Local Candidate Debates

September 20th 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Parkdale Community Association, Ward 7 All Candidates Debate (Parkdale Community Hall)

September 2st1 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm West Hillhurst Community Association (Tentative) West Hillhurst Community Centre

September 23rd 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm, Calgary Chinese Elderly Citizens’ Association Ward 7 Candidates Election Forum, (at the CCECA hall, 111 Riverfront Ave SW)

September 24th 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm at the Montgomery Association Community Centre (5003 – 16 Ave NW)

September 26th 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm SAIT, Ward 7 All Candidates Forum (SAIT Campus)

October 3rd 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm All Candidates Forum – Mount Pleasant Mount Pleasant Community Hall

 

Volunteers Needed!

Help! Our Community Association’s board of directors has several important positions that need to be filled at our AGM on November 15. Our current board members are energetic, committed and work well together. Our meetings are run efficiently and aren’t just work, there is time for socializing after adjournment. Being a board member is an excellent way to get to know your neighbours, our issues and concerns, and to find solutions when needed that help make our community a great place to live. Please consider putting your name forward for one of the following:

President

            Duties: Set monthly board meeting agendas and chair these meetings. Support all other board members, help coordinate and facilitate their projects as needed, provide leadership and vision for the future of our association. Work closely with our Executive Director.

Secretary

            Duties: Take minutes at board meetings. Work closely with our Executive Director who does most of the day to day secretarial duties. Have full board privileges, that is, discuss and vote on all issues at monthly board meetings.

Treasurer

            Duties: Manage and supervise our paid book keeper. Set the yearly budget and report on finances at each monthly board meeting. Manage GICs and AGLC Casino bank accounts as well as our general accounts. Work with our auditor at year end.

IT Director

            Duties: Supervise and support the running of our website and on-line registration server. Offer suggestions and support for all technical aspects of our association, including mailboxes for board members and playschool executive through our gmail account. Have full board privileges, that is, discuss and vote on all issues at monthly board meetings.

Sears Plume

            Duties: Since the take over of the Sears site by Concord Pacific, assess the status of ownership and work being done on the gas plume, and continue monitoring work being conducted by the engineering firm Clifton Associates. Attend monthly board meetings and send reports.

Education Director

            Attend both Play School and Community Association monthly board meetings and act as liaison. Full community association board member with voting privileges. This position is important as it facilitates our responsible governance of the community play school.

Facility Co-director

            Along with our facility director Gunter Sammet and our Executive Director, help run the physical aspects of our community facility and gym. This primarily concerns maintenance issues but will also include being part of the exciting facility enhancement project which is being led by our vice president. Attend monthly community association meetings and be part of our board.

If you are interested in any of these roles or would like more information, please contact me at president@hh-bh.ca

 

Laura Hunt

President’s Message – September

Hello once again everyone. Where did the summer go? It’s hard to believe that we are now on the cusp of fall and heading back to busy routines that include change, new challenges and projects at work and school. September feels as much like the first month of a new year as does January! This is as true for our community as it is for our personal lives and I’d like to give you a few examples. In with the NEW: Many of you will have noticed the dozens of new trees that suddenly appeared throughout our community last month. This is part of the City’s Retree YYC program. Its mandate is to replace the thousands of trees that were badly damaged in the big snowstorm of 2014 and to renew our urban forest. Green Park has really benefited from the new additions and you or your neighbours may now have a tree on your front lawn. I am impressed by the size, health and variety of trees that we have been given! Each one would cost hundreds of dollars if bought at a nursery and some of the species planted are really beautiful, such as Japanese Lilac, Brandon Elm, and Burr Oak. Please care for these babies and help them grow so that our neighbourhood retains the character that was envisioned when people first developed our community. Out with the OLD: Our Community Association is swinging into high gear now that summer is over. First up is our annual Community Clean Up on Saturday, September 16, 9:00 – 1:00. This is your chance to clean out your garage, closets and yard and bring any items you no longer want to the parking lot on the west side of our library where trucks will be waiting to take items and deal with them appropriately. As well, once again there will be a “give and take” table where trash instantly turns into treasure. Save some energy for a community party later that day, either in the afternoon or evening. Our board is still missing an Events Director to organize the Clean Up and party so please consider helping by filling this role. As well, we desperately need volunteers during the Clean Up. If you can help, please contact our Executive Director, Guy Latour: executive.director@hh-bh.ca. A New Challenge: Our Community Association is also planning to have a membership drive and community survey for you this fall. We want to know who you are, what you like about our community, what services you would like to see, and how we can improve the work we do for you. You may recall seeing a survey in 2012, and a second one will give us data to show trends, successes and areas where we can improve. Change: It feels strange to even mention November just now, but our AGM will be held November 15. My twoyear term as President is coming to an end as I do not intend to continue volunteering in this capacity. Being President has been an honour as well as a challenge. We have a wonderful group of people on our board who generously give their time and talents, which has resulted in a number of successful projects and programs. At the moment, no one has indicated that they would like to take on the President’s position so I am asking you to consider getting involved with our Community Association and to help fill this position in November. Please contact me by email: president@hh-bh.ca if you have any questions or would like to volunteer in any way! To keep up with our community’s events and other projects please check our website regularly: http://www.hh-bh.ca/hh-bh.ca. I hope that you have had a wonderful summer and are now looking forward to all that September brings!

City of Calgary’s Blue Cart and Green Cart Recycling Program

Blue Cart recycling tip of the Month

Recycle your old gadgets and electronics the right way!

Electronics recycling depots are available around the city to help Calgarians properly dispose of their old and broken televisions, printers and computers.

Never put electronics into your blue cart – they will damage the sorting equipment at the recycling facility and can harm the workers.

Find the right place to take your old electronics by visiting calgary.ca/whatgoeswhere.

Green Cart Q&A

As green carts are set to roll out this summer, here are some common questions you may have about the program.

Why are we doing this?

More than half of what’s in our garbage is material that could be composted. Composting can reduce what goes into our landfills by half and instead creates a high quality, nutrient rich compost for local gardens, parks and farms. A great video to watch is available at calgary.ca/greencart.

What if I already compost in my backyard?

Continue to backyard compost and use your green cart too. You’ll be surprised how many materials such as meat, bones, dairy, cooked foods, pet waste, tree branches can now go in the green cart.

What about smells and rodents?

We found that residents in the pilot didn’t experience an increase in pests around their carts. Collecting food and yard waste in the green cart is similar to putting them in the garbage. If your household hasn’t experienced problems with pests and food odours in the past, it’s unlikely you will with the new system. Some good practices to follow include:

Empty the kitchen pail into your green cart every 2-3 days.
Keep the lid of the kitchen pail and green cart closed.
Put your green cart out for collection every week, even if it’s not full.
Sprinkle a small amount of baking soda or vinegar in your kitchen pail and green cart.

Will compost return to the community?

Yes, some compost will be available to the community for free through community gardens and select giveaway days starting in 2018. The majority of the compost will be sold in bulk to landscape suppliers with the proceeds reducing the processing costs and lowering the program fee.

Keep an eye out for your green cart and starter kit that will be arriving this summer. A community delivery schedule is available at calgary.ca/greencart.