Junction Triangle

Photo by Justin Hanna, 2010-06-03.

Photo by Justin Hanna, 2010-06-03.

Photo by Justin Hanna, 2010-06-03.

The following announcement comes from the Junction Triangle Boys and Girls Club. You can download a PDF version of the announcement here.

MEDIA ALERT

GAP Inc Joins the Dovercourt Boys & Girls Club in Renovating our new site for the Junction Triangle Boys & Girls Club

Junction Triangle Boys & Girls Club Renovations at 45 Ernest Ave

Toronto- June 3rd 2010: The Dovercourt Boys & Girls Club is proud to announce that Gap Inc will be joining the Club in renovating our new Junction Triangle Boys & Girls Club on June 3rd, 2010 from 9am-4pm.

Over 40 employees from Gap Inc will be coming to the new Club at 45 Ernest and assisting us in renovating the new space that will be the new permanent home for the Junction Triangle Boys & Girls Club at 45 Ernest Ave, Toronto, ON. Gap is one of the Club’s biggest supporters and we are extremely proud that they have come on-board as a partner in completing this project.

The new location at 45 Ernest Avenue is a 7,000 sq foot building, which is currently being renovated. The new location will open up an additional 120 spaces for community youth to attend a safe and positive after school and day camp program. The Club has been appealing to corporations and individuals to donate building materials and labour to complete the renovations as a community “Barn Raiser” and is proud to announce Gap as a new partner.

We invite the media to join us on June 3rd between 9am-4pm to see the Gap team in action as they spend all day working tirelessly in making the Junction community a better place to live.

Ernest Ave. sidewalk construction: Looking west from Perth Ave.

The Paton Rd. closing / Erwin Krickhahn Park expansion is not the only construction happening in our neighbourhood this week. Over the last couple of days, city contractors have been busy installing a new widened sidewalk and boulevard strip on the south side of Ernest Ave., connecting Perth Ave. to the West Toronto Railpath.

Although this may seem like a minor project, it has some serious benefits to our community:

• There will finally be a continuous sidewalk along Ernest Ave.
• Walking to the West Toronto Railpath will now be safer, as pedestrians will no longer have to mix it up with the trucks heading in and out of Solways Metals.
• The sidewalk will connect directly to the new location for the Boys and Girls Club, making it much safer for the kids.
• There will be a boulevard strip separating the sidewalk from the road, allowing for a tiny bit of much-needed greenspace here.

I look forward to seeing this completed!

Two worthwhile local organizations are looking for funding from the Aviva Community Fund. The Art Starts bike rack project was recently mentioned on this site, but the Boys and Girls Club is also on the list. Here are the details provided by Kevin Putnam:

Flyer for the Boys and Girls Club 2009-10 registration.

Flyer for the Boys and Girls Club 2009-10 registration.

Great news for our local neighbourhood kids, and their parents too: The Boys and Girls Club which was previously housed at the 21 Randolph Ave. location has found a new space on Ernest Ave.

There's an article in this week's Villager that has all of the details. It's great to see that all the effort put in to finding a new space has finally paid off!

Some quotes from The Villager article:

The club is proud to announce the new address for its Outreach Location will be 45 Ernest Ave. in the Perth Avenue and Bloor Street West area not far from its current, but temporary spot at 120 Perth Ave.

"It feels amazing. It's like a huge load off everyone's shoulders," said Executive Director Tony Puopolo. "It's been a huge process to find somewhere. It seemed hopeless."

The search for new digs took a year since the club faced eviction last spring from its 10-year-old home at 21 Randolph Ave. It had been in jeopardy since February of 2008 when its lease between the City of Toronto (the lease holder) and Don Valley Storage Inc., owned by George Leon of the Leon's Furniture family, was up. At the end of the 10-year period, Don Valley Storage opted not to renew the lease.

Thanks to a tip from a local resident, the club learned that the 7,000-square-foot warehouse space had become available.

The club's new home will include a computer lab, an arts and crafts space, a game room, offices and some general purpose rooms as well as a kitchen. The new facility will provide an additional 120 spaces for local youth to attend a safe and positive after-school program. In the evenings and on weekends, when the children aren't using the facility, it will be available for rent to community groups.