NEWS ARCHIVESSeptember 18, 2009 Stittsville celebrates Villagefest It is that time of the year again! One of Stittsville’s biggest and best community events is being held on October 3, and you and your family are invited. Villagefest is here, and will commence with the annual parade at 11am along Stittsville Main Street. Bring your family and friends to cheer on the floats as they wind their way through the heart of the community. The annual soapbox derby will take place near Village Square Park at the corner of Stittsville Main Street and Abbott Street beginning at 9am with the award ceremony and closing ceremony commencing at 4pm. Several family-friendly events will be taking place in the park throughout the afternoon. I look forward to seeing the community buzzing during this event. This is always a tremendous time of year, and with the event growing in size, this year promises to be incredibly successful. I hope you and your family are able to participate. West Transitway extension causing delays for commuters Many transit riders, especially express bus riders, have experienced delays during their commute following the opening of the new west Transitway extension between Holly Acres and Pinecrest. Along with my west-end Council Colleagues, I have taken this issue to the management team at OC Transpo. Staff informed my office that OC Transpo is in the process of collecting operational data concerning actual running times of buses that follow the new routes, and the data will be compared with the data collected before the Transitway opened. If OC Transpo uncovers any points where delays are consistently occurring, they will investigate what changes can be made to alleviate them. In addition, OC Transpo will be reviewing the operation of the traffic signals at Holly Acres and at Pinecrest with traffic staff and the Ministry of Transportation to determine whether any changes can be made to reduce travel time for transit customers. Should you be experiencing any delays on your trip due to
the opening of the Transitway extension, please do not hesitate to contact my
office. Public meeting to discuss sound barrier on portion of Hazeldean Road Please be advised my office is hosting a public meeting to discuss the Hazeldean Road widening project. The public meeting will be held on September 30 at 7pm at the Stittsville and District Community Centre, located at 10 Warner Colpitts Drive, in the upper hall. There will be a brief overview of the expansion project from the Carp River to Carp Road; however, the focus of this meeting will be on the sound barrier fence for the Amberlakes and Amberwood residents who back onto Hazeldean Road. A requirement of the expansion project is to upgrade the existing sound barrier fence from east of the Stittsville Main Street intersection to just east of the Springbrook Drive intersection. The widening project has been divided into two phases. For Phase One, which includes the widening from the Carp River to just west of Iber Road, the project has been awarded to a contractor who is currently undertaking preliminary work. It is anticipated that on-site work will begin in the late fall. For Phase Two, which runs from Iber Road to Carp Road, the tender will be closing shortly and some on-site work may begin late this fall. The road will be constructed to urban standard, meaning it
will include both sidewalks and bicycle lanes. Both phases are funded through
the stimulus program, which brings together all three levels of government. A
requirement of the project is that it must be substantially completed by March
2011. Investigation into revising the default speed The City is requesting from the Province an investigation into revising the default speed on City streets, reducing the current default speed from 50 km/hr to 40 km/hr. Default speed refers to the speed limit in areas where a speed limit sign is not posted. Tentatively, the item is scheduled to be brought before the Transportation Committee on October 7. With this in mind, I would like to know your thoughts on this proposal. Specifically, do you support the reduction in the default speed? If no, would you support maintaining the current practice of a default speed in "sensitive areas," such as school zones and parks? Rather than speed reductions, should the onus be on education and enforcement, while maintaining current default speeds? Please send your thoughts via e-mail to Shad.Qadri@ottawa.ca. You can also provide your response over the phone by calling my office at 613-580-2476. I want to remind residents to please take caution on our
streets, paying special attention to parks, school zones and school buses. As
school is back in session, I encourage parents and schools to inform children of
the practice of good road safety. Highway 417 expansion update At the time of writing this column, the westbound lanes are complete and all of the eastbound lanes are open, with the exception being the furthest left lane because work is being done in the median. This left lane will ultimately be a High Occupancy Vehicle
(HOV) lane. The Ministry of Transportation expects construction to take at least
one month before the lane is operational. Lansdowne Partnership Plan consultations set to begin Public consultations on the Lansdowne Partnership Plan, a proposal developed by the City and Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group to transform Lansdowne Park, will begin September 28. The City will be gathering feedback from residents at a series of six public open houses that will be held throughout the community between September 28 and October 6. At the meetings, residents will be able to review and provide comments on the Lansdowne Partnership Plan. On September 29 from 6-9pm, a public open house will be held at the Ron Maslin Playhouse, located at 1 Ron Maslin Way in Kanata. In addition to public meetings, the City will be using the Ottawa Talks e-consultation platform starting on September 28 to engage residents in online discussion of the Lansdowne Partnership Plan. This will provide the public with an opportunity to share information and opinions, and to pose questions 24/7 on the City’s website. At the end of the consultations, public comments and feedback will be reported back to City Council on November 2. For more information on the Lansdowne Partnership Plan,
visit the City’s website at
www.ottawa.ca/lansdownepartnership, e-mail
311@ottawa.ca or call 311. City of Ottawa releases 2008 Annual Report The City of Ottawa released its 2008 Annual Report, Taking Action in Demanding Times, providing highlights of key initiatives the City undertook over the course of the past year. The 2008 Annual Report summarizes City Council’s priority areas, including transit and transportation, the environment and creating a sustainable city. The 2008 Annual Report is posted on
www.ottawa.ca in an
accessible PDF format. Printed copies and CDs are available at Client Service
Centres and public libraries across the city. Annual Snow Go Program launches While there is no snow on the ground yet, the winter season is just around the corner. With this in mind, the City of Ottawa is partnering again with the Seniors Citizens Council and 10 local community support agencies to deliver the Snow Go Programs targeted towards seniors and people with disabilities. The Snow Go Program matches seniors and people with disabilities with contractors and/or individuals who will perform the service of clearing snow and ice from their private driveways and walkways. The Snow Go Program snow removal workers have been screened by the Ottawa Police through a police record check, and a review of the service fee is performed to ensure an appropriate cost range is charged to the client. Once matched up with snow removal help, residents are responsible for making payments directly to the individual or contractor. Eligible low-income seniors and people with disabilities may apply to receive financial assistance to pay for a portion of their snow and ice removal costs through the three-year Snow Go Assist Pilot Program. Approved participants may be reimbursed for up to 50 per cent of the cost of snow and ice clearing per event, up to a seasonal maximum of $250. The community support agencies have the ability to limit the funds allocated to participants if the demand is high. For more information about the Snow Go Program matching
service and the Snow Go Assist Pilot Program eligibility criteria and
application process, contact the Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre at
613-591-3686, visit the Services for Seniors section on
www.ottawa.ca or call 311. Always listening and acting on your concerns As your Councillor, I always welcome your keen input and
ideas on how we can sustain and improve Stittsville. |