Report from Connie Harding

Date: Monday, October 26, 2009, 8:29 PM

Hello All!

I’m pleased to report that the Greenwood Park Fall Fest was bigger and better than ever! We had wonderful weather that allowed us to plant some bulbs and more perennials, enjoy Halloween activites and al fresco treats, learn about park plans from Councillor Paula Fletcher (the permanent dog fence is going up pronto!), and build a beautiful pergola for the sand box thanks to Dawn and her hard-working team from Home Depot. And what made the day especially magical was the amazing entertainment from the Centre of Gravity circus performers, Robert the Unicyclist, and of course Tabby Johnson’s lovely surprise serenade.

Many thanks to our generous local sponsors:

Altitude Baking; Better Price Food Market; Centre of Gravity; City of Toronto; Councillor Paula Fletcher; Enbridge Gas Distribution; Food Basics; Home Depot Canada; It’s the Icing on the Cake; Parent Resources; Pizza Pizza; Red Rocket Coffee; ReMax Hallmark Realty Ltd.; Starbucks Coffee Company; and, Treasure Island Toys.

These sponsorships and many other tasks were coordinated through the combined efforts from the Friends of Greenwood Park (FROGs) planning committee, including: Aija, Belynda (along with Brenda and Lance!), Brigitte, Elle, Jacques, Joanne, Julie, Mark (and his troopers from Parks & Rec), Paula & Wendy, Rob, and Susan (along with Becca!) -- and our supportive families.

If the event turnout and the sign-up sheet are any indication, the FROGs are making a growing number of friends, all of which are included in this e-mail. The more the merrier when it comes to engaging the park community and also helping to make plans for improvement and maintenance in future.

PARK ISSUES

There are several goals we’re currently pursuing. After three years of examining the issues through a widespread petition, a handful of meetings, Paula Fletcher’s survey, the BOLD green plan development, and a recent safety audit, we seem to be in agreement of a few main goals:

• implement walkways and add more trees and shrubs (see the BOLD green plan);
• enhance the playground area with a fence (one being decommissioned for reuse OR a new one);
• improve the safety of the park through better lighting and more maintenance (see the safety audit attached)
• renovate the field house to enable programming and space rental

There are other issues worth exploring and pursuing, including more targeted fundraising efforts to help expedite action. Some possible leads are:

Home Depot - projects.kaboom.org/
Aviva Community Fund - www.avivacommunityfund.org/
Canadian Tire sponsorship – the Lakeshore location provided paint for the field house and offered to help again in the future

Also FYI re McCleary playground’s $300-k from ING: paulafletcher.ca/site/mccleary-playground-community-consultation/

The date of the next meeting is TBA – and thanks to Lefteris we will be meeting at his renovated building space at the north-east end of the park.

In the meantime, Jo is also sending event photos, and don’t forget to check out the next edition of SNAP for their FROG Fall Fest report.

Thanks again!!