A MASTER PLAN IS NEEDED TO COORDINATE ALL THE CHANGES

Many changes are happening to Cedarvale Park quickly and without appropriate and/or any community consultation.

If you care about Cedarvale Park and the future of this unique city resource and want to ensure that any changes reflect the needs and wants of the community sign this petition.

To learn more and sign the petition click here

The petition asks Councillor Mihevc to HALT any proposed changes to Cedarvale Park and ear-mark funds for an independent body to prepare a SITE PLAN in collaboration with Parks and Recreation and community stakeholders.

THEREFORE, by signing the petition, you confirm that:

1) Money should be earmarked for an independent body to produce a SITE PLAN for Cedarvale Park in collaboration with Parks and Recreation and community stakeholders; and

2) NO CHANGES are to be made to the Park until that process in completed and consensus-based recommendations are achieved.

COUNCILLOR MIHEVC AND HIS OFFICE ADMIT THAT THERE IS CURRENTLY NO OVERALL VISION FOR THE NUMEROUS CHANGES THAT ARE HAPPENING to CEDARVALE PARK. WE NEED TO ACT NOW! SIGN THE PETITION.

Need more info?

Over the course of the last few months the community has learned in piecemeal fashion that there have been several proposed changes to Cedarvale Park. Some proposals, such as the building of an outdoor ice rink and even outdoor washrooms, are already underway and some are on the cusp of being solidified, such as a Private Tennis Club (which has assembled 400 members before being open to the community at large) which would appropriate and control our brand new publicly funded courts. There are also changes to the public space of Cedarvale Park itself, such as two new play areas for Leo Baeck’s use during the school days, a car drive way through the Park and behind the school and the installation of a water play feature, which are being put into action without any meaningful community consultation.

How did this happen?

A community meeting organized by Councillor Mihevc was held at the end of January 2012 at which time attendees were told of possible upcoming proposed changes. Attendees were asked to sign-up on email lists for projects that interested them (such as whether the Tennis Courts should be private or public, Leo Baeck’s take-over of public park land for its own playground and use of the baseball diamond, and the location of a water feature with a budget of approximately $400,000). Since January 2012, no substantive emails have been sent to those who signed up as interested parties and the community at large has not received A SINGLE COMMUNICATION from Councillor Mihevc or any other interested stakeholder containing any proposals or meaningful information. Indeed, his current newsletter does not mention any of these changes, except for the water feature! As of April 17, 2012, there is no mention of any changes proposed to Cedarvale Park anywhere on Councillor Mihevc’s website. There is no information about what variances or steps are proposed or are already underway. The line of communication from our City Councillor is clearly broken.

The last “community meeting” held in April was scheduled only to be about Leo Baeck’s playground and use of the baseball diamond, but a new and separate proposal was raised for the first time for Leo Baeck to receive a “small sport court”. It is not known what this change means, but there is no doubt that this proposal was not on the agenda. Nonetheless, Councillor Mihevc’s office has advised that because no one raised any objection at the meeting, there will be no further community consultation and the proposal will proceed!

We can argue the merits of such projects and whether they should usurp public resources, but the real issue is how have these projects managed to progress to the point of approval with minimal or no public consultation when many community members have so clearly expressed interest?

What we know

It is undeniable that the community is interested in these issues and has been shut out from any meaningful involvement. It is undeniable that there is NO OVERARCHING VISION for our beloved Cedarvale Park.

What we have is an admitted piecemeal approach and a process that lacks transparency. For this reason, we are asking for community members to let Councillor Mihevc know that we demand:

1. Community consultation

2. A Vision through SITE PLAN

3. Leadership

We want a clear outline for the future of Cedarvale Park and we would like ALL CHANGES TO BE HALTED until we are able to provide input and receive clarity on how the decisions for changes are made.

How will we achieve this goal?

We implore you to sign our petition which asks Councillor Joe Mihevc to halt impending proposals for change until we have a clearly outlined holistic vision that incorporates community input and that he align all improvements to that vision.

Time is of the essence. The next community meetings are set out below. Our goal is to acquire as many signatures on the Cedarvale Park Petition as possible and to bring as many community members out to attend so that we can ensure that all changes reflect the broad community’s wants and needs.

Next Community Meetings

Water Play Feature Location

April 25th at 7 p.m. (Arlington Public School).

Private Tennis Club to limit the amount of public access hours to the park

May 1st at 7 p.m. (Arlington Public School)

PLEASE SHARE THIS EMAIL AND PETITION LINK WITH ALL AREA CONTACTS SO THAT WE MAY REACH OUR GOAL.