Kids get right to the point: 533+ Facebook page members

Well, last June, when all this absurdity finally became public, I put together a Facebook page called "Save Elmira's Victoria Glen Park" the same time I started this blog. There are 54 members of that group, with some polite reminiscences by people who had grown up nearby.

I guess I'm old and not near forceful enough: one of the high school students who lives on the east side of the Victoria Glen Park forest started another Facebook page this week, this one called "THEY'RE TEARING DOWN ELMIRA'S FOREST ANYWAY! STOP THEM!!"

He's already got 533 members and has had a pretty passionate online discussion going since last Tuesday - with lots of posts expressing young people's appreciation and valuing of the woods.

Go visit if you can!
Sounds like more than a few of them plan to come to the meeting too.
Good!

(Sample discussion posts:

"that land is full of animals and walking trails. in the swinter you can skate on the creek. you can take a friend on date to the big white rock or watch the fish eat bugs. please dont take this from us."

"I talk to these guys and they're most courteous about listening. The trees, that is, not the people tearing them down."

"Nooo not the forest too many memories")

New sets of photographs

I just added links (over in the right margin - scroll down to the "Links" section) to three new sets of photographs. The October photos I took this past week, walking through the woods. The September picnic ones are by Laurie Jonkman, and the July "It's not easy being green" blog entry, full of photographs, is from the "In the Wind" blog by Laurel Russwurm.

I thought those of you who know the woods would enjoy these and appreciate the reminder of what we're fighting for. And those visitors, just stopping by to check us out, can see that this isn't just a bit of fairly new plantation woods, but a precious natural space loved by many.

(The photo at the top of this post is from Laurie's photos from the September picnic. It really is too bad none of the township councillors who were invited to join us could attend - it was a beautiful day in the woods.)

Elmira Newspapers: "it is our hope that Woolwich councillors will do what is right, not what can be justified"

Both Elmira newspapers -- the Elmira Independent and the Woolwich Observer -- feature both news stories and editorials relating to the fight over the fate of Victoria Glen Park and the upcoming Tuesday council meeting (at 6 at the Woolwich Township Hall).

The stories are clear on the issues and on the passion of Elmira and area citizens on the unacceptability of developing one of the few remaining pieces of real natural space in the town of Elmira.

The editorials, while giving a nod to the difficult position staff was in preparing the report, recognize that council can still act in wisdom and on the wishes of the citizens they were elected to represent and decline the recommendations for development.

The Independent editor writes that, if they do decide to reject development, it's true they'll have to find another way to pay for the capital expenditures, "Yet, that seems like a small price to pay in exchange for keeping something that cannot ever be replaced, once it is gone."

And the Observer observes that "If councillors are tuned in to the public sentiment, the proposal is dead in the water, but governments aren’t always responsive to community demands."

Here are the links:
"Staff report supports development of park" (Independent news story)
"Victoria Glen Park must be preserved" (Independent editorial)
"Showdown looms over Victoria Glen development plan" (Observer news story)
"Park debate shape of things to come" (Observer editorial)

The Observer cartoon, "The View From Here", reproduced above, has the caption: "The ax-or-tax dilemma: Victoria Glen supporters face $1.5-million “treat: or a level-the-park “trick.”" Note the lumberjack's nametag - and his "Tricks for you, treats for me" balloon. Sounds about right to me.

Decisions on Victoria Glen Park due at BOTH council meetings: BE THERE

I received an email today from Laurel Davies-Snyder, Woolwich Township Economic Development & Tourism Officer and author of the report recommending development in the Victoria Glen Park woods.

She clarified that there would actually be decisions made BOTH on November 3rd and November 10th:
"I was reviewing the Victoria Glen blog and noticed that it states that only discussion will take place on November 3rd, and the vote will take place on November 10th. This is not accurate and I wanted to make sure that you had the correct information prior to the November 3rd, 2009 meeting, as follows:
* At this point there may be votes on November 3rd, 2009 (Committee of the Whole voting on the recommendations to bring the decisions forward to Council) AND on November 10th, 2009 (Council voting on Committee of the Whole recommendations)."

This is important to know -- as well as the fact that the public is welcome to both meetings (and, in each case, delegations must register by the Thursday before the meeting - which is tomorrow -- the 29th of October -- for the first meeting).

We need to see you there to bring a very, very clear response to the report that is being presented to Council: there is not enough fact or moral rationale presented to justify destroying any of that woods for development when hundreds and hundreds of residential lots have already been approved just west of town.

And paying for the already-built hockey rink by destroying just as valuable a resource for "healthy community" living -- another supposed township "priority" -- is NOT representing the "spirit of hockeyville" the council endorsed last year.

Read the township report! (available in many formats)

Woolwich Township staff released their report today, recommending that nearly 3 acres of the most accessible and most used section of Victoria Glen Park be surplussed and sold for residential development.

The report is available from the Township office in print, as a pdf copy on the township website, and now, one of our loyal Friends of the Park has posted the text online (in case you have trouble with the pdf file) on victoriaglenparkphotos.wordpress.com (she also has photographs from our September picnic posted at the end of the page, as well).

Make sure everyone you know has access to a copy, reads it, and lets the Township know this just isn't acceptable!

Here it is: report recommends development

At 9:13 a.m., the email from Woolwich Township's Economic Development & Tourism Officer, Laurel Davies-Snyder, came through with the staff report on surplussing Victoria Glen Park attached.

Here's the report in pdf format: http://www.woolwich.ca/en/newsevents/resources/A6-2009-VictoriaGlen.pdf
Here's the link to the Township page, with the meeting announcements and other links:
http://www.woolwich.ca/en/newsevents/public_notices.asp

In my naive optimism, I had thought they were listening to the community. In fact, the report recommends what they call "balanced development" - which looks like it means they're going to put big houses on both sides of the trail at the top of the woods and leave the rest. (the rest?)

I urge everyone to read the whole report, contact the Township Council with your reactions (the link to the right has their email addresses and telephone numbers, as well as the town hall address to which you can send letters.) and get ready to work together to stop this.

Also consider writing to the local newspapers -- the Elmira Independent, the Woolwich Observer, even the Record. Next weekend's papers would be the only local ones before the meeting, so letters should be in by midweek.

Note on the procedure:
They will be considering this report at the November 3rd council meeting (starts at 6 pm), but won't be voting until the next week, on November 10th (that meeting starts at 7 pm).

PLEASE attend both meetings.
And if you want to speak, remember to register by the Thursday before the meeting.

More later.