Thirty Years Ago in the Glebe Report

Volume 20, Number 11,
December 13, 1991 (36 pages)

Trees of the Glebe

by Ian McKercher

The first meeting of Trees of the Glebe and Dow’s Lake was held November 19, 1991. Several environmental topics were discussed, including a community tree planting in the fall. Damp-resistant willows and silver maples needed to be planted in Central Park to sop up the swamp that appeared every spring. Any building site plan submitted to the City should include adding trees. More trees were necessary along the Queensway to reduce noise and visual pollution. Plans for a park on the southeast corner of Bank and Holmwood had been drawn up by landscape architect Dieter Gruenwoldt and approved by City Council in 1975. Why had so little of this park ever been completed?

Cash-in-lieu supported

In a letter, Frank de Jong disagreed with the Glebe Community Association’s objection to the application for cash-in-lieu of parking by Irene’s Pub. (The pub wanted to expand.) He wrote, “In a decade or so I suspect we will begin to drastically reduce our dependence on the automobile and opt rather for walking, bicycling and clean-fuel mass transit. I foresee cars banned from Bank Street through the Glebe, replaced with a walking mall. Bank Street should intensify the size and number of its businesses, making it more attractive for people to spend time and money in our community. We should encourage cash-in-lieu payments and use the money for bicycle lanes and bicycle parking facilities. The GCA and the City should plan now for the inevitable post-petroleum era that is people-friendly, not car-friendly.”

Classy curtain call

Defeated Capital Ward Councillor Lynn Smyth thanked the community for “the challenging and rewarding opportunity to serve from 1988 to 1991.” She acknowledged “the dedication and commitment to service shown by City and Regional Staff.” She offered a special thanks to office assistants Michele Proulx, Mary Kovacs and Sharlene Hertz “for their special attention to ward needs and their good humour under constant daily pressures.”