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By michellekirby, May 24, 2010 6:23 pm

Submitted by Lesley Ewing, Safer Cycling Oak Bay

Earlier this year, the Municipality solicited volunteers to form the Alternative Transportation Sub-Committee of the Community Initiatives Committee. We’re pleased to hear that a selection process was completed in March and the following citizens have been selected to serve on the sub-committee:

Corey Burger
Neil Jackson
Gary Law
Victor Lotto
Steven Toleiki

Councilor John Herbert serves as Chair, and other council members include Hazel Braithwaite, Nils Jenson, and Mayor Chris Causton.

There are no formal terms of reference for the Community Initiatives Committee or the proposed sub-committee. However, the group will be tasked with focusing on alternative transportation priorities and proposed improvements for Oak Bay Village, including issues such as sidewalk widening, parking, potential cycling lanes and beautification, and making recommendations to Oak Bay Municipal Council in this regard.

Sub-committee members Burger, Jackson, Law, Lotto and Toleiki are invited to introduce themselves to the citizens of Oak Bay by contacting the Community Association of Oak Bay by emailing the Oak Bay Connector. We can publish your email here, as a means of sharing your voice with the community.

We look forward to recommendations and a defined implementation schedule that will help keep our community members safe and mobile, as well as generate improvements to link with those made by adjacent municipalities.

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By michellekirby, April 28, 2010 10:59 pm

Just as today’s front page Oak Bay News article highlights, the Oak Bay High School Redevelopment Project needs community participation! As we’ve said before, this opportunity won’t come again, nor do we want to miss it!

In the next phase of CAOB’s efforts to involve the community in this exciting once-in-100-years-project, we brought the Oak Bay High School Project to the Willows PAC meeting tonight. We were very happy to see 40 parents come out to learn about the project.

We invited Oak Bay Parks and Recreation Director Lorna Curtis, School District 61 Trustee Michael McEvoy, Oak Bay High Principal Dave Thomson and VP Garrett Brisdon to the meeting to share progress updates on the project with the parents of future Oak Bay High School students.

The excitement is certainly continuing to build and spread throughout the community, as we see both the political will and action on the part of our elected representatives, and the staff of both the Oak Bay Municipality and the School District, working collaboratively to get the ball rolling on a Neighbourhoods of Learning Grant Application.

The concept of a Community School was raised early in the consultation phase of the project, and this has transformed somewhat with the Ministry of Education promoting and funding Neighbourhood Learning Centres.

The Municipality is applying to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) for $30,000 to fund hiring a Community Planner that will consult with the community and build the grant application for the Neighbourhood Learning Centre to be included in the final plans of the new school. We will know by June 30, 2010, if they were successful in getting the $30,000 to get a professional consultant to write the grant application.

The plan is that this consultant will plan and host several meetings in September to hear from the Community. I hope you will find time in that generally ridiculously busy month to attend the meetings, write emails/letters to the Oak Bay Council, and share your priorities for the Neighbourhoods of Learning funds.

In the meantime, please stay informed on the project, by visiting us here at caob.ca, and the Oak Bay High School Redevelopment blog as well.

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By michellekirby, April 11, 2010 5:45 pm

Contributed by Jill Croft

The Community Association of Oak Bay, CAOB, celebrated World Health Day in Saanich today with the Shelbourne Corridor Bike Ride.

Sunday, April 11th was perfect for a leisurely cycle from Oak Bay Rec through Uplands and Uvic to Gordon Head Rec. Two dozen bikers were escorted through our municipality by cycling Policeman, Chris Gaudy, giving all riders a sense of safety along the route.

As we rode closer to Gordon Head Rec bikers of all ages joined the throng of hundreds of two wheeled recreational riders assembled in the park. What a colourful sight to see families gathered, chatting and admiring each other’s cycling gear. At 11:15 the more than 300 bikers peddled along Feltham, down Shelbourne Street, crossing McKenzie ending up at Cedar Hill Mall, without having to stop for a red light along the route. What a quiet revolution, cycling, bells ringing and a sense of liberation while traveling one of the most heavily car used routes in Victoria!

This was a significant way to proclaim Victorians love of cycling is here!

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By michellekirby, March 26, 2010 2:57 pm

Submitted by René de Vos, on behalf of Noreen Taylor (depot coordinator) and the Oak Bay Green Committee

Once a month over three years now, community volunteers have been sorting and bagging plastics, Styrofoam and other materials for recycling at the tennis court parking lot at Carnarvon Park.

Why are they spending their Saturday mornings at this?

The overall objective is to divert more material than is currently collected in your blue boxes from the Hartland Landfill to recycling sources. The initiative was begun in October 2006 by the Oak Bay Green Committee in partnership with Pacific Mobile Depots, and sanctioned by the municipality of Oak Bay.

Well over 200 householders bring their recyclable plastic waste to the depot each month. A couple of dozen volunteers sort and bag an average of 135 large (26’ x 48”) bags which are hauled away by PMD.

Householders pay to PMD have this material recycled but the Oak Bay Green Committee receives 20 % of the receipts, and has in turn donated $2,500 to the municipal Tree Donation Program and spent over $1,000 for community environmental education (student bursaries and public seminars).

What’s the future for this project?

Oak Bay Green Committee has always believed that the blue box program should be expanded so that these materials can be collected at the curb. Oak Bay Green Committee has recently written to Council to reiterate this view. The Capital Regional District is now in the process of getting “Requests for Proposals” from its contractors to add polycoated cartons, film (“soft”) plastics and polysterene (Styrofoam) to the program, in anticipation of the end of current contracts in 2012.

This is a drawn out process, but at some point the expanded RFPs will be discussed with municipal councils. Councilor Tara Ney is Oak Bay’s representative on the CRD’s Solid Waste Advisory Committee and as such is a key connector to this issue.

If you support this direction taken by the CRD, and wish Oak Bay Council to endorse this direction when the RFPs are reviewed and decisions are made, let your elected representatives know where you stand.

In the meantime, clean, sort, and bring all those “other” plastics to the recycling depot on the fourth Saturday of the month from 9:00 to 11:30.

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By admin, March 14, 2010 8:15 pm

Submitted by Gail Price-Douglas

Summary of Neighbourhood Meeting held March 6, 2010

On Saturday, March 6, 2010, a group of nine residents of Armstrong Avenue met with Garret Brisdon, Vice-Principal of Oak Bay High School, Nils Jensen and Tara Ney, Oak Bay Municipal Councillors and Jill and Tom Croft of the Oak Bay Community Association to discuss the redevelopment of Oak Bay High School.

Invitations to attend this informal meeting were extended to the residents of Armstrong Avenue and Cranmore Street, as they are adjacent to the School and are most affected by OBHS activities; it was felt that they should discuss the redevelopment plans and the possible impact on them.

A short presentation was made by Nils Jensen, followed by a discussion of a number of issues thought to be important to neighbourhood residents. The issues brought forward included (details are attached):

• location and design of the new school

• community use of buildings and fields

• parking

• location of the all-weather field

• use of the soccer field, running track and nearby field

• noise levels

• Bowker Creek development

• crime prevention

• use of a planning consultant

Redevelopment of Oak Bay High School, at a cost of some $53 million plus, is likely to be the most important building project in Oak Bay for the foreseeable future. As such, it was felt that the project’s architects and planners should work closely with the School District, High School, Oak Bay Municipality and concerned neighbourhood residents as all are important stakeholders in this development.

In this regard, we respectfully submit our ideas and concerns to the Board of School District 61, Oak Bay High School, Oak Bay Municipality and the Community Association of Oak Bay for their review and consideration.

Sincerely,

Gail Price-Douglas and J. Ross Peters
Armstrong Avenue Residents

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By michellekirby, March 2, 2010 12:50 am

On Tuesday, February 23rd, just as the Germany-Canada hockey game wrapped up a win for Team Canada, an eager crowd packed every available seat in the Oak Bay High School cafeteria to begin a forum on the new Oak Bay High School project. An impressive line up of panelists took the next two hours to inform, engage, and listen to the community members who attended.

The panelists included: Nils Jensen, Oak Bay Councillor; Michael McEvoy, School District Trustee; Lorna Curtis, Director of Oak Bay Recreation; Dave Thomson, Oak Bay High Principal; Garrett Brisdon Vice-Principal; Jody Watson, CRD; Ian Graeme, Bowker Creek Initiative; Rod Windjack, Project Architect; Jim Soles, School District Building Project Manager; and Sally Murphy, Oak Bay High School Choir Teacher.

We had a special presentation by Architect John Graham, an Oak Bay High School Alumnus. He presented a perspective on the site plan that really opened up our minds to the exciting opportunities in front of us, while making us aware that we could easily miss those opportunities, if but for the lack of funding.

But the beautiful thing is that it appears that this project is in the right place and the right time. A new Ministry of Education initiative called the Neighbourhoods of Learning is underway, and can provide additional funding of up to 15% of the total project cost for community services. In our case, with an estimate of $52 million, we could ask for up to $8 million to build our community performing arts theatre, child care spaces, a teen centre, a community kitchen, community access to the school in the off-hours, and much more!

Here’s the overview of what the Revelstoke community decided on for their new school, and what their process was leading up to those important decisions.

All that’s required for the Neighbourhood Learning Centre model to be applied to the new Oak Bay High School is community participation, input, and desire for these facilities to exist within and alongside our new school building.

So, Oak Bay? Are you in?

The Community Association of Oak Bay hosted the meeting last Tuesday to fulfill our general mandate of Communicate, Collaborate, Connect, and I think we accomplished that, but we’ve still got plenty of work ahead.

We are meeting with Councillors Jensen and Cassidy to figure out how to get started on our Neighbourhood Learning Centre vision, so that it can be submitted with the plans for the new school. We will certainly keep you up to date on any developments on this project here on the caob.ca.

If you would like to participate in the Community’s bid for a Neighbourhood Learning Centre, then please contact us at oakbayconnector@gmail.com or through the comments on this post.

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By michellekirby, February 18, 2010 9:10 pm

The Community Association of Oak Bay invites you to participate in the largest development of public space for 100 years…building the new Oak Bay High School.

Please join us, to learn about the project, and share your thoughts on the development priorities. What you want to see happen not only for the new school, but for the surrounding public spaces? From a performing arts theatre to lit-up turf fields, child care and a new Library branch. There are a lot of exciting ideas on the table, and they won’t happen unless you get involved!

Invite your friends and neighbours in Oak Bay, because this is too important an opportunity for our community to miss!

Creating the Future of Oak Bay Poster

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

7:00 PM

Oak Bay High School Cafeteria

(Central Entrance in the Heritage Building)

We’ve invited a group of well informed people to sit on our panel, to answer your questions and share their insights into the project as it stands right now.

They include:

Nils Jensen, Oak Bay Councillor

Michael McEvoy, School District Trustee

Lorna Curtis, Director of Oak Bay Recreation

Dave Thomson, Oak Bay High Principal and Garrett Brisdon Vice-Principal,

Jody Watson and Ian Graeme, CRD Bowker Creek Initiative Representatives

Rod Windjack, Project Architect

And Jim Soles, School District Building Project Manager

Hosted by the Community Association of Oak Bay

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By michellekirby, February 5, 2010 8:51 pm

Contributed by Gerald Smeltzer, Director of Community Planning, CAOB

Here is some good news from Parks and Recreation Oak Bay. Lorne Middleton has confirmed the plans and timing for a second covered bike shelter at Monterey Centre.

The Oak Bay Library has the highest circulation of all the branch libraries in Victoria, and attracts lots of cycling seniors, moms, dads, and children. The Monterey Centre is also a popular gathering spot.

This new shelter will expand bicycle parking in Oak Bay. Parks and Recreation OB is moving ahead with a second bike shelter at Monterey Centre and OB Library. Similar to the first one at Oak Bay Recreation Centre, it will provide two new Cora racks, and shelter for previously soaked cyclists.

Parks and Rec have proceeded with a cleared gravel space in the Monterey Centre parking lot, and temporary re-location of existing bicycle racks. Lorne Middleton, Parks and Recreation Manager, is working out solutions to relocating the old racks, and dealing with space for the Library delivery truck. Lorne thinks that project completion might be towards the end of March. .

Please support Parks and Recreation for taking a leadership role in this worthwhile project. At the end of the work, Oak Bay will benefit from an overall expansion of bicycle parking.

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By michellekirby,

Contributed by Lesley Ewing

Oak Bay Municipal Council is soliciting expressions of interest from individuals who wish to volunteer their time as members of the Community Initiatives Committee specifically as members of an Alternative Transportation sub-committee.

There are no formal terms of reference for the Community Initiatives Committee or the proposed sub-committee. However, the group will be tasked with focusing on alternative transportation priorities and proposed improvements for Oak Bay Village, including issues such as sidewalk widening, parking, potential cycling lanes and beautification, and making recommendations to Oak Bay Municipal Council in this regard.

Councilor Herbert is Chair of the Community Initiatives Committee. Also on the Committee are Councilors Braithwaite and Jensen, along with Mayor Causton.

Individuals interested in serving on the Community Initiatives Committee and the above described sub-committee should submit letters to the Municipal Clerk, including any pertinent information that may assist Council in making the appointments, by February 16, 2010: Loranne Hilton, Municipal Clerk, District of Oak Bay, 2167 Oak Bay Ave., Victoria, BC, V8R 1G2. Tel: 250-598-3311/ Fax: 250-598-9108

This is an exciting opportunity to make a signficant contribution to important work with respect to alternative transportation infrastructure in Oak Bay. Our community members are currently placed at risk by narrow dangerous sidewalks, a severe lack of crosswalks on arterial roads, such as Foul Bay and Cadboro Bay Roads, and safe cycling routes for young and old alike. Your contribution to the newly formed sub-committee can help keep our community members safe and mobile and generate improvements that link to those made by adjacent municipalities of Victoria and Saanich.