. Here trails meander around an area that has been left to regenerate naturally. Also in the neighbourhood is the Fraserview golf course with a fabulous perimeter path. On any of these paths it is easy to pretend you are out of the city and walking in a natural landscape.

Unfortunately not all areas of the city are conducive for walking. Also in my neighbourhood is Elliott st. From Marine Drive to near 54th ave, Elliott winds its way up a steep hill. There is neither a bus nor sidewalks along this part of the street. Pedestrians must take their life in their hands and walk along the roadway. Being very steep, most of the cars descending the hill go much faster than the posted limit. To this mix add a designated bicycle route along Elliott and you have a pedestrian fatality waiting to happen.

New bicycle routes are popping up throughout the city, yet we still have streets without sidewalks. I applaud the city for their emphasis on getting people out of their cars and into alternate transportation modes, but the most environmentally friendly mode for the vast majority of Vancouverites is walking. We need to do far more to make walking easier and more attractive. Most people will not ride bicycles, but they will walk given the opportunity.

The Park Board is doing its part to get people out of their cars and walking, but is the city doing its?

Summer’s coming: beaches and beachside pools open, park rangers on duty beginning this weekend

Park Board News
May 17, 2011 | No. 20

Vancouver’s official start of summer is Saturday, May 21. That’s when beachside pools open, lifeguards are on duty at city beaches and park rangers begin their work in parks.

Seaside heated outdoor pools located at Kitsilano Beach Park, Second Beach in Stanley Park and New Brighton Park open Saturday, May 21 at 10 am. Check the pool schedules for operating hours.

Lifeguards patrol the Park Board's eleven bathing beaches from the Victoria Day weekend to Labour Day weekend daily from 11:30 am to 8:30 pm except when red light is on at the guard station. Almost 18 kilometres of ocean beach stretches from Spanish Bank West all the way around English Bay to Third Beach in Stanley Park. Trout Lake, located in John Hendry Park, is the only freshwater, lifeguarded beach in Vancouver.

A team of 30 seasonal park rangers act as the Park Board's ambassadors in Vancouver's 225 parks. Uniformed rangers help visitors with wayfinding, park services, monitoring of play fields, bylaw enforcement and park activities such as filming and special events.

Park and beach visitors are reminded that all beaches and parks are smoke-free. Dogs are not permitted on beaches and must be leashed in other areas (except in designated off-leash areas). Fires are not allowed in parks or on beaches at any time. Barbecue coal pits are provided for hot coals at many popular beach and picnic locations.

- 30 -

General enquiries: 3-1-1 (within Vancouver) or 604-873-7000 (outside Vancouver)

Media enquiries: Barb Floden, Communications Coordinator, at (t) 604-257-8438 or (c) 604-992-5646

Vancouver park board resurrects summer camps

By Sandra Thomas, Staff writer May 5, 2011

Seven Vancouver parks will see the return of summer day camp programs this year, albeit part time.

Vision Vancouver park board chair Aaron Jasper told the Courier he’s wanted to have the summer playground camps reinstated after the board cancelled the programs due to budget restraints last year.

Cancelling playground programs were some of the service cuts that came about as the result of a $1.9 million deficit in the park board’s 2010 operating budget approved by the Vision Vancouver commissioners on the board. NPA commissioner Ian Robertson, COPE’s Loretta Woodcock and the Green Party’s Stuart Mackinnon voted against the budget.

“As the result of budget deficiencies some tough decisions had to be made,” said Jasper. “But we weren’t insensitive to the concern of parents, so I made it a priority to find funds for these summer programs and asked staff to revisit the issue.”

Jasper said staff recently came to the board with an idea for the mobile playground program, which will rotate between seven community parks at a cost of $25,000. The seven parks that will offer part-time recreation programs this summer include Bobolink, Nanaimo, Falaise, Clinton, Garden, Burrardview and Balaclava. Parks adjacent to community centres that offer summer programs, such as Killarney, Renfrew and Riley Park, are excluded from the extra programming this year.

Jasper said the parks were chosen based on need and demand. Last year the park board reduced the summer playground program budget by $160,000. Jasper said the Vancouver School Board defines “need” in relation to children who attend inner-city schools. Last year’s budget cuts meant the end of 10 playground programs, while community centre associations at Douglas, West Point Grey and Jones parks paid for their own programs. Jasper noted last year the park board heard “limited” complaints from parents living near Burrardview, Clinton and Balaclava playgrounds about the lack of summer programs.

Jasper said the one-time only $25,000 will pay for staff for seven weeks between July 4 and August 19. Playground programs will be offered either Monday, Wednesday and Friday, or Tuesday and Thursday, with suggested hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Two wading pools will re-open part time, but will need to be drained at the end of each day to comply with safety regulations.

Green Party commissioner Stuart Mackinnon said while he’s “thrilled” with the return of part-time summer programs, he noted under Vision Vancouver their funding has been cut by more than 50 per cent.

“In 2008 the budget was $302,000 for summer programs,” said Mackinnon. “In 2011 it’s $141,000.”

Mackinnon added the $25,000 dedicated to summer playground programs in 2011 is a one-time only deal that ends in August.

“And there’s an election in November,” said Mackinnon. “You don’t have to be too much of a cynic to see the connection.”

sthomas@vancourier.com

© Copyright (c) Vancouver Courier

Getting results means being interested

Before being elected, it always puzzled me what commissioners and councilors did around the table. Some looked interested, some looked bored and some looked like they were busy doing other things. Now that I am elected I have a better understanding of what is going on, and I've been proved pretty much correct.

During last week's Park Board meeting Vision Commissioner Blyth was tweeting, making disparaging remarks about me and another Commissioner and our interest in process. This from a commissioner who took so little interest in the debate that she actually spoke in favour of an amendment only to be corrected by the Chair (Vision weren't supporting it) and then spoke against it. It is too bad that some people around the table have so little interest in the issues at hand and prefer to fiddle with their new found technology.

Being interested might have prevented the cuts to the Park Board over the past three years. Being interested might have made Council listen a little more closely to the needs of the Park Board. Being interested might have resulted in not cutting recreation programs in the summer for the kids of our city. Being interested might have meant better maintenance for our trees and public spaces.

Cheap political points don't get results; being interested and working together to make better parks does.

Working cooperatively for better parks

Some pundits in the blogosphere have taken me to task in the past for working with the NPA on certain issues--Jericho wharf for instance--yet never for working with COPE or Vision. As the lone Green Party representative I have a unique outlook on the Board, but must also work cooperatively with other parties to move ahead on what I consider important issues. This was evident last Monday when COPE's Loretta Woodcock and I, once again, worked cooperatively to try to stop the expansion of the the aquarium.

I believe I have been consistent in my opposition to the continuing expansion of commercial ventures in our parks. The expansion of the Aquarium was another example of this. The Vision and NPA commissioners voted together to approve the expansion, while the COPE and Green commissioners voted against it.

I will continue to work with any other individual or group who shares my values and the Green perspective on individual initiatives. To rule out cooperation because of differences in other areas would be petty and foolish and would be against the public good.