Chandler and I have lots and lots of things to tell you all. We are sorry we ha vent been updating regularly, but Chandler's Mom caught a touch of flu, and didn't even want to touch her keyboard. What was even worse according to Chandler as she didn't want to play "throw the Bear"...
Petition/Fence Info
As you are all aware Jerry delivered the petition to council. And..we all heard a huge resounding silence from him. So Maddy's Mom called him
and this is a synopsis of the convo -written by her..
"Jerry had a meeting with the Parks department on Tuesday May 11 (Peter Verge and Dan English) the people who run the park then will meet with the genealogical society to discuss ideas for the park and get their view on what we have proposed.
The Parks department are concerned that erecting a fence could jeopardize the historical designation pf the park from the government
Potentially Seaview Lookoff will become the dog park in a few years.
Jerry has been in contact with both the genealogical society and met with the park people already
The City Parks department are pleased with the way the park is operating now with people cleaning up and our group taking initiative
Willing to build a supply cabinet for poop bags and give us a key.
Jerry says there are some other good ideas in works
After Jerry's meeting with the genealogical society , he and the Parks department would like to hold a general open meeting in the North End with the park users and dog owners to discuss things the first or second week of June..."
As an addendum to this, Maddy's Mom and I had lunch with Irvine Carvery this week to see what his thoughts were and which way the wind was blowing. It was an excellent meeting. One of the first statements he made was, "Why is it necessary to have an on leash area at all" He doesn't want to see the park sectioned off, and is more than willing to support a fence at the boat launch area, which would then enclose all of the park.
He agreed with me in that his constituents need to be educated regarding dogs and their behavior, to ensure that play is not interpreted as aggression. He further stated that the "dog people" are very much part of the plan for the park once the Genealogical Society takes over. So that was good news to hear. We stressed that all we want is a safe place to take our dogs and continue building the community of "Seaview Park". We all agreed that an open forum meeting with ALL interested parties may not be such a wise idea, as the inclusiveness we are all trying to foster could be shattered with one or two individuals who might have a different agenda. He suggested that we put together a working group of 5-6 people who will work with a group of his "constituents" and together we can form a strategy that is open and fair to all. Once we craft such a strategy we can then jointly present it to City Council. He asked that we wait until the end of next week and then contact him again. All in all a good meeting with a very open and resourceful man.
Clean-up Day
The Third clean up day was once again very successful and about 15 people participated. Big Woof to all of You !! Well done. Special Woof to the Clean-up Committee as a whole who is doing an awesome job keeping everyone organized.
Dinner for 4
Mike ( Reese's & Bear's Dad) won the catered dinner for 4. he brought in over 11 pages of signed petitions. The menu to choose from once again...
1) Ribs & Rice
2) Tortellini in cream and wild mushroom sauce
3) Apricot glazed chicken stuffed with wild rice
4) Roast beast --oops Beef with Yorkshire pudding and all the trimmings
All means include an appetizer, veggies and a cheesecake for dessert.
Come on Mike--let me know when, and what !! Chandler loves it when I cook. His job is to make sure the floor is perfectly spotless !( He may even invite Santana & Hank over to help)
Birthday Page
I am going to start a Birthday Page for the Fur Kids. If your dog's birthday was/is in May or June send me a pic and we will post it.
Gossip Side Bar
We are also starting a sidebar where we can post comings and going or various other tidbits that don't quite make up a post
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Of 2 minds here
First off I would like to say I am happy that Jerry presented the petition to council. What I am not all that thrilled with is the spin he put on our request. I understand that for the sake of political expediency sometimes we need to "spin" an issue, however I am annoyed that Blumenthal chose the "lets protect other park users from those frolicking dogs" angel. Instead he could have taken the high road, and said, there are dog owners from all districts in HRM who contribute significantly to HRM's economy, who are requesting a fenced in area for the enjoyment of all. However he chose to use the words..frolicking dogs, and safety issue. Frankly that annoys both Chandler & I. We have worked very hard to present the issue as inclusive of all HRM residents, and by his choice of presentation, Jerry has made the issue potentially divisive. That's my opinion. Feel free to comment-agree or disagree? In the next few days I am going to post a poll here, about how much money we spend on our dogs and dog related items. Once its up, please take a moment to answer.
Jerry Presented the petition-and we got a mention in the paper
City staff touting balanced budgets Council waiting to hear how $30m shortfall was eliminated
By MICHAEL LIGHTSTONE City Hall Reporter
City hall’s 2010-11 draft operating and capital budgets are balanced, municipal staff told a regional council meeting Tuesday.Senior finance staff said the $30-million gap between Halifax Regional Municipality’s projected revenues and its expenditures has been eliminated. But councillors don’t know yet how that was achieved, and they haven’t given the bottom line their blessing.The city’s proposed budgets will be tabled next Tuesday.Mayor Peter Kelly said council will learn where cuts were made, and user fees potentially increased, when budget deliberations begin later this month. He acknowledged a tax rate hike is now an unlikely scenario.“Any potential tax increase would be a last resort, and staff heard that message (from council) and they heard all the other issues and options," the mayor told The Chronicle Herald after the meeting.Technically, a tax rate increase remains a remote possibility, Kelly said.
Council on Tuesday approved $16.4 million in advanced funding for projects in the proposed capital budget. That didn’t sit well with Coun. Sue Uteck (Northwest Arm-South End), who wondered if it was premature to authorize the monetary move.“I don’t want all these projects to proceed and go to tender before the 18th," she said.Some capital projects have already started, staff said, so that the city could take advantage of the relatively short construction season.The municipality is required by law to balance its books. Staff have been working for weeks to wipe out the budget shortfall but the politicians must still decide which amounts of money get earmarked for what purposes.Staff said there is some flexibility there.Coun. Bob Harvey (Lower Sackville) told his colleagues that “we’re jumping the gun" on next week’s tabling of the estimates.“The budget’s going to come back next week (and) surprise, surprise, it’s not going to have a $30-million deficit or gap," he said. “It’s going to be a balanced budget like all the other 20 I’ve seen come before council."
In other business, council met in secret to approve a payout of almost $14,000 stemming from an accident claim against the municipality.Kelly said a mishap years ago in Dartmouth resulted in undisclosed property damage. The city settled with an unnamed insurance company; no details from a confidential staff report will be released.
Also, Coun. Jerry Blumenthal (Halifax North End) presented a 707-name petition calling for a fence in Seaview Park to keep dogs using the off-leash section of the park from frolicking in other areas near other park users.He said it’s a safety issue.The park is the former site of the black community of Africville. The north-end spot is a national heritage site, and proposed new structures there are key elements of a multimilliondollar redress package announced in February. (mlightstone@herald.ca)
By MICHAEL LIGHTSTONE City Hall Reporter
City hall’s 2010-11 draft operating and capital budgets are balanced, municipal staff told a regional council meeting Tuesday.Senior finance staff said the $30-million gap between Halifax Regional Municipality’s projected revenues and its expenditures has been eliminated. But councillors don’t know yet how that was achieved, and they haven’t given the bottom line their blessing.The city’s proposed budgets will be tabled next Tuesday.Mayor Peter Kelly said council will learn where cuts were made, and user fees potentially increased, when budget deliberations begin later this month. He acknowledged a tax rate hike is now an unlikely scenario.“Any potential tax increase would be a last resort, and staff heard that message (from council) and they heard all the other issues and options," the mayor told The Chronicle Herald after the meeting.Technically, a tax rate increase remains a remote possibility, Kelly said.
Council on Tuesday approved $16.4 million in advanced funding for projects in the proposed capital budget. That didn’t sit well with Coun. Sue Uteck (Northwest Arm-South End), who wondered if it was premature to authorize the monetary move.“I don’t want all these projects to proceed and go to tender before the 18th," she said.Some capital projects have already started, staff said, so that the city could take advantage of the relatively short construction season.The municipality is required by law to balance its books. Staff have been working for weeks to wipe out the budget shortfall but the politicians must still decide which amounts of money get earmarked for what purposes.Staff said there is some flexibility there.Coun. Bob Harvey (Lower Sackville) told his colleagues that “we’re jumping the gun" on next week’s tabling of the estimates.“The budget’s going to come back next week (and) surprise, surprise, it’s not going to have a $30-million deficit or gap," he said. “It’s going to be a balanced budget like all the other 20 I’ve seen come before council."
In other business, council met in secret to approve a payout of almost $14,000 stemming from an accident claim against the municipality.Kelly said a mishap years ago in Dartmouth resulted in undisclosed property damage. The city settled with an unnamed insurance company; no details from a confidential staff report will be released.
Also, Coun. Jerry Blumenthal (Halifax North End) presented a 707-name petition calling for a fence in Seaview Park to keep dogs using the off-leash section of the park from frolicking in other areas near other park users.He said it’s a safety issue.The park is the former site of the black community of Africville. The north-end spot is a national heritage site, and proposed new structures there are key elements of a multimilliondollar redress package announced in February. (mlightstone@herald.ca)
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Petitions are In !
The numbers are in, the petition has been delivered, and the results ARE...(drum roll please )
809 Signatures
These represent 22 out of 23 districts in HRM. You all deserve a huge WOOF !! This was a major undertaking, and everyone pulled together and worked together. We had help from other dog groups, vets, pet day cares, and pet food stores. The entire HRM dog community should give themselves a huge Woof and a pat on the back. A special mention to Maddy's Mom, who was a fixture at Seaview with her clipboard, and was up until 3 last night getting everything together. Now she just has to tell me who had the most signatures, and I will start planning a menu. Chandler can hardly wait for the cooking to begin. In all seriousness, what we accomplished was monumental. We proved that we do have a united voice, and that we can all work together for the sake of our dogs. Well done. Now lets see what happens at City Council tonight...."We've only just begun.."
Sunday, May 9, 2010
PETITIONS NEEDTO BE DELIVERED TO PAIGE ON MONDAY
EEEEEEEEEEEEK !!! or in Chandler speak "WOOF"?? We received a call from Jerry Blumenthal this am, and he wants the petitions by Tuesday so that he can present them to council. We all thought we would have at least another week...BUT...please either drop your petition off to Maddy's Mom, or send me an e-mail here to the site and we will arrange to have them picked up. seaviewpark@gmail.com The last push is on..get a signature, drop off a petition. Together we can do this !
Monday, May 3, 2010
Clean-up Day for May
The Clean-Up Committee has scheduled another clean-up day for May 15th. 9am -Noon. If you can spare 10 minutes or an hour or 2, all help is welcome, and all volunteers are especially appreciated. We need your help! Chandler & I hope that each of you can donate at least 15 minutes of your time. To quote Chandler's great great granny--Many hands ( paws) make for light work.
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