CITY AWARDS SHOW WHY KANATA SOUTH A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE

The recent Civic Appreciation Awards and 9-1-1 awards were a reminder of why Kanata South is such a great place to live.

At the Civic Appreciation Awards, Joy Bergeron and Julina Throop were named Citizens of the Year in the Seniors and Youth categories respectively. Jasmine Renaud won the Community Activism Youth Award. Many other Kanata residents were also recognized for their volunteer work.

9-1-1 awards recognize children who were under 13 when dealing with an emergency and who showed courage or resourcefulness. Three young people from Kanata South were recognized, Joshua Fergusson, Danny Neveu Karimpour and Casandra Woodward.

The commitment to the community and the well being of others shown by those who were recognized in the 9-1-1 awards and the Civic Appreciation Awards are something I see a lot in our community and it is why I am so proud to represent Kanata South.

REPORT ON GATEWAY FEATURES NEXT STEP TO FIXING PROBLEM

At the May 27 Planning and Environment Committee a report is scheduled to come forward on how we address the problem of that currently exists with gateway features.

Gateway features are the walks, signs, flowerbeds or other decorative features at the entrance to many communities or neighbourhoods. These are built by developers to help sell homes. In the short term they add to the appearance of the community. In the long term, there are no funds to maintain them.

Allowing gateway features to be built with no plan for how they will be maintained means gateway features are left to fall apart and eventually the City faces the bill to pull them down. Even worse, for gateway features on private property homeowners can be stuck with the bill.

When I raised the problem at Planning and Environment Committee last year, my first preference would have been to simply ban gateway features in new developments. However, it was possible to get agreement on asking staff to come up with a policy on gateway features in new developments that will address the problems we currently have with gateway features.

The report coming to Planning and Environment set out the issues that will be addressed in the policy. These include where gateways features are permitted, how to pay for maintenance, and what happens with existing features.

FALL REGISTRATION OPEN FOR FREE TREES

Under the Trees, Reforestation, and Environmental Enhancement (TREE) Program people are able to get a free tree to plant on their property. Registration to receive a tree in the fall is now open.

Trees are distributed on a first come first serve basis. The spring tree distribution is now full. Once the registration for fall 2008 is complete, residents may register to receive a tree that will be available in spring 2009.

To register, or for more information on the TREE Program, visit ottawa.ca/TREE or call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401).

The TREE Program aims to enhance the City of Ottawa’s urban and rural forests through the planting of 100,000 trees.

Increasing and maintaining the City’s forest cover does more than improve the appearance of our communities. Trees help reduce the impact of climate change and in the summer trees can shade buildings – reducing air conditioning costs.

WORKING FULL-TIME FOR KANATA SOUTH

I appreciate the chance to hear from you about issues affecting our community. You can reach me at 580-2752 (office), 580-2762 (fax), www.feltmateforkanata.com or peggy.feltmate@ottawa.ca.