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BX64129811 BARRIE OPENS GATE ON COMMUNITY GARDENING If you have been paying close attention, you would have noticed that Barrie has been busy plotting. For a community garden, that is! And you can join us in the fun. Barrie opened the gates to its first Community Garden, located along Coulter Street in the east end of Sunnidale Park (behind Bayfield Mall). It is a fenced area containing 35 prepared plots of a standard size of 1.5 x 4.5 metres. “We were approached by a resident who was interested in using a section of City land to start a Community Garden. As a result of this community interest, a Staff Report was prepared for Council’s consideration,” says Barrie’s Landscape Architectural Technologist Wendy Loevenmark. In June 2009, Council approved the Coulter Street Garden as its first Community Garden. It will be operated as a pilot project by the Parks Planning and Development Section of Barrie Engineering Department and evaluated at the end of the gardening season. “The project will allow the City to evaluate the level of interest in community gardens before investing more time and money in the existing garden or expanding the program,” says Loevenmark. The City plans to interview the gardeners and provide their feedback and recommendations at a Public Information Centre to be held this fall. This information session will also help City staff determine public interest and receive feedback on other locations for other community gardens. Staff will then report back to Council in late 2010 with recommendations regarding expanding the Community Garden Program. As for the Coulter Street garden, the City rents the Garden plots for $20 plus GST ($21 total) for the season that runs from early spring to October 31st. Temporary parking is being developed next to the garden, where people currently access the dog park. So far, the garden has been well received. “Residents were able to apply for garden plots starting in January 4, 2010. The garden plots were all rented by the beginning of March,” says Loevenmark. But Loevenmark asks that those still interested in community gardening apply for the waiting list or write the City a letter explaining their interest. “If there is enough interest, we may be able to open up new plots. At the very least, the City needs to know the level of community interest in community gardens, and going on the waiting list will provide that information.” Although the gardening has already begun, the official opening of Barrie’s first community garden is on Earth Day, April 22, 2010. To download forms and for more information, go to www.barrie.ca and enter “community garden” in the search field (upper right corner). Selling Your House Wisely Monday April 19 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Barrie Public Library, Angus Ross Room Learn strategies for selling your house wisely in a hot real estate market. Why does one house sell in days and other houses languish on the market for months? Make your home more saleable. Presented by a home staging, real estate agent and mortgage broker. Free drop-in session. Composter & Rain Barrel Sale The City of Barrie is holding a Backyard Composter and Rain Barrel Truckload Sale, one day only! Saturday, May 1, 2010, 9am to 3pm, first come, first served City of Barrie Residents only, while quantities last, rain or shine, $15.00 tax included for The Earth Machine Composter and $45 tax included for Systern Rain Barrel. Home Depot Parking Lot, 10 Barrie View Drive and Canadian Tire Parking Lot, Bayfield Mall Emergency Emergency Detour Routes Detour Routes The City of Barrie has recently established six Emergency Detour Routes (EDR) for Highway 400 through the City.These EDRs will provide guidance to motorists of the proper and preferred routing should a section of Highway 400 be closed to traffic. EDRs are used for short term closures and are not intended for long-term closures such as those due to construction. Permissive Truck Route The City of Barrie has established a Permissive Truck Route system in a manner that provides efficient north, south, east and west truck movements across the City to minimize the interference of heavy trucks on streets that are not appropriate for their use, i.e. residential areas; thereby, improving the quality of life for the residents. The designated roadways of Permissive Truck Route system are signed by way of directional arrows and heavy truck are prohibited from all other roadways with exception when delivering or picking up cargo from a scheduled destination. Roads and Parks Operations will be carrying out the annual Spring Street Sweeping Program to clean all city streets of sand deposited during winter control and other debris. Sweeping usually starts in mid-April and is expected to be completed by mid-May, weather permitting. Arterial roads will be swept first followed by residential streets. Sweeping in residential areas will commence in the northeast and southeast corners of the city working towards the landfill site on Ferndale Drive North. Sand that is swept from roads is disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner at the landfill site where it is used for covering waste. To help us provide the best service possible, please do not push sand into piles on the road as the sweeper cannot pick them up. When possible, please minimize residential street parking during this process to ensure best results. If this should happen, City staff will note such obstructions and will return at a later time. If you should have any questions regarding this year’s spring street sweeping program please contact the City’s Operations Department, Roads and Parks Operations Branch, at 705-739-4255.
