Junction Triangle

Today's newsletter from Adam Giambrone's office includes several items that are of direct interest to people in our neighbourhood:

New Irrigation System Installed at Campbell Park

Installation of a new irrigation system for the soccer field at Campbell Park was completed on October 31st, 2008. This new system was a joint project of the Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division and the Toronto Eagles Soccer Club. For years, Campbell Park has seen its field heavily used by young soccer enthusiasts and because of the lack of irrigation the quality of the turf had severely declined. This problem became particularly bad during the severe drought in 2007. With the new irrigation system now in place, maintenance of the soccer field will be greatly improved. Parks staff also aerated, seeded and top dressed the field this fall to ensure that it will be in great shape for the beginning of next years soccer season. I hope that soccer fans of all ages will enjoy the improved quality of the Campbell Park field for years to come.

Construction of Dufferin Jog Elimination Project Begins Next Week

After years of planning and preparation, construction of the Dufferin Jog Elimination project is finally set to begin. Contracts have been finalized, the contractor has begun staging on site and they are expected to begin construction next week.

This $32 million dollar project will finally see Dufferin Street be connected straight through at Queen Street by building a new tunnel under the railway tracks. The design for this project was finalized after extensive consultation with residents in the Queen and Dufferin area. The project will include trees and green space, modern lighting, public art, and provisions for future pedestrian and cyclist connections to phase 2 of the West Toronto Railpath Park, which will run along the north side of the tracks. Once completed, the project is expected to significantly improve traffic flow in the Queen and Dufferin area as well as improve service on the TTC's Dufferin bus and Queen streetcar routes. It is estimated that construction will be completed by the end of 2009.
(Note: The Railpath covers the entire western edge our our neighbourhood, from Cariboo Ave. down to Dundas and Lansdowne. The City is working on acquiring the railway land to extend the park farther south to Liberty Village.

Wallace Emerson Pool Reopens Early December

After a long wait and many unexpected delays, the renovations to the swimming pool at Wallace Emerson Community Centre are nearly complete. The pool is expected to reopen to the public in early December.

The renovations began in late fall 2007 and were only supposed to take a few months. However, there were several unexpected problems. The heavy snow fall last winter led to initial delays at the start of the project due to problems accessing the work site and maneuvering around the snow. As work progressed, the team also encountered unexpected structural damage to the walls of the pool area, which led to extra working being needed to ensure the structure remained safe. There were also some issues with the performance of the consultant the City hired for this project. As a result, the consultant's contract was terminated and a new consultant was brought on last July to finish the work.

City staff and contractors have been working diligently to finish the renovations as quickly as possible despite all the unexpected problems and delays. At this point, the new filter system and dry-o-tron system have been completed, the structural work on the south wall is being finalized, and the pool is currently being re-grouted. The pool will be filled with water shortly and all the new systems tested to ensure they are operating properly. The pool is expected to reopen to the public in early December.

The complete list of topics covered in Adam Giambrone's newsletter is:

• Garbage Bin Update
• West Queen West Development Update
• Construction of Dufferin Jog Elimination Project Begins Next Week
• Wallace Emerson Pool Reopens Early December
• New Irrigation System Installed at Campbell Park
• Council Highlights - City Council meeting of July 15, 16 and 17, 2008
• Council Highlights - City Council meeting of September 24 and 25, 2008

To subscribe to the newsletter, please visit Adam Giambrone's website.