The discussion questions focused on:
1. What characteristics show the strengths and opportunities for the site?
2. What characteristics show the challenges and constraints for the site?
3. What vision and ideas for future land use or redevelopment can you imagine?

The questions from the meeting are available here. You can still provide comments for the students up until the end of the day on February 15.

If you have comments, please send them to either Sandy Levin, president, Orchard Park/Sherwood Forest Ratepayers at s.levin@sympatico.ca or Professor William Pol at wpol@fanshawec.ca

Fanshawe College students and faculty from the GIS and Urban Planning and Landscape Design Programs will be conducting a Design Charrette for the Sherwood Forest Public School site. We hope this process will influence any future development of the site. Having a charrette was overwhelmingly supported at the community meeting in November.

Design charrettes create and evaluate preferred future forms of development. Students receive input and ideas from the community and prepare urban design and landscape drawings/reports of the site, showing possibilities for buildings, landscaping, and parking using leading edge ideas for development and sustainability.

You are invited to a workshop to be held on Thursday, February 9, 2012 beginning at 7 p.m. at the Canada Games Aquatic Centre, main floor meeting room. You are invited to share ideas and comments on the site: strengths and opportunities; challenges and constraints; vision for lands, buildings, and landscaping; form and type of land use.

The workshop should last approximately one and a half hours. The meeting will include a welcome and introduction; discussion tables of 8 – 10 people; note taking by a recorder; and shared feedback to the entire workshop. A summary of comments and ideas will be prepared and given to the students.
After the student projects are created and evaluated, the students and faculty will give a presentation of the best ideas on Wednesday, March 21 at 7 pm at the Church of the Transfiguration, 33 Bromleigh Ave.

If you have any questions or comments please contact: Sandy Levin, president, Orchard Park/Sherwood Forest Ratepayers at s.levin@sympatico.ca or 519-472-9576 or Professor William Pol wpol@fanshawec.ca

A small group of residents continues to meet to discuss the various options for the site as shared with the community at the neighbourhood meeting in November. If you would like to participate, please contact Sandy. The May Annual General Meeting is the target date for a full update to the community.

ORCHARD PARK PUBLIC SCHOOL BOUNDARY REVIEW

The school board`s senior administration has recommended to the Board that the school boundaries, effective September 2013, expand to incorporate the current Sherwood Forest P.S. attendance area. No additional new areas were proposed in the staff recommendation. There will be a debate on the question at the Board`s meeting on February 7 starting around 7:15 pm. The meeting agenda is posted the day before the meeting at: http://www.tvdsb.ca/board.cfm?subpage=113288 which will give you a better idea of when in the meeting the boundary review will be discussed.

If you can’t make the meeting, you can watch live on-line at:
http://www.tvdsb.ca/welcome.cfm?subpage=113155

BRESCIA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LAND USE AND ZONING CHANGE

Brescia has expressed some interest in revising its application for a land use and zoning change to its property on the west side of Brescia Lane. The nearby residents have met and subject to clarification and confirmation of a few details, there will be an amended application filed at city hall. Stay tuned for details.

SARNIA ROAD WIDENING

This project remains in the city’s long term capital budget. However, land acquisition will not take place before 2019, and construction work is not slated to begin until 2021. The city may complete the Environmental Assessment this year, which will provide guidance for the future construction work.

The recommendation is to combine the boundaries for Orchard Park and Sherwood Forest as of Sept 2013 with no additional students coming from outside the combined attendance area.

The full report is at: http://www.tvdsb.ca/files/filesystem/2012%20Jan%2010%20Full%20Package.pdf.

There is a page in the report showing the results of the survey that went to parents at all of the schools. The highest response was of course from Orchard Park and Sherwood Forest.

You have until Weds, Jan 11 to submit a request to speak form if you want to appear before the Trustees on this matter on Jan 24th. You can find the form at:

www.tvdsb.ca/files/78949/presenters_package_dec2011.pdf

ORCHARD PARK P.S. BOUNDARY REVIEW

The deadline for submitting your request to speak form at the January 24th school board meeting regarding the Orchard Park P.S boundary review is Wed, January 11th. The form and the timeline for the Board’s decision are available here.

One of the important issues regarding the possible change to include students from Eagle Heights P.S. has been whether or not there will be portables at Orchard Park P.S. There have been two different answers from the Board on this question. These are shown below:

A) From a parent who has been attending all of the meetings on the boundary review question:

As confirmed by Board staff (Kevin Bushell) at two of the TVDSB meetings, portables will be necessary to accommodate boundary review option 2 at Orchard Park.

To be clear I think your community notice should state that portables are part of the “enhancements” option as any school additions to accommodate increased population from the boundary review would see the school renovated for the 2013 projections only. Further increases would be accommodated through portables.

B) From a letter to and response from the Board superintendent leading this process:

Marion:

I was wondering if you could clear up a question regarding the proposed options.

Option 2 for Orchard Park calls for up to 395 students in the period 2013 to 2016. I have heard both that there would be no portables (the building project would bring the OTG high enough) and that there would be up to 4 portables (from the meeting held Monday). Are you able to clarify whether the site would require portables during the projected 2013-2016 time frame? If they are not required under the current projection, what enrollment figure would require the installation of portables?

Thank you in advance.

Sandy Levin
President
Orchard Park/Sherwood Forest Ratepayers

Sandy:

In Scenerio #2, our enrolment projections indicate that Orchard Park’s student population may increase to 393 by 2016. When we build new schools and/or additions, the Ministry of Education may choose to finance the project up to the anticipated enrolment at the time of the school opening. In scenario #2, as proposed, the student enrolment for 2013 is estimated to be approximately 351 students; thus, the school would be built to accommodate these students. This does not not mean that the 352nd student would necessitate the need for a portable as we will be able to accommodate some more students within the actual building. The parameters under which we must conform regarding class size are defined by Ministry of Education primary class size caps as well as contractual caps for junior and intermediate classes. In sum, there is no definite number which would necessitate portables being on site; the infringement of class size caps necessitates this need.

I trust this provides the requested clarification.

Thanks,

Marion Moynihan
Superintendent of Education
Glencoe/Medway/North Middlesex/Strathroy Community of Schools
Thames Valley District School Board

SHERWOOD FOREST PUBLIC SCHOOL SITE

We are meeting again this month to review the viability of the various options for the Sherwood Forest School site which were presented at the community meeting in November. If you are interested in attending, please contact Sandy Levin and let himi know which of the following time slots work for you. A meeting location will be announced shortly:

• Sunday Jan 8 from 2 to 4
• Sunday Jan 8 7 to 9 pm
• Mon, Jan 9 from 7 to 9 pm
• Tues, Jan 10 from 7 to 9 pm
• Monday, Jan 16 from 7 to 9 pm
• Sunday, Jan 22 from 2 to 4
• Sunday Jan 22 from 7 to 9 pm
• Monday, Jan 23 from 7 to 9

POLICE SERVICES CONSULTATION

Sandy Levin will be attending a community consultation with the Police Services Board on Tuesday, January 10th. This is their tri-annual planning process and they are required to seek input from neighbourhoods. Please contact Sandy if you have items that you would like him to raise at the meeting.

BRESCIA UPDATE

No date for the public meeting before a committee of city council has been set. Stay tuned.

MEDWAY SENIORS COMMITTEE

On Wed, January 11th, there is another meeting of the Medway Seniors Committee (for those 55 and up) at 1:30 p.m. at the Medway Community Centre. The goal is to set up a seniors’ information display in the Sherwood Forest Mall in conjunction with the Shoppers Drug Mart Seniors’ day at the end of January.

CITY BUDGET

The city’s budget is out and there is a placeholder in its capital budget for the widening of Sarnia Road from Wonderland to Sleightholme in 2021. Other than funds to start the Conservation Master Plan for the Medway Valley Heritage Forest, there are no other big ticket items listed for our area.

The GIS and Urban Planning Program at Fanshawe is looking forward to undertaking a design charrette for the Sherwood Forest School. In January the students will be completing background work on the site. This would be independent site visits, policies, regulations, site design guidelines, surrounding land uses, physical characteristics and related features.

1. On Thursday February 16 from about 4 pm – 7 pm representatives of the Ratepayers will be invited to the College to meet with student teams to discuss the site, opportunities, constraints and community ideas. (location at the College to be sent later).

2. The students will spend the next week completing several designs for the site using different options and assumptions.

3. On Friday February 24 Fanshawe will host an all day session 8-5 at the College for presentations by each of the student teams on their designs. Fanshawe will invite representatives from the Ratepayers organization to participate in the evaluation process.

4. Fanshawe is interested in having students present the best projects to the community by students some time in March. (details to be worked out as to where and when)

If you have any questions, please leave a comment, or email Sandy Levin.

A site plan is shown with an access out to Sarnia Road. The City has said that such access would only be through the existing driveway to the red brick buildings if there is agreement with the adjacent property owner, London Property Corp.

Questions about the project can be addressed to Susan Grindrod, 519-661-3549 or grindrod@housing.uwo.ca

• January 10, 2012 – Administrative Report to the board, with recommendations, considering results of parental input forms
• January 24, 2012 – Opportunity for members of the public to present to the Board of Trustees
• February 7, 2012 – Decision by Board of Trustees regarding future boundaries

A memo from the School Board regarding this schedule change is here

If you wish to make a presentation to the Trustees, see:
http://www.tvdsb.ca/files/78949/presenters_package_dec2011.pdf.

Note that the Presenters’ Package must be received no later than January 11, 2012, if you with to give input to the Board of Trustees.

If you do plan to speak at the meeting, you must submit a request form by December 30th. You can find information on the time line and a link to the form under the December Update.

The attached options (which are advisory to the Senior Administration who will make a recommendation to the Board’s Trustees for its January 10th meeting), and their impact on Orchard Park P.S. can be summarized as:

- Options 1 and 3 project the school population to remain around 215-225 between 2013 and 2016. There will be some construction to add about 3,000 sq feet of space to include library renovations, general arts room, renovations for full day kindergarten, a Learning Support room and some office renovations. There will not be any portables.

- Option 2 would bring the school population to a projected 351-393 between 2013 and 2016. There will be construction to add about 6,000 sq feet of space to include a second floor, new gym and activity room, and new classrooms in addition to the construction that is part of Options 1 and 3. There will not be any portables.

- The cost of Options 1 and 3 is much less than Option 2. All capital proposals go the Ministry of Education for approval and the Board would like to be able to make a decision in time for a fall 2013 opening. No building designs have been prepared, although I was told by Board staff that a project similar to Option 2 was completed this year at June Rose Callwood School on Edward Street in St. Thomas (on a smaller lot than Orchard Park P.S.).

From a neighbourhood prospective, Option 2 would lower (but not eliminate) the risk that the Board would decide to begin another ARC in 5 years that would look at the future of Orchard Park P.S. The Board does not put schools through ARCs more than once every 5 years.

The boundary review process has been extended following the Community Meeting held on Monday, Nov. 28. Here is the new schedule:

• Mon. Dec. 5: Focus group to re-convene to establish boundary scenarios for consideration by the 4 school communities

• TBA (by Dec 14): Orchard Park & Sherwood Forest schools will be holding Town Hall Meetings to explain the scenarios (DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED)

• Thurs. Dec. 15: Input forms distributed to families within the 4 schools

• Mon. Dec 19: Input forms due back to the school

• Fri. Dec. 30: Due date to submit Presenters Package http://www.tvdsb.ca/files/78949/presenters_package_feb2011.pdf to Board if you (parent and/or community member) want to speak at the Board meeting of January 10th, 2012. Send the completed form to the attention of Kelly Aitken (Fax 519-452-2256, email: k.aitken@tvdsb.on.ca, or mail/drop off to 1250 Dundas Street, London N5W 5P2 to Ms. Aitken’s attention

• January 10: Community Input to the Board of Trustees, 1250 Dundas, approx 7 pm. (Must have submitted the complete presenter’s package by Dec 30th).

• January 10: Senior Administration Report and recommendation to the Board of Trustees (this will hopefully be on the Board’s web site a day before the meeting)

• January 24: Board of Trustees slated to vote on Senior Administration’s recommendation, approx 7 pm (check the on-line agenda the day before the meeting)

It is very important that we get a large percentage of surveys completed even though the Board limits replies to school families. People are encouraged to keep in touch with families in the neighbourhood who have children at Orchard Park or Sherwood Forest to ensure the surveys are being completed and returned.

Medway Valley Heritage Forest ESA North Trail Planning Project

There is a Dec. 7th meeting on the Medway Valley North at Sunningdale Country Club, 6:30 – 8:30 pm to discuss the Medway Valley Heritage Forest ESA North Trail Planning Project

The City has a website for this Medway project.
http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/Planning_and_Development/Land_Use_Planning/Parks_Planning/Medway_trail.htm

Even though the Medway is being dealt with as an “exceptional circumstance” in relation to how other trails and paved paths in other Environmentally Significant Areas might be handled, I personally feel there will still be some precedents set which will affect future dealings in other parts of the Medway Valley.

Sherwood Forest School site discussions

If you wish to join the discussion about the future of the Sherwood Forest School site as reviewed at the Ratepayers’ meeting on November 24th, the next meeting is December 15th at 7 pm at 58 Doncaster Place.