september 2014
DESCRIPTION
Parkallen Newletter - September 2014TRANSCRIPT
Parkallen News
September 2014
In this issue…
• Garden Update
• Hall Happenings
• Classified
Birds & BeesFall visitors to the Parkallen Community Garden (PCG) might notice the nesting boxes for wild pollinators and native bird species. They’ve been hung in anticipation of next year’s nesting season. An interpretive sign on our garden shed, featuring artwork by some of Parkallen’s junior gardeners, Gabi MacDonald and Hazel Flesher, lists the various types of boxes.
This spring, a “Bee Hotel Design Challenge” was also issued at Parkallen School. Students learned about the various types of bees local to the area and what they needed to thrive in our garden. Sketches and prototypes for a nesting box for solitary bees were produced and one design was picked for construction.
The winning team, captained
by Cal Roy-Brenneis, built a prototype shaped like a flower from cardboard and plastic tubes. The petals symbolize each of the team members and the whole represents friendship and teamwork. The design was executed by adult gardeners and will be hung on the south side of Parkallen Hall above our rainwater catchment system.
The many bamboo tubes and drilled holes in the Bee Hotel will provide homes for the wild bees looking for a sheltered spot to nurture their babies next spring. The Hotel attracts solitary, non-stinging or swarming bee species, and will not be attractive to the swarming types of bees that live in colonies or hives.
If you’d like to learn more about this project and about wild bees, attend a talk by me on Sunday,
Sept 28th (6:30 p.m.) at Parkallen Hall hosted by the Southwest Vegetarian Garden & Potluck Club of Edmonton.
Courting the SquashThe big, yellow orb you can see from the road as you drive by the PCG is MaxIIne, our second “grow” at a giant pumpkin (Big Max variety). The seed was nurtured by Zev in his Parkallen home before being trans-planted into the healthy garden soil that never sees chemical fertilizers. We’re hoping MaxIIne outweighs last year’s 137-pound (62kg) beauty.
To help him grow big, we’ve been eating any smaller pumpkins grow-ing on the same plant. Gardener Kevin Gue recommends cubing and frying any sort of baby squash with hot peppers—such as the fire variety type in the PCG. We’ve been eating
In the Garden by Marlene Wurfel
Congratulations to Cal Roy-Brenneis’ winning Bee Hotel Design Challenge team. The Hotel is about 20 inches (50cm) tall and each tube could accommodate a solitary, non-swarming, non-stinging, wild pollinator during nesting season.
2Parkallen News September 2014
the squash blossoms, too —they’re delicious lightly battered and fried.
And we know MaxIIne—a.k.a. Big-gerella—is a “she” because only the female flowers of a squash (the ones without the stamen) turn into a fruit.
Bed-SittingNew to the PCG this fall are two raised beds designed by local gar-deners, Tom and Emily Powers. The raised beds, with a ledge built at sitting-on height all around them, improve garden accessibility for seniors who can take the weight
off their feet and whistle while they weed.
Visitors of any age are always wel-come in the Parkallen Community Garden. Send questions, com-ments, suggestions, and additions to our mailing list to [email protected].
Kudos CornerKid Magnet“Btw Piper loves Silken,” was just one of the texts and e-mails sent to the League Executive attesting to the opinion of the kids regarding Silken Conradi, this summer’s Pied Piper of Parkallen. She tirelessly led between 5 and 15 kids from 12 in the afternoon to 7 in the evening in various activities throughout the summer as Parkal-len’s Park Supervisor. Silken is in the last year of her elementary education teacher’s degree at the U of A and hopes to teach internationally. As for her park duties, she says it was “the best work environment I’ve ever experienced. Great kids, great community.”
Court’s In SessionA big thanks to Edmonton’s own Tennis Universal Inc. & Universal Basketball for donating all the materials that went into leveling, resurfacing and painting the park’s all-new basketball court. Universal’s owner (and Parkal-len resident) Danna Gardner—whose father founded the company—and Dave Bergoray, Danna’s “faithful and wonderful volunteer on the project,” finished up their work in August. Universal is specified by US embassies worldwide for community recreation rejuvenation projects and Danna says the court’s life expectancy is 5-8 years between repaints and that she “will endeavor to repaint as need be.”
The Wheel DealCongratulations are in order to the entire community for topping the list of the “Top Ten Bike Journey to Work Neighbourhoods.” Fully 7% of Parkallen residents reported using the two-wheel method of personal transporta-tion. Queen Alexandra came in at 6% while Windsor Park, Belgravia, McKernan and Allendale had 5% on their bicycles and Strathcona, Ritchie, Riverdale and Landsdowne had 4% of their residents cycling to work.
Hall Happenings for September 2014Mondays
Pilates: 9:00 to10:00 a.m.
Playgroup: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Akido: 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
TuesdaysGirl Guides (beginning Sept. 23)
6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
WednesdaysKnitters: 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Tales (story-telling): 7:00 p.m. (once monthly, every second Wed.
beginning Oct. 8)
ThursdaysAbs Toning Class: 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Family Movie Nights: Sept. 27th, Oct. 25th, Nov. 2nd. 8:00 p.m. $5 per family.
Pub Nights: Oct. 11, Nov. 29. 8:00 p.m. $5 beer & wine.
Annual Edmonton Orienteering Event: Saturday Nov. 1st.
Community League Day and the Official Opening of new basketball court: Saturday, Sept. 20th. 1:00 to 4:00 p.m
3September 2014 Parkallen News
A big bouquet goes out to the families Choy, Chevrette, Miyashita, Webster and Irving for the pluck they showed in helping to weed and water the beautiful round flower-plant garden in the middle of Ellingson Park over the summer. Thanks are also in order to Rona and the Muttart Conservatory for
donating the lovely annuals and to anyone else who picked a weed or two to help the begonias and petunias reach their full potential.
Speaking of plants, Root For Trees (www.edmonton.ca/rootfortrees) has a goal to plant 16,000 trees annually on public and private land in Edmonton. Trees and shrubs are
available on a value-matching basis to address a specific community need. Click on “Planting a Tree in Your Community” to see all the options, such as “Have Shovel Will Travel.” Next deadline for applications is Feb 28, 2015.
Growing Gains
Join us at Parkallen Community Hall for
Saturday, September 20th 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Bouncy Castle • Food • Face Painting • Membership Drive
Community League Day & Basketball Court
Official Opening
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Name/s of adult family members: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Name/s of children (under 18): ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Address: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Postal code: ________________________________________________________________________________Phone number: _____________________________________________________________________________E-mail (for community communication only): ________________________________________________
Would you like a Scona Pool swim pass and/or skate tags? Yes:____ No:____
• A great way to meet neighbours & make friends
• Free swimming at Scona Pool (& Outdoor Pools in summer)
• Free skating at all community rinks (with valid skate tags)
• 10% discount on multi-admission, continuous monthly or annual passes at ALL City of Edmonton Recreation Facilities
• Educational programs and recreation opportunities
• Access to hall rentals, basketball courts, & more
• Facility, park development, traffic management, & urban planning input
• Safety programs and crime watch cooperation
• Programs for cultural gatherings, parents, play-groups, youths, seniors, you name it...
• Note: Community League membership required to play indoor/outdoor soccer
Parkallen Community League Membership Drive 2014/2015
Yearly Family Membership $35; Seniors or Students $10Purchase Membership:
• Online at www.efcl.org (Family Memberships only—a $2 fee applies)
• Or complete form below and drop off with your cheque* to 10906-63 Ave, attention Sandra. (I will return your membership kit to you as soon as possible.)
*Make cheques payable to Parkallen Community League
Benefits of Community League Membership
5September 2014 Parkallen News
As many residents are aware, Parkallen is primarily zoned RF1, which means that infill development is restricted to single-family housing. Comparatively, we are a very low density community with many ame-nities such as the thriving—albeit compact—commercial hub along 111 St., a newly designed park site including a spray deck for families and a resurfaced basketball court, ample green space and an out-standing K-6 School that has been part of the community since 1951. Density plays a significant role in our ability to continue to utilize Parkal-len’s amenities effectively.
Enrollment at Parkallen Elementary has declined by 6.8% between 2009 and 2013. More importantly, our school is at 50% capacity with respect to the number of students it could accommodate. Increased density has the ability to revitalize schools and commercial centres which can be a positive experience for existing and future mature neigh-bourhood residents if it is achieved in an intelligent manner. A strong community is an organic commu-nity that changes over time without compromising the security and sense of belonging of its residents.
On August 19, 2014, a motion was passed at Edmonton’s Executive
Committee (Amendments to Bylaw 12800) to address the issue of den-sity in the city’s mature neighbour-hoods. The motion will be returned to Executive Committee on January 15th, 2015. The proposed bylaw amendments are as follows:
• Allow garage and garden suites in established neighbourhoods by amending the zoning bylaw’s lo-cation criteria and site regulations for these types of housing.
• Adjust the RF1 zone to allow for the subdivision of properties into narrower lots no less than 25 feet wide
Given that the majority of Parkal-len’s lot sizes are less than 50 ft. wide, it is unlikely we will be a prime candidate of “skinny homes,” which describes single-family homes that sit on 25 ft. lots. However, if the Bylaw amendment goes forward, we could see an increase in garage and garden suite permits in the future. We have already successfully integrated garage suites into our community. But I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts on expanding garage suites in our neighbourhood.
I would also encourage all resi-dents to play an active role in the city’s campaign to increase density amongst the city’s mature neigh-
bourhoods as this will have a direct impact on our school’s enrollment and local businesses that have invested in the vibrancy of our com-munity. You can make your voice heard at community meetings this fall across Ward 10 hosted by Coun-cillor Michael Waters.
Neighbourhood Densityby Jesse LaFrance
Parkallen Demographics:
Approximate population: 2,215
Average household size: 2.2 people
Eight out of 10 residences constructed by 1960
Two out of three residences owner-occupied
Residence Type:
Single family—81%
Low rise apartments/condos—15%
Duplexes—3%
Row houses—1%
Residency length:
49.2%—more than five years
22.1%—one to three years
17.6%—less than one year
Source: Wikipedia
Alternative Program Coming to Parkallen
Edmonton Public Schools have announced that beginning in September 2015, in addition to its regular and opportunity programs, Parkallen School will be a district centre for a Chinese (Mandarin) Bilingual program. The curriculum will provide students the opportunity to develop language and literacy skills and use both to communicate as well as learning about Chinese culture. The plan is to phase in the Parkallen studies one grade at a time beginning with Kindergarten, and possibly Grade 1, students. The Edmonton Chinese Bilingual Education Association program began in 1982 and has since expanded from the initial 33 Kindergarten students to approximately 2,000 students citywide in grades K to 12 (www.ecbea.org).
6Parkallen News September 2014
The dogs barking in the night woke me up. The duo often maintains street surveillance from a couch in front of our bespattered picture window. I got up to see what the fuss was about. Saw nothing and returned to bed. But the one dog remaining on sentry duty contin-ued to growl her disapproval that eventually became all-out outrage. Something was out there.
I got up again, thinking perhaps it was the neighbour’s cat. Couldn’t be the squirrel we’d nicknamed Rocky as it would surely be sound asleep—as I should be—at this hour. This time I saw what was causing all the fuss as I watched a skunk non-chalantly waddle across our lawn.
That’s new, I thought. Never seen a skunk in Parkallen before. Squir-rels, of course. The odd coyote or two. Hares by the bucketful. But I’d been skunked on the skunks ... until now. Which prompted me to make a call the next day to University of Alberta’s conservation biology and wildlife professor emeritus Jim Butler. Jim—literally—helped write the book on Edmonton wildlife.
Turns out the skunks aren’t that un-usual at all. In fact, when we talked, Jim had a mother and her litter liv-ing in a cavity under his front porch in Windsor Park. “I have to navigate around them at night” he said. “Young skunks have a lot of energy and can come upon you in quite a hurry.”
He also had two northern flying squirrels making a nightly appear-ance in his backyard that shared the space with a pair of porcupines (he leaves food out for them). These are just a few of the over 50 species of mammals that make Edmonton’s urban neighbourhoods their home, including many that prefer the se-clusion offered by the river valley—North America’s largest urban park.
“There’s more species of mammals here in the city than people think,” said Jim. “But we still need more green space to accommodate them all before it’s all gone.”
Also an avid birder, Jim is up to 86 different bird species that he’s documented in his yard or passing overhead. “The stuff that passes over Edmonton is incredible,” he
said, singling out this year’s thou-sands of Sandhill Cranes spotted by many (including me) as they flew past on their way north to the Mackenzie Delta and other Arctic regions (they’ll be southbound in mid-September). “About half of the 288 species of migratory birds that breed in the North American boreal forest fly over Edmonton. One of the great benefits we have in this city is being on that pathway.”
And speaking of migration, he noted that more ravens are begin-ning to call Edmonton home, as well as another more unwelcome immigrant—the raccoon. “I haven’t seen one yet,” he said. “But there’s been early raccoon sightings telling us they’re on the move here.”
Fair warning to Parkallen residents—if you think the magpies a bit of a nuisance, just wait until the masked bandits migrate here and start sight-ing in on a garbage can near you.
(P.S. “Our” skunk has taken up resi-dency under our front porch. We’ve named him Pepé. The dogs are not amused.)
Wild Thingsby Kim Green
To read more about Edmonton urban wildlife read Coyotes Still Sing in My Backyard: Conserving Biodiversity in a Northern City, (two chapters written by Jim Butler—sample @ www.spottedcowpress.ca/chapters/CoyotesSampleChapter.pdf).
For wildlife in distress call the Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Edmonton Hotline @ 780-914-4118 or visit www.wildlife-edm.ca.
7September 2014 Parkallen News
Support your local preschool!Bottle Drive on October 18, 2014.
Watch for our flyer. We will start picking up bottles at 9:30am.
Thanks for your support!
It’s not too late to get in to a great preschool!
There are still few spots available for the 2014/2015 school year.
www.greencirclepreschool.com
When the chips were going down,
the following Parkallen residents stepping up to the gaming tables to make sure all bets were on during our community’s Casino Night at Palace Casino in West Edmonton Mall over June 28th and 29th. A big shout
out to — in no particular order —Jason Harcus, Bronwyn Cook, Mark Dobbelstein, David Hornbeck, Coryne Kermay, Christie Roy Irving, Theresa Shewchuk, Allison Chevrette, Elaine Jeong, Pam Carlton, Edward Hudson, Ruby Hudson, Brian Gue, Cliff Cunningham, Edgar Priestman,
Gerald Faulder, Greg Morrison, Peter and Marge Kirchmeir, Zoe Johnston, Mary Anne Yurkiw, Jolie Whetzel, Christine Lund, Rowe Anne Rivet, Dylan Zurawell, Brent Flesher, Edward Hudson, Kathy Hawkesworth, Paul Lu, Steve Bell, Kathy Carter, Derek Roy Brenneis, Ken Pearce, Angie Blades, Julia Peters, Susan Fearnley, Katherine Sicotte and stalwart standbys Melinda Davies-Musselwhite and Jeanelle Lavelle.A special thanks to Allison Chevrette (League Secretary) and Julie Beschell (League Treasurer) who organized the whole shebang.Phew. That’s a lot of community spirit. A big pat on the back and a hearty thanks to all who contributed to another successful Community League fundraiser. We all owe you one. (If any names are missing or misspelled, the editor apologizes and takes full responsibility.)
Casino Royalty
8Parkallen News September 2014
9September 2014 Parkallen News
• Focus on literacy and academic excellence across the curriculum.
• French (F.S.L.) Grades 4 to 6
• Exceptional music program and enrichment in the arts.
• Modern, well equipped computer lab and SmartBoard technology.
• Many opportunities for parents to be involved.
• EPSB School Zone: On-line access for parents to school and student information.
• Extra curricular activities: Choir & Orff Ensemble, Student Council, fine art presentations, special events, running club and intramural activities.
• YMCA Daycare & Before & After School Care on site.
• Green Circle Pre-School on site.
2012 – 2013
Parent and Student Handbook
www.epsb.ca
2012 – 2013
Parent and Student Handbook
www.epsb.ca
6703 – 112 Street • 434-8503 • [email protected] www.epsb.ca/schools/parkallen
We are the designated elementary school for the Parkallen and Allendale neighbourhoods.
A new school year is beginning!
We welcome enquiries about our school. For information please call us at 780-434-8503.
lindsayerickson
Graphics & layout for Parkallen News courtesy of:
780.707.0522 | www.lericksongraphics.com
Contributions Letters to the editor, profile suggestions, comments, complaints, story ideas, tired old
aphorisms that you just have to bring up again and things your mother told you that you now know to be true, send them all and, with space allowing and possible editing for clarity and content, we’ll see if we can’t squeeze them into the Parkallen Newsletter.
Send to [email protected].
Walk the WalkWant some exercise? Like to meet your neighbours and enjoy the great out-doors? Volunteer to canvass a small route in Parkallen to help make our Community League Membership Drive a success. Routes can be done anytime in September or October. To help out, contact Sandra at [email protected] or 780-340-2396.
10Parkallen News September 2014
Dr. Mary Ann Kuharchuk, Dr. Jason Nijjer b.sc., d.d.s b.msc., d.d.s
www.makdental.com
We provide a full range of comprehensive general services including:
See what your neighbours are saying about Mak Dental: www.demandforce.com/b/makdental
(780)434-7616 5534-111 Street, Edmonton
Complimentary happy visit for children under 3.
State of the art in office professional whitening.
Digital radiography.
11September 2014 Parkallen News
Halloween Costume PartyDonate gently used children’s Halloween costumes at Green Circle Preschool or at the Community Hall after 10:30 am Sat. Sept 20. The Halloween costumes will be sold in the afternoon (from 1:00 to 4:00). All proceeds donated to the Preschool.
You may have noticed an increased number of abandoned shopping carts lit-tering the Parkallen landscape. Consider-ing that each of them cost the store they came from around $100, we’re all paying for them as retailers have to factor their loss into the cost of doing business.If you’re concerned about the carts’ proliferation, there are a couple of things you can do. One, said Craig Lynn who works for Edmonton Cart Service, is to identify who the cart belongs to and call
the store. “If we work for them,” Craig said, “they will call us with the address and we’ll retrieve them.”The other option is to call 311 and, as a City Hall spokesperson said, “It’s always best to tell them which store the cart be-longs and to also let them know if it looks like it’s being used to carry all of some-one’s belongings. That’s an unfortunate aspect of city life and we like to take that into consideration before removing the cart.”
À la Cart
12September 2014 Parkallen News
ClassifiedHomebody
Parkallen resident since 1990 and pet/house sitter for 12 years. Will shovel walks, bring in mail, water plants and take care of pets while you’re away. References available. Michele @ 780-434-7871.
Mais Oui
French Instructor and Educational Assistant Offering Tutoring Services. Specialty: working with French Immersion Grade School children. Students enrolled in English programs also welcome. Marie-Claire @ 780-434-2213 or [email protected].
Baby-Sitters Club
Need a babysitter? Either Elan (4-yrs experience) or Eiden (1-yr experience) may be available. Both have experience with kids 1-yr and up. 780-438-2120.
Key Notes
Piano teacher accepting new students of all ages and ability levels. MMus/BMus/BEd, 10-years teaching experience, enjoyable and engaging lessons. Erica at 780-913-4719 or [email protected].
Neighbourhood Watch
Anyone with information regarding vandalism to the Community Hall sign on or around Aug 27th is urged to contact [email protected].
Your Parkallen Community League Executive: Co President: Alex Clifford [email protected]
Co President: Leanne Kohn [email protected]
Vice President: VACANT [email protected]
Treasurer: Julie Beschell [email protected] Casino: VACANT [email protected] Membership: Sandra Stessun & Janet Mayhew [email protected]
Secretary: Allison Chevrette [email protected]
Past President: Nora Begoray [email protected]
Parks & Recreation Director: VACANT [email protected] Rink: Sal Blair [email protected] Soccer Coordinator: Meghan Dunnigan [email protected] Hall Coordinator: Jennifer Fedor [email protected] Hall Maintenance: David Begoray [email protected] Social Coordinator: Todd Beschell [email protected] Programs Coordinator: Susan Fearnley [email protected] Community Garden Director: Marlene Wurfel [email protected] Sustainability Coordinator: Marlene Wurfel [email protected]
Communications Director: VACANT [email protected] Newsletter Editor: Kim Green [email protected] Website: Marc Pearce [email protected] Social Media Coordinator: VACANT [email protected] Graphics and Layout: Lindsay Erickson [email protected]
Neighborhood Development Director: Jesse Lafrance [email protected] SCNC Representatives: VACANT [email protected] Civics Representative: VACANT [email protected] UACC Representative: VACANT Transportation: VACANT [email protected] Housing and Development: Jesse Lafrance [email protected]
Community Recreations Coordinator: Anna Vesala [email protected]
www.parkallen.ca