Alan Asselstine, Treasurer
Peter Foulger
Issie Berish
Yacoub Abu-Al-Hawa
Jerry Beausoleil
Nicole Espenant, Assistant to the Councillor
Nichole Hoover-Bienasz, Assistant to the Councillor
John Fraser, Executive Assistant to Dalton McGuinty
David McGuinty, MP for Ottawa South
Jennifer Howells, Assistant to David McGuinty
Sylva Baroody
John Sankey: The HCCO today celebrates thirty years of service to our community by Alan Asselstine. Alan is one of those people who is pure gold to a community: steady, trustworthy, and always willing to take on the unglamorous but important tasks that make our community a better place to live. I've greatly respected his advice over the years, and I hope, Alan, that I can call on you now and then when we've a difficult decision to make in the future.
CertificateIn recognition of thirty years of insightful advice and productive volunteer service to his community as director and treasurer of the HCCO, his contributions to the naturalization of Sawmill Creek, and his steady promotion for many years of the soon to be completed pedestrian bridge linking our community to the east side of the Airport Parkway, the board of directors of the HCCO hereby expresses our deep gratitude to Alan Asselstine and grants him lifetime membership in the HCCO.
David McGuinty: He was the co-lead of a mission to the Ukraine where people are fighting for the right to have community associations. There, many good people are being held back and held down. People like Alan are the hallmark of a civilized society. The achievements of people like Alan should receive more recognition. He thanked Alan for his 3 decades of service.
John Fraser: Speaking on behalf of the Government of Ontario, he thanked and recognized Alan for 30 years of service. Alan was instrumental in the Constructed Wetlands and the Pathway through them.
Nichole Hoover-Bienasz: Speaking on behalf of Councillor Maria McRae she thanked Alan.
Alan Asselstine: He thanked the speakers for their kind words. He moved to Hunt Club in 1980. At the Saint Valentine's Day dance at Holy Family School, he and his wife made friends and saw that they were in the right community – people were friendly and interested in others. With Peter Laberge, they started a slow-pitch baseball league. As his children grew he became more involved in the political side. Today the community is vibrant, alive. It has been a great experience. Although he is retiring from the HCCO, he has many things on the go. He still has a sense of pride in the community and will serve in a slightly different capacity.
John Sankey: Asked that the minutes be approved.
Motion: To approve the October minutes. Moved by Christine Johnson, seconded by Jerry Beausoleil, carried.
John Sankey: President's report: We've inaugurated a program to encourage Hunt Club residents to adopt areas in our community. To date, four parks (Owl, Uplands, Paul Landry and 1215 Hunt Club) and three streets (Plante, McCarthy and Erin) are formally adopted by present or former members of the HCCO executive. We are working with the South Keys Greenboro Community Association, Ottawa Community Housing, and the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority in this initiative.
We encourage other residents of our community to claim ownership of our public spaces from litter bugs.
We continue to communicate to the city our community's problems with traffic jams caused by inadequate capacity of the intersections at each end of the Sheflin Bridge, and continue to propose inexpensive interim improvements to mitigate the negative effects that the forthcoming connection of Hunt Club to the 417 will have on us.
Construction of the pedestrian bridge is proceeding over the winter: special mix,insulation and preheating will be used to ensure proper curing of the top tower. All continuing to go well, we can hope to be walking over our bridge by summer 2013. Our community owes a debt of gratitude to Bray Construction for their work to recover from the disastrous effects of the faulty concrete supplied to them last year.
Over the past year, we have lost community control of both our recreation center and of our social services center. Despite these losses, we continue to promote the value of Hunt Club as a community.
We represented our community's concerns at the City Planning Summit in March, and promoted the interests of south Ottawa residents respecting access to the north of the city via Bronson Ave.
We are actively planning a renewed community newsletter to help bind our community together, and invite all residents of Hunt Club to contribute their experiences of life here or to nominate residents with special accomplishments to celebrate.
Alan Asselstine: He presented the Treasurer's report. The HCCO has a surplus of $9,147.41.
Christine Johnson: Asked how the $9000 in assets was accumulated.
Alan Asselstine: At its founding, the Hunt Club sports and recreation association collected membership fees and they were passed on to the HCCO when it was formed. As time passed, the HCCO became more distinct and finally separate.
Motion: To accept the Treasurer's report. Moved by Fred McLennan, seconded by Peter Foulger, carried.
Nichole Hoover-Bienasz presented the Councillor's report.
Christine Johnson: Is there any thought to putting garbage bins at bus stops where they would encourage people to put garbage where it belongs? Who is responsible for removing signs around the CE Centre after an event? The signs linger on long after the event. She has followed the Bank Street Community Design Plan. Will it be extended south of Hunt Club Road? There are plans to widen Hunt Club Road to six lanes. When will that happen?
Nichole Hoover-Bienasz: She will check on the garbage bins. The event organizers and not the CE Centre put up the signs so presumably they would be responsible for taking them down. She will check on the extension of the Bank Street Community Design Plan. Future planning includes widening Hunt Club – this is a 10 year projection.
John Reid: Is Councillor McRae happy with the Library service? In the Hunt Club Community there are poor children who don't have the same kind of access to library programs. There should be better service at the Community Centre.
Nicole Espenant: The Ottawa Public Library has identified Mooneys Bay as an area that needs a 5000 sq ft branch. The Community Centre has the Library Kiosk and the Bookmobile which are available to poor children. The Greenboro Branch has improved how it delivers books to the Kiosk at the Community Centre. On Wednesday, books are packed at the Greenboro Branch, on Thursday they are delivered to the Community Centre and on Saturday they are available for pickup at the Community Centre. She will try to find pamphlets that describe the Bookmobile.
Marilyn Koch: She is a retired librarian. The schools all have regular libraries.
John Reid: Libraries don't just provide books they also provide programs.
Issie Berish: He would like to commend the City for the improvement in the on-line registration of swimming programs. Registration is much quicker and simpler.
John Sankey: Fred McLennan, past President will conduct the election of officiers.
Fred McLennan: Passed out the nominations. John Sankey is nominated for President, are there any other nominations? John Sankey is elected.
Peter Foulger is nominated for Treasurer, are there any other nominations? Peter Foulger is elected.
The following are nominated for the position of Director: Peter Brimacombe, Fred McLennan, Gisèle Loiselle, Jerry Beausoleil, Marilyn Koch, Christine Johnson, Sylva Baroody, Yacoub Abu-Al-Hawa and Issie Berish. Are there any other nominations? The Directors are elected as presented.
John Sankey: Thanked Fred and closed the Annual General Meeting and opened a Board meeting.
John Sankey: Christine has been invited to represent the HCCO at the Federation of Community Associations.
Motion: That the HCCO join the Federation of Community Associations, to pay the $30 membership fee and to nominate Christine Johnson as our representative. Moved by Jerry Beausoleil, seconded by Fred McLennan, carried.
Motion: To pay $20 to National Capital Freenet to maintain our website. Moved by Christine Johnson, seconded by Jerry Beausoleil, carried.
Motion: To contribute $57 towards Alan Asselstine's retirement present. Moved by Jerry Beausoleil, seconded by Christine Johnson, carried.
John Sankey: Christine Johnson has adopted a section of Sawmill Creek. The section is in Ward 10 (Diane Dean is the Councillor) but is not within the boundaries of any community association.
Motion: The HCCO supports the adoption of 1225 Hunt Club Road in partnership with the South Keys Greenboro Association. Moved by Christine Johnson, seconded by Jerry Beausoleil, carried.
Peter Brimacombe: Traffic on McCarthy Road south-bound is backing up because of the four-way stop at Southmore. Once in a while it backs up right to Walkley and blocks the intersection. If it is blocked on a regular basis then the four-way stop at Southmore needs to be replaced with stop lights.
John Sankey: The section of McCarthy Road north of the railway line is in Riverside Park which seems to exert undue influence in traffic matters.
Peter Foulger: There are pot holes and broken pavement on Uplands Drive between Paul Anka Drive and Rhapsody Lane.
Nicole Espenant: She is reporting on questions from the last meeting: The construction south of the Days Inn on Hunt Club Road is a Sprung Shelter for the 30th Field Regiment. The approaches to the bridge are made from big plastic blocks because the clay soils may settle and crack the walkway.
Jerry Beausoleil: He thanked Nicole for her persistence.
Christine Johnson: The Board was polled and the title for our newsletter is Hunt Club: My Community.
John Sankey: Next meeting Monday, December 3 at 19:00