Friends of Melbourne Parkettte “Work Bee” Morning February 24, 2013

The Melbourne Parkette Community Garden group will be having a “garden planter bed” construction morning on Saturday, April 6th from 10am to 12pm. This will be the first garden plot in the back of Melbourne Parkette and goal is to have the site ready for the first planting of spring.

 

Come out, meet your neighbors, and have fun digging, sawing or collecting compost – for the construction of our first garden bed!  Meet at the back of the Park and please bring your garden shovels/pitchforks, and hammers to help nail together low-rise wood for the base of the planting bed.

 

If you have any questions or have any items to donate (hoses, shovels) – or wish to donate money so we can purchase oak barrels for an herb garden, please contact Sarah Campbell: sarahcampbell54@gmail.com.

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Reminder: Melbourne Parkette Clean up day! This Thursday June 21st at 6:15 June 18, 2012

Hello All,

 

Just a reminder of the Melbourne Parkette  Clean Up Day! 

This Thursday June 21st from 6:15-7:15 pm.

 

This will be a brief event, feel free to spend any amount of time you can spare with your fellow neighbours and park lovers to help beautify the park!

 

Bring your kids, dogs, or any other friends or neighbours that would like to come out and lend a hand. Kids can play and meet new friends in the neighbourhood. 

 

Things we need at the clean up: shovels, rakes, garbage bags, compost bags, soccer balls and any refreshments if you wish to share. 

 

The plan for the clean up day includes dividing into small groups to do various tasks such as:

 

-Picking up garbage

-Trimming a few bushes

-Digging up soil for future raspberry bushes

-Carrying some wood to build our first planter box

-Raking some compost material

-etc.

 

Looking forward to seeing you all,

 

Friends of Melbourne Parkette.

 

 

 

Vanessa Heaney

Office of Councillor Gord Perks

Parkdale/High Park – Ward 14

Melbourne Parkette Sign

A photo (from left) of Parks Staff Member Joe, Sarah, and Barry with our new Melbourne Parkette Sign.

Reminder: Next Melbourne Parkette Meeting May 24th at 6:00 pm

Hello All,

 

Just a reminder that the next Melbourne Parkette Community Meeting will be held on site at Melbourne Parkette (7 Melbourne Ave).

Thursday May 24th at 6:00 P.m.

 

The purpose of this meeting is to continue discussion regarding the improvement of this space.

 

Community Member Sarah Campbell has kindly offered her home (located directly adjacent to the park) as a ‘bad weather’ or rain option if necessary.

 

See you then,

 

Vanessa

 

 

Vanessa Heaney

Office of Councillor Gord Perks

Parkdale/High Park – Ward 14

Update/Meeting notes for Melbourne Parkette Project – Monday, April 23, 2012 May 1, 2012

Update/Meeting notes for Melbourne Parkette Project – Monday, April 23, 2012  

Attending: Sarah C, Viv Moore, Robert Plitt, Barry Parker, Shannon, and Vanessa H.

 

• Designs& Ideas: We all discussed various possible designs for the site: and came up with various ideas including:

o        Barry’s raised bed design with pollinator garden on outside of boxes and community planting areas in centre of each box

o        planter boxes at each end of a green space that kids could play in

o        suggestions of hops along the western high fence (possibly through contacting Bellwoods Brewery?)

o        other suggestions included: orchard trees, native trees and bushes…. we all agreed that there were many ideas and that we needed to continue talking to see what is realistic for us to accomplish

o        We agreed that it is important to contemplate ideas for the space that involve ALL park users (including attention to children’s needs, dogs and dog walkers etc). We also agreed on the following general ideas and comments:

o        It is important to establish what is wanted by the community in the space as best we can and its best not to “rush” to get something done. It will be best if we agree to/create a consensus about what should be done and this may take time, and ultimately numerous meetings over this summer.

o        its important to not plan too “big” or ambitiously” at the start, as the key to having something effective and long term is to balance what we want there with what is realistic in terms of the time energy/time those interested have to dedicate to the initiative

o        better to start small (small planting boxes, beds or small natural bushes/small trees) and see how much time/commitment there is nearby and expand later than create something too big that will be unkempt/un-managed and therefore may fall into disrepair

• Clean up day: We agreed to planning a clean up day on a weekend morning in may or more likely june (date TBD)
• Regular Meetings: We agreed that we will hope to have a monthly meeting on Tuesdays or Thursday evenings to take place in the park (rain dates can be in neighbourhood houses)
• Signage: o      We agreed that signage was key to communicate what is going on with the space, but also to let interested people get involved.

o        We agreed on some wording for a temporary sign which the city will look into helping us post-see proposed wording at the end of these notes

o        We agreed that the city will work on looking into getting some signage that will signal that there is a community process going on and will refer people to the address for the Melbourne Parkette blog to get involved.

o         If the city cannot assist with this we can look into our own signage (Vanessa looking into this). We also talked about having kids (at the upcoming clean-up event) do some signs and painting of posters/signage we could put up in the park).

o        We all agreed that for the moment we needed to talk about what people want in the park, continue to include as many people as possible (possibly flyer or put up signs in park alerting to date/time of next meeting, use signage and Melbourne Parkette blog to get people involved).

• Holding off on tilling: We agreed for the time being that we will ask the city not to till the site until we have more of a consensus and agreement as to what people would like there and how we can upkeep it. For the moment it is a place for dogs to run in and a plot of grass allowing kids to play in or enables us to program some games etc.
• Let’s try to plan more group activities/neighbourhood events in the park/space: We agreed that the more we “program” and plan things in the park (kids games, educational sessions, neighbourhood gatherings) the community presence will help make it a nicer and more vibrant, welcoming place to be.
• Assistance from City Staff: Vanessa kindly offered to look into the following: help for printing some kind of signage (non-permanent), if the City/ or LEAF program could donate some trees/plant material, how we might be able to access/open or attach a community hose to the watermain at the south end of the park (closest to gate).

Fundraising: We all agreed that at future meetings its important to talk about fundraising (once we decide what is viable for the space).   

Proposed signage wording (temporary)-  Vanessa looking into whether city can print for us a small sign or banner: 
 

The Melbourne Parkette Project is a community project

The City of Toronto is supporting our vision.

For more information or to get involved go to: https://melbourneparkette.wordpress.com

We love our park!

Note from Viv – October 14, 2010 October 19, 2010

Hi to everyone

 

 

I just wanted to let you know that Gord Perks has given the ok (and some money) to doing up our beloved parkette. Barry and I met with him last month and discussed many details. Gord said that he has guaranteed money to us for 2011.

 

 

What this means is that we can meet with the parks people and whoever is in charge of drawing up plans and put our ideas forward. It will then be decided what plans can be put into place and how they can be put in place. This will probably happen some time in February, so I will keep you posted about meetings and the like.

 

 

I’m really glad that we have got this far and have a guarantee. Gord was very positive and showed interest with our parkette as he’s trying to work on a few in the area.

 

 

Hope everyone is well

 

Viv

 

notes from meeting with Amy and Mary from city August 11, 2010

Meeting with Amy Johnston, and Mary, Parks Supervisor

Core group of people requested:

1.  Upkeep and care of park.

Answer:  Maintenance of park should be once a week, but depends on rain, holidays and other things like staffing and planting of other parks. Parks will pare down trees at front in order to increase visibility in park

2.  Proposed garden space.

Answer:  A drawing of plans for the back space (garden) will be expected from core group of how the plants will be configured i.e. in rows or otherwise. Also treatment for soil (roto tilling necessary or not) and timing for planting – probably Autumn. Looking into funding for compost and soil. Parks will remove weeds in back area asap, and lay down some sort of cover to prevent spread of weeds.

3.  Fencing of space.

Answer:  Recommendations were split log, chain link or wrought iron consistent with front fence. Looking into funding. Also possibility of perhaps raspberry shrubs instead of fence at some places.

4.  Placement of garbage and recycling bin.

Answer:  Perhaps it could be chained to the fence at the front.

5.  Re-placement of bench so that it faces street as at present one has back to entrance.

Answer:  That can be moved

6.  Articles like sofa that has been thrown.

Answer:  email or call re: couch – ideal to remove now to discourage more dumping.

7.  Mural on back wall.

Answer: Possibility of replacing the mural with a better one, perhaps look at grants.

8.  Play equipment.

Answer:  Will stay where it is until later discussions.

Meeting was very positive and parks are excited that there is a community who is interested in improving the parkette.

information on pollinator gardens

Subject: Hort. Pollinator Gardens Project – welcome!

Hi All

Just received this from Barry and have forwarded this to all.

Gives more details on the pollinator garden and chances to visit his garden.

Hi Viv I just got this from Clement. Not sure if you’d like to attend tomorrow, but I’m going and can report back if you can’t make it.

Subject: Hort. Pollinator Gardens Project – welcome!

Hello to everyone and thanks for volunteering to help with our Pollinator Gardens project! I’m looking forward to working with you to make some beautiful and interesting gardens.

This email starts the ball rolling with 3 goals:

1. Build our contact list (email, phone)

2. Get the word out to others

3. Invitation to a garden meeting

1. Contact list

Please reply to this email so I know I have your correct address; please type your name (in a few cases I couldn’t read it on the sign-up sheets). Please provide a phone number you can be reached at, and indicate whether you wish to allow other project participants to see your contact information.

2. Get the word out!

Feel free to forward this email to others who may not have been at March’s Hort meeting but may wish to volunteer. For your and their interest, the full

project proposal is attached as a PDF file.

Pollinator Gardens

3. Invitation to a garden meeting!

Over the next week or two I’d like to speak with each of you about how you can participate. It’s very short notice, but IF you have 45 minutes free this weekend, I am hosting two short meet-and-greet sessions in my garden. The first is Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m. and the second Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.  If you can make one or the other time, please reply to this email address. If neither time is convenient, could you indicate whether you would be able to meet on a weekday evening next week (Monday Apr 12 through Thurs Apr 15, indicate your preference) at 7:00 p.m. at my place (directions below)?

It’s predicted to be sunny both days so I hope we can sit in the garden to talk – bring a hat!

Clement Kent, PhD

Dept. of Biology, York University

email to Amy from Viv

Hi Amy,

Thank you very much for the information today.

(An update for everyone. Charles has written a report to send to the Parks Board in order to officially apply to bring a little love to Melbourne Parkette. We are planning to do a pollinator garden in the Fall and next Spring. There is additional information that is needed so that’s what I am now including. This has culminated in many meetings held by a core group after invitations to attend meetings).

I am including some more information to add to the original plan of the parkette that we sent you.

1. Several members of the community are willing to organise maintenance of the garden through a roster system. The planting will have to be postponed until the Fall or Spring of 2011.

2.  We would like to have the proposed garden area fenced off

3.  We would love to have compost for the flower beds and pine bark for the pathways.

4.  We would love to have signage placed in a prominent position stating the purpose of the parkette, because at present, it is used as a dumping site, perhaps the signage might show the promise of the future beautiful landscape.

5.  We would like very much to remove the existing slide equipment. It is used almost entirely as a hang out for presumably illicit purposes (I don’t get too close, but I can see groups of older individuals, who aren’t using it as a slide).

6.  We would like to discuss the general upkeep and maintenance of the area, and in particular the health and longevity of the trees and shrubs (some of them are quite dead).

For those of us who live close by, we see many who bring their dog, without a leash, and do not pick up after them. Others leave garbage.

I know that if we could have a ‘hand’ in getting started on this tidying up process of the parkette, it would help a great deal by giving us momentum. Hopefully it would then be more respected by other visitors.

You had mentioned a meeting in the parkette on Wed 23rd June at 3.30 or 4. Could you please confirm the time so that people could attend.

Thank you very much for your help in this.

Please let me know if you need any more information.

Thank you

Viv Moore

Coordinator of Parkette Project.

Melbourne Parkette Rises June 30, 2010

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to make sure that you got this information from Barry, so have put it into the body of this email:

An Idea for the use of  the New garden space in Melbourne Parkette.

I had originally thought of  suggesting that the space could be used as a Community Herb Garden, but since then the idea has developed further.

This winter as part of the Parkdale Toronto Horticultural Society programming, there was a talk by Dr. Clement Kent on the plight of pollinators and in particular bees.  After this Clement and I got talking and it turned out that he had plans to develop Pollinator Gardens throughout the city. I showed him our site and he would like to propose that it be a proto-type  for this idea. Clement has already raised some funding from the Parkdale Hort ($2500 .00) to get things started.

All that is needed now is agreement from the group who have participated so far. Given this, we could organize a meeting with Clement to discuss this idea more fully.

Barry Parker

So

1. If you have comments on this, or would like to meet, please write back to me asap.

2. If you have anyone else’s name to add to the list, please let me know

Thank you

Viv