Save Kiwanis Park

[dunkalunk]

I was recently alerted to this website:

http://www.savekiwanispark.ca/

It's sad that the city of Kitchener would consider developing on this land. Yes, noone is particularly in love with the wading pool, but even abandonment and gradual naturalization would be a better outcome than what's proposed.

Please sign this petition.

[waterloowarrior]

they are proposing to develop 9.6 out of the 12.0 hectare table lands in the 51.93 hectare park.

here is the staff report from a meeting earlier this month. here's a link to the minutes of the meeting



the first part of the staff report outline city sites and their potential for development
the second part is a business case for the Kiwanis Park Table lands


the analysis from from part 1

[waterloowarrior]

the petition is misleading because it suggests the city is declaring the whole park surplus and sold for development

Background (Preamble):
The City of Kitchener targets Kiwanis Park to be declared "surplus land" and sold for development. Jeff Willmer, Interim Director of Planning was quoted in The Record, March 14, 2009 "The development of the sites would create jobs and generate tax revenue." Willmer goes on to say "These pieces of land really are not needed to meet a need, there is no gap in the supply of park land." Pieces of land?

This 'piece of land' is not for sale! This park, this natural haven is for treasuring, for walking, for swimming, for picknicking, for canoeing, for reading, for skiing, for kite flying, for skating, for jogging, for cycling, for birdwatching, for meditating, for playing. for fishing, for me, for you, for everyone but never, ever for sale.

Kiwanis Park is in desperate need of protection now.

Fortunately, Kiwanis Park has a friend in Councillor John Gazzola. Quoted in the same article he states "I am opposed to selling any park land. It makes no sense. You've got to look down the road 100 years from now. Once that park land is gone you are never going to get it back."

Fortunately, Kiwanis Park has a lot of friends, but the Park can't speak for itself. It needs your voice. We have created this petition as a tool to help us raise a clear and strong voice that tells the City of Kitchener that Kiwanis Park is "NOT FOR SALE!"

Please add strength to our petition and assist us to strategize by adding a comment with your signature. Thank you Friend of Kiwanis Park.

[sixer]

I have no issues with the development and completely agree with it.
Can't save all of the land, we're a growing city. You should be happy with the park you have left.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

the petition is misleading because it suggests the city is declaring the whole park surplus and sold for development

I had the same reaction, but I suppose it wouldn't generate as much excitement to say they were opposing the possible sale of under a quarter of the site.
I am surprised that the City report seems to contemplate such low-density development. If parkland were to be sold for residential development, it should be for something denser and far more creative than single detached houses.

[dunkalunk]

My thoughts exactly, although there were mentions of LEED certification of new structures, so hopefully that will inspire some actual architecture.

And yes, the petition is somewhat misleading.

The report said something about completion of a transit loop. Personally, I don't think transit could ever be viable in this area, although many people thought the same about Eastbridge. Maybe BusPlus in the interim. We'll have to see how this area grows up.

[Duke-Of-Waterloo]

I have a beef with this area of the city. When the Region was formed back in 1973, it should have been assigned to the City of Waterloo. There's 4 good reasons:

- All access points to this area are from roads within City of Waterloo jurisdiction and thus maintained by Waterloo (no Regional Roads or roads maintained by the City of Kitchener). This come's out of Waterloo taxpayers' wallets, not Kitchener's.

- Sewage is sent to the Waterloo sewage treatment plant. Although this is a Regional service, the City of Waterloo still has a big role in this facility (watermains, trunk sewers, etc.), and it's not fair.

- Waterloo North Hydro owns the hydro lines along Woolwich Street that Kitchener Wilmot Hyrdo runs electricity through to service this isolated and cut off corner of Kitchener. How much sense does this make? Again Waterloo taxpayers and utility customers pay for the majority of this.

- The large estate homes alongside the river are for the most part in Waterloo, with Kiwanis Park itself cut out for Kitchener as well as lands for the partially completed River Ridge subdivision. So boundary wise, this means that along Kiwanis Park Drive one side is in Waterloo and the other is in Kitchener...

Now I'm sure that there are servicing agreements in place, but honestly, all these points given above, does this make sense? How is this fair towards Waterloo taxpayers? It is issues like this that may justify amalgamation.

Afterall, maybe if Kiwanis Park was in Waterloo, a good chunk of it wouldn't be deemed as surplus and be at risk of potentially being sold to developers .

[Brenden]

Where is Kiwanis Park? is there anything there? baseball diamond, playground, bush, anything?

[myfaceisonfire]

I've always liked Kiwanis park, it would be a shame to see it developed. There are small, but nice trails throughout the park and woodland to the South. They're nothing spectacular but for something so close to the city you can't complain. It also has river access (to some degree) and is usually PACKED in the summer.

It seems like the area they've pegged for redevelopment is the little used Western area, at least they're not planning to develop the entire park.

[scarfinv]

Originally Posted by Brenden

Where is Kiwanis Park? is there anything there? baseball diamond, playground, bush, anything?

See http://www.kitchener.ca/visiting_kitchener/pools_kiwanis_park.htm

[Brenden]

So its a smaller version of Laurel Creek?
I guess its not so public if you have to pay to get in.

[scarfinv]

Originally Posted by Brenden

So its a smaller version of Laurel Creek?
I guess its not so public if you have to pay to get in.

Sort of.. it has a pool and snackbar, and those are the reasons it is always packed in the summer. Much nicer than your typical community pools, since the Kiwanis pool is more like a little cement lake that you wade into, and then surrounded by acres of grass, trees, etc.. People will bring their portable BBQs even and make a day of it.

Laurel Creek has no pool (you have to swim in the lake, which is often closed due to contamination (goose poop!), but it has camp grounds that Kiwanis doesn't have.

[notmyfriends]

Originally Posted by Duke-Of-Waterloo

I have a beef with this area of the city. When the Region was formed back in 1973, it should have been assigned to the City of Waterloo. There's 4 good reasons:

- All access points to this area are from roads within City of Waterloo jurisdiction and thus maintained by Waterloo (no Regional Roads or roads maintained by the City of Kitchener). This come's out of Waterloo taxpayers' wallets, not Kitchener's.

- Sewage is sent to the Waterloo sewage treatment plant. Although this is a Regional service, the City of Waterloo still has a big role in this facility (watermains, trunk sewers, etc.), and it's not fair.

- Waterloo North Hydro owns the hydro lines along Woolwich Street that Kitchener Wilmot Hyrdo runs electricity through to service this isolated and cut off corner of Kitchener. How much sense does this make? Again Waterloo taxpayers and utility customers pay for the majority of this.

- The large estate homes alongside the river are for the most part in Waterloo, with Kiwanis Park itself cut out for Kitchener as well as lands for the partially completed River Ridge subdivision. So boundary wise, this means that along Kiwanis Park Drive one side is in Waterloo and the other is in Kitchener...

Now I'm sure that there are servicing agreements in place, but honestly, all these points given above, does this make sense? How is this fair towards Waterloo taxpayers? It is issues like this that may justify amalgamation.

Afterall, maybe if Kiwanis Park was in Waterloo, a good chunk of it wouldn't be deemed as surplus and be at risk of potentially being sold to developers .

How is woolwich street up from Bridgeport any less of a main road than woolwich street from University? That's like saying people in the west end of waterloo shouldn't be using F-H to get home from the highway. Yeesh.

[Duke-Of-Waterloo]

Originally Posted by notmyfriends

How is woolwich street up from Bridgeport any less of a main road than woolwich street from University? That's like saying people in the west end of waterloo shouldn't be using F-H to get home from the highway. Yeesh.

There’s actually a big difference here. Although it’s true that Woolwich Street up from Bridgeport is a City of Kitchener Road, once it runs into Bridle Trail and you have to turn right to head back to Kiwanis Park (where Bridle Trail becomes Woolwich Street), it is then a City of Waterloo Road which Waterloo taxpayers pay for.

Fischer-Hallman is a completely different situation. It is part of the Regional Road network, so every taxpayer in the region pays for it regardless of whether you live in Kitchener, Waterloo, North Dumfries, Wilmot, etc. Therefore, it doesn’t really matter if residents in west Waterloo are using Fischer-Hallman, residents in the Laurentian/Williamsburg neighbourhood in Kitchener, or even residents in the village of Ayr, North Dumfries Township where Fischer-Hallman has its southern terminus.

[dunkalunk]

If I were to redraw the boundary, I'd probably put it between Macville Ave and Sunbridge Crescent.

[waterloowarrior]

Group opposes park sell-off

Kitchener report suggests part of Kiwanis Park could be hived off for development
April 14, 2009
MARK BRYSON
RECORD STAFF
KITCHENER
http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/520064

A group opposed to the sale of any portion of Kiwanis Park is mobilized and ready for a fight.

Friends of Kiwanis Park, a group recently formed to rally against the possible sale and development of 9.6 hectares (23.7 acres) of parkland in the city's north end, has been at work since word came down in mid-March that Kitchener city staff had compiled a list of 14 properties -- including Kiwanis -- that could be declared surplus and sold.

Public meetings have been scheduled for later this month and no decision is expected for months, but that hasn't stopped Friends of Kiwanis Park from springing into action. About 100 people attended an information session last week at Gallery on the Grand.

The group has also launched a website, savekiwanispark.ca, that includes a petition that boasted 1,125 signatures as of yesterday.

The group, said spokesperson Catherine Drown, has adopted the acronym PARKS to outline its game plan.

"Preserve and protect all of Kiwanis Park, both now and in the future," said Drown, a crisis intervention therapist who has enjoyed the park for about four decades. "Act now, to let the city know that there is strong and organized disapproval to the plan to sell off Kiwanis Park.

"Relay information to the community to assist people to formulate informed opinions . . . and know how to put the thoughts into action.

"K is to 'konvince' city council to vote no to declaring Kiwanis Park surplus land.

"And S is to stop the sale of any part of Kiwanis Park, now and in the future."

Kiwanis Park is one of the biggest public parks in Waterloo Region. Selling off 9.6 hectares of the 50-hectare property that flanks the Grand River would cut the size of the park by nearly a fifth.

Beginning next Monday, the city will conduct two weeks of public consultation to allow city staff to gather feedback on the proposed options for Kitchener's parks master plan.

Informal sessions are scheduled where residents can learn more about all of the property options.

Sessions will have a specific focus on one property, but discussion and questions about all properties are welcome.

Kiwanis Park will be the focus on Wednesday, April 29, from 7 to 9 p.m., at the Bridgeport Community Centre, 20 Tyson Dr.

All proposals will be up for discussion during a session on Saturday, April 25, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Kitchener Market.

In addition to the public meetings, residents can offer comments, beginning April 20, at the city's website, by email ([email protected]) or by calling 519-741-2602.

Meanwhile, nearby residents are expected to turn out on Sunday, from 9 a.m. until noon, for the annual Kiwanis Park cleanup.

Members of Friends of Kiwanis Park, who already have the support of Coun. Gazzola in their fight against the sale, have named 93-year-old Jacob Edward Kaufman as their chair emeritus. Jacob's uncle, A.R. Kaufman, was instrumental in developing Kiwanis Park, Drown said.

"Someone asked how far we are willing to take this fight, and the sky's the limit," she said. "We will use all of our resources in a respectful and reasonable manner to convince city council that we need to look at this in a way that demonstrates good judgment and long-sighted vision. Once these parks are gone, they are gone for good."

[email protected]

[sixer]

Start the development already. These people are hypocrites. Trees were taken down to build their very own homes, but now they're crying if others are taken down. Please, move to the country, our region is expanding.

And the Petition is a joke as it's completely misleading.

[notmyfriends]

I'm not konvinced

[dunkalunk]

I have to agree that the petition and the whole campaign is misleading, and a bit hokey. This is unfortunate, because it prevents them from creating a valid argument of why the parkland shouldn't be allocated for residential development and just makes them seem like misguided advocates.

However, building single detached homes is no reason to use up park land. Why expand an already under-serviced car-dependant suburb? I could care less if the new buildings are LEED certified if the people living there are all driving and adding to the existing traffic congestion on Woolwich and Bridge streets (I can't say anything about University Ave, I've never been around there during rush hour).

Until I see an actual proposal that this is going to be something other than traditional suburban expansion, I have my doubts that it will be anything other.

[Ktown4ever]

Just some good old fashioned Nimbyism.