Dear OSCAR Readers:
ast week, I was having lunch with my daughter in a small Moroccan restaurant in the Market. The food was excellent but the tables were cramped tightly together and I saw one of the small acts of generosity on which the good life of a city depends. The man sitting next to us was just beginning his coffee and dessert and he noticed two women without a place to begin their meal. He asked them it they would like his table and he, being alone, would finish his meal at the counter. They agreed and he quietly moved to the counter and they took his table.
Cities are invigorating, dynamic places - places where you can have a Moroccan meal at lunch, and see a hockey game or listen to a chamber music concert in the evening. But the happy life of individuals depends on countless, small acts of generosity and tolerance between people. For from the same intensity of activity comes many stresses - not enough room to sit easily in a restaurant, or lack of parking spaces are just two small examples. I am sure you can think of many others.
The reconstruction of Bank Street in Old Ottawa South is one of those stresses. The construction and the required traffic detours are creating stress on the residential and business communities. We held a public meeting at Southminster Church on April 9 so that the community could meet the project officers and ask them questions. Constable Barlow especially made a very favourable impression.
The primary concern people had was increased traffic on Riverdale and Sunnyside due to the traffic detour from a closed Bank St. northbound. We are responding to this with extra crossing guards for schoolchildren, increased police surveillance, and detour signage south of the community on Bank Street to encourage commuters - i.e. people that don't live or shop in the neighbourhood - to consider alternate routes downtown. On weekends a northbound lane on Bank Street is reopened to traffic. But no matter how hard we work or plan, there will be disruption. It is impossible to tear up a main street from 25-feet down and not have residents' normal lives disrupted.
What I and others tried to impress on residents is that as upsetting as the reconstruction is - this is a good news story for the community. Bank Street between the bridges has been on the city's priority infrastructure list for more than 10 years. We finally have the money and are doing it. The Whyte House, a heritage site on the Driveway, burnt to the ground because the old water pipes under the hydrant could only pump 200 gallons per minute. To fight a major fire the pipes have to pump 2,000 gallons per minute.
Bank Street in Old Ottawa South has been deficient in every way for years in sewer and water capacity, in broken sidewalks, in dangerous and poorly configured intersections. All this will be rectified this summer with new improvements - pedestrian friendly lighting, trees, safety measures around Hopewell Public School, and, of course, the Canadian Folk Walk of Fame.
But to get us through it, we are going to need the kind of generosity of spirit that gentleman showed in vacating his table for the two women.
The property the Central Canada Exhibition purchased on Albion Road has run into a few roadblocks and the organization has asked for a one-year extension on their lease at Lansdowne Park. They have just recently come back asking for an extension on their extension.
My position has always been clear. I have supported Mayor Bob Chiarelli in his attempt to work with the Central Canada Exhibition Board in trying to find the Ex a new and better home. The Ex needs a bigger, more suitable semi-rural location to be able to return to its agricultural fair roots, and the city needs the ability to develop Lansdowne Park into a greener, more community-friendly facility. We can't do this with the Ex as an annual, two-week tenant.
Up until recently, the CCE and the city had been negotiating in good faith. The one-year extension was a stop-gap, one-time measure that acknowledged some unforeseen zoning delays at the Albion site. But a two-year, open-ended extension is not acceptable and I will be making this point vigorously when this issue comes back to committee in the coming weeks.
In an attempt to save money, city staff recently floated the idea of removing the existing five-bag per week curb-front commercial garbage pick-up. I saw this as being an unreasonable withdrawal of city service levels for business owners paying property taxes and I'm happy to report that councillors Elisabeth Arnold, Diane Deans and I were successful in arguing to have this proposal removed.
At my office's request, city staff are currently studying the installation of public, non-motorized docks at Windsor and Brantwood Parks. I'm hopeful that we'll see these docks put in this summer, time and budget permitting.
The first Friday morning of every month, I hold an informal meet and greet at a local coffee shop in the ward. It's a great way to hear from residents who don't have the chance to visit City Hall to attend committee or council meetings, and also don't have Internet access to visit my web site for information updates.
The Friday, May 2 instalment will relocate to Starbuck's on Bank Street in Old Ottawa South, and will remain there for the duration of the summer. It's "Business as Usual" on Bank Street during reconstruction and the same goes for "Coffee with Clive". Hope to see you there.
Clive Doucet
Ottawa City Hall
110 Laurier Ave. W.
Ottawa, ON K1P 1J1
Tel: 580-2487
Fax: 580-2527
e-mail: clive.doucet@ottawa.ca
web site: www.clivedoucet.com