JANUARY 2018 EXECUTIVE MEETING MINUTES

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Regal Heights Residents’ Association Executive Meeting

Tuesday January 16, 7 pm, 99 Springmount Ave.

 

Present: Richard Cavanagh, Linda DeGiorgio, John Keating (chair), Harry Lay, Dave Meslin, Peter Norman, Margaret Smith, Florence Watts, Marie Goldthorpe, Robert Szarchrajuk

Regrets: Mary Anne Quance, Brigid Higgins, Rosa Cordiano, Beth Marcilio, Siva Swaminathan

Street Beautification

  1. Garden plans – John spoke on behalf of Mary Anne. Mary Anne received a $600 gift certificate for Plant World from Enbridge Gas toward replacing the plantings that were destroyed during installation of new gas line equipment along the Rosemount garden last summer. John sent a letter of thanks on behalf of the RHRA and commended the company for leaving the site in good condition.
  2. Garden event with library – John reported that Jeffrey Toste of the Dufferin Branch of the Library was interested in co-hosting a gardening event in the early spring that would include a selection of gardening books available for borrowing. The Executive approved the idea. John will contact Jeffrey with a proposal for an event on Saturday, May 12.
  3. Charles Caccia Tree – Florence reported that on December 11, just before the first big snow storm and in spite of the frozen ground, the RHRA planted a replacement tree for the Charles Caccia memorial tree in front of Regal Road School. Trevor Whiteside did most of the work. Thanks to the many people who attended the event.
  4. Update on neighbourhood parkette proposal – Dave reported that his proposal for a parkette at the side of the large intersection at Springmount and Regal Road went viral all around the world. The idea won a “Streetsie Award” from the American online publication Streetsblog.org. It was named Best Tactical Urbanism Demonstration. Read all about it on the RHRA website, regalheights.ca
  5. Tree for Me event – Harry reported that another round of trees will soon be available from the Tree For Me program to give away for private planting. However, he says the neighbourhood may already be saturated after the last two events. We will consider another event in the fall or in early 2019.

 

Planning, zoning, transportation and communications

  1. Communications update – Peter reported that he wants to create or resuscitate more historical content for the RHRA website for the “Neighbourhod Lore” section. Local stories recently posted include the erection of the historical plaque on the school,  the restoration of the Regal Road School portico and the restoration of the murals in the Dufferin/St. Clair branch of the library. He will work with Art Dacks and others to find the material. Anyone with interesting historical pictures or stories is welcome to contribute.
  2. Two-hour TTC transfer update – John reported that the TTC Board has approved the idea of a time-based transfer. Members of the coalition advocating for the proposal have been emailing and meeting with City councillors and attending Budget Committee meetings to urge the City to fund it. More details are available on our website.
  3. Proposed development 49-51 Springmount – Harry reported that the Toronto Local Appeal Body has scheduled a public meeting on March 14 at 9 am to consider the case of the proposed development at 49 – 51 Springmount Ave. Last fall, the City’s Committee of Adjustment rejected a variance application for the project. The developer appealed to TLAB. City lawyers will argue against overturning the Committee of Adjustment ruling. The meeting is at the Orchard View library branch, 40 Orchard View Blvd., Room 205.
  4. Repair of TTC showcase boxes – Many of the boxes at the streetcar shelters along St. Clair cannot be opened because of damage to the setscrews holding them closed. John will look into repairing them so we can start posting event notices and promotions.
  5. Ideas for “Commitment TO Community initiative – Caleb Woolcott from the organization contacted RHRA to remind people that the City of Toronto is now considering the 2018 budget. He says there are potentially serious cuts to many services delivered by non-profit community organizations that get government support. Anyone interested in helping the city’s most vulnerable and building a more equitable Toronto is encouraged to contact your City Councillor and advocate for social spending in the budget. For more, including a suggested email you can send, see the organization’s website.
  6. Thanks to Severino Centritto – For several years, Severino has been distributing copies of these minutes to people in the community who don’t use email. The executive would like to give a long-overdue thank you to Severino for his hard work and for his many other contributions to the community!
  7. Brainstorming for 2018 events list – The RHRA will develop a list of events for publication on the website, including dates of executive and public meetings.

 

Special Events

  1. Pub Night – Beth was unable to attend. See the website for Pub Night dates.
  2. Winter Carnival proposal – We received no responses to our call for help planning a winter carnival. Given the lack of interest, we will either cancel the idea for this year or discuss having a simple winter parade followed by hot chocolate around an outdoor fire.
  3. Garage sale plans – The RHRA will host the bi-annual Garage Sale on Saturday, June16. Details to come.
  4. Use of Library for May public meeting – John will approach the Dufferin library branch about hosting the May 15 public meeting at the Library. Since it closes at 8:30, the meeting should start at 6:30 with socializing. Politicians representing the area will be invited to talk to constituents at this time. The business portion of the meeting will begin at 7 pm. More details to come.
  5. Taylor Cup Fundraiser – Trevor Whiteside is one of several people in the neighbourhood who will be playing in the Taylor Cup hockey tournament January 26th to 28th, in support of the Sarcoma Research Program at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. To get involved on the team or to donate, contact Trevor at trevor@whitesidetreeandgarden.com

 

Police community partnership

Deferred

Community Welcome Project

No new packages delivered. John will explore making contact with local realtors for information of new house sales in the neighbourhood

Finances

Finances Nov 22, 2017 Jan 16, 2018
Operating Fund $4,706 $5,252
Heritage Fund 276 276
Street Sale (in trust) 192 192
Petty Cash 180 272
Total $5304 $5,992

 

Membership

  1. Replacement of recording secretary – We want to sincerely thank Anita Kung for being our recording secretary longer than most of us can remember. Meeting after meeting, we knew we could count on her to write up the minutes quickly and accurately. Thanks, Anita! It was a pleasure having you on the executive. John will approach some community members about recording the meeting minutes, following Anita’s recent resignation.
  2. Discussion of membership pilot program – Dave will consult with people in the community about a one-year pilot program to get rid of membership fees and replace them with online fund raising. He will also look at ways of getting more people from apartment buildings aware of and involved in our events.

Next Meeting: Tuesday, February 20, 79 Regal Rd. Non-executive members are welcome. If there’s an issue you’d like to discuss, let us know!