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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCSD-08-047 - 2006 Festival of Neighbourhoods Capital Improvement Grant1 LR REPORT Community Services Report To: Community Services Committee Date of Meeting: May 12, 2008 Submitted By: Mark Hildebrand, Director Community Programs and Services ext. 2687 Prepared By: Natascha Voll, District Facilitator ext. 2503 Ward(s) Involved: Ward 1 Date of Report: April 25, 2008 Report No.: CSD -08 -047 Subject: 2006 Festival of Neighbourhoods Capital Improvement Grant RECOMMENDATION: That the 2006 Festival of Neighbourhoods Capital Improvement Grant be used to pay for the proposed horticulture plan and plantings on Hartwood Green. BACKGROUND: In the summer of 2006, Glen Acres Church celebrated their Church's anniversary by inviting the neighbourhood to join. Their event won the Festival of Neighbourhoods $10,000 capital improvement grant in October 2006. Neighbours in the area around the church have provided input into how they would like to use their prize allotment. People who live around Hartwood Avenue, Hartwood Place, Ellis Avenue, Brunswick Avenue and Ahrens Street are a delightful combination of new families and older friends, some of whom have lived in their homes for most of their adult lives. The community enjoys the quiet, peaceful environment, the mature trees and nature nearby. After consulting with the neighbours, through surveys and two public meetings in June of 2007, the organizing committee made the decision to focus their attention on the green space at Hartwood Place. REPORT: Currently the green space at Hartwood Place has a few trees and overgrown shrubs on it. It does not have a sidewalk and is used primarily for active, unorganized play by local neighbours. A Landscape Architect in the Community Services Department has developed a proposed horticulture plan in consultation with the local residents. Please see attached. The following is a breakdown of the proposed planting that will be completed using the existing Community Services street tree planting budget: Report No. CSD -08 -047 Page 2 Street Tree Planting - $3,992 • 3 'October Glory' Red Maple • 3 Gingko biloba • 1 Burr Oak • 3 Red Oak In addition to this, the Festival of Neighbourhoods grant will be used for the following plantings: • Small to medium sized flowering trees $7,000 • Naturalized bulb planting $3,000 This project will be a pilot for the mechanical planting of bulbs on a large scale. The minimum number of bulbs is in excess of the neighbourhood project budget so a cost sharing with the Community Services naturalization program will take place which limits the cost to the neighbourhood grant project to $3,000. The remainder of the approximately $6,000 cost for the pilot project will utilize the naturalization and horticultural capital budgets of the Operations Division of Community Services. The neighbours who live in and around Hartwood Green have been consulted throughout the process and are happy with the proposed plan. The area in the centre of the green will remain open to ensure that free play can be continued in the space. The plan includes a curved concrete sidewalk through the green along Hartwood Avenue and will be completed by the City of Kitchener during normal scheduled road reconstruction, the timing which yet has to be confirmed. This sidewalk may not be completed for a few years as it will depend on the road reconstruction priorities. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: A yearly allotment of $10,000 is budgeted for the Festival of Neighbourhoods capital grant. Historically, Festival of Neighbourhoods grants are a catalyst for community collaboration and have resulted in community projects that are worth far more than the initial $10,000 investment. In addition to this, approximately $3,000 from the existing naturalization and horticulture capital budgets will be utilized for the spring bulb planting pilot project. CONCLUSION: The Festival of Neighbourhoods provides a platform for the citizenship of Kitchener to meet and socialize with each other. The $10,000 grant provided each year for capital improvements is a unique opportunity for both City of Kitchener staff and community to look at ways to enhance the local infrastructure and encourage a local flavour. Each project is exciting and unique and results in an opportunity to make a difference. Mark Hildebrand Director, Community Programs and Services Att.