OSCA PRESIDENT'S REPORT

BY JOHN GRAHAM

Firehall Renovations

or those of you who have not recently dropped into the Firehall, the community centre for Old Ottawa South, you may be pleasantly surprised. The kitchen has new appliances, interior walls sport a fresh coat of paint, new flooring has been put down in several places, those unsightly blinds in the main hall have been replaced and the whole building has undergone a major cleaning. The Firehall, which one former OSCA Board member last year referred to as a 'dump', has not looked this good in years.

To achieve this 'makeover', the OSCA Board allocated approximately $7,500 of its own funds, an amount matched by the City through its Self-Help Program. But the community also donated hundreds of hours of volunteer labor to plan the improvements and then bring them to fruition. Many community members deserve recognition. Among these are Peter Wells for the initial idea, Kate Fawkes for putting together the self-help grant with the assistance of local architect, Gordon Stokoe and Derrick Keefe and Deirdre McQuillan for ensuring that the work got done.

Now that these cosmetic improvements have been made, the OSCA Board will turn its attention to the longer term redevelopment of the Firehall. The next step is to meet with City politicians and officials to ensure the Firehall gets on the appropriate priority list. Mayor Jim Watson has kindly volunteered to set up a meeting with the City for us. Watch for reports on the results of these efforts in future columns.

WINDSOR PARK PLAY STRUCTURE

Another neighborhood success story has resulted from the determined efforts of several families living in the Windsor Park area led by Georgina Hunter and Anne Marie Corbett. Within the space of a few months, this group has raised over $8,000 from local residents andbusinesses to replace the existing, unsafe structure with a new one. Again this group has relied on a matching grant from the City's Self-Help Program. Congratulations on an outstanding effort.

MUNICIPAL RESTRUCTURING AND WARD COUNCILS

Clive Doucet, regional councillor for Capital Ward, invited the Presidents of Community Associations in the ward to meet with him and Regional Chair, Bob Chiarelli, to discuss how community associations might exert influence in this transition year and beyond as we move to one-tier government. One idea that surfaced during the meeting was to put in place a Ward Council consisting of representatives of the Community Associations. Its role would be to advise the Ward councillor, share information and develop common positions on key issues.

There is nothing in the legislation establishing the government for new City of Ottawa that would allow such a body to have formal decision-making powers, for example, to make local decisions on zoning as was proposed by the University of Ottawa's borough model.

An OSCA Board Committee that examined this matter last year was not in favor of community associations becoming a formal part of government. That's not why we were established. Rather, among other things, we are a mediating force to restrain the power of government and the private sector. That said, the Ward Council idea, confined to an advisory and advocacy role, might be a welcome innovation.

OSCA GOVERNANCE

With municipal restructuring just around the corner, everyone seems to be talking about 'governance' and the OSCA Board has caught the bug. It's time we reviewed how we do business.

The Board Finance Committee,under the leadership of Kristina Liljefors, has reviewed our financial procedures and will soon bring recommendations forward including improvements to our budgeting and audit procedures.

We will also be examining other aspects of how we are structured. For example, should Board members be elected for a two year term, with half the Board turning over each year? Should Board members be restricted to two consecutive terms? Should our Board nomination procedures be more transparent? Should we designate positions on the Board for a youth member and perhaps a senior citizen? Are the Board's conflict of interest guidelines appropriate? Andis OSCA sufficiently accountable to the community? The Board will be considering these and other questions in the months to come. We would welcome your comments.

By the way, the OSCA Board meets on the third Tuesday of every month at the Firehall from 7:30 to 10:00 in the evening. All residents are welcome to attend. Agendas and minutes of past meetings are posted on the OSCA web site, www.oldottawasouth.ca. Those community members wishing to propose agenda items can contact me at 562-0090 or jgraham@iog.ca or Deirdre McQuillan, 247- 4872 or osca@cyberus.ca.