...and next week's run (Monday June 22) will be on the Railpath. Details in Beverley's email below:
Hi Everyone,
The Railpath is finally ready for us. I did a reconnaissance run and it is fantastic! A wonderful addition to our neighbourhood, this run/walk/bike path is now my favourite route.
Meet Monday, June 22nd, 6:30 p.m. at the Chelsea Lofts, 1375 Dupont Street (SE corner of Lansdowne and Dupont), for a run or walk on the new Railpath.
I think this would be great. Makes sense to have Bishop Marrocco students take care of the western Bloor underpass, since it's right next to the school. They have a big arts program too, don't they?
And speaking of underpass murals... Richard Mongiat is now working on the northern half of the mural he started last year on Bloor near Lansdowne.
And... There will also be another HUGE mural at Dupont and Dundas, basically covering the whole wall from in front of the storage building, under the bridges, and around to Dundas St. It's being done by a local resident through Artstarts.
I guess to make these murals happen, someone needs to take on the task. Richard Mongiat (possibly through DIGIN?) is getting the Bloor mural done, and Liz / Artstarts are getting Dupont/Dundas underway.
Looking at the freshly painted bridge got me thinking...
If you have noticed around to the east of us and north of us, we are seeing murals being painted by various artists on underpass'es by bridges. I think its a great idea and makes avenues/blvd's nicer and more pleasant (we can sure use it).
I hope that the same happens to our underpass, however I was thinking we can do a twist and take it further: Why not get the Bishop Morraco students to paint a mural, which changes every year by the graduating class. One example of this in the city which has been going on for decades is Harbour Collegiate - they dont have a underpass, but they do have a wall on a convience store which they change every year (ie graduation theme etc.) Its right across the street from the school.
I think it would help with the tagging/graffiti, since it would change every year.
Yes, it would be nice if the other bridges got a touchup too.
Unlike the Railpath bridges that are owned by the City, the other bridges are probably owned by the railway companies, so it's likely up to them to keep them looking good. I suppose that residents could work with the councillor's office to contact the railway companies for some improvements.
Also....some of the railings along the railway underpasses on Bloor are rusting to pieces...
So folks we are starting to see that people are figuring out that Metrolinx has a plan that makes no sense and is dangerous to our health. The BOH strengthened their previous position on Metrolinx's plans for the Georgetown corridor.
Hats off to all the residents of the rail corridor who did a great job expressing our collective support for green transit and our collective opposition to obsolete dirty diesel.
And speaking of the Board of Health meeting, Metrolinx promised to study electrification, but forgot to tell the public that they did a study last year but wont release the details.
Yes, this was brought up at the community meeting (I don't remember who), and everyone really liked the suggestion. When the naming process formally begins in September, we should try to get something out to the teachers and kids, which will also be passed up to the parents.
There was also a group of highschool kids in attendance, and they had some really great ideas and perspective on the whole naming process.
I hope the video of the meeting can get posted online sometime, so we can get a good refresher on all the great ideas that were discussed. Overall, it was a very positive meeting with a wide spectrum of our community represented.
Thanks for the suggestions, Jack. If you have any more ideas, the Fuzzy Boundaries group would love to hear them.
A suggestion. Has anyone approached the principals at the two schools in the catchment area. Maybe get the children involved and to see what the children might want to call there neighourhood. They are the future of this community after all.
If I can make a comment about the flyer/card that went door to door informing residents about the meeting, I didn't think you needed to get that fancy, didn't help with the over all cost. This way you wouldn't need to have the realators pay for it Also having that havy gloss was hard on the eyes, making difficult to see the the card.
Now that the railway bridge that's part of the railpath has been (almost) painted - it will look so much better - who can we lobby to get the other rusty eyesores next to it, and the one to the east painted too?
At www.fuzzyboundaries.ca a list of all of the previous name suggestions from the SJTRA web site has now been posted. You can check out those names, makes comments about them or make a suggestion of your own. Help us Name the Hood!
You can see the U-Haul building in this photo from the archives. March 23, 1923.
I also took lots of photos of it before they knocked it down, but for some unknown reason I don't actually have any from the front view! They're all from the Railpath / parking lot side, and even a couple of interiors. :) http://vic.gedris.org/pics/2008-09-02
That is very sad if those buildings were historical. Is there a way you can post up the old photos with the ones you took? Any more updates to what's happening on this site? So much drama!
I posted a comment on fuzzyboundaries.ca in hopes that the communication discussion can continue over there. You don't need to log in or create an account -- just click on the discussion topic header and the interface functions the same as this forum.
I was asking everyone's thoughts about coordinating efforts with mailings and canvasing ideas, but there's more detail at fuzzyboundaries.ca ...
Kristen, yes I would post a notice on my condo's listserv...it is such a small thing to do. I posted the MetroLinx Open House at Lithuanian House and I actually know of 3 people from my building who went today. As soon as I see some neighbourhood names on the FuzzyBoundries website, I will post that link too. Perhaps people in my building would prefer to vote that way than attend a meeting.
I was actually excited to learn that my new area might have a name. I remember being disappointed when reading street signs with all these cutsy names but none in my area (Bloor near Ruttan - north of Merchant Lane). I kept saying we were in the forgotten area....maybe that will come to an end soon?
Ranajit, it's great to hear that you will help get the word out. Also, Janet, your idea about sending a naming message through your building's list serve is an excellent one -- it didn't work out last time, but maybe you would do it next time? I'm not sure who knows who on this blog, but anyone who can help out in this way (or others) should get in touch through the fuzzyboundaries.ca website so we can find each other easily.
I see Ranajit did volunteer to canvas. Sorry for missing that the first time around. It's hard to read and write when one or both of my kids interrupts my train of thought every five minutes or less.
It's so very true that it doesn't matter what the good intentions are behind any grassroots project and how much one tries to get the word out, one cannot please everybody. It's impossible. Given the impossible, it shouldn't stop us from trying.
AGREE: that the mailing did reach 3300 addresses. AGREE: that canvasing can also add as further support to mailings. Moreover, when canvasing, one can also ask if the person is interested in including their name to a digital mailing list for future news updates.
Yet, canvasing requires more volunteers than the current number within the steering committee. It would be helpful if one person can coordinate the door to door canvasing of the project – from recuiting volunteers to following up with them.
We all have our “business” strengths that are useful in helping grassroots efforts. All these community projects are really grassroots and require teamwork to make things happen. I think opening up the dialogue is a great start.
Thanks for the observation and offer to help Ranajit. It is much appreciated. I have to disagree with you however, I don't think the direct mail piece was extravagant. We needed to capture people's atttention with something unique and reach all 3300 households in the neighbourhood. A flyer delivered by individuals just cannot reach everyone and that was the objective so that we could avoid accusations of "I didn't know" or "I didn't receive, etc." The effectiveness of the piece was demonstrated by the fact we had a full room for the May 13th event. It doesn't seem to matter what anyone does, there will always be someone who thinks otherwise, but the design Irmina created was fabulous and we received lots of compliments about it.
The door cards produced in full (4) colour and with a glossy finish was not necessary. Are we trying to compete with other advertising? or sending a simple message. Imagine how many people must have thrown the card out, since it looks so similar to your average junk mail (ie Gym membership, Real Estate advertising etc).
I think a simple notice would have been sufficient (see Clean Train Coalition brochures in multi-language). That is a great example how its done. Web page on Facebook, door to door canvassing, material available in multi-language - very inclusive regardless if your a hipster or old folk.
As for requiring help to spread the word. Im available. I know Brett is as well, he already showed up at my door with a brochure for the campaign mentioned above. It can be split up, we all live in different sections of this neighborhood, it takes just few individuals. With more people involved, it gives us the ability to be more personal with the message ie ring door bell, talk to the residence personally and get feedback - invite them to the event personally vs plopping a card in the mailbox which will get lost in the storm of marketing that goes in there.
This whole renaming initiative snowballed so fast in a short amount of time. It would have been more useful if we had input on how to get the message across. Im positive I would have not suggested the glossy card, as nice as it is - the money could have been used more wisely.
Great points, Warren. I hadn't thought about it quite that way before, but of course the name Junction Triangle did not grow out of a rigorous, democratic name-finding process. If others are concerned that the message isn't getting out to the full community, help in achieving this is most welcome!
In addition to physical considerations, people on the west side of Lansdowne may not feel (for whatever reason) included in Brockton. Sometimes it is not important to tightly manage other people, they can make decisions for themselves about where they feel at home. If their reasoning does not match mine I won't be bothered by that unless I have a much better reason then "they come from the wrong side of the tracks".
In the meeting somebody took it upon themselves to ridicule the speaker for her failure to recognize the supreme importance of the triangular shape of the neighbourhood. I was very surprised to see an adult being that rude.
The term 'painstaking' has been repeated a couple of times. It suggests to me that the process will be labeled illegitimate unless it takes on a prohibitive communication challenge. I reject this. And I doubt that names previously used would stand up to this type of standard. Official communication should use relatively simple English so that obtuse terminology does not exclude people. :-) And reasonable effort should be made to contact all residents.
Significant effort was made to meet these challenges. I don't think it is appropriate to obstruct the process on the grounds of communications.
Furthermore I think voices from outside our community should be welcomed. So if we get other experts to speak let's be polite.
...and next week's run (Monday June 22) will be on the Railpath. Details in Beverley's email below:
I think this would be great. Makes sense to have Bishop Marrocco students take care of the western Bloor underpass, since it's right next to the school. They have a big arts program too, don't they?
And speaking of underpass murals... Richard Mongiat is now working on the northern half of the mural he started last year on Bloor near Lansdowne.
And... There will also be another HUGE mural at Dupont and Dundas, basically covering the whole wall from in front of the storage building, under the bridges, and around to Dundas St. It's being done by a local resident through Artstarts.
I guess to make these murals happen, someone needs to take on the task. Richard Mongiat (possibly through DIGIN?) is getting the Bloor mural done, and Liz / Artstarts are getting Dupont/Dundas underway.
Looking at the freshly painted bridge got me thinking...
If you have noticed around to the east of us and north of us, we are seeing murals being painted by various artists on underpass'es by bridges. I think its a great idea and makes avenues/blvd's nicer and more pleasant (we can sure use it).
I hope that the same happens to our underpass, however I was thinking we can do a twist and take it further: Why not get the Bishop Morraco students to paint a mural, which changes every year by the graduating class. One example of this in the city which has been going on for decades is Harbour Collegiate - they dont have a underpass, but they do have a wall on a convience store which they change every year (ie graduation theme etc.) Its right across the street from the school.
I think it would help with the tagging/graffiti, since it would change every year.
What do you think?
Carla,
Yes, it would be nice if the other bridges got a touchup too.
Unlike the Railpath bridges that are owned by the City, the other bridges are probably owned by the railway companies, so it's likely up to them to keep them looking good. I suppose that residents could work with the councillor's office to contact the railway companies for some improvements.
Also....some of the railings along the railway underpasses on Bloor are rusting to pieces...
Parkdale opposes dirty diesel but loves clean electric:
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/651943
So folks we are starting to see that people are figuring out that Metrolinx has a plan that makes no sense and is dangerous to our health. The BOH strengthened their previous position on Metrolinx's plans for the Georgetown corridor.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/651687
Hats off to all the residents of the rail corridor who did a great job expressing our collective support for green transit and our collective opposition to obsolete dirty diesel.
And speaking of the Board of Health meeting, Metrolinx promised to study electrification, but forgot to tell the public that they did a study last year but wont release the details.
Call Tony Ruprecht and ask why. 416-325-7777
This idea has lots of potential. Nothing creates good future citizens than by including them when they are children.
When this is all done maybe we can get the kids to spell it out on the ground for a photo.
Hi Jack,
Yes, this was brought up at the community meeting (I don't remember who), and everyone really liked the suggestion. When the naming process formally begins in September, we should try to get something out to the teachers and kids, which will also be passed up to the parents.
There was also a group of highschool kids in attendance, and they had some really great ideas and perspective on the whole naming process.
I hope the video of the meeting can get posted online sometime, so we can get a good refresher on all the great ideas that were discussed. Overall, it was a very positive meeting with a wide spectrum of our community represented.
Thanks for the suggestions, Jack. If you have any more ideas, the Fuzzy Boundaries group would love to hear them.
A suggestion. Has anyone approached the principals at the two schools in the catchment area. Maybe get the children involved and to see what the children might want to call there neighourhood. They are the future of this community after all.
If I can make a comment about the flyer/card that went door to door informing residents about the meeting, I didn't think you needed to get that fancy, didn't help with the over all cost. This way you wouldn't need to have the realators pay for it Also having that havy gloss was hard on the eyes, making difficult to see the the card.
Now that the railway bridge that's part of the railpath has been (almost) painted - it will look so much better - who can we lobby to get the other rusty eyesores next to it, and the one to the east painted too?
At www.fuzzyboundaries.ca a list of all of the previous name suggestions from the SJTRA web site has now been posted. You can check out those names, makes comments about them or make a suggestion of your own. Help us Name the Hood!
Yes, I can help canvas in the neighborhood for any future announcements. I live on south Perth.
Ranajit
Hi Irmina,
You can see the U-Haul building in this photo from the archives. March 23, 1923.
I also took lots of photos of it before they knocked it down, but for some unknown reason I don't actually have any from the front view! They're all from the Railpath / parking lot side, and even a couple of interiors. :)
http://vic.gedris.org/pics/2008-09-02
Word on the street is that there is a meeting with CastlePoint and residents on Wednesday night, is that true? What would the meeting be about?
That is very sad if those buildings were historical. Is there a way you can post up the old photos with the ones you took? Any more updates to what's happening on this site? So much drama!
Hi All,
I posted a comment on fuzzyboundaries.ca in hopes that the communication discussion can continue over there. You don't need to log in or create an account -- just click on the discussion topic header and the interface functions the same as this forum.
I was asking everyone's thoughts about coordinating efforts with mailings and canvasing ideas, but there's more detail at fuzzyboundaries.ca ...
Kristen, yes I would post a notice on my condo's listserv...it is such a small thing to do. I posted the MetroLinx Open House at Lithuanian House and I actually know of 3 people from my building who went today. As soon as I see some neighbourhood names on the FuzzyBoundries website, I will post that link too. Perhaps people in my building would prefer to vote that way than attend a meeting.
I was actually excited to learn that my new area might have a name. I remember being disappointed when reading street signs with all these cutsy names but none in my area (Bloor near Ruttan - north of Merchant Lane). I kept saying we were in the forgotten area....maybe that will come to an end soon?
Ranajit, it's great to hear that you will help get the word out. Also, Janet, your idea about sending a naming message through your building's list serve is an excellent one -- it didn't work out last time, but maybe you would do it next time? I'm not sure who knows who on this blog, but anyone who can help out in this way (or others) should get in touch through the fuzzyboundaries.ca website so we can find each other easily.
I see Ranajit did volunteer to canvas. Sorry for missing that the first time around. It's hard to read and write when one or both of my kids interrupts my train of thought every five minutes or less.
My two cents worth...
It's so very true that it doesn't matter what the good intentions are behind any grassroots project and how much one tries to get the word out, one cannot please everybody. It's impossible. Given the impossible, it shouldn't stop us from trying.
AGREE: that the mailing did reach 3300 addresses. AGREE: that canvasing can also add as further support to mailings. Moreover, when canvasing, one can also ask if the person is interested in including their name to a digital mailing list for future news updates.
Yet, canvasing requires more volunteers than the current number within the steering committee. It would be helpful if one person can coordinate the door to door canvasing of the project – from recuiting volunteers to following up with them.
We all have our “business” strengths that are useful in helping grassroots efforts. All these community projects are really grassroots and require teamwork to make things happen. I think opening up the dialogue is a great start.
Hey Ranajit, are YOU interested in canvasing? ;-)
Thanks for the observation and offer to help Ranajit. It is much appreciated. I have to disagree with you however, I don't think the direct mail piece was extravagant. We needed to capture people's atttention with something unique and reach all 3300 households in the neighbourhood. A flyer delivered by individuals just cannot reach everyone and that was the objective so that we could avoid accusations of "I didn't know" or "I didn't receive, etc." The effectiveness of the piece was demonstrated by the fact we had a full room for the May 13th event. It doesn't seem to matter what anyone does, there will always be someone who thinks otherwise, but the design Irmina created was fabulous and we received lots of compliments about it.
The door cards produced in full (4) colour and with a glossy finish was not necessary. Are we trying to compete with other advertising? or sending a simple message. Imagine how many people must have thrown the card out, since it looks so similar to your average junk mail (ie Gym membership, Real Estate advertising etc).
I think a simple notice would have been sufficient (see Clean Train Coalition brochures in multi-language). That is a great example how its done. Web page on Facebook, door to door canvassing, material available in multi-language - very inclusive regardless if your a hipster or old folk.
As for requiring help to spread the word. Im available. I know Brett is as well, he already showed up at my door with a brochure for the campaign mentioned above. It can be split up, we all live in different sections of this neighborhood, it takes just few individuals. With more people involved, it gives us the ability to be more personal with the message ie ring door bell, talk to the residence personally and get feedback - invite them to the event personally vs plopping a card in the mailbox which will get lost in the storm of marketing that goes in there.
This whole renaming initiative snowballed so fast in a short amount of time. It would have been more useful if we had input on how to get the message across. Im positive I would have not suggested the glossy card, as nice as it is - the money could have been used more wisely.
Just an observation yo,
Ranajit
Great points, Warren. I hadn't thought about it quite that way before, but of course the name Junction Triangle did not grow out of a rigorous, democratic name-finding process. If others are concerned that the message isn't getting out to the full community, help in achieving this is most welcome!
In addition to physical considerations, people on the west side of Lansdowne may not feel (for whatever reason) included in Brockton. Sometimes it is not important to tightly manage other people, they can make decisions for themselves about where they feel at home. If their reasoning does not match mine I won't be bothered by that unless I have a much better reason then "they come from the wrong side of the tracks".
In the meeting somebody took it upon themselves to ridicule the speaker for her failure to recognize the supreme importance of the triangular shape of the neighbourhood. I was very surprised to see an adult being that rude.
The term 'painstaking' has been repeated a couple of times. It suggests to me that the process will be labeled illegitimate unless it takes on a prohibitive communication challenge. I reject this. And I doubt that names previously used would stand up to this type of standard. Official communication should use relatively simple English so that obtuse terminology does not exclude people. :-) And reasonable effort should be made to contact all residents.
Significant effort was made to meet these challenges. I don't think it is appropriate to obstruct the process on the grounds of communications.
Furthermore I think voices from outside our community should be welcomed. So if we get other experts to speak let's be polite.