tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81296397995772483622024-02-19T02:45:23.849-05:00SprawlvilleDispatches from the fastest growing town in CanadaJennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-52854403671266553212011-12-05T01:39:00.000-05:002011-12-05T01:39:41.448-05:00Notes from the London Bike Summit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://miltoncyclenetwork.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/103_9876.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="London Bike Summit, 2011" class="aligncenter wp-image-135" height="224" src="http://miltoncyclenetwork.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/103_9876.jpg" title="London Bike Summit, 2011" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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In 2006, OPP Sgt. Greg Stobbart was struck and killed by a truck while cycling on Tremaine Road, just south of Main. The truck driver had had his license suspended five times before the accident, owed $14,000 in driving-related fines, and yet he was only sentenced to 100 hours of community service and told to attend drivers ed.<br />
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That tragic experience led Stobbart's widow, Eleanor McMahon, to begin a crusade for bike safety that resulted in the formation of the <a href="http://www.sharetheroad.ca/">Share the Road Cycling Coalition</a>. The group brings together cyclists, police, and policy makers from all levels of government, all dedicated to “enhancing access for bicyclists on roads and trails and educating citizens on the value and importance of safe bicycling for healthy lifestyles and communities.”<br />
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In 2009, Share the Road sponsored the first Ontario Bike Summit. This year, the <a href="http://www.sharetheroad.ca/london-summit-s14927">summit</a> was held in London, Ontario, a community which was recently awarded a Bronze designation in the <a href="http://www.sharetheroad.ca/about-bfc-s13696">Bicycle Friendly Community Program</a>. This program - which Milton would do well to implement - assesses the progress made by communities in the 5 "E's": <i>Enforcement, Encouragement, Evaluation, Engineering, and Education.</i><br />
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The keynote speaker was Amy Ryberg Doyle, city councillor in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenville,_South_Carolina">Greenville, South Carolina</a>. She outlined many of the specific measures that have been taken by Greenville over the past 30 years to make it not only bike-friendly but people friendly through its 'Complete Streets' planning policies. These policies have been successful because they are not merely suggestions - they are legislated requirements which mandate the city to consider bike lanes every time a road is repaved, and all businesses to install bike racks. They also closely monitor bicycle use and changing traffic patterns in order to measure their progress. Throughout her presentation, Ryberg Doyle's mantra was, "If you want bikes to count, count bikes!"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://miltoncyclenetwork.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/103_9878.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Amy Ryberg Doyle" class=" wp-image-133" height="225" src="http://miltoncyclenetwork.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/103_9878.jpg" title="Amy Ryberg Doyle" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amy Ryberg Doyle, Greenville, SC</td></tr>
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The first panel discussed the potentials of bicycle tourism in Ontario, and highlighted the economic benefits of cyclists as visitors who tend stay longer and spend more than other types of tourists. Quebec was held up as a model of a province-wide promotion and infrastructure commitment (through initiatives like <a href="http://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.velo.qc.ca/&ei=CAvcTtf2OaT50gGbjqGEDg&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCEQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dvelo%2Bquebec%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3Dv7M%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26prmd%3Dimvns">Velo Quebec</a>) that has paid off to the tune of $166 million from cycling tourists. They also discussed the <a href="http://welcomecyclists.ca/">Welcome Cyclists</a> program, which allows businesses to promote themselves to cyclists by providing amenities like covered bike racks, enclosed bike lock-ups, bike repair kits, healthy food options, and local bike route maps.<br />
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The second panel discussed the specifics of building bicycle-friendly communities, and included Deputy Chief Bob Percy of the Halton Regional Police Service. Percy spoke at length about Halton's 'Share the Road' program, and highlighted the police service's role in educating cyclists and motorists in partnership with local cycling organizations. He was followed by representatives from Waterloo and Ottawa talking about their respective cities' policies, and how they plan to go from Silver to Gold Bicycle-Friendly Communities.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://miltoncyclenetwork.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/103_9887.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" class=" wp-image-136" height="219" src="http://miltoncyclenetwork.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/103_9887.jpg" title="Plenary Panel Members" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waterloo representatives Diane Freeman and Scott Nevin</td></tr>
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I came away from the conference with a renewed optimism that we really can make Milton more bike-friendly, and a host of practical ideas for making it happen. One of the best of these was the <a href="http://www.streetfilms.org/mba-road-diet/">Road Diet</a>.<br />
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It sounds like a radical notion: instead of adding lanes to improve traffic, take a lane or two away and give the space over to bike lanes, pedestrian islands, turn lanes, and/or sidewalks. And yet, it's an idea that has been proven to work - in Greenville, in Waterloo, and in dozens of other communities. Here in Milton, this is essentially what was done to Bronte Street.<br />
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Diane Freeman, a city councillor from Waterloo, showed exactly how a road diet was successfully applied to <a href="http://www.waterloo.ca/Portals/57ad7180-c5e7-49f5-b282-c6475cdb7ee7/PWS_ROADS_documents/Davenport_Road_Information_Package.pdf">Davenport Road</a>, transforming it from a dangerous, deteriorating four-lane thoroughfare that split the community into a quieter, safer two-lane neighbourhood road with bike lanes, pedestrian safe medians and even 'bike boxes' - all without increasing congestion. They even had a street party to celebrate Davenport's re-opening - and a thousand people came!<br />
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So, which Milton streets do you think would benefit from something like this?<br />
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<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/21903160?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&color=9086c0" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/21903160">Moving Beyond the Automobile: Road Diets</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/streetfilms">Streetfilms</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-7566752412215533622011-07-27T22:54:00.002-04:002011-07-28T16:24:55.240-04:00The Milton Community Gardens<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="330" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eNyNV2nItkQ" width="400"></iframe><br />
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Local environmental group Milton Green recently sponsored a walking garden tour which included a close-up look at the Milton Community Gardens.<br />
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Currently located on the Allendale property across the street from the Milton Mall, this unassuming urban farm has been quietly producing tomatoes, beans and carrots for over fifteen years. And yet, most people in town don't even know it's there.<br />
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It's just as well that the Town hasn't gone out of its way to promote the garden or inform residents about its existence. Organizer Noelle Walsh has a long list of people waiting for one of the garden's 34 plots to become available, with many new residents and even a few out of towners wanting to get their hands dirty.<br />
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This is not to say that the Town and the Region aren't supportive. They prepare the plots, lease the land and insure it free of charge. Water tanks are filled throughout the season, and gardeners are provided with all the free mulch they can use. But the demand grows every year, so Walsh would like to see individual neighbourhoods start their own community gardens.<br />
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Happily, Walsh may get her wish. <a href="http://www.milton.ca/execserv/agendas2011/rpts2011/COMS-003-11%20Chris%20Hadfield%20Public%20School%20Community%20Garden.pdf">Chris Hadfield Public School</a> recently received approval from the Town of Milton to start their own community garden in parkland adjacent to the school near Woodward and Dixon. <br />
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Starting next spring, students at the school will learn about gardening, food and agriculture by planting and tending to their own seedlings. Town staff will till the soil and provide water, and neighbourhood residents will tend the garden through the summer until the fruits and vegetables are ready to be harvested by the kids in the fall.<br />
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No word yet on whether other area schools plan to implement similar programs, but with any luck, community gardening in Milton will prove to be a growing trend.<br />
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Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-70678628097017534652011-07-11T13:23:00.000-04:002011-07-11T13:23:50.591-04:00One Farm<i>(originally posted at <a href="http://smithward2.blogspot.com/">jensmith.ca</a>)</i><br />
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Local food is all the rage these days. Proponents usually focus on fruits and vegetables, encouraging consumers to stock up on seasonal produce at farmers' markets and grocery stores. But buying local meat and dairy products is just as important - perhaps even more so. After all, what better way to ensure that the animals that feed you are being treated humanely than to get to know the farmer who raises them?<br />
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That's why one of my favourite vendors at the Farmers' Market is Dave McCann at 'The Beef Bloc'. I found out a bit of the story behind the beef a couple of years ago when I interviewed Dave for <a href="http://sprawlville.blogspot.com/2008/06/milton-farmers-market-week-3.html">this blog</a> and have been a loyal customer ever since. His beef isn't 'organic' or anything fancy like that, but he grows his own feed, does his own butchering, and raises his cattle free-range, with no antibiotics except when the animals are actually sick.<br />
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As someone who knows a little too much about conventional factory farming practices, I found it all very reassuring.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPv0nOZie7pHeGw_gYzMuFGofY9bMfln76elY9CNMixQucCBKExqXCPR7Hs9JB1W11KAApEaQCEcPHRNAHmE121JhdqYXUbr5q6HoNbbbO6E4BQMaUiGg08cUFInZpVD-69ZjGjANy_E/s1600/omagh_map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPv0nOZie7pHeGw_gYzMuFGofY9bMfln76elY9CNMixQucCBKExqXCPR7Hs9JB1W11KAApEaQCEcPHRNAHmE121JhdqYXUbr5q6HoNbbbO6E4BQMaUiGg08cUFInZpVD-69ZjGjANy_E/s1600/omagh_map.jpg" /></a>If you've ever driven through the village of Omagh on Britannia Road, you've probably seen Dave's cows. His family has owned the parcel just north and west of the village for over a century, and until recently it looked like this pastoral oasis would be spared the ravages of Milton's urban sprawl. Unlike their neighbours, the McCann's have not sold their land to developers, and although the new Boyne Survey development plan covers that whole area, their little patch will remain a farm - at least as long as the McCann family owns it.<br />
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But now there is a new threat.<br />
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Halton Region is moving forward with <a href="http://www.halton.ca/cms/one.aspx?portalId=8310&pageId=49605">plans to widen Britannia Road</a> to four lanes across the entire width of the region. The bottleneck through Omagh presents a problem, however, so consultants have devised three different options.<br />
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The first would simply widen the road along its existing path, essentially destroying the entire village. The second and third options would divert the road around the village, much in the same way that Regional Road 25 was diverted around Palermo.<br />
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The problem for the McCann's is the second option, which would divert Britannia Road north of Omagh... straight through the middle of their farm and all of their farm buildings.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyTZWf972AKtFmUAHefGF9eht_RS6EyD7DzvyEa2-loXt3LTxM5gOkRwE8IyoDzj_ihv0PMq8MeqPl2yoHeU-jlcQ8hnk_fuoPkA1y-zRwXCEOa64G30_Neq3bcd_wZY1JD4rgsnxJewI/s1600/britannia2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyTZWf972AKtFmUAHefGF9eht_RS6EyD7DzvyEa2-loXt3LTxM5gOkRwE8IyoDzj_ihv0PMq8MeqPl2yoHeU-jlcQ8hnk_fuoPkA1y-zRwXCEOa64G30_Neq3bcd_wZY1JD4rgsnxJewI/s400/britannia2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The obvious solution is the third option, which would divert the road south through open fields. It's so obvious that one would assume that Regional Council would automatically reject the other two, and from the comments I've read on Hawthorne Villager it sounds like that is what will be happening. However, the fact that the other two options are even being considered is troubling, and illustrates the sorts of obstacles being faced by local farmers like the McCanns.<br />
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There was a presentation to Regional Council a few months back about <a href="http://www.insidehalton.com/news/article/854946--halton-s-vanishing-farmland">the state of farming in Halton</a>. One disturbing statistic: fully half of Halton's little remaining farmland is actually owned by developers and speculators who rent it out to short-term operations for quick cash crops like corn and soy. That way they can reap the agricultural tax benefits while they sit and wait for municipal development plans to reach the property.<br />
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The result is that serious, long-term farming operations like the McCann's are increasingly rare. And despite the lip service paid to sustainable agriculture and local food, all levels of government seem determined to drive them out of business.<br />
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The pressures faced by family farmers in the GTA range from major economic roadblocks to seemingly endless minor irritants. For example, Dave McCann was suddenly informed a couple of years ago that he would need to purchase a food vendor license for the farmers' market, despite the fact that Milton's <a href="http://www.milton.ca/execserv/bylaws_archive/111-2004%20Business%20Licensing%20%28Consolidated%29.pdf">business license by-law</a> includes a specific exemption <i>"if the goods, wares or merchandise are grown or produced by a farmer resident in Ontario who offers for sale or sells only the produce of his or her own farm."</i><br />
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The license itself is relatively cheap, and after arguing his case for months he just ended up paying the fee. But the fact that even that minor roadblock should be thrown up in the way of one of our few remaining local food producers is upsetting. And now the family is being forced to attend public meetings to explain why driving a four lane road through the middle of their farm might be problematic.<br />
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It makes you wonder if some people might be happier if farmers like the McCanns would just go away.<br />
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<object height="349" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7XScCtmTPlU?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7XScCtmTPlU?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="440" height="300" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-18004975975329300712011-07-11T13:10:00.000-04:002011-07-11T13:10:32.132-04:00My 'Outdoor Adventure' to the New Main Library<i>(originally posted at <a href="http://smithward2.blogspot.com/">jensmith.ca</a>)</i><br />
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Mark June 16th on your calendars, folks! We are finally going to be hearing back from the consultants hired by the Town about future uses for the (now former) library buildings at Bruce Street. It's being billed as a 'public information session', which is Town-speak for "the decisions have already been made", and given that the new library is already open and the old one closed, I'm guessing that decision won't involve maintaining a branch library at Bruce Street.<br />
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In the end there simply weren't enough of us who will be hurt by this to override the wishes of the majority. But more on that later.<br />
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Apparently June is 'Walking Month' (who knew?), so in order to promote more physical activity - and, perhaps, to counteract the criticisms that the new library is too far to get to easily from downtown - the Library has been <a href="http://www.mpl.on.ca/whats_new.php#way">encouraging people</a> to walk, bike, or take transit to 'Main@Main':<br />
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<blockquote><i>"Make each visit to the Main Library an outdoor adventure. Take a hike or ride your bike. Take to the trails or take transit. Take time to play at a park. Walk, stroll or saunter!"</i></blockquote><br />
Since I've been one of the ones doing the criticizing, and since it was such a lovely day yesterday, I figured I'd take them up on it. I wasn't going to walk, of course - that's about a half hour each way from my house, and I'm simply not that energetic. So I decided to take my bike.<br />
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On the way, I stopped by the old library (which is only about a ten minute walk from my house, BTW). I took a peek in the windows and was rather shocked by what I saw. You see, when the arguments were being made about just how prohibitively expensive it would be to maintain a branch library there, one of the biggest expenses was supposed to be replacing all the shelving and furniture that was going to be moved to the new site. Hundreds of thousands it would cost. Really.<br />
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So imagine my surprise when I saw this...<br />
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As far as I can tell, not a stick of furniture has been removed. Not a shelf, not a table, not a chair. Hell, even the computers are still there!<br />
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Actually, I'm not surprised at all. <a href="http://smithward2.blogspot.com/2010/12/bruce-street-library-meetings.html">From the very beginning</a> I had questioned why the Library would want all that tacky old shelving in their shiny new facility. And now we know.<br />
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I continued on my merry way, perhaps unwisely choosing to take the Main Street route to my destination. It's not a pleasant route, especially with all the construction that is only going to get worse as they move forward with the rail underpass. In fact I took Child's Drive home, which is really the best way to go if you're coming from the south-west. But I wanted you to see that section of Main Street from ground level so you'd have some idea of what sort of "outdoor adventure" they're asking the seniors in those Millside apartment buildings to go through as they make their way to the new library.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Main Street underpass is slated to take three years to complete</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>In the winter this is usually blocked with snow.<br />
And watch your bike tires don't get stuck in the rails!</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wg27Hm4xcUKRMwxQbIRAF0sX1uB8PeJvszLEVI8Yw8i8e7NJuitpHp1P99BEqw9j1ecDwApERIcg_SL1XKKBKcQMsywnTL_mLNrjtVZo4KK9aiFwf4CK1Ja7NLoOnqavWhVgxN35Ig0/s1600/100_9249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wg27Hm4xcUKRMwxQbIRAF0sX1uB8PeJvszLEVI8Yw8i8e7NJuitpHp1P99BEqw9j1ecDwApERIcg_SL1XKKBKcQMsywnTL_mLNrjtVZo4KK9aiFwf4CK1Ja7NLoOnqavWhVgxN35Ig0/s320/100_9249.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This is how most kids coming from schools south of the tracks get to Main Street</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg61TD2hc1wa_scSv9gi86UJL0t7TZmWvpyswDK-PiOxJrrIXXW9CC_501DxPYr_dZT66JVa0z-gzcA-1ugtus2W4dL2AdSQzj4EaZgDURE7Vonw4dAkhkVv8XzYtVnxIEZY1fgGIr_dmw/s1600/100_9251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg61TD2hc1wa_scSv9gi86UJL0t7TZmWvpyswDK-PiOxJrrIXXW9CC_501DxPYr_dZT66JVa0z-gzcA-1ugtus2W4dL2AdSQzj4EaZgDURE7Vonw4dAkhkVv8XzYtVnxIEZY1fgGIr_dmw/s320/100_9251.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I take it this is NOT one of the 'trails' they're talking about</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyMCaz3cnnG2nD2zAmaTBNe8CE7wQzlsCBvdjJPXJcqyhOg4j5U6joH0AjqAGS6M_0D3ot2RawxK_y9gPjbwM7CPafOdtR2FK_CFBfXDJbdSXCU659-0eHhrx42eqLqhpodZjyIYypKz0/s1600/100_9252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyMCaz3cnnG2nD2zAmaTBNe8CE7wQzlsCBvdjJPXJcqyhOg4j5U6joH0AjqAGS6M_0D3ot2RawxK_y9gPjbwM7CPafOdtR2FK_CFBfXDJbdSXCU659-0eHhrx42eqLqhpodZjyIYypKz0/s320/100_9252.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Things improve east of the GO station</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghVYuZnxYgAQ_XYz3jVz_DhgPyO-Xi2_WKatN8g3NA2KsHKpWiKaMDr9ysJf35TYj3V5KtlEI9piGqpjNmvQF-9GA-NaeqLJ0Cid3HIVXPIZTeMozZLBnM7lWDQqbcF_JUtjX_z0GvWyk/s1600/100_9254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghVYuZnxYgAQ_XYz3jVz_DhgPyO-Xi2_WKatN8g3NA2KsHKpWiKaMDr9ysJf35TYj3V5KtlEI9piGqpjNmvQF-9GA-NaeqLJ0Cid3HIVXPIZTeMozZLBnM7lWDQqbcF_JUtjX_z0GvWyk/s320/100_9254.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I am assured that the bike racks are on their way</i></td></tr>
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You will note that I was riding my bike on the sidewalk and not on the street, which is generally a no-no. In fact, I saw six or seven cyclists of all ages on this section of Main and not one of them was on the street - and for very good reason. Between the heavy traffic, the narrow lanes, and the sinkholes that tend to form around manhole covers there, you'd have to be suicidal to try it. And that's speaking as someone who used to commute along King Street in downtown Toronto on my bike every day.<br />
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I must say, when I finally got inside the new library I was very impressed. It's beautiful - big, well stocked, lots of cool features like a silent study area and a room where some kids were playing Kinect. My main complaint is that my favourite section - the local history and microfilm area - seems to have actually shrunk (just for the record, I'd be happy to help them develop a proper genealogy section for a reasonable fee).<br />
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I also found the place a little... well, bland. But I'm sure it will warm up once they've been in there a few months.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-E4d3YXTpLobFmI9Unov7mkn19Tx195U_8i6caxKZ6_elXQmIFgdDdM7P737AOxXmXaj84C2XkSdX1VqjL2ze8pRega7ZbeouP-ZVpZpRkZYd-cevHMNrDE7wQzWuRhWdRVPUXLCY3JE/s1600/100_9257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-E4d3YXTpLobFmI9Unov7mkn19Tx195U_8i6caxKZ6_elXQmIFgdDdM7P737AOxXmXaj84C2XkSdX1VqjL2ze8pRega7ZbeouP-ZVpZpRkZYd-cevHMNrDE7wQzWuRhWdRVPUXLCY3JE/s320/100_9257.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyY7bXb6zr3P2FWJX1VVped3TQwZcu5MbeFfe40Nnn4EsI0J02iSqNB0_-wDI-xk8EAHPPVvgauBapQMhkFo7buhZ4aGaDbrEZ44dN_G1qncS9Vi4G6_pJc10faz7U5LAA_rODpOZYOxo/s1600/100_9258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyY7bXb6zr3P2FWJX1VVped3TQwZcu5MbeFfe40Nnn4EsI0J02iSqNB0_-wDI-xk8EAHPPVvgauBapQMhkFo7buhZ4aGaDbrEZ44dN_G1qncS9Vi4G6_pJc10faz7U5LAA_rODpOZYOxo/s320/100_9258.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Let me be clear: I've always been in favour of having a new library and arts centre. I think it's a lousy location, but I never disputed the need for a larger, more modern main library. And count me among those who love the design of the new building.<br />
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What upsets me - and what upsets a lot of people, especially in Ward 2 - is that our concerns were never taken seriously. If they had been, this 'feasibility study' would have been done as soon as the project was approved - not six months before the buildings were to be vacated. In fact, the effects of removing the library from downtown Milton on the social and economic fabric of our central core and the town as a whole would have been examined and analyzed many years ago, as soon as the idea was first conceived.<br />
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Instead, we were thrown a bone. We're lucky it was an election year - otherwise they wouldn't have even bothered with that. But at least now our Ward 2 councillors will be able to make their token 'Nay' votes and tell us with pride that hey, they fought the good fight. Just don't ask them why they approved the bloody thing in the first place.<br />
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Having spent spent much of the past six months in seemingly endless debate with both councillors and residents who are unwilling to see the Town spend money to keep a branch library at Bruce Street, I can honestly say that, while I continue to disagree with them, I have a much better understanding of their perspective. You see, from their standpoint the new library is a net gain for the town as a whole. While some people will have reduced access, even more will have their access increased, so obviously it's a win. And from a purely linear point of view, ignoring all the physical and psychological barriers between here and there, it really isn't that far at all.<br />
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If that was all there was to it, their perspective would make perfect sense. If Milton was a single, homogenous entity with one part exactly like every other part, then it really wouldn't matter where we put facilities like libraries as long as they were evenly distributed. If 'downtown' was simply wherever the planners or the mall developers decided it was, then we could just call Main and Thompson 'downtown' and turn the old one into a tourist attraction.<br />
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Unfortunately, real live towns just don't work that way. And that's what I can't seem to get them to understand.Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-25245618049635638412011-02-13T00:55:00.000-05:002011-02-13T00:55:06.206-05:00On the Buses: Some Personal Thoughts on Transit<i>(Sorry about the long absence, folks. I figure since my Ward 2 blog has considerable overlap with Sprawlville, I'll start cross-posting some relevant articles from <a href="http://www.jensmith.ca/">JenSmith.ca</a> here for the next while.)</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqi3y472ttiCv1vXrSQfr8YckjzRVa3WgkVTjZD1qkUjxZz-AGNRH1mH4-64bX-Y0y49mq9HVl9DwWpPd-X_42H1tktam3DpbFz5fKRjhp2ryk8I05_CDX3xpZgSlM2V32UeL6VT4GDww/s1600/POSTCARD+-+TORONTO+-+TTC+SUBWAY+-+1950s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqi3y472ttiCv1vXrSQfr8YckjzRVa3WgkVTjZD1qkUjxZz-AGNRH1mH4-64bX-Y0y49mq9HVl9DwWpPd-X_42H1tktam3DpbFz5fKRjhp2ryk8I05_CDX3xpZgSlM2V32UeL6VT4GDww/s400/POSTCARD+-+TORONTO+-+TTC+SUBWAY+-+1950s.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I was pleased to see that the Champion finally got around to reporting on the <a href="http://www.insidehalton.com/community/milton/article/953366">transit debate</a> that went on at last month's budget meetings. Although overshadowed by the hospital levy, Rick Malboeuf's motion to slash over a quarter million dollars from the Milton Transit budget was at least as surprising, and considerably more controversial.<br />
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As I <a href="http://smithward2.blogspot.com/2011/01/mondays-budget-battle.html">reported at the time</a>, the motion took everyone off guard and forced engineering staff and transit committee members to leap to the defense of our much maligned bus system. In the end, Malboeuf agreed to set aside his motion on the condition that Council and staff investigate the possibility of cuts over the coming year.<br />
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I had the impression that most councillors agreed just so they could move on.<br />
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The article has sparked a debate over at the <a href="http://www.hawthornevillager.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=34493&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0&sid=a980eb5350a5b0476f59b03d89c81149">Hawthorne Villager forum</a>. I left a few comments, but I gave up after one person left a post about how someone would have to put a gun to his head to get him onto a bus full of the great unwashed, and how he failed to see any reason why he should choose suffer the grotesque inconvenience of waiting five minutes for a bus when he can jump in any one of his three <i>(three!)</i> cars any time he wants and pull up right to the door of his destination.<br />
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The overwhelming sense of entitlement and classism was making me a little queasy, so I decided to make a strategic withdrawal. If I <i>had</i> left a response, it likely would have been to question why someone happily spending thousands of dollars a year insuring, maintaining and fueling three cars - not to mention his tax dollars spent on new and existing roads - would find it so onerous to have to shell out $40 or $50 a year in taxes to provide transit for those who want or need it.<br />
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Alas, it would have gotten me nowhere.<br />
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I'm going to set aside the practical arguments for and against transit in Milton for a later post, because I want to address what I found most disturbing in all these discussions: the attitude that transit is only for students and tree-huggers or, worse, poor pathetic lowlifes who can't afford any better.<br />
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As an old Toronto girl, this attitude strikes me as particularly bizarre. I grew up in what were, at the time, the suburbs of Toronto, and the TTC was simply how everyone got around. My father was a fairly successful lawyer, so we weren't exactly short of money - and yet he took transit downtown to work just about every day of his career. So did all of his friends and colleagues. Even after my parents moved out to Bolton, he would drive to the King GO station and take transit to the office.<br />
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We had one car (nobody had two, of course) and my mother used it to run errands and drive me and my sister to skating or wherever. Certainly never to school, unless it was really raining cats and dogs. I walked to school until about grade 4 when I started taking the trolley bus. We moved to North York when I was in grade 6, but I continued to attend school at Avenue Road and Lawrence. I would take a bus, then the subway and then another bus to get there, often with my father part of the way if we happened to be leaving at the same time.<br />
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When I moved out of my parents house, I lived downtown and either took the TTC or rode my bike wherever I went. I didn't get my driver's license until I was 23 and living in Ottawa, but even then the car was never my primary mode of transport (my sister didn't learn to drive until she was 40).<br />
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Even after I married and we moved to Milton, I rarely drove. My husband would take the GO train downtown every day, so unless I felt like getting up very early to drive him to the station I was without a car most of the day. Which was fine since we still had a grocery store, banks, parks, the video store, and everything else I needed within blocks of my house. When my son was a little older and I got a part-time job up on Steeles, I just caught the bus at the stop right across the street from me.<br />
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It was only after we got the second car that I started relying on driving more and more. I was working from home so there was no need to commute by transit, the grocery store and several other amenities moved out of downtown, and it just became too easy to choose to drive.<br />
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My point is, I'm no angel. Like many people in Milton, I drive far more than I should. I do try to walk or bike as much as I can, but there's always an excuse - I'm in a hurry, it's too cold, it's too hot, I need to go to the Superstore anyway so I might as well drive. And it's taken its toll - I'm 35 pounds heavier now than when I moved here.<br />
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The difference is that I recognize all this as being a <i>Bad Thing</i>. Sure, as semi-affluent North Americans we're entitled to own two or three cars at a time and drive the block and a half to the mailbox and back instead of getting off our widening asses to walk. We're also entitled to throw out our clothes and dishes and buy new ones every week instead of washing the old ones if we have the money, but it's no less wasteful.<br />
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My father didn't ride the bus because it was cheaper, or faster, or better for the environment, or because he didn't have a choice. He took transit because it made sense, and because back then most people would have considered driving in your car by yourself to the office every day to be the height of wasteful self-indulgence.<br />
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I'm determined to get rid of that second car this year.Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-64425623311528485972010-01-08T23:14:00.000-05:002010-01-08T23:15:33.568-05:00I'm RunningIn case you've been wondering why I haven't posted much lately, this might help solve the mystery:<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://smithward2.blogspot.com/2010/01/fresh-start.html">A Fresh Start</a></span><br /><br />My name is Jennifer Smith, and I am running for Milton Town Council, Ward 2. Welcome to my campaign blog!</blockquote><br /><br />Yes, it's true - I've really done it. The papers are filed, the bank account's set up, and now (of course) the blog. Next order of business: PayPal account for donations. I'm going to need them.Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-79191122550302008462009-12-19T15:21:00.003-05:002009-12-19T15:30:39.979-05:00The Olympic Torch Comes to Milton!Today was the big day! Your faithful reporter actually managed to get up at gawdawful in the morning and walk up to Main Street in the freezing cold just to bring you this footage.<br /><br />I hope you appreciate it.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RkZHy4EyIJ8&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RkZHy4EyIJ8&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Seriously, it was a lot of fun and very exciting. I even got to sing Christmas carols and a rousing rendition of 'O Canada' with the Milton Choristers.Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-58392118882158075772009-12-03T00:37:00.000-05:002009-12-03T00:38:37.913-05:00Clean, Green & Prosperous in MiltonI just got back from the "Clean, Green & Prosperous" meeting, which was hosted by our two young Liberal delegates to Copenhagen: Ashley Bigda and Matt Juniper.<br /><br />It was a fun event, with two guest speakers and about 20 people attending. The presentations were interesting, although a lot of it was pretty familiar to anyone who has seen 'An Inconvenient Truth'. But the unfamiliar material was pretty shocking.<br /><br />The first speaker was Lee Norton from <a href="http://www.climateprojectcanada.org/">The Climate Project Canada</a>. Using the now familiar Al Gore PowerPoint format, he showed us some of the updated climate modelling that is both more precise and more ominous because it's taking into account feedback effects like reduced glare from polar ice and methane release from permafrost and now the arctic seabed. On the bright side, sulphur ajavascript:void(0)nd soot released into the atmosphere as plain old air pollution are having a slight cooling effect (great - smog will save us!)<br /><br />The second speaker was Prof. Jay Malcolm from U. of T. He's an ecologist specializing in biodiversity, and he had some pretty disturbing things to say about exactly what effect even just a two or three degree global temperature increase would have on bioregions here in Ontario. The optimistic scenario would have southern Ontario looking like Georgia. The pessimistic scenario involves our climate changing too fast for plant and animal species to shift north, resulting in mass extinctions and the destruction of nearly all of our forests.<br /><br />At that point, Matt and Ashley opened things up to the floor. It was a pretty lively discussion, with people talking about everything from local urban planning to green economic incentives to the relative effectiveness of traditional political engagement vs. environmental activism. Lots of smart ideas, lots of interesting perspectives.<br /><br />It was really a terrific event, and I'm pretty sure everyone in that room will be following <a href="http://haltondoescopenhagen.wordpress.com/">Matt and Ashley's Excellent Copenhagen Adventure</a> very closely.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3KUU3snl2MdfLQN1-nHaG3DjlA1cFWdrdAXAtZfltWfqgyw9TwQDM7KNXUPGjXAkwrgJr3LmOkRMOYsJXiyyEE-1oJXrku5NQiUeq5ocpmqbYLPxjF1GmRXzR6SGWOeBhTD-P-QkaDNle/s1600-h/matt_ashley_CGP.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 332px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3KUU3snl2MdfLQN1-nHaG3DjlA1cFWdrdAXAtZfltWfqgyw9TwQDM7KNXUPGjXAkwrgJr3LmOkRMOYsJXiyyEE-1oJXrku5NQiUeq5ocpmqbYLPxjF1GmRXzR6SGWOeBhTD-P-QkaDNle/s400/matt_ashley_CGP.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410870712494870194" /></a>Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-25904181042950889712009-11-30T22:21:00.001-05:002009-11-30T22:21:59.373-05:00Halton Does Copenhagen!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJTojp0hVkvmhNa5lHjurqxFbPQGmrV4uzzWyl9AuacrvCWwWgf1v_SLiK1afYsQS1kB_J-8xwXrly5pF20WAbo2qgLhY383Qb7HMx62jC4JwlNL-22KdN2em9OPEwoYpzDbjLbmF_7j6N/s1600/mattashley.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJTojp0hVkvmhNa5lHjurqxFbPQGmrV4uzzWyl9AuacrvCWwWgf1v_SLiK1afYsQS1kB_J-8xwXrly5pF20WAbo2qgLhY383Qb7HMx62jC4JwlNL-22KdN2em9OPEwoYpzDbjLbmF_7j6N/s200/mattashley.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410099803862208578" /></a>We're all very excited here in Halton that two of our Young Liberals have been selected as youth delegates to the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.oakvillebeaver.com/news/article/288337">Ashley Bigda and Matt Juniper</a> were recently featured in the local papers, and now they have their very own blog to share their adventures with us:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://haltondoescopenhagen.wordpress.com/">Halton Does Copenhagen</a></span><br /><br />Drop in and say hi! Or better yet, come on down to their <span style="font-weight:bold;">"Clean, Green, & Prosperous"</span> event on Wednesday night here in Milton, where you can talk to them about what you would like to see accomplished at the conference.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJfVQ7iPJcz6AZQU4Oy2GjOAh_l0xIjLc0IEUEU_KOPQWvuQToyWKwne5Vo-6QdGowJqH5i5ZsLThUSjgLDkv8Ov3-MSDwo_wo_kQsYbIqdo4Z8owvWImIoC9Z3tDqDnRzIH9Zq5NBQdC/s1600/mattashleyflyer.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 296px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJfVQ7iPJcz6AZQU4Oy2GjOAh_l0xIjLc0IEUEU_KOPQWvuQToyWKwne5Vo-6QdGowJqH5i5ZsLThUSjgLDkv8Ov3-MSDwo_wo_kQsYbIqdo4Z8owvWImIoC9Z3tDqDnRzIH9Zq5NBQdC/s400/mattashleyflyer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410098761720027650" /></a><br /><br />Hope to see you there!Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-28948114415111925062009-11-08T16:14:00.003-05:002009-11-08T20:21:42.355-05:00From Town to City: Milton's Infill and Intensification PlanLast Wednesday I had the opportunity to participate in the second of two public meetings discussing plans to increase development and population density in central Milton - otherwise known as 'Infill and Intensification'.<br /><br />The Province has mandated that, in order to accommodate increasing populations and to avoid sprawl into agricultural areas, that certain towns increase the population density of their built-up areas to reach (in the case of Milton) a minimum of 200 people + jobs per hectare by 2031.<br /><br />In practical terms, this means allowing for taller buildings, and developing 'brownfields' and underutilized spaces. The plan has resulted in predictable resistance from some members of the community who are envisioning crops of high-rise condo towers springing up in the downtown core, but the reality, thankfully, is much less terrifying.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFHW68ukaMenZSQtLk1gjHzn7emw4Waqj0uaa8UGUvsmpxNL-z0KeAMObFtVJ23qesWVBidnNwaqcBl6w6iojFye9bp6UO5gHDEuw9JwpFcNntJu8v1UrF1h1HkPrCaLgW4BZbLJ1Jy60/s1600-h/UGC1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 303px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFHW68ukaMenZSQtLk1gjHzn7emw4Waqj0uaa8UGUvsmpxNL-z0KeAMObFtVJ23qesWVBidnNwaqcBl6w6iojFye9bp6UO5gHDEuw9JwpFcNntJu8v1UrF1h1HkPrCaLgW4BZbLJ1Jy60/s400/UGC1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401843348403709666" /></a><br /><br />To start with, the area where they are talking about doing most of this development could definitely use a facelift. I remember when we first came to Milton 15 years ago to look for a house, the first impression we had driving west along Main Street was of a dingy, haphazard collection of industrial units, strip malls, vacant lots - even an abandoned paint factory. The paint factory was torn down a few years later, but the sizeable lot it sat on remains an empty eyesore.<br /><br />When the Loblaw's Supercentre and the attendant retail complex was built a few years ago at the corner of Main and Thompson, it was literally in the middle of nowhere. But with the residential developments now fully established to the east and southeast of town, the continued existence of this industrial wasteland between 'old' and 'new' Milton has become even more detrimental to the integrity of the town.<br /><br />Filling that gap with high density housing and retail will (hopefully) create a larger, continuous downtown centre that will be accessible, walkable, and integrated with the older and newer parts of Milton. Additionally, increasing population densities in an area which, fortuitously, includes the GO Station will make in-town, commuter and intra-regional transit far more efficient and cost effective.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGxbWlaKl7VrrLCED6yIZLc7IHsMTzpmUDOw4WZTFloGtGKIRKnMjl3q84N2I6u36TIa4Zb_cH1sO_Nt8xH_okvJzHiaTbqQT4vKCmY9Niv7ZEuEiUgHNfpiMH6eyNcm3Yxa8T_V1Huw6/s1600-h/ugc2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 380px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGxbWlaKl7VrrLCED6yIZLc7IHsMTzpmUDOw4WZTFloGtGKIRKnMjl3q84N2I6u36TIa4Zb_cH1sO_Nt8xH_okvJzHiaTbqQT4vKCmY9Niv7ZEuEiUgHNfpiMH6eyNcm3Yxa8T_V1Huw6/s400/ugc2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401843349451657842" /></a><br /><br /><br />Concerns were raised about the loss of parking space at the GO station, but apparently there are several plans in the works that should make that less of a problem. In addition to making it easier to walk or bike to the station, there are plans to add two new stations at Trafalgar and at Tremaine which should ease the pressure on the downtown Milton station considerably. Also, at some point the line is going to be extended west. This should help a lot because a significant percentage of people using the Milton GO station are actually from Guelph, Cambridge and Kitchener.<br /><br />Other interesting plans in the works include:<br /><blockquote>- moving the GO parking lot to south of the tracks, leaving the Main St. frontage for retail and apartments / condominiums.<br /><br />- extending Main St. to Trafalgar, giving access to the 401 and the future GO station there, thus relieving traffic congestion downtown.<br /><br />- incorporating a park / trail corridor parallelling Main Street to the north, thus allowing an alternate east-west route for pedestrians and cyclists.<br /><br />- additional intensification to the west of the historic downtown core to create a western 'gateway' into both the old and new downtown areas.</blockquote><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5dcL3TALSsGAgnPhqBedLdiV-CkDTJ7XMrb8hlczcJL11nRgFktwtYGd4NFZvXmC8J6X146h8ixpf2VzrlT0HdrMD-8CSmtooPIuokQPbx8tHbySZcHsBAQxNWTdPs_V0tKgopct5kqx/s1600-h/UGC3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5dcL3TALSsGAgnPhqBedLdiV-CkDTJ7XMrb8hlczcJL11nRgFktwtYGd4NFZvXmC8J6X146h8ixpf2VzrlT0HdrMD-8CSmtooPIuokQPbx8tHbySZcHsBAQxNWTdPs_V0tKgopct5kqx/s400/UGC3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401843356928823922" /></a><br /><br />I'm personally pretty excited by all this. Short of stuffing the whole town into a time machine and sending it back 20 years, I see this approach as being the best way of counteracting the sprawling, uncontrolled, unbalanced residential development that has been going on for the past decade, and transitioning Milton from a medium-sized town to a small city.<br /><br />It's a shame they couldn't have done the infill first, but it is what it is.<br /><br />(There's lots more information about the <a href="http://www.town.milton.on.ca/townhall/projects/infillstudy.htm">Town's plan</a> on their website.)Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-51245778837362269412009-09-03T21:36:00.003-04:002009-09-03T23:27:45.250-04:00Bike Routes in Milton: Bronte and BeyondThanks to the efforts of Regional Councillor Colin Best, Bronte Street will have <a href="http://www.miltoncanadianchampion.com/news/article/275566">real, on-road bike lanes</a> by the end of the year, all the way from Main to Derry.<br /><br />Anyone who has ever tried to ride a bike on Bronte knows how terrifying it can be. The speed limit may be 50 for most of that stretch, but the road is so wide that people (and trucks) frequently drive much faster. So these bike lanes are going to be a welcome change - especially since they are going to connect up with future bike lanes on Derry Road going west.<br /><br />Also welcome is the (re)installation of a pedestrian crossing over Bronte at Barton St, even though it's not quite what it was. The original crosswalk at that location - leading from two large apartment buildings and a townhouse complex on the west side of Bronte - was idiotically removed during the <a href="http://www.miltoncanadianchampion.com/news/article/71233">Great Crosswalk Purge of '07</a>. Now it's <a href="http://www.miltoncanadianchampion.com/news/article/262733">been replaced</a> with a "school crossing", complete with a crossing guard and zebra markings, but not the more expensive (and far safer) type of pedestrian-actuated crossing with the real traffic lights that they installed on Ontario St. But since that little enclave is really the only residential area on that side of Bronte, the numbers apparently didn't warrant the expense. I guess rental units don't generate enough property taxes.<br /><br />I took a ride out there to check it out and... wow. I sure as hell wouldn't want to cross there - not even with a crossing guard. I wouldn't even want to BE a crossing guard there. They said the regular crosswalks were too dangerous, but at least they had overhead lights. And if you're just a regular pedestrian, it seems you're out of luck.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6i2P-Hf_Tw10qmTfBoleLd8e9zNtkQu8ONJXIQSpXhd0kNxznuvR-3xdOhXK2so2qSIeqR4cHFnJ2Wx_a6Dwh_R7ii6ECDX9q4omuXIbaZ22NFQIX0KG_aJAc17f8B1xYhEs6cWkQgSU/s1600-h/xwalk3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6i2P-Hf_Tw10qmTfBoleLd8e9zNtkQu8ONJXIQSpXhd0kNxznuvR-3xdOhXK2so2qSIeqR4cHFnJ2Wx_a6Dwh_R7ii6ECDX9q4omuXIbaZ22NFQIX0KG_aJAc17f8B1xYhEs6cWkQgSU/s400/xwalk3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377407578647241394" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB1gMaHORto39EORAOLbV7Ua_lePuFO8TUrkDJBkqrkvKKJx5jk2mEnsIPHY1YvRg0PkAO5-joqD0wUr9sxfy_TJGY1Fq9Uh-FShd3m4JpwJYKhyFTwZ5Pygg0Yu4s9sU7O2zynpWOctvt/s1600-h/xwalk1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB1gMaHORto39EORAOLbV7Ua_lePuFO8TUrkDJBkqrkvKKJx5jk2mEnsIPHY1YvRg0PkAO5-joqD0wUr9sxfy_TJGY1Fq9Uh-FShd3m4JpwJYKhyFTwZ5Pygg0Yu4s9sU7O2zynpWOctvt/s400/xwalk1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377407445994087106" /></a><br /><br />I won't even start on the idiot in zoning who decided to allow someone to build apartment buildings on the west side of Bronte in the first place.<br /><br />But back to the bike lanes. A <a href="http://www.miltoncanadianchampion.com/news/article/276561">subsequent editorial</a> points out that Bronte is just about the easiest and cheapest place in town to put bike lanes because it is so excessively wide. Extending the network to other existing roads, on the other hand, is going to take a bit more money and political will, but is necessary if we are going to have a truly usable network of bike routes.<br /><br />For example, Ontario St. could really use some bike lanes, and is plenty wide enough to do it with some re-jigging. Although apparently the south end of Ontario St. already has what they call "multi-use trails" for bicyclists. Too bad I've never once seen anyone ride a bike on them. Can't imagine why.<br /><br /><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBshjbv64IYp3UUD3WTMN4r8kQlbEVs8buGXBZrZldVG04GgDX213zaphBfb7d-14Mpre8d4pk7S6SpDttQ7ObBr-oQyXJ5cXA48OSKzXDeVu9dSyShWnluJjmsKhi372HNPM-QEL58kbh/s1600-h/trail1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBshjbv64IYp3UUD3WTMN4r8kQlbEVs8buGXBZrZldVG04GgDX213zaphBfb7d-14Mpre8d4pk7S6SpDttQ7ObBr-oQyXJ5cXA48OSKzXDeVu9dSyShWnluJjmsKhi372HNPM-QEL58kbh/s400/trail1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377411115026673250" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDsO5YGCEwcgT2wQHNq9HtrX-badAwgbxwpCO2kY0KPMqTZunlJ4W7lot1qEQSsGWuYrxkIFLkcUUX5mVP6-Nub51uEzySMnBsqKJsTbMfYT_iRUzXpU0cHXOU7IUFkwGBZ9TymHHeddr/s1600-h/trail2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDsO5YGCEwcgT2wQHNq9HtrX-badAwgbxwpCO2kY0KPMqTZunlJ4W7lot1qEQSsGWuYrxkIFLkcUUX5mVP6-Nub51uEzySMnBsqKJsTbMfYT_iRUzXpU0cHXOU7IUFkwGBZ9TymHHeddr/s400/trail2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377411135653190178" /></a></center><br /><br />Actually, I'm not sure if this sad, narrow strip of bumpy paving is supposed to be the 'multi-use trail', or if they are actually referring to the sidewalk. Which looks exactly like... a sidewalk.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(<span style="font-weight:bold;">UPDATE:</span> Confirmation from Colin - yes, those are what they are calling 'multi-use trails'. Sigh.)</span><br /><br />Even more useful would be bicycle access to the GO station and the Supercentre at Main and Thompson. This particular corner of Milton is completely cut of from side street access to the south and west due to the train tracks, leaving only the major arteries. And Main in particular is considerably more terrifying that Bronte - so much so that I don't remember ever seeing a cyclist between Ontario and Thompson who wasn't riding on the sidewalk. Myself included. And yet, that section of Main is designated as a <span style="font-weight:bold;">"suggested on-road cycling route"</span> in the town's <a href="http://www.town.milton.on.ca/commserv/parks/trails_bikeways_residential.pdf">'Trails and Bikeways Guide'</a>.<br /><br />Go ahead. Try it. I dare you.<br /><br />Now that the town is getting serious about developing and 'intensifying' that area, it shouldn't be too hard to get the road widened enough to put bike lanes in. Why they didn't do that when they were reconstructing Thompson is beyond me.<br /><br />Life isn't all dismal for Milton cyclists, however. One recent project extended a beautiful wide paved trail down the whole length of my favourite secret park-with-no-name (ok, apparently it's David Thompson Park). This park runs parallel to Commercial St. and will take you from Parkway in behind Milton District High School all the way down to Tonelli Arena on Laurier. It runs along a swale with two pretty little bridges over it, and is my favourite shortcut to La Rose and long-cut to work.<br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?hl=en&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&fb=1&split=1&gl=ca&ei=gT-gStDfCZ-EngfIlOH8DQ&t=h&msa=0&msid=115059540045489844064.000472b3bb9f70035f5ce&ll=43.505795,-79.87318&spn=0.005447,0.00912&z=16&output=embed"></iframe><br /><small>View <a href="http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?hl=en&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&fb=1&split=1&gl=ca&ei=gT-gStDfCZ-EngfIlOH8DQ&t=h&msa=0&msid=115059540045489844064.000472b3bb9f70035f5ce&ll=43.505795,-79.87318&spn=0.005447,0.00912&z=16&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">David Thompson Park</a> in a larger map</small><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0sCYCV8dUZEEP7EobknhL9xkoeMJYkGNhglxw1QPeLHiTBxk3WrUCJPp77jG-I-lQxWqkL43OSk24GbFETRuQ1qlByPwtYJLBZxYQ8hGWzYfsHBOggG7SV2Ygu88OnO2zKpwOS6VGyAsA/s1600-h/park2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0sCYCV8dUZEEP7EobknhL9xkoeMJYkGNhglxw1QPeLHiTBxk3WrUCJPp77jG-I-lQxWqkL43OSk24GbFETRuQ1qlByPwtYJLBZxYQ8hGWzYfsHBOggG7SV2Ygu88OnO2zKpwOS6VGyAsA/s400/park2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377412647407137826" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy0aTPs4Oy2hTgefxkhKAqN3MsS1fb4GBp6setmB9LlD0AYCWFREOV4Ecj85qIYKMoNvle5bCRz1ZKmkxhi39NvZZPbyhuqKVq7OrbO0mV-GzpwuV2Pi4SnLey9Yednpk2jPKKS8OVrKbq/s1600-h/park3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy0aTPs4Oy2hTgefxkhKAqN3MsS1fb4GBp6setmB9LlD0AYCWFREOV4Ecj85qIYKMoNvle5bCRz1ZKmkxhi39NvZZPbyhuqKVq7OrbO0mV-GzpwuV2Pi4SnLey9Yednpk2jPKKS8OVrKbq/s400/park3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377412635249481170" /></a><br /><br />And now it appears there is another trail going in right across he street from me, along the west side of Sixteen Mile Creek from Sydney maybe right down to the footbridge. This particular stretch of woods has always been one of the favoured 'party spots' for local teenagers (I know, I have one), so they may just end up having to find somewhere else to go.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFaFXI66p0Tezbkdpq5lWvA-jDWJF43dqEfYxsyPQNkDmKH2hCYB2nX0Qt2hmAbSNyIKLqhUQTwkWn2uiviolNVFDQuhTBvV5daVwsTff2FsSxx5cIbbQypGbUl1MMD4GkPoV40EbEo8Hf/s1600-h/newtrail.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFaFXI66p0Tezbkdpq5lWvA-jDWJF43dqEfYxsyPQNkDmKH2hCYB2nX0Qt2hmAbSNyIKLqhUQTwkWn2uiviolNVFDQuhTBvV5daVwsTff2FsSxx5cIbbQypGbUl1MMD4GkPoV40EbEo8Hf/s400/newtrail.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377412655045041506" /></a><br />So there you have it. A quick tour of Milton's bike trails - the good, the bad, and the unfinished.Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-83492062831075671162009-08-21T16:14:00.003-04:002009-08-21T16:22:00.427-04:00Storm Aftermath in MiltonI love tornadoes. I've always wanted to see one, especially after I just missed seeing the ones that tore through Orangeville and Barrie in '95. I've memorized most of the dialogue from 'Twister'. When a big storm comes, I'm always the one idiot standing outside, scanning the horizon for a funnel cloud.<br /><br />Last night, I was in my basement.<br /><br />Not that I would have been able to see much anyway. My house is surrounded by about half a dozen tall trees, and the rain was so torrential that I could barely see across the street. Still, I was actually considering braving the storm to see if I could get a glimpse of something, anything... until I started seeing leaves and debris flying sideways. And then <span style="font-style:italic;">upwards</span>.<br /><br />Did I mention the big trees?<br /><br />Surveying the damage afterwards, it looks like either a tornado or (as my husband insists) merely a funnel cloud blew through town about three blocks from my house. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/runesmith/Milton%20Storm%2009/miltonstormpath.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/runesmith/Milton%20Storm%2009/miltonstormpath.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />(the red 'x' is my house)<br /><br />My son was even closer. He was working in the kitchen at Bryden's at Main and Commercial when a huge chunk of the roof peeled off the top of the building another two stories up and came down on the roof right over his head. The lower roof flooded and water started pouring in. Everyone was ok and the interior damage is relatively minor, but the place hasn't been doing well lately so I hope this doesn't prove to be the final nail.<br /><br />At least they're open again today. Pints at Bryden's tonight, anyone?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/runesmith/Milton%20Storm%2009/brydens1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/runesmith/Milton%20Storm%2009/brydens1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />As bad as the damage looked there and at the Lawn Bowling Club (yes, we have one) and all up Pine St., I didn't see the worst of it until I took a walk along Oak St. this afternoon. Wow.<br /><br /><div style="width:480px;text-align:right;"><embed width="480" height="360" src="http://static.photobucket.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf?rssFeed=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedmg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv468%2Frunesmith%2FMilton%2520Storm%252009%2Ffeed.rss" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" /><a href="http://photobucket.com/redirect/album?showShareLB=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_geturs.gif" style="border:none;" /></a><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v468/runesmith/Milton%20Storm%2009/" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_viewall.gif" style="border:none;" /></a></embed></div><br /><br />The broken trees took out most of the power lines down there, so nobody's been able to do things like cook. So the guy who owns the "All Fired Up" mobile BBQ set up on Oak St. and has been handing out free burgers and hot dogs all day. I made sure to stop and thank him and shake his hand. Many others were doing the same.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/runesmith/Milton%20Storm%2009/bbq1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/runesmith/Milton%20Storm%2009/bbq1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I <span style="font-style:italic;">love</span> this town.Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-84945586873430749362009-07-16T18:59:00.000-04:002009-07-16T19:07:23.248-04:00June/July Garden UpdateSorry the blogging's been a little light, but hey - it's the lazy days of summer!<br /><br />I thought I'd share some of the updated photos of the veggie garden, or at least updated as of a couple of weeks ago. In general, I can report that the newspaper/straw mulch plan has been a HUGE success! Weeds are at a minimum, I haven't had to water nearly as often, and the plants are healthy and happy.<br /><br />The only failures so far seem to be the Bok Choy and the beans and peas. I think I'm just going to have to give up on Bok Choy altogether - the stuff starts bolting almost as soon as I get it in the ground and nothing I do can dissuade it.<br /><br />As for the beans and peas, the only ones from the first planting that sprouted were the Broad Windsor beans. There was no sign of the snap peas or the string beans, so I planted a second round. Two weeks later only a couple had come up, so I tried French beans instead. I'm told beans and peas need a lot of heat which we just haven't been getting this year. We'll see. Interestingly, the bean row is the only area I didn't cover with newsprint.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZvGqfWHO_b7LXzh7I6AgeKvYaZAyXNQeAK0-OqZv-60ir2Ll2tTB-0hyphenhyphenaw0vwxZLScRfcMyuinkvrZUI3PwyLwFZ8thKEZnm4FGB1I11QepIpwj824-D3WsOpI_XvrYXPODna9xgus3D/s1600-h/gardwindsor.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZvGqfWHO_b7LXzh7I6AgeKvYaZAyXNQeAK0-OqZv-60ir2Ll2tTB-0hyphenhyphenaw0vwxZLScRfcMyuinkvrZUI3PwyLwFZ8thKEZnm4FGB1I11QepIpwj824-D3WsOpI_XvrYXPODna9xgus3D/s400/gardwindsor.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359188232911601970" /></a>First two plantings of Broad Windsor beans, a few weeks ago...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAl1YTkRV3tqwYYdCeADaI5ViQXsj9kDBRYzXvMElVxKs__ctC1Cz-NQxrnyUdjYm63awt3KUzbkXisDqXWnDMR4_HuAvU1pazvAjaVpVz03NL-VoQ4HduDuak9bZpBNFiCEc8iUqCsZgS/s1600-h/gardwindsor2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 282px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAl1YTkRV3tqwYYdCeADaI5ViQXsj9kDBRYzXvMElVxKs__ctC1Cz-NQxrnyUdjYm63awt3KUzbkXisDqXWnDMR4_HuAvU1pazvAjaVpVz03NL-VoQ4HduDuak9bZpBNFiCEc8iUqCsZgS/s400/gardwindsor2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359197097896652338" /></a>And the Windsor beans today - flowering!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivz-tdMA85TqDNxoO8MM72UlPhPMyJXAneAr24ngibezozG_FkOLN-Ay3ZOwRyTW6DM2heX0WanzKaHE2wX1XxA8tub6e5kkJAdCOiatPAlo0Yt7-HcocQmOIISjozgtcVX-ZTUrLLPFIS/s1600-h/gardbeans2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivz-tdMA85TqDNxoO8MM72UlPhPMyJXAneAr24ngibezozG_FkOLN-Ay3ZOwRyTW6DM2heX0WanzKaHE2wX1XxA8tub6e5kkJAdCOiatPAlo0Yt7-HcocQmOIISjozgtcVX-ZTUrLLPFIS/s400/gardbeans2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359196649764800482" /></a>The only pea plant to come up so far<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRgwI84lZxwdJVlbvtqmrIGIFeskhP-SPJ13KRB3Pm7if4iIA7-WiMy0PEFzd4zkdt-qyse0kxO-AKWG_svNWK2E_x92dWmLGZ9YgXawGa8yiU64z7bu5DX8OF7ouQtQh3CqQaW8OgyTXv/s1600-h/gardbeans.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRgwI84lZxwdJVlbvtqmrIGIFeskhP-SPJ13KRB3Pm7if4iIA7-WiMy0PEFzd4zkdt-qyse0kxO-AKWG_svNWK2E_x92dWmLGZ9YgXawGa8yiU64z7bu5DX8OF7ouQtQh3CqQaW8OgyTXv/s400/gardbeans.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359196647787238690" /></a>The string beans are starting to come up, <br />but something's been chewing on them<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LAC43EY4BSN9QHdWmJTpuTTItjTx9hLjnh6rhsbg7DebmmT-MSNzZcBMTbfNcK2UBttASqQMrsOjZiIzwaQ54M8Oj_3QlUBXqyUs0-V18Dzuw-BOgDgFaGGzC1_M6FSEc6E9UZVcxDRa/s1600-h/gardtomato1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LAC43EY4BSN9QHdWmJTpuTTItjTx9hLjnh6rhsbg7DebmmT-MSNzZcBMTbfNcK2UBttASqQMrsOjZiIzwaQ54M8Oj_3QlUBXqyUs0-V18Dzuw-BOgDgFaGGzC1_M6FSEc6E9UZVcxDRa/s400/gardtomato1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359187859537392002" /></a>And I don't even especially like tomatoes. Want some?<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPk_s3bCArBMctgpUKpfUT1Sj7spKbifHbZ-_kyUm6EI_w59KX6WJ91aee5mcipkIKp3rVobdRPQ7RJZDPfIdI9RKu8LxauTPVGVSruEEfEXEdeZAxnnoiat_odiEH1DzSgtn3F1DtD0zn/s1600-h/gardbokchoy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPk_s3bCArBMctgpUKpfUT1Sj7spKbifHbZ-_kyUm6EI_w59KX6WJ91aee5mcipkIKp3rVobdRPQ7RJZDPfIdI9RKu8LxauTPVGVSruEEfEXEdeZAxnnoiat_odiEH1DzSgtn3F1DtD0zn/s400/gardbokchoy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359187848330238530" /></a>Bok Choy FAIL<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiaG01qcR58TnXJjh5LbPpLJQGhoga-joF64HK1vfIDQm4I6oJXcOhS5oUbCcmZSnUbyen5Tstw502xMmITTwPZCp_UyX8scpCgfeN4kl0GIMlkM-kbjdin925ZHKumXqHW3qx_TfDXrPK/s1600-h/gardcabbage.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiaG01qcR58TnXJjh5LbPpLJQGhoga-joF64HK1vfIDQm4I6oJXcOhS5oUbCcmZSnUbyen5Tstw502xMmITTwPZCp_UyX8scpCgfeN4kl0GIMlkM-kbjdin925ZHKumXqHW3qx_TfDXrPK/s400/gardcabbage.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359187853149192946" /></a>Happy cabbage!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWEyZHnwdkN-JL_bqcjKJGGXWZtH4L0_KJvlXjqCFQa0memlgZ-sWLg-MVUdbbeH_HXGRfinnMwlbTaP2z-JWrvDBfhtrsW1Q8Bs8LA7-j449tAOaVoFG50DhFSdeS2qF2iC6GFhYw96Ax/s1600-h/gardlettuce.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWEyZHnwdkN-JL_bqcjKJGGXWZtH4L0_KJvlXjqCFQa0memlgZ-sWLg-MVUdbbeH_HXGRfinnMwlbTaP2z-JWrvDBfhtrsW1Q8Bs8LA7-j449tAOaVoFG50DhFSdeS2qF2iC6GFhYw96Ax/s400/gardlettuce.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359187855918245842" /></a>Mesclun lettuce mix in the middle, Swiss chard to the right<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlR6Arg-EqeUEaChArl-uXCuqawlwzTuil5j81OxAnTCFkkfhs-PZObXZXD1XHAoke_4zqNB4sTn_GpB0MbRF94Arx3zTDx1F8I6jezo1vxrEykDuNx6H_uNVBpYX83sf6XiD4jygrzpUF/s1600-h/gardromaine.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlR6Arg-EqeUEaChArl-uXCuqawlwzTuil5j81OxAnTCFkkfhs-PZObXZXD1XHAoke_4zqNB4sTn_GpB0MbRF94Arx3zTDx1F8I6jezo1vxrEykDuNx6H_uNVBpYX83sf6XiD4jygrzpUF/s400/gardromaine.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359187837206163058" /></a>Romaine</center></span>Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-77443163057415609202009-06-13T02:01:00.003-04:002009-06-13T11:24:05.500-04:00Arts Centre Funding AnnouncementAfter <a href="http://www.oakvillebeaver.com/news/article/260247">failing to appear</a> at two scheduled media events last weekend and indefinitely postponing a <a href="http://www.oakvillechamber.com/event_register.aspx?event_id=97&date=2009/06/19">Chamber of Commerce luncheon in Oakville</a> set for next Friday, Lisa Raitt has finally surfaced - just in time to sign a Really Big Cheque for $14.9 million in front of Milton's lovely new Town Hall.<br /><br />The cheque is for joint Federal and Provincial funding for the oft-delayed Milton Arts and Entertainments Centre and Library. It's also for the expansion of the Milton Sports Centre, which is where I get confused. Originally, the Town had asked for <a href="http://www.miltoncanadianchampion.com/news/article/223296">7.5 million dollars from each</a> of the Provincial and Federal governments for just the Arts Centre / Library. They were also going to be asking for $13 million for an <a href="http://www.miltoncanadianchampion.com/news/article/251292">expansion of the Milton Sports Centre</a><br /><br />So I'm looking at that giant cheque and thinking, "Shouldn't there be two of those?"<br /><br />Raitt's speech didn't clarify things any. She referred to the $14.9 million as "federal funding", even though the Giant Cheque was signed by both herself and Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn. And she specifically stated that 6.7 million of this money was going to the sports centre expansion (which, BTW, she seemed considerably more enthused about).<br /><br />So is there another Giant Cheque out there, or did Milton get screwed out of half the funding we asked for? Sprawlville TV is on the case - I'll let you know.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lLl1jmpRM5I&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lLl1jmpRM5I&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">(Appearing in this video: MP Lisa Raitt, MPP Ted Chudleigh, MPP Kevin Flynn, Mayor Gordon Krantz, and Milton CAO Mario Belvedere.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">UPDATE:</span> I spoke to Councillor Colin Best at the Farmer's Market this morning, and he says that the $14.9 million is just the first instalment.Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-47070363086122674702009-06-11T01:43:00.002-04:002009-06-11T01:54:19.027-04:00Life in 'The Mattamys'My teenaged son called me this afternoon to inform me that he'd be home late because he was at a friend's house working on a project. He expressed some concern about how he was going to get home because, as he said,<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">"He lives out in <span style="font-style:italic;">The Mattamys</span>"</span><br /><br />I don't know why, but I found that utterly hilarious.Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-49153522827237125582009-06-08T12:41:00.005-04:002009-06-08T13:20:10.096-04:00The Garden: Let's Try this Again...As I mentioned, I'm taking a different approach with the vegetable garden this year. The oregano and the lemon balm are history, the few remaining strawberries are restricted to the perimeter, and the plants are planted in nice neat rows.<br /><br />I'm also experimenting with newspaper and straw mulch this year which, while quite a bit more work at the outset, will hopefully cut way back on the weeding later in the year.<br /><br />Planted: bok choy, cabbage, Romaine lettuce, mesclun mix lettuce, Swiss chard, red shepherd peppers, Romano beans, purple string beans, sugar snap peas, and 7(!) different varieties of heirloom tomatoes. I don't even like tomatoes that much!<br /><br />Anyone want some tomatoes?<br /><br /><center><span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Stage 1: Lots of digging.</span> Grass should be declared a noxious weed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoH6N78GBl81LPXyq5cddkjlfmOl27Du2mgak5HDhtig4TZeVoTBxBAP1YZgcNWNZS37hCGbFtpuqeGYOs4wD-VRyidSXDeQ-layjdMa8l4UWPVVR8NZfM28aSJ2iZgpnGQwVnutamg1qO/s1600-h/100_5468.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoH6N78GBl81LPXyq5cddkjlfmOl27Du2mgak5HDhtig4TZeVoTBxBAP1YZgcNWNZS37hCGbFtpuqeGYOs4wD-VRyidSXDeQ-layjdMa8l4UWPVVR8NZfM28aSJ2iZgpnGQwVnutamg1qO/s400/100_5468.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345003828315644690" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Stage 2: Hoe rows and plant.</span> I was going to lay the newspaper first and poke holes, but that doesn't really work for seedlings.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaT1Yo6T3lz0ooZd2d-zmKZIsidtjWx9Jf9N31spJ8dAYN-KcMZJfR6zcKfwFVK9PCmzjSLXkTHdrHVbDkhEcuXz5k3ztS6v_DNtySQqlHa_BFdf3ObNbew5mGokmACWU8ca5PmY5vOJmj/s1600-h/100_5493.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaT1Yo6T3lz0ooZd2d-zmKZIsidtjWx9Jf9N31spJ8dAYN-KcMZJfR6zcKfwFVK9PCmzjSLXkTHdrHVbDkhEcuXz5k3ztS6v_DNtySQqlHa_BFdf3ObNbew5mGokmACWU8ca5PmY5vOJmj/s400/100_5493.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345003830254983810" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Stage 3: Strips of newspaper, with topsoil on top.</span> Make sure the ground is well soaked first, and wet it more afterwards.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj46J_YMUIOKQvNLAkAVnmwzuumSI-Trlcx0IxpnSg0qiMQhxhryk4S9KfbABRP-515LBF6HD37oNHvjzOIGh4zq96qyum3SvLFWiYAhFv7JUjdihbUUlKkWQDHnToIm4Y_z5ykjC1iL8jJ/s1600-h/100_5497.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj46J_YMUIOKQvNLAkAVnmwzuumSI-Trlcx0IxpnSg0qiMQhxhryk4S9KfbABRP-515LBF6HD37oNHvjzOIGh4zq96qyum3SvLFWiYAhFv7JUjdihbUUlKkWQDHnToIm4Y_z5ykjC1iL8jJ/s400/100_5497.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345003835878760610" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Stage 4: Straw.</span> Not sure how good an idea this will ultimately be - it might all blow away if it dries out. But we'll see. The screen is my husband's contraption, for sifting weeds, roots and rocks out of the soil. It worked pretty well.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjVconCwqa_dnTMqU4UIXXlnD6B0qa__A4gGvXQc5YN6lBSeQJn1u4mQCyCPPGwhZ02WbCtZnU5QIU6DsV35Uw17aRWahoF6EZeQnDHHFxl85AnVWLRwA5ut88hj5gHe3gTGi5Yga2eN4_/s1600-h/100_5500.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjVconCwqa_dnTMqU4UIXXlnD6B0qa__A4gGvXQc5YN6lBSeQJn1u4mQCyCPPGwhZ02WbCtZnU5QIU6DsV35Uw17aRWahoF6EZeQnDHHFxl85AnVWLRwA5ut88hj5gHe3gTGi5Yga2eN4_/s400/100_5500.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345003839418629794" /></a><br /><br /><br /></span></center>Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-8894118774733017432009-06-07T19:16:00.002-04:002009-06-07T19:22:00.432-04:00Milton Street Festival, Part 2: The Highlight Reel<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gtwHcc1DYdM&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gtwHcc1DYdM&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />See? Now don't you wish you'd come?Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-1108581981022840962009-06-07T00:21:00.000-04:002009-06-07T00:22:14.846-04:00Milton Street Festival, Part 1: Dance, Dance, Dance!I spent a lovely afternoon at the 2nd Annual Milton Street Festival today, enjoying the music, the vendors, and the tantalizing smells of just about every kind of food imaginable. Plus the pleasure of bumping into just about everybody I know in town.<br /><br />Yes, as big as Milton has gotten, it's still like that.<br /><br />This year there were a number of added attractions, including a climbing wall, a bouncy tunnel for the kids, and skateboard and BMX bike demos. Oh, and a very special surprise event which I was made privy to by my secret inside source...<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EMEO0Le5G0A&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EMEO0Le5G0A&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />More video to come.Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-26140774205746040822009-05-28T13:44:00.002-04:002009-05-28T13:52:11.151-04:00Springtime in SprawlvilleThe problem with having multiple blogs, as with multiple children I suppose, is that somebody always ends up not getting enough attention. Which is probably why I only have one kid. But now that I'm back from the Liberal Convention, hopefully I'll find the time to do some more substantive posts to poor, neglected Sprawlville.<br /><br />Spring should also inspire more frequent updates. I've got about half the garden dug up, and I have a couple of ideas that I hope will make things go a little more smoothly this year. One is to give up on my haphazard layout working around existing plants, and just go with straight rows. The oregano was nice, but by August last year I was having to hack my way through it with a machete just to get at the tomatoes.<br /><br />The other idea is to lay down paper mulch in the form of newspaper. I first ran across this in conjunction with the <a href="http://www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com/">no-dig method</a>, but it's apparently just as effective on its own or under a layer of hay or other traditional mulches. In theory it's supposed to keep the weeds down, keep heat and moisture in the soil (or <a href="http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/newspaper-garden-mulch/">maybe not heat?</a>), and then rot away by the end of the season. They actually have paper mulch at Lee Valley Tools, but at ten bucks a roll I figured newsprint would do just fine, thank you.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiERnAZJWzWw-Jgk8gG9qu_OLxqyZsS5ZgADVXUiXjoo3MtxVtiz9ec17REjrpgzq7dZj7xa9YinehVjw2eZYEzh_FxwuykXeqBwntavSd0TtkQhTXZ8rZeH3WqKwqi5vBBwzEXu2RaxIim/s1600-h/crystalkelly.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiERnAZJWzWw-Jgk8gG9qu_OLxqyZsS5ZgADVXUiXjoo3MtxVtiz9ec17REjrpgzq7dZj7xa9YinehVjw2eZYEzh_FxwuykXeqBwntavSd0TtkQhTXZ8rZeH3WqKwqi5vBBwzEXu2RaxIim/s200/crystalkelly.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340925092408579810" /></a>I picked up four different varieties of heirloom tomato seedlings from my <a href="http://www.willowcreekheirlooms.com/">Willow Creek</a> friends at the Farmers' Market last weekend, and a bunch more seedlings from La Rose yesterday: mixed lettuces, swiss chard, bok choy, basil, and in a fit of optimism, a sweet red pepper plant. Now I just need some kale and an assortment of bean and pea seeds and a proper trellis, and I'll be ready to go!<br /><br />BTW, the heirloom tomatoes came with an incredibly informative pamphlet with tips and tricks for growing tomato plants. Stuff a noob like me would never have known like pruning them back, or planting them deep to generate more roots. I'll ask Crystal and Kelly if I can post it here. Any other suggestions in the 'Vegetable Gardening for Dummies' vein are always appreciated.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJA9ACDysxJr_pCt3RNED_9SSgVde60EaNHQOjyJvClk24rLUX_EODoZvHMNT5nPFVu4ki4Jrhc0IkUM_fWrV4KwIk_73znp1JoyEBhmwLTsMqgLYv215zzcCYhaVbWamnOInytdrpMOlF/s1600-h/seedlings.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJA9ACDysxJr_pCt3RNED_9SSgVde60EaNHQOjyJvClk24rLUX_EODoZvHMNT5nPFVu4ki4Jrhc0IkUM_fWrV4KwIk_73znp1JoyEBhmwLTsMqgLYv215zzcCYhaVbWamnOInytdrpMOlF/s400/seedlings.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340927285210980418" /></a><br /><br />I also wanted to share a couple of new blogs on the blogroll. Well, new to me.<br /><br /><a href="http://openalex.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-weight:bold;">openalex</span></a> is a blog by Alex Aylett, who has some serious <a href="http://www.environmental-expert.com/author_file.aspx?idauthor=175517&fname=Alex&lname=Aylett">academic creds</a> in the urban redesign and sustainability field. He currently lives in Durban, South Africa, so he comes up with some fascinating articles like <a href="http://openalex.blogspoet.com/2009/04/sewer-pipe-power.html">this one</a> about the Durban water & sanitation utility generating power from biogas and micro-hydro from excess water pressure.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.newresilient.com/">The New Resilient</a> is a group blog put out by some of the bright lights in the food security / sustainable agriculture / re-localization movement, like Jon Steinman of 'Deconstructing Dinner'. Always interesting stuff - and one of the nicest looking blogs I've seen in a while.Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-89535722329826887472009-04-06T00:50:00.002-04:002009-04-06T00:53:19.058-04:00Pedestrian FailAs seen on Mary Street by the new Town Hall expansion in February:<br /><br /><a href='http://mine.icanhascheezburger.com/view.aspx?ciid=3868437' ><img src='http://images.icanhascheezburger.com/completestore/2009/4/5/128834668598286267.jpg' alt='funny pictures' /></a><br />moar <a href='http://icanhascheezburger.com'>funny pictures</a><br /><br />There's still no sidewalk on the other side, nor apparently any plans for one.Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-11615339875199128692009-03-23T16:42:00.001-04:002009-03-23T16:44:49.632-04:00Home Farming In Guelph... and Washington!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8O78xIY1msM_VPp-KixCVgTE6j4vynWu2BtF8WAVKcicS73Jwf6YkDfuERWQIsmdXPuLQnxeoJEQyGDQky_6A5AKSvVqzLi1QWLEOr3Tdhj2Ggi3Z1XqFW2VxxaBsbEvxRyHlhJvEuV6m/s1600-h/backyard_logo.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 198px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8O78xIY1msM_VPp-KixCVgTE6j4vynWu2BtF8WAVKcicS73Jwf6YkDfuERWQIsmdXPuLQnxeoJEQyGDQky_6A5AKSvVqzLi1QWLEOr3Tdhj2Ggi3Z1XqFW2VxxaBsbEvxRyHlhJvEuV6m/s200/backyard_logo.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316482389381793746" /></a>A couple of friends of mine went to an open house over the weekend for an organization called <a href="http://www.backyardbounty.ca/content/growing-local-food-growing-local-community">Backyard Bounty</a>, a group which turns people's backyards into 'micro-farms'.<br /><br />The deal is this: you give their crew access to your backyard, front yard, side yard, wherever. They dig it up, they plant the vegetables, they do all the weeding, watering, etc. You sit back and watch it grow, and as the vegetables become ready for harvest, you get free food. But since you can only eat so much, the remainder is sold to local restaurants and markets.<br /><br />Unfortunately they only operate in Guelph for now, but if the program becomes more popular, who knows?<br /><br />And in a curious case of serendipity, I found this item in The Star this weekend:<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.thestar.com/article/606045">Garden scores green thumbs up</a><br />Grow-your-own-food movement hopes patch of vegetables, herbs at White House to inspire others</span><br /><br />WASHINGTON – Twenty-six elementary schoolchildren wielded shovels, rakes, pitchforks and wheelbarrows to help first lady Michelle Obama break ground on the first day of spring for a produce and herb garden on the White House grounds.<br /><br />Crops to be planted in the coming weeks on the 102-square-metre, L-shaped patch near the fountain on the South Lawn include spinach, broccoli, various lettuces, kale and collard greens, and assorted herbs and berries. There will also be a beehive.<br /><br />"We're going to try to make our own honey here as well," Obama told the Grade 5 students from Bancroft Elementary School yesterday. The youngsters will be return to the White House next month to help with the planting, and in late April to help harvest and cook some of the produce in the mansion's kitchen.<br /><br />Obama said her family has talked about planting such a garden since they moved to the White House in January.</blockquote><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ja-NgI0-B40&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ja-NgI0-B40&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />My only quibble: Obama's outfit wasn't exactly appropriate to the task at hand. Maybe I'll send her a Lee Valley Tools catalogue so she can get a sweatshirt, hat, knee pads, and a pair of decent gloves.Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-67759341068675712302009-03-13T11:08:00.007-04:002009-04-23T11:28:31.744-04:00Breaking News: Sobey's Warehouse Shutting DownI'm still waiting for verification and more details, but word from my source is that Sobey's warehouse in Milton is transferring all of its operations to the company's new distribution centre in Vaughan, putting its 300 or so remaining Milton employees out of work.<br /><br />This comes less than a week after two of our manufacturing plants closed their doors, and brings the butcher's bill up to 700. Next up: Magna?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">UPDATE:</span> It looks like this one might just be a rumour. According to one person, it's still business as usual at Sobey's warehouse - although everyone there is understandably worried.Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-72841357242083115172009-03-07T23:37:00.003-05:002009-03-08T00:32:27.475-05:00Another One Bites the DustBad, bad news for Milton this week. Two of the town's major employers have announced that they are shutting down - first <a href="http://www.miltoncanadianchampion.com/news/article/240676">SKD</a>, and now <a href="http://www.miltoncanadianchampion.com/news/article/240703">Meritor</a>, both of which supply parts for the auto industry. Between the two they employed fewer than 400 people in town, but the implications are far more dire.<br /><br /><blockquote>About 35 per cent of the private sector jobs in Milton are in the auto sector, with up to a fifth of residents working in the industry. Five of the town’s 10 largest employers are auto parts manufacturing plants, including SKD and two facilities owned by Magna.</blockquote><br /><br />Those two Magna plants alone employ 1,700 people - and Magna's been having a <a href="http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090224/Magna_loss_090224/20090224">rough few months</a>.<br /><br />All of this inspired the increasingly impressive <a href="http://www.miltoncanadianchampion.com/opinions/article/240696">Tim Foran to write an op-ed</a> that was... could it be?... maybe just a little.... <span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">critical</span></span> of Our Lord Mayor Gord.<br /><br />I know. I was shocked too.<br /><br /><blockquote>Through his 43 years on council, 28 as reigning Mayor of Milton, Gord Krantz has picked up pithy phrases for virtually any situation.<br /><br />Asked about averages, he’ll warn, “If your head’s in the freezer and your feet are in the oven, then the middle of your body — the average — is warm.”<br /><br />Asked about capital projects, he’ll tell you one has to decide if it’s a want, a need, or a nice-to-have.<br /><br />It’s a communication method the conservative politician uses to stress an attitude of cautious consideration, and it’s certainly calming. It’s especially salient when compared to uber-councillor Colin Best, he of the constant presence around town, who has not yet learned to translate his work ethic and diligent examination of political affairs into an ability to communicate a message clearly.<br /><br />Since the global recession began, the Mayor’s message has been consistent with the middle path he generally takes: Milton is not immune to the gathering storm but the Town will do well weathering it.<br /><br />Under the circumstances, it seems like the most politically astute position. Panic and you sound like Chicken Little; ignore it and you look like Nero fiddling while the Town burns.<br /><br />“This is what happens when you’ve been around a day or two as I have. You’ve been through those peaks and valleys,” Krantz recently said at a Milton Chamber of Commerce breakfast.<br /><br />But now, the cyclical trough Krantz speaks of has become a widening chasm in Ontario, with manufacturing jobs being lost by the thousands.<br /><br />Already this winter season, three of Milton’s largest employers have received protection from creditors, and it appears one of them, the local plant of the auto manufacturing company SKD Automotive, is on the verge of shutting down — resulting in hundreds of lost Milton jobs.<br /><br />The Mayor had previously predicted the local auto industry would be affected, “but not greatly”, with some layoffs, “but not major.”<br /><br />His optimism though seems based on his tried-and- true method of staying on message rather than recognition of current realities.</blockquote><br /><br />Trust me - for the Champion, that's positively damning.<br /><br />I sure hope Tim still has a job next week.Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-7867251044721032512009-03-06T14:11:00.001-05:002009-03-06T14:13:06.916-05:00Leslieville Wins OMB Ruling vs. Wal-Mart. Why Not Here?<blockquote><a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/596848"><span style="font-weight:bold;">OMB rejects big-box plans in Leslieville</span></a><br /><br />Plans for a $220 million retail "power centre'' south of Eastern Ave. in Leslieville have been turned down by the Ontario Municipal Board, a decision that has city officials celebrating.<br /><br />"This is a total victory for the city of Toronto," city lawyer Brendan O'Callaghan said yesterday.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">"It's not every day that we're that happy with an OMB decision,"</span> exulted Paula Fletcher, the councillor for the area.</blockquote><br /><br />No kidding.<br /><br />The property in question, in the heart of burgeoning Toronto' film district on what used to be the site of Toronto Film Studios, has been the subject of furious debate ever since Smart!Centres bought it and proposed a Big Box retail development. Local residents howled, local councillors took up the cause, and the OMB actually listened. Because any idiot could see that it was a bad idea.<br /><br /><blockquote>In a 55-page ruling, OMB vice-chair James McKenzie sided with the city's experts, who in effect said the SmartCentres/Toronto Film Studio application didn't constitute good land use planning and would probably "destabilize" the designated employment district south of Eastern Ave.<br /><br />Professional planning consultants and real estate advisers the city hired as experts had warned the OMB hearing that the application risked causing "retail contagion" in the area. Allowing the large centre would make it easier for subsequent retail applicants to get a foothold, argued real estate expert Jeffery Climans.<br /><br />This would rapidly bid up the market value of the industrial and commercial properties in the district, leading to lease terminations and limiting the ability of existing businesses to renew their leases, Climans said. That would result in a general disruption of the area's business fabric.</blockquote><br /><br />Sound familiar? Contrast that with the attitude of Our Lord Mayor in this 2007 Toronto Star article on the demise of Milton's downtown core:<br /><br /><blockquote>Mayor Gordon Krantz, a former small business owner, sees the downtown decline as a simple by-product of capitalism.<br /><br />"Businesses locating on the outskirts could locate right downtown if they wanted – but they don't," he said. "That's called free enterprise.<br /><br />"So businesses have to adapt. You have to continuously reinvent yourself. You can't survive on sentiment and emotions, that's for sure. It might sound hard-hearted, but that's the hard reality of it."</blockquote><br /><br />I will never, ever understand the affection people in this town seem to have for Gordon Krantz. I'm sure he's a nice guy and all, and maybe he did good things for Milton in years past. But whether it's greed, hubris or encroaching senility, his words and actions over the past ten years have been short-sighted, ill-informed, and ultimately destructive to this town and our way of life.<br /><br />Time to retire, Gord.Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8129639799577248362.post-80340188527082961572009-03-06T00:52:00.000-05:002009-03-06T00:58:59.598-05:00My Two Cents on the Boyne Survey: Part 1After explaining why I never go to those public consultation meetings in my last post, I decided to go to one of those public consultation meetings tonight. Just to check it out.<br /><br />The project in question was the <a href="http://www.town.milton.on.ca/townhall/projects/boynesurvey.htm">Boyne Survey / Education Village</a> development, which is to extend across the south of town from James Snow Parkway to the far side of Tremaine, and all the way down to Brittania Road. The area involved is larger than the entire town of Milton was when I first moved here fifteen years ago.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5uBzM2NZaPuD1gLst3mzQspAwR5txiU9ugpU1Wj1RjWzyrUyduIkmoojBrcV8LmxyfWKW9B4xUC-jGunyZ6NXWGCIfkHT6Y_mfRtwWBtbEO2xGiAysqIooA3oYnEeFzABCpXnYG0pIEH/s1600-h/Boyne_LocationMap_Cropped.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 385px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5uBzM2NZaPuD1gLst3mzQspAwR5txiU9ugpU1Wj1RjWzyrUyduIkmoojBrcV8LmxyfWKW9B4xUC-jGunyZ6NXWGCIfkHT6Y_mfRtwWBtbEO2xGiAysqIooA3oYnEeFzABCpXnYG0pIEH/s400/Boyne_LocationMap_Cropped.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309915253894039890" /></a><br /><br />This was the second public consultation meeting, so we are well enough along in the process that the issues discussed were more a matter of how rather than whether the subdivision was to be built. Still, it was an interesting exercise, and the folks running the show did indeed seem interested in what we had to say.<br /><br />Before going to the meeting, I took a drive around some of the new developments to check out the good, the bad and the ugly. In this way, I had a better idea of what some of the features being discussed actually looked like in a new development setting.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDstYMnTX8LSB8hmKooO6LQkz4M0oheOf4UB9NWXVQ1ygxBf6OkBXa4nDDeLdb7VFBgrJqpFzkR1ISJgSOXPvUDece2u0g3Y4FllgKgz701UAwY3p5IXgfKCC723kZSzgoj6bL27Mxkak/s1600-h/mixretail.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDstYMnTX8LSB8hmKooO6LQkz4M0oheOf4UB9NWXVQ1ygxBf6OkBXa4nDDeLdb7VFBgrJqpFzkR1ISJgSOXPvUDece2u0g3Y4FllgKgz701UAwY3p5IXgfKCC723kZSzgoj6bL27Mxkak/s400/mixretail.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309933748029925026" /></a><br />This is what they call 'Mixed Use Retail'. These are made to be similar to traditional storefronts with apartments above and parking in the back, and are a welcome change from the now ubiquitous 'big box' retail development. The problem with this particular one on Holly Ave. is that it's only on one side of the street. Maybe they just haven't gotten to the other side.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfgC1okQvSI8ihqfHJwRo6jI4q2gwn6mYj3zOzCN8DmyMyAAPZEbCcVMpqbJijcHcOPqvMWoiBXtkddqF7NID5Ygs0MpP20VJs7kykCXDrD-xn0ReREW68hJ3DfIxZX-PQPD4SgFPg9iLI/s1600-h/mall.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfgC1okQvSI8ihqfHJwRo6jI4q2gwn6mYj3zOzCN8DmyMyAAPZEbCcVMpqbJijcHcOPqvMWoiBXtkddqF7NID5Ygs0MpP20VJs7kykCXDrD-xn0ReREW68hJ3DfIxZX-PQPD4SgFPg9iLI/s400/mall.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309933743774557714" /></a><br />This is a bad retail / residential design. This retail complex includes the only grocery store in the area, and yet it's about as unwelcoming to the surrounding houses as it can get because all the stores have their backs to the street. You <span style="font-style:italic;">could</span> walk into the complex between the buildings, but it really doesn't look like they want you to. They want you to drive in off of Thompson like a good little commuter.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8BX-hD9Dfce3DjsrCwEEycIjduZJP8RACjYjTLX1YN0CNFGytI92pYe1Zz6A9tNi8dPGndKO-MZxGi6Ou11Xsyyj7_D7qQ3e2XLkuXo4Fzy6FK0lT8pgDCvKYFHbntvpKvJiTJp74plWH/s1600-h/compark.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8BX-hD9Dfce3DjsrCwEEycIjduZJP8RACjYjTLX1YN0CNFGytI92pYe1Zz6A9tNi8dPGndKO-MZxGi6Ou11Xsyyj7_D7qQ3e2XLkuXo4Fzy6FK0lT8pgDCvKYFHbntvpKvJiTJp74plWH/s400/compark.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309933743012633234" /></a><br />This is what they call a 'community park'. It's a nice idea - a central gathering place with a roundabout and houses facing onto it. I went to a Christmas tree lighting there once. Only two problems: it's huge (almost as big as the Milton Fairgrounds), and there's pretty much nothing in it but grass, saplings, and a couple of wooden structures at either end for the mayor to stand on and flip a switch.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MK2ubzhBHrgwF2l38f9OSzYeTR1HgpRb4mtYwJ3Jqf6m8esPUICVJ-cZcQMbsp01FEQdR8aC-Xr2wYvPmsYcAWKDOIlLvoxhpc9idis5AbZxKQ4YDvL3hCoqDnuxMRihG2U94Dcl4sC3/s1600-h/church.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MK2ubzhBHrgwF2l38f9OSzYeTR1HgpRb4mtYwJ3Jqf6m8esPUICVJ-cZcQMbsp01FEQdR8aC-Xr2wYvPmsYcAWKDOIlLvoxhpc9idis5AbZxKQ4YDvL3hCoqDnuxMRihG2U94Dcl4sC3/s400/church.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309933734662381442" /></a><br />This is one of the two buildings that comprise New Life Church. They sit on a huge lot which is, as you can see in the background, completely cut off from the surrounding houses by a fence.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmv2EUAJ7jlotPSxZBU3-Dp6JA2MwQRHKKo-bIiPkm9_pfN3GWRGCneoNbQ8loZcHKe2TJBQwwdpRUy2dPZtzVKV10_3QYNfyqD1eBFGYt1eA1muPK67oJA5i6DXGIjcHx-H9rIB4lP5i9/s1600-h/alley.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmv2EUAJ7jlotPSxZBU3-Dp6JA2MwQRHKKo-bIiPkm9_pfN3GWRGCneoNbQ8loZcHKe2TJBQwwdpRUy2dPZtzVKV10_3QYNfyqD1eBFGYt1eA1muPK67oJA5i6DXGIjcHx-H9rIB4lP5i9/s400/alley.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309933733698390050" /></a><br />This is an interesting and different approach to townhouse design, again emulating older urban plans with garages in the back facing onto an alley. But the scale is wrong. It doesn't look like an alley - it looks like a street.<br /><br /><br />The issue of scale is something that came up more than once in our discussions, and I think it may hold the key to the fundamental difference between new developments and older ones. Driving through Hawthorne Village and (worse) the Sherwood Survey, I noticed that almost everything is bigger than where I live. The houses are bigger, of course. The streets are wider. The parks are bigger. The stores and parking lots are bigger. About the only things that are smaller are the house lots and the trees.<br /><br />The result is a certain... wrongness... that is difficult to quantify or even really complain about. After all, if a park is good, a really really big park is better, right? Except that it'll take you ten shadeless, featureless minutes to get from one side to the other, so screw it - let's drive.<br /><br />I'll tell you more about what we talked about at the meeting tomorrow.Jennifer Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610902519752808810noreply@blogger.com1