City Park News, Fall 2011 issue

Fall 2011

AGM Announcement Pg. 15 & 16

Community ProgramsPg. 9 & 10

The CPCA would like to acknowl-

edge the very generous donations

made by our local grocery store, the

Shop-Easy, to many of our commu-

nity events. For our Winter Carnival,

Halloween Dance and the Spring

and Summer Carnival, the Shop-

easy has been a constant supporter.

Thank you Shop-Easy. we are lucky

to have you in the neighbourhood!

printed on recycled paper

Frank Quennell, MLA

Is Raising The issues That Matter To You And your family

“Saskatchewan is enjoying a new level of prosperity caused by rising resource prices. These resources are owned by the people of Saskatchewan, and everyone in Saskatchewan should share in the benefits.”

Frank’s constituency office is at 610 Duchess Street in City Park.

Phone: 651-3581 Fax: 651-4670Email: [email protected]

www.frankquennell.ca

1 printed on recycled paper

A message from the community association president:

Summer has been wandering past. It is always surprising to me how fast

andante can seem in retrospect. Perhaps it did not feel as though I was always walking along with it. While sitting here quietly, I feel as though I have not done enough of this over the summer. That said, there is little that I would have taken out. It is hard to believe that August is almost over, that it is mid-harvest season in the garden, that the days are obvi-ously shorter and maybe even somewhat cooler. Fall is beckoning and I am again late in finishing my article for the news-letter — maybe I do have too much on. I am sitting in my house thinking about my neighbourhood, about the community association and about the past few years of being a part of the CPCA. It is an hour when I should really be asleep but I am not. I am wonder-img how to write about my different thoughts. About how to acknowledge the things I could have done better which may have added to the relevance and prevalence of the CPCA. But I am also wondering about community in general and whether it looks different today.

I just got back from the Regina Folk Fest. I had a great time. The thing I enjoyed most was that during the day, from about 12:00 until about 6:00 pm, there were 4 stages open in and around the venue which were all free. People could wander in and listen to whichever stage and musicians they had a hanker-ing for and the musicians were good. There were a lot of people out. The tone was festive. There were activities for the kids. It was great. In thinking back on it though, I am struck by how few people were there. Here was a top class, free event in the heart of a city of almost 200,000. It was a beautiful day in the middle of summer. It was not packed. I know the music might not have been to everyone’s lik-ing. I know all of the ‘caveats’ but that still does not explain it all for me. And I am left wondering whether this ‘folk’ fest really is a community event — whether it is what brings us together and builds community. This is also something I have been struggling with during my time with the CPCA. I have wanted to help bring neighbours together. I feel as though we have had some success in this regard,

but I wonder if this is what people want. I think that there are some who are interested in this sort of thing, but it seems as though more of us simply want to make community on our own terms — we want to get together with friends and family. I wonder if this is the case and trou-ble over what it means for me and for the CPCA. I would love to hear from anyone with regards to thoughts on this issue. With these musings continuing, I will sign off. I look forward to further conversa-tions with neighbours and to the rest of the summer. I hope you all do as well and I look forward to seeing you when our paths cross.

Nicholas Blenkinsop


Neighbourhood News //

33rd Street project great for City Park cyclists A virtual depicition of the new bicycle and pedestrian pathway. (City of Saskatoon)

New multi-use corridor hopes to promote sustainable living in Saskatoon

DARYL HOFMANNNewsletter Coordinator

Biking is about to become easier and safer for residents of City Park. City council has just approved the construction of a multi-use cyclist and pedestrian corridor along the south side of 33rd street. The pathway will stretch from Spadina Crescent to 3rd Avenue, directly along the border of City Park and North Park. The new three-metre-wide separated avenue is the first phase of a $6.7 mil-lion master plan, which will eventually connect the University of Saskatchewan main campus with the Saskatchewan In-stitute of Applied Science and Technol-ogy (SIAST). According to a City report, the first phase — which will also be available to those in wheelchairs and scooters — will cost $1.67 million, with $1 million coming from the federal government. The rest of the project which is yet to be funded will include the continua-tion of the 33rd Street corridor, from 3rd Avenue to Idylwyld Drive, and addition-ally, a roundabout at Spadina Crescent and 33rd street, improved streetlights,

25 During June and July, twenty-five new City Park real estate listings showed up online.

$644,900 The asking price for 1116 Spadina Crescent, the most expensive of the new listings. Built in 1913, the listing boasts character with 9’ vaulted ceilings and a riverstone fireplace.

70 million In June, due to kicked-up sand from the swollen river, the City’s water treatment plant was forced to reduce its flow by 70 million litres. This led to a month long — city wide — lawn and garden water ban.

$300 City council implimented fine for ignoring the water ban.

16, 000 Last summer, the Food Bank garden on 3rd ave N yielded sixteen hundred pounds of potatoes. This year the crop expanded and now includes a variety of different vegetables.

City Park by the numbers

landscaping, new benches and bus stops. This corridor is one of a handful advancements the City has made over the past few months to improve bicycle safety, showing they are finally on-board to resolve the poor conditions cyclists face in Saskatoon. Earlier in the year, the City released the Saskatoon Cycling Guide. Accord-ing to Saskatoon.ca, the guide “rates every road in Saskatoon, from novice to intermediate and expert, and provides suggested routes and facilities that have been identified by experienced local cyclists and City staff.” The guides are free, and can be downloaded via PDF from Saskatoon.ca, under departments, or you can pick up a hard copy from any library or leisure centre. On the website you can also check out the City’s cycling newsletter, read about bicycle safety and research Saska-toon’s overall “plan for cycling.” Over the past few years, we have adobted a much more bicylce friendly City Council, and it is them, along with the tireless work of bicycle advocacy group Saskatoon Cycles, that we have to thank for these improvements.

Fall 2011


Neighbourhood News //

Two viable tenants remain for iconic City Park building Mendal Art Gallery to house either digital arts centre or children-based collective

DARYL HOFMANNNewsletter Coordinator

Avant-garde digital arts school, or a multi-faceted collective of non-profits that suits the aim of the Kinsmen Park and area master plan. It comes down to these two propos-als — and it’s up to City Council to make the call — as to who will be the next tenants of the iconic Mendal Build-ing, after the art collection moves to the Remai gallery at river landing by 2014. The collective proposal comes from a trio of organizations, made up of the Children’s Discovery Museum, the PotashCorp Children’s Festival of Sas-katchewan and the Wide Open Theatre Company. At first, Shakespeare on the Sas-katchewan and the Saskatchewan Inter-cultural Association were also named as part of the proposal, however both have recently bowed out due to higher than expected rent and costs of renovating the space. The second proposal is led by Brij Verma, director of science research with the college of arts and science at the University of Saskatchewan. He hopes to turn the Mendal building into the new home for the Frederick Mendel Digital Arts Centre of Excellence. Verma’s arts centre initiative would incorporate the U of S computer science department, the U of S media access and production (eMAP) program, local prod-uction company Karma films, the Red-

Fall 2011

house College of Animation and the public and Catholic school divisions. Verma told The StarPhoenix he feels it’s important to keep the building arts minded, and suggests that switching gears from traditional work to purely digital would keep Saskatoon’s art scene at the forefront of the industry. “I think all of the people on the ground felt that we wanted to preserve that artistic legacy into the new cen-tury,” he told The SP. “Even though it’s digital it still has that artistic sensibil-ity.” The collective proposal, which still has yet to give themselves an overarch-ing name, has campaigned strongly on the fact that all three groups are chil-dren-based, which fits ideally with the future plans for Kinsmen Park. Erica Bird, president of the chil-dren’s museum board, talked to The StarPhoneix saying that their group would involve children and families, and have a big impact on the entire Kinsmen Park area.

Wide Open Theatre Company’s artistic director said, “As a collabora-tion with the children’s museum the kids could run around and expend some energy before the show that would help them sit through a show.” Regardless of who is chosen as the next tenants, City Council has confirmed the city will cover 40 per cent of the an-nual operating costs of the keeping the lobby, washrooms and the conservatory open to the public. Leading up to the decision, Ward 1 councilor Darren Hill was vocal in his opinion that 40 per cent is too much for the city to pay, saying somewhere in the 15 to 20 per cent range would be more appropriate. According to the city, 40 per cent will cost approx. $34, 000 anually. In September, council can pass one, both or neither of the proposals. If ac-cepted, the proposing groups will have to create comprehensive business plans that will be due back at council by May 2012.


Neighbourhood Announcements //

SUSAN WALL Programs Coordinator

Kinsmen Park is hands down Sas-katoon’s signature park, and for those of you that haven’t heard, the City of Saskatoon is in the midst of plans to rejuvenate it with the help of corporate dollars. For us in City Park that means we must voice our opinions on what we want from this important green space in the future. I attended a meeting put on by the City of Saskatoon in late July, and wanted to give you an update on the progress. So far, the plans look really good. The City is proposing to move most of the playground/water play area closer to the rides to eliminate the shady activity that happens in the playground late at night. The playground would in-clude a natural play area and the type of water play feature has not been decided. They are also proposing to improve the train circuit, add some topography for skiing and sliding, widen Spadina Cres-cent and put street parking near the park and reduce the existing parking lot to 20 spaces. This means the bike path along Spadina Crescent would be much wider and safer for cyclists passing through. The baseball diamond would be changed to a soccer pitch or rectangular playing field suitable for holding festivals and the like.

City looks to residents for advice on Kinsmen Park revamp

Maintaining the integrity of the cross-country ski loop is proving to be one of the more difficult tasks, and the City is working closely with the cross-country skiers to maintain both a suitable distance and topography, and to minimize the temptation of walking on the groomed ski trails. There will be some losses and some gains for the skiing community. At present, the plan would require a very costly but unique ‘ski bridge’ to pass over the new railway tracks and allow skiers to continue on their way from the south to the north sections of the park. If the ski bridge were not installed, the ski loop would be greatly compromised. Thus the preser-vation and improvement of ski area and ski training facility is of great concern to the skiers. There is also hope for a winterized washroom/teaching facility to accommodate the growing Jackrab-bit ski programming that takes place in Kinsmen Park.

To my understanding, two corpora-tions have dedicated money towards improving the train and rides in the park. However, there is no outside money yet designated for the proposed park upgrades. If there are aspects of the park that you feel are extremely important to maintain, i.e. a pool versus a spray park, the ski bridge and ski area or winterized washroom facilities, etc. please voice your concerns and input to the City of Saskatoon on their website under Kinsmen Park and Area Master Plan. You can also watch for upcoming public meetings. The City of Saskatoon is, in part, depending on the park users to deter-mine where the money is best spent for improvements. Saskatoon’s signature park also happens to be our neighbour-hood park and it is important for us to give input.

To read more on the project, including contacts, project specs and timelines, point your browser to www.saskatoon.ca/departments. On the left hand tab choose community services, proceed to leisure services, then to summer facilities, and finally, select Kinsmen Park. Here you can contact the City’s urban design manager.

City Park Toy Library recieves facelift SUSAN WALL Programs Coordinator

The City Park Toy library is re-opening this fall with a fresh new feel. Last spring, the library was closed after a water main break flooded the basement of City Park Collegiate. As a result, the entire basement has been renovated. For us this means a bigger space, new floor-ing and fresh paint.

I am going to try making a few changes to the system this fall, in the hopes that it will be more convenient for the members. The first is that the toy library will run similar to the other programs. You can register for the toy library on registration night (September 20th) and the library will be open for a 12-week period in the fall and a 16-week period in the spring. In addition,

the library will be open on Friday morn-ings from 10:00 - 11:30 in the morning instead of Monday evenings, in the hopes that more families will be able to participate and will not have to fight rush-hour traffic. However, this would exclude working parents. So, if you, as potential members are interested in volunteering your time one evening, CONT. ON NEXT PAGE

Fall 2011


Toy Library cont. the toy library could be open for one hour one evening per week, and would run more as a cooperative amongst parents. Any feedback on this would be greatly appreciated. Donations of toys suitable for chil-dren aged 0-6 are always appreciated. Please ensure that all parts are included and that the toy can cleaned. The web-site for the toy library is currently under repair, but you can keep posted by checking out the blog at www.citypark-toylibrary.blogspot.com. We are looking forward to another fun season.

If you have any question or comments, please contact Susan Wall by phone at: 978-4377 or by email at: [email protected]

Neighbourhood Announcements //

City Park wine night at the Mendal SUSAN WALL Programs Coordinator

This is a chance to learn about a few wines from Saskatchewan wine expert Doug Reichel. Doug is from Moose Jaw and has been teaching and presenting wines for many years in Saskatchewan. His descriptions of wine and food are not only educational, but passionate and entertaining. You will learn so many new adjec-tives to describe wine that will have your friends dropping their jaws in awe of your creativity! The wines presented for sampling will be choices that are readily available at Saskatchewan Liquor Board stores.They will be presented with appetizers

that compliment the flavour of the wine, and you will learn about how to pair wine and food flavours. The event will take place Thursday, November 25th, from 7:00 to 8:45pm in the basement of the Mendel Art Gallery. Come and hang out with your neigh-bours, bring your friends and lets have some laughs together.

Tickets are $20 and will be available September 20th at program registration night, or by contacting Susan Wall by phone at: 978-4377.

Fall 2011



School News //

City Park Collegiate What a great time to be at City Park Collegiate! The past year has gone quickly and was filled with many highlights and accomplishments. Through input from the staff, students and our community, the name ‘Eagles’ emerged as the new school nickname and our colours were changed to purple, black and white. After 26 years, extracurricular activities have returned to City Park, with students proudly participating in basketball, badminton and track. In October, City Park’s first School Community Council was formed, giving parents an opportunity to be involved in the decision making process at school. The staff adopted the Dr. Martin Brokenleg’s Circle of Courage (Mastery, Belonging, Independence, and Gener-osity) as its philosophical base for the delivery of education. In the classroom, students were given meaningful opportuni-ties for relevant learning both in and outside the classroom. City Park’s 4th Annual Round Dance was a huge success with the City Park community gathering in March. Our school year will look different in the fall. City Park will return to a semester system with a 5 period day. The de-livery of classes and instruction will also have a new flavour. Students will experience Team teaching, integrated classes, and most of our hands-on learning classes will be offered in blocks (2 hour classes). The staff feel these changes will better meet the needs of the students and give them more opportunity for success. We are very fortunate that City Park Collegiate is located in this beautiful neighbourhood. We look forward to your continued support of our students and programs. We are all Eagles!!

Paul Humbert, Principal — on behalf of the CPC staff

North Park Wilson School Greetings from the staff of North Park Wilson School and welcome back for another fantastic year. Our school serves the areas of City Park, North Park, Richmond Heights and Woodlawn. We are your neighbour-hood school and are proud of all we have to offer the com-munity. This year our learning priorities are Literacy for Life, Arts Education and Cultural Responsiveness. Our school is also recognized as A Centre of Excellence for Education Through the Arts. We not only teach the provincial curricu-lum in Arts Education but infuse the arts into other subject areas. North Park Wilson is an In Motion and Nutrition Posi-tive school, and we promote these programs with the support of an exciting initiative called SHINE (School Health Initia-tive with Nursing Education), which engages senior nursing students in the delivery of health promotion programming for our students. Our school also hosts a fantastic Preschool as well as a Before and After School program. We offer support services such as resource room assistance, counseling, speech and language therapy, and an educational psychologist to meet the diverse needs of all our students. If you have a child attending North Park Wilson we are excited to welcome you back. If you have a school aged child and are looking for a warm, caring environment that promotes the Arts as well as high academic standards we encourage you to come and check us out. Please call 683-7380 any time for more information.

Ian Wilson, Principal

École Saint Paul French ImmersionWelcome back to a new school year. École St. Paul School is a small school where your child won’t be lost in a crowd. École St. Paul School is proud of its french immersion program where non-French speaking stu-dents learn to understand, speak and write French. You don’t have to speak French! St. Paul’s french immersion program is designed to teach French to students of non-French speak-ing families. Some important information about École St Paul School is as follows:- The ideas and concepts students learn are the same whether they learn them in French or English and your child will not be doing double the work. - We welcome all people to our faith-based, Catholic school.

- We offer cultural activities, computer technology, field trips, extra-curricular activities and a preschool program.- We offer bus service at no cost to City Park. École St. Paul School is an exciting, caring and com-munity oriented School where the staff know each of the students and their families. We look forward to seeing every-one in September as we begin an exciting new school year. If you haven’t yet registered for the upcoming year, consider french immersion at École St. Paul School. (659-7430)

Robert Brisebois, Principalhttp://blog.scs.sk.ca/pau/

Fall 2011


City Park Programs //

Babysitter Registry The City Park Community Association will once again be offering a community-based babysitter registry to serve the needs of young families living in the area.

If you are a babysitter and would like to get your name on the registry, please submit your name, age and phone number to [email protected]. For anyone under the age of 18, please provide the name and phone number of a guardian to confirm consent. Also, indicate if you have babysitter course training, prefered ages, availability times and any other information you would like potential families to know.

If you want a copy of the babysitter list, apply via email to [email protected].

For more information, contact Janice Braden at 653-1888

Citizen Patrol The Citizen Patrol Program is a city-wide campaign — led by the Saskatoon Police Service — to rally volunteers to be the “eyes and ears” for police, in an attempt to deter criminal activity.

According to the Saskatoon Police Service website, citizen patrol volunteers bring a positive visable presence to the neighbourhood and have “firsthand knowledge of who does and doesn’t live” in a certain community.

The program organizes groups of volunteers and provides brief police instruction on how to document suspicious behavior.

As of now, City Park does not run a Citizen Patrol Program. However, John Ng has stepped up and is looking for enthusi-astic, responsible and caring people to join him in volunteer-ing for the program.

You can volunteer as much time as you can afford. Work-ing in teams, volunteers either bike, jog or drive around the neighbourhood wearing vests, usings flashlights and cell phones.

To read more, go to the official Saskatoon Police Service website located at www.police.saskatoon.sk.ca, select Pro-grams and Services along the left hand tab, and choose the first drop-down option “Citizen Patrol.”

The website provides more detailed information and also a short police-made video.

To participate contact your local Citizen Patrol coordinator John Ng at [email protected] or Constable Weins/Sergeant McAvoy at 975-2265.

Program Notes- Core Strength and Flex is designed specifically to improve core strength and flexibility in those over 55. It is being of-fered through the Train-for-Life fitness professionals.

- A coach for indoor/outdoor T-Ball is still being sought out. If you are interested please contact Susan Wall at 978-4377.

- The Toy Library is open to all families. It is a lending library of toys aimed at children aged 0-6 years. The toy library was initiated to allow families to enjoy quality toys while reducing consumption.

Fall 2011

8 9 printed on recycled paper

City Park Programs //

Program Age Room Day Time (PM) Calendar Fee Scottish Country Dance

Ballroom Dance - Beginner**

Ballroom Dance - Intermediate**

Tuesday Yoga Thursday Yoga

Men’s Basketball

Zumba

Beginner Bellydance

Conversational Spanish

Core Strength and Flex

Mom and Baby Yoga

Scottish Country Dance - Parent/Child

Scottish Country Dance - Youth

Family Badminton

Youth Basketball Drills and Skills

Soccer Drills and Skills

Beginner Hip-Hop Dance

Creative Dance

Toy Library

13 and up 13 and up

13 and up

13 and up

13 and up

13 and up

13 and up

13 and up

13 and up

13 and up

Mom/Baby

Parent / 5+

8 and up

All Ages

14 - 18

5 - 8

7 - 10

2.5 - 5

0 - 6

Commons

Gym

Gym

Commons

Commons

Gym

Gym

Gym

Rm. 20

Gym

Commons

Commons

Commons

Gym

Gym

Gym

Commons

Commons

Basement

Mon.

Friday

Friday

Tues.

Thurs.

Wed.

Mon.

Thurs.

Mon.

Tues.

Wed.

Mon.

Mon.

Wed.

Friday

Mon.

Thurs.

Thurs.

Friday

8:00 - 9:00

6:30 - 7:30

7:30 - 8:30

7:00 - 8:30*

6:30 - 7:30*

8:30 - 10:00

7:30 - 8:30

6:15 - 7:15

8:00 - 9:00

5:15 - 6:15

4:30 - 5:30

6:00 - 6:45

6:45 - 8:00

6:45 - 8:00

8:30 - 9:30

6:15 - 7:15

5:15 - 6:00

4:30 - 5:15

10:00-11:30(am)

Sep 26 - Dec 12

Sep 30 - Nov 25

Sep 30 - Nov 25

Sep 27 - Dec 13

Sep 29 - Dec 15

Sep 28 - Jun 10

Sep 26 - Dec 05

Sep 27 - Nov 29

Sep 26 - Dec 05

Sep 27 - Nov 29

Sep 28 - Nov 30

Sep 26 - Dec 12

Sep 26 - Dec 12

Sep 28 - Nov 30

Sep 30 - Dec 02

Sep 26 - Nov 28

Sep 29 - Dec 08

Sep 29 - Dec 08

Sep 30 - Dec

$35

$30 / couple

$30 / couple

$90

$70

$75

$35

$50

$50

$60

$55

$30

$30

$5 / person

$30

$30

$30

$30

$20

* These times have been changed since publication of the leisure guide** City Park Ballroom Dance is substantially subsidized by the Saskatchewan Lotteries Trust Fund and the City of Saska-toon. City Park is sincerely grateful for this funding.

Registration will be held at City Park Collegiate, at 820 9th Avenue North, on Tuesday September 20th. For City Park residents, registration will be from 6:00 till 7:00 PM. For all other Saskatoon residents, registration will be from 7:00 till 8:00 PM. There will be a $10 late registration fee.

For more information, late registration, program ideas, or if you are interested in teaching a program, please contact Susan Wall by phone at 978-4377 or by email at [email protected].

Please note there have been some price changes since the publication of the leisure guide.

Fall 2011


Pacific Ave Billiards609 1st Avenue

Saskatoon, SK S7K 1X7(306) 665-0009

8 ball — 9ball — Snooker!Every Monday night is

Tournament Night!

Also offering ping pong, darts, foosball, shuffelboard and video games!

www.pacific-billiards.com


Community Garden //

Image lifted from the official garden blog, found at cityparkcommunitygarden.blogspot.

Discourse from the local garden feline Greetings subjects! Princess Mes-demet, the Garden Prowler, here again. Well, we’re now in the ‘dog days’ of summer, so-called no doubt because they’re soooo lame! But at least the garden is resplen-ished with greenery and fruits this year! Much improved over last summer. Many green, shady bushes to snooze under. Fewer paw-dampening soggy patches. Speaking of which, no less than five truckloads of material have been put into raising the level of the gar-den, to prevent future flooding like we had last year. Special thanks go out to Hygrade Millwork for the funding and to the City composting site, the U of S barns, Craig’s excavation, and B &B Tree Service for providing material for the garden. And someone planted catnip! When I came down, I was soooo grateful. Anyhoo, as you can see, our garden shed has been properly set up in its new location and work is underway to create a ‘staging area’ in front of it. (Hence the cardboard — careful! It’s a bit slippery.I have to use all my claws.) And we

now have the compost pile set up next to the shed, and Dave Hiebert is busily making new compost for the next year. Also it looks like the mural sign will be repainted soon. You will notice that the paths have been covered in wood chips and such, to discourage the quack grass. A sugges-tion from Judith Hutton is to put down wet newspaper (wet so it can be molded to fit the space) and cover that with dry grass, pine needles, woodchips or any medium that grass does not like. If we all keep working on stamping it out, we will be victorious over the grass! I’m doing my part by chewing off clumps of grass, though it tends to make me heave. As everyone might remember from last year, we have banned the planting of potatoes this year, in hopes of discour-aging the potato bugs. But potatoes will be allowed in the garden next year. We had a temporary ban on watering earlier this year, due to the high levels in the river kicking up silt which blocked the intake pipes at the water plant. Remember last year many of the to-matoes were wiped out by tomato blight, possibly due to the wetness. In order to

prevent an outbreak again this year, take care when watering to avoid watering the leaves of the plants and water earlier in the day to allow some drying before nightfall. (Also, please check under your greenery before watering, in case a cat is sleeping there — makes for a very rude awakening!) Also, when culling any blighted plants or fruits, don’t put them in the compost heap: tomato blight can survive the composting and we’ll be sure to have it again next year. The garden seems to be becoming a nice, green and sunny social space, where people go to do much more than gardening. There are people out there reading, like my lazy human, many peo-ple meeting and chatting, and even hold-ing garden potlucks. The last potluck featured potatoes baked in an amazing solar oven provided by Dave. (Though, honestly, I will never understand the human fascination with vegetables!) We even had a large deer wander through one evening. (I’m glad I didn’t see that -- yikes!!!) Well, that’s all for now! Keep the tuna coming, and take care.

TTFN,Mesdemet

The City Park Community Gar-den is located in Wilson Park, one block west of Spadina Cres-cent at the weir dam. Only resi-dents of City Park may apply for a plot in the community garden. There is a $20 fee. The garden is popular; last year, all plots were filled by applications received by the deadline. If you would like more information contact Karen at 653-1686 and visit the garden blog at cityparkcommunitygar-den.blogspot.com.

Fall 2011

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Arts //

Saskatoon Children’s Choir sings for South AfricaCBC Radio documents “life changing journey”

DAVID HIEBERT Dave is an active member of most things City Park and a handyman down at the community garden. He has recently stepped-down as newslet-ter editor and will now take on the role of volunteer cooridinator for the City Park Community Association.

One of the gems of Saskatoon’s youth music scene is the interna-

tionally-acclaimed Saskatoon Children’s choir. The SCC, led by founding artistic director Phoebe Voigts, has just returned from a two-week performance and humanitarian tour of South Africa. The humanitarian aspect of the trip focused on providing donated school supplies to children. The Esogidini Education Cen-tre in Pietermaritzburg was the recipient of some of these supplies. The choir performed five concerts. Two of these concerts were benefits for organizations who work with children orphaned by AIDS. Two were joint con-certs, one with the high school Fezeka choir in the Gugulethu township of Cape Town, and one joint concert with the renowned Drakensberg Boys Choir. The tour was followed extensively by CBC radio and is on their website at cbc.ca/sask/features/singafrica. Here in Saskatoon the choir per-forms annual Spring and Winter concerts and rehearses at Third Avenue United Church located just one block south of City Park. Perhaps due to its close proximity, several of the choir members live in the City Park neighbourhood. Gabrielle and Camille C. are part of the concert choir(ages 10-16) and Harrison C. and Forrest H. are part of the Apprentice choir(ages 8-13). The preparatory choir, ages 7-9, introduces singers to the so-fa musical ear-training system (think of Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music) along with the musical hand gestures. This valuable ear-training tool

becomes second nature to the more experienced choristers in the apprentice and concert choirs. All choristers are auditioned be-fore joining. Previous musical train-ing, although advantageous, is not required. The short relaxed audition simply asks the child to echo melodies, clap rhythms, and perform ear training exercises. Parents are asked to wait out in the lobby during rehearsals. Occasionally an open rehearsal is scheduled with a packed audience of Parents somewhat awestruck by the genuine appreciation the children have for Phoebe and the open respect that the director shows for the talents of all the children. The fast-paced rehearsal with choristers uni-formly sitting on the edge of their seats includes a number of excersizes that most of the parents would be challenged to repeat. Performance songs are typically learned and memorized by ear although sheet music is also distributed. Once the child is old enough for the Apprentice and Concert choirs they are encouraged

to learn how to take ownership of the paper duties involved. This is a rite-of-passage before being permitted to travel overseas with the concert choir.

“The Saskatoon Children’s Choir holds the conviction that music crosses all cultures and borders, that all children can be a voice for peace and that they have an obligation to contribute to building a future of hope for the world. — saskatoonchildrenschoir.org ” In July 2009, the SCC travelled to Europe on a performance tour of Austria and the Czech Republic. In Vienna, they participated in the prestigious Summa Cum Laude Festival, where they were awarded two first prizes - First Place “with outstanding success” in the cat-egory of treble choirs, and the Summa Cum Laude Award of the City of Vienna for best choir of the festival, which they accepted from the Lord Mayor of Vienna. The Concert choir has been regular award recipients over the last ten years at various other festivals including Kathaumix and Festival Internacional de Musica de Cantonigros. The improvisational pieces and choreographied operas that the concert choir performs every year are truly exceptional. The Saskatoon children’s Choir can be reached at their office by phone at 249-3927, or via their website at saskatoonchildrenschoir.org.

12

Fall 2011


Op-Ed //

Searching for a balance: will ‘pocket park’ off-set parking lot? For the redevelopment of the FNUC property, we should have a conversation as a community

TOM WOLFTom is a long-time City Park resident, and former president of the City Park Community Association. In this article he presents an alternative for the FNUC property redevelopment, and hopes to spark discussion throughout the com-munity on the issue.

Last summer, Meridian Develop-ments purchased the FNUC

property on Duke and 7th. They acted on behalf of Affinity Credit Union, for whom the site will become corporate headquarters with roughly 200 employ-ees. One of the reasons Affinity chose this building was the availability of surface parking. Although they encour-age their employees to bus, bike or walk to work, about 170 parking spaces will be created on what is currently an open grass area. Affinity has offered to keep and improve the skating rink on the site. Some residents are concerned about the impact of 170 additional cars entering the residential heart of our neighbourhood. For example, additional traffic on Duke St. will affect pedestri-ans, especially our kids waiting for the school busses in the morning and return-ing in the afternoon. Another problem are the poor aesthetics of having a busy parking lot facing a residential corner and the associated noise and congestion on an already busy street. For residents of City Park, the ques-tion is how these negative effects can be lessened. One solution may be to eliminate parking lot access from Duke and establish a ‘pocket park’ in the south-east corner of the property. The size of the park would be equivalent to the area taken by the rink (which, according the City of Saskatoon, can’t be relocated to the corner), so the number of parking spaces would not be affected. In that scenario, the rink would need to be moved to another location in the

Collegiate grounds, or Wilson Park. The addition of a pocket park with trees, shrubs, tables, and benches would serve residents who use Duke to get to Spadina or 2nd Ave, and would also be very nice for kids or Affinity staff. Meridian and Affinity have already been made aware of these concerns and we look forward to working with themto sort things out. In the meantime, these ideas should be discussed amongst ‘City Parkers’ to see if they have merit and should be pursued.

Former FNUC Saskatoon campus, and soon to be Affinity Credit Union headquarters.

Figure 1 Figure 2

Please attend the CPCA annual general meeting where this issue will be discussed, or provide feedback via email to [email protected].

Figure 1: Site layout proposed by Meridian. Access to parking lot from Duchess and Duke.

Figure 2: Proposed alternate lay-out with creation of pocket park. No parking lot access from Duke.

Fall 2011


NOTICE:

The City Park Community Association will be holding its Annual General Meeting on Saturday, September 10th at 1:00 PM

As president of City Park Community Association (CPCA) and on behalf of the executive of the CPCA, I invite you to join us for the Annual General Meeting and potluck barbecue on Saturday, September 10, 2011 in Wilson Park, behind City Park Collegiate Institute, at 1:00 pm.

The Annual General Meeting is an occasion for members of the Community to get together; share some food; and discuss issues of importance for the community. We moved the meeting to a time earlier in the day in the hopes that it will be warmer than last year. We are hopeful to see whether representatives from the groups in charge of the FNUC redevelopment will come to talk to the AGM to update the community about plans and developments.

As mentioned above, the plan is for this meeting to start off with a potluck barbecue lunch. The hope is that food, as it so often does, will bring us all together. The CPCA and members of the executive will barbecue vegetarian and non-vegetarian burgers and hotdogs. The hope is that you will come with sides to supplement the burgers — for the potluck portion of the meal.

If you don’t already know, the CPCA is your community association and organizes activities and events in our area. We also work as a link between the community and the city on a number of issues that effect our quality of life in the city and in particular, City Park. We would like for you to be involved. There are a number of position on the Executive which are likely needing to be filled for this year, including: Communication Coordinator, Events Coor-dinator, and Fundraising Coordinator. There are also a number of possible Member at Large positions or, if you do not want to be on the executive, we always need help with different events that we host.

Come and join us for lunch and meet some neighbours.

We want to know what you think so please come out, or contact me[at] [email protected]

If you are coming, please think of the environment and bring your own dishes and cutlery.

See you soon.

Nicholas Blenkinsop

The agenda for the September 10, 2011 AGM, along with a community events schedule, can be found on the next page.


City Park Community Association Annual General MeetingSaturday, September 10, 2010, 1:00 pm - Wilson Park

Agenda1. Call to Order2. Introductions3. Approval/Additions to Agenda4. Approval of Minutes from September 11, 2010 AGM5. Business Arising from the Minutes6. FNUC Discussion – Presentation from Meridian and Affinity7. Reports Treasurer – Paul Pastor Communications Coordinator Report – Trevor Huenison Events Coordinator Report – Vacant Program Coordinator Report – Susan Wall Volunteer Coordinator Report – Vacant/Dave Hiebert Rink Coordinator Report – Kelly Davis Newsletter Coordinator Report – Dave Hiebert / Daryl Hofmann President’s Report – Nicholas Blenkinsop Community Consultant Report – Carrie Hutchison8. New Business9. Rink Discussion10. Election of Officers for 2011-1211. Date of first Executive Meeting – Third Thursday in September at the City Park Collegiate Institute, 7:00 pm.12. Adjournment

724 Second Avenue North

Monday – Friday: 7 am – 6 pmSaturday 9 am – 1 pm

Phone: 244-7004www.2ndavechiro.com

Chiropractic Massage Therapy Acupuncture Physiotherapy Body Talk


Photograph courtesy of Robert FrancosLiving Well //

How important is health to you? by Dr. Scott HarderHarder’s Family Wellness Centrehardersfamilywellnesscentre.ca

Most people if asked to list the most important things in their life, being healthy would usually make it on the list near the top. If you stop to think about it for a minute, it makes good sense for the simple reason that if you have poor health it likely interferes with your enjoyment of all the other things on your list. Your ability to do the activities you love and spending time with family and friends is definitely a problem if you have ill health. How much is your quality of liv-ing being negatively affected by your health? The fact that surprises many is how

• Managing stress in a positive way and thinking positively.• Moving well — which means being physically active and joints moving fully throughout their range of motion.• Staying well hydrated — drinking water and limiting beverages that have carbonation and sweeteners. • Getting adequate sleep — mean-ing that you wake feeling rested and refreshed. Each one of the above points has vast amounts of information available. It is not about having the information. It is about taking action and putting that information to use for your own benefit to improve your quality of living. The question remains, how important is that to you?

much control we have over our own health through the choices we make day to day. The most important decision you can make for yourself is to do all you can to take the best care of your own body every single day. The habits you form will have significant impact on your health for good or for bad. The best habits to develop are:• Eating well — which means lots of fresh produce.

Composting in the East Villageby Samantha KuThe following story is taken from a community-based blog from New York City, called The Local East Village. The blog is a collaborative experiment between he Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University, and the New York Times.

Bugs and insects are an apartment dweller’s nightmare. But some East Village residents are embracing a creepy crawler as an ally in urban composting: the red wiggler worm, a.k.a. Eisenia foetida. With the right mix of worms, newspaper and food waste, combined with about four months’ worth of patience, you can end up with several pounds of the moist, sticky brown com-post known to green thumbs as “steroids for plants.” In an effort to be more “green,” Richard Carlsen, 53, a public school teacher, bought a worm bin 18 months ago to use in his East Ninth Street apart-ment. “I thought composting was out for

me not having a yard, but after research-ing vermicomposting, I was like, ‘Oh, let me give it a try,’ and it’s worked out great,” said Mr. Carlsen. He uses the rich fertilizer excreted by the worms on his houseplants, and he gets rid of food leftovers. ”I’m proud of my worms,” he said. “It’s amazing, you stick something in there, and in a week it’s gone.” As a result of keeping the worm bin in his living room, Mr. Carlsen has put up with some extra insects like mites, fruit flies and gnats. However, he uses frequent vacuuming and fly traps to control the pest population.

Fall 2011


City Council Report //

Hello City Park,

I hope you have had an opportunity to enjoy the great summer days that

we received this year, mosquitoes and all. Council has been busy with the Saskatoon Speaks review, service and program evaluation, strategic planning and many other projects that will help move us forward positively for the next 50 years. Citizens of City Park have also been very busy with Community Associa-tion activities, tending the beautiful community garden, working on the Kinsmen Park master plan committee and providing input on important things like cycling and pedestrian corridors, Mendel building repurposing, recycling, and transit to name a few. I look forward to council finally ap-proving a curbside recycling program. With curbside and new landfill optimi-

zation strategies, I am confident we can extend the landfill’s life by 40 years. There has been a tremendous amount of misinformation circulated within the community about recycling and Cosmopolitan Industries. I have always advocated for continuing to sup-port Cosmo and helping them succeed while at the same time providing a recy-cling program that is in the best interest of ALL citizens of Saskatoon. City council, on behalf of the citizens of Sas-katoon, provides a tremendous amount of support to Cosmo and this support extends way beyond the paper program. Please contact me if you would like the facts on this issue. If you are interested in receiving regular emails from me that include Council agendas and decisions, public service announcements and other civic information, please drop me an email and I can add you to the local neigh-bourhood database. All email addresses remain confidential, and you can ask to be removed at any time. Please be sure to include your name, civic address, and contact phone number on all correspon-dence.

Be well,

Darren HillCouncillor -Ward 1, City of SaskatoonCity Park ResidentC: 306.227.4322E: [email protected]

Listening To You. Working For You.

Fall 2011

A letter from Ward 1

councillor Darren Hill

Community Events Schedule

Annual General Meeting

@ Wilson Park

Saturday, September 10, 2011

BBQ w/ vegetarian options 1:00 pm

AGM 1:30 pm

Halloween Dance

October 28, 2011

Starts at 5:30 pm

Ends at 9:00 pm

City Park Collegiate gym

Community Dinner

@ CPCINovember 20, 2011

5:00 pm

Community Dinner

@ CPCI

January 22, 2012 5:00 pm

The City Park Community Association newsletter is published 3 times per year:

Fall (September) Winter (December)

Spring (April)

The CPCA newsletter is delivered to all households and multi-unit dwellings and businesses in City Park (circulation 2000). If you do not wish to receive the newsletter or have comments about the content, please contact us.

Advertising Guidelines:

$40.00 business card .......................................................... 3.5”w x 2”h $60.00 one third .................................................................. Horizontal - 7.25”w x 3”h or

Vertical - 2.25”w x 9.25”h$95.00 two thirds ................................................................. Horizontal - 7.25”w x 6.5”h or

Vertical - 4.75”w x 9.25”h$140.00 full page ................................................................. 7”w x 9.5”h

Newsletter Coordinator: Daryl Hofmann • [email protected]

The Executive

President: Nicholas Blenkinsop [email protected] President: Janice Brayden 653-1888

Communications Coordinator: Trevor Huenison 934-5827

Fundraising Coordinator: Brad Hoffmann 221-2934

Newsletter Coordinator: Daryl Hofmann 227-2390 [email protected]

Programs Coordinator: Susan Wall 978-4377

Rink Coordinator: Kelly Davis 665-1996

Treasurer: Paul Pastor 343-1760

Volunteer Coordinator:

Dave Hiebert 665-1879

Secretary: Vacant

Events Coordinator: Vacant

Members at Large: Dwayne Keir

Richard Anderson Christina Eynck Jonathon McNeill

Information deadlines for upcoming issues:

Winter -

Deadline: November 1

Spring -

Deadline: March 1

The CPCA newsletter was printed by PROPRINT 248 3rd Avenue South 306-665-0999 • fax 652-4446

City Park Community Association Mailing Address: 820 – 9th Avenue North, S7K 2Z2 [email protected]


CPCA

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Documents

City Park News, Fall 2011 issue