GLAD ‘Cleaning the Capital’ spring 2018
by Zoe Sutherland
The City of Ottawa hosts its annual spring event, GLAD’s “Cleaning the Capital.” It’s coming soon! Registration begins on March 15, with park cleanups taking place between April 15 and May 15. Everyone is welcome so please come out and help our Glebe Parks Committee (GPC) volunteers. Please refer to the table for the date and time of a park cleanup near you.
All park cleanups will focus on litter picking, the removal of glass items and shards, picking up sticks from grassy areas, graffiti removal if applicable and a general tidy-up of planted areas.
Extra help is needed at Central Park West. GPC members Connie Boynton and Bruce Jamieson are coordinating three different projects in Central Park West this spring. Connie and Bruce would really appreciate help with the triangular portion of the park, the circular flower bed and painting over graffiti on retaining walls. If you are handy with a trowel or brush, please come and lend a hand.
Capital Cleanup Weekend is April 27–29. If you attend a park cleanup that takes place over any of these dates, you may also meet a representative from a sponsor or our Capital Ward Councillor, David Chernushenko.
Glebe Parks Committee: other business
The GPC volunteers meet monthly to discuss the running and upkeep of our beautiful and well-used Glebe parks. Moving into spring we hope to arrange, oversee and communicate such amenities as: the canoe docks in Patterson’s Creek and the Canal at Fifth Avenue, placement of parklet’s on Second and Third avenues, possible plants for pollinators and performances of Twelfth Night by A Company of Fools.
Dalhousie South Park renewal has been a long time coming. Our GPC volunteer, Sue Stefko, has been working hard liaising with the city, Glebe Community Association, GPC and residents of the Glebe Annex with a view to regenerating this park. About the renewal proposal presented January 22, Stefco said, “Generally speaking, we’re happy about the plan. We like that there is an open spot for playing and kicking a soccer ball around in the back, and we like that the gazebo will be moved forward to enable more play area. We’re happy to be getting a swing, which is an extra piece of play equipment to what we had before and was the most requested play structure by our community.
“Our goal was to maximize the use of the relatively small area dedicated to play structures while leaving room for adult seating in the front and an open play area in the back, which this plan does pretty well.”
All GPC members support Sue in her quest to improve this space and will continue to do so until the work is complete. Watch this space!
The dedicated efforts of our GPC volunteer Peter MacKenzie have finally paid off. Central Park East is now a safer place to walk during the evening with the addition of 12 new high-tech lamp standards.
“The new lamps have a taller pole and no glass in the lamp. It was hard to fully grasp the light bulb concept. It isn’t a bulb; it’s a hive of LED light emitters. Each emitter can be moved to direct its light. The light below is focussed on the pathways. Enough ambient light shows movement in general areas. As required, an added shade in the lamp blocks offending light from nearby homes.
“The lights will be ‘tuned’ in the spring by adjusting the focus of some emitters to cover key areas. The old lamps will be removed in the spring,” said Peter MacKenzie.
The success of this project came down in part to the support of the Glebe Community Association and Councillor David Chernushenko who took time out of his schedule to visit the park and speak directly to Peter and others about how safety could be improved. Money for this project came from the cash-in-lieu of Parkland funds.
Zoe Sutherland is a member of the Glebe Community Association Parks Committee.
