Tag: Sherwood Forest

December News

Many items in the news —

COMMUNITY MEETING

A Community meeting will be held in late January to update you on the Sherwood Forest School Site and the Medway Valley Environmentally Significant Area Conservation Master Plan. Look for an e-mail and flyer in your mailbox early in January

SHERWOOD FOREST SCHOOL SITE UPDATE

The Executive and School Site Committee have continued working to see if there is a way to retain at least some park land at the Sherwood Forest School site. The deadline for the public bodies, including the City and the other school boards, to make an offer to the Thames Valley District School Board is December 22. If no offers are received, the TVDSB then has a process to solicit sealed bids for the site. This will occur early in the new year. Any new purchaser at that point would have to apply to the City for a rezoning to the property. However, there would be no requirement for them to retain any green space. There would be a public process for any change in land use. Stay tuned.

ADOPT an ESA (Environmentally Significant Area)

The city has asked for community groups like ours to sponsor an ESA. Naturally for us this would mean the Medway Valley Heritage Forest. The projects suggested would include buckthorn busting, litter clear up (thankfully not a big problem in our area), tree planting (which we have done successfully). The action item is if there is someone in the area who is willing to lead, particularly in ensuring we meet the requirements of the program. Have a look at the program guide.

After you have had a chance to look it over, please let Sandy know if you are interested in taking on the lead in organizing events and reporting back to the city or in helping to form a working group to take this on. The plan is to discuss this program at the upcoming January meeting.

DO YOU HAVE A COPY OF “ORCHARD PARK THROUGH THE AGES”?

“Orchard Park Through the Ages” was a publication prepared by Orchard Park Public School as a 25th anniversary project about 25 years ago. Dyanne Wheatley is looking for a copy. If you can help her, write her at (dywheatley1787@rogers.com)

RENTAL LICENSING – an easy way to look up if a house is licensed to have renters

Recently a rental look up became available through the City’s website. It actually includes more than rental information. Click here for the site, but if it does not work just go to the City’s website and key in rental units, then click on PROPERTY INQUIRY SYSTEM and go from there.

MEDWAY SENIORS’ EVENT

WHEN: Wednesday, December 11th from 2 to 3 p.m.
WHERE: Sherwood Library
WHAT: “Christmas Social and Celebration of Holiday Traditions”

Please join us to share. We plan to share some readings, holiday trivia, music and good cheer.

This event is free with no registration required. Bring a friend! For more information, call 519-473-9965.

GRANNY SUITES / SECONDARY DWELLING UNITS

The Planning Act, through changes made by Bill 140 Strong Communities through Affordable Housing Act, 2011, requires municipalities to update their Official Plan policies and regulations related to secondary dwelling units.

The City of London Official Plan currently provides for secondary dwelling units within single and semi-detached dwellings subject to conditions. Now with changes made by Strong Communities through Affordable Housing Act, 2011, the Official Plan must include polices for secondary dwelling units as-of-right within townhouse and accessory structures in addition to single and semi-detached dwellings.

City Staff proposed our area as one of the Great Near Campus Neighbourhoods, be excluded as it is contrary to the effort to halt the proliferation of rental properties. This is because there is no easy way to police if a granny suite is for a family member or just a rental unit. However, Council referred this matter back to staff for further consultation. Sandy has been in touch with the city’s planning staff to arrange a meeting for the Executive prior to staff reporting back to City Council.

You can find the staff report as item #14 at this link:
http://sire.london.ca/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=591&doctype=AGENDA

SARNIA ROAD WIDENING

In the recently tabled City 10-year capital plan, city staff are now estimating budget approval for this project in 2020.

Community Update

Project Learn Meeting – Student Housing

Please attend and be heard on Wednesday, November 13th from 7 to 10 PM at City Hall in Council Chambers, at a Public Meeting which is being held to solicit the views of various community members around the issues of policing and managing disruptive behaviours around the University and Fanshawe.

Over the last several years, a police program called Project Learn seems to be having positive impacts on improving the quality of harmony between short term and long term residents while managing problems on a more real-time basis

However, the recent police actions of going door to door and taking contact information has generated controversy. Hence, this upcoming meeting.

Please Keep those Catch Basins Clear

With the frost, many leaves have fallen and catch basins can get covered and blocked. With heavy rains, run off has nowhere to go causing flooding in the street or worse. Please take the time to keep the catch basins near your home clear.

Sherwood Forest School Grafitti

Residents have noticed graffiti popping up at the Sherwood Forest School site. The Thames Valley School Board has been notified and has taken quick action to remove it. If you see the graffiti return, please do two things. First notify the non emergency police number. They increase patrols in the area based on call volume. The number is 519-661-5670. The other thing you can do is let Sandy Levin know and he will notify the area supervisor for the school board who will take action to have it removed.

October News

Sherwood Forest School Site Update

The Thames Valley District School Board is moving ahead with the provincially mandated 90 day period of asking other public bodies (the other school boards, the city, the University, etc) if they are interested in buying the site. The city has told us it will not be buying the site for parkland or community use, and cannot (under the Municipal Act) buy it for a private use, be it a school, church or business. If none of the public bodies step up, the TVDSB begins a sealed bid process. Whether or not the TVDSB will vary the process is up to the Trustees.

If the site is sold to a private interest, any change in use of the site from a publicly funded school will require a rezoning. As this is a public process, residents within a 120 m of the site will be notified by mail, a sign will be posted on the site and the Ratepayer’s Association notified. It is only then will we have some idea of what will happen to the site.

Sarnia Road Widening

The city’s preliminary 20 year transportation plan now calls for the widening of Sarnia from Wonderland to Sleightholme to start in 2016. Keep in mind, this is preliminary and not yet part of the city’s capital budget. More information will be forthcoming once the city budget is tabled later in the year.

Medway Seniors Series for October

WHEN: Wednesday, October 9th from 2 to 3 p.m.
WHERE: Sherwood Library
WHAT: “Lets Talk About Books”

Please join us for this interesting and informative session. This event is free with no registration required. Bring a friend!
For more information, call 519-473-9965.
REMINDERS

Catch Basins Clear?

With fall, comes the fall of leaves. They can block catch basins and in storm, water can back up into the streets or garages. If you have a catch basin near your home, please try to keep it clear.

Keep the Medway Valley Heritage Forest Special?

This time of year, the Valley really shows off. When you are out enjoying the display of colour, please remember to stay on the trails. Dogs and people off trail can cause disturbances to the plants and animals that make their homes in the Valley. Please also remember that bike riding is only permitted in the loop between the Longbow and Doncaster Gate entrances.

Update on Sherwood Forest School Site

As has been reported in the community newsletters and the community web page, since the May AGM, a committee of residents has been trying to figure out a way for the school to remain a school.

At its meeting of September 10th, the School Board will declare the Sherwood Forest Public School surplus. This triggers a process under Provincial regulations. The Board must offer a surplus school site to a number of public bodies (including the city), before entering into a sealed bid process for disposal. We are determining if the city would step in and buy the property (as they did with the Normal School in Old South), and then sell to a private school that would maintain the access the community has enjoyed. It is not an easy process because the School Board has to sell it for at least fair market value (an appraised value by a professional appraiser), and should the city buy it, the city can’t sell it for less than fair market value. The city also has policies and procedures for disposing of property.

In short, there will be a report by city staff to a committee of city council in public session on August 20th reporting if it is possible under city policies to buy the land, then sell it under a request for proposal, for a community use. Then the committee will determine what it will recommend to the full City Council for its meeting on Aug 27th.

City staff already reported on the use of local improvement charges. The report is available here.

July news

MEDWAY MEETINGS

Date: Thursday July 25, 2013
Location: Medway Community Centre, 119 Sherwood Forest Square, London
Time: 6:00 to 7:30 pm – Subwatershed Study
Time: 7:45 pm – 8:45 pm – Conservation Master Plan

SUBWATERSHED STUDY

The purpose of the meeting is to:

  • Present the results of the water resources draft analysis (hydraulic, hydrologic and erosion) and preliminary slope stability assessment for a Medway Creek SS Update;
  • Present the risk impact of flooding from extreme storm events under climate change conditions under for municipal essential/critical infrastructure; and,
  • Present the recommended Draft Preferred Strategy including slope stability and mitigation measures to improve slope stability and reduce the risk under climate change conditions.

Doors open at 6 pm with the presentation and questions and answers to start at 6:30 pm

For questions, to get on the project mailing list, or to get information if you can’t make the meeting, contact:

Brian Huston, P.Eng.
Dillon Consulting Limited
130 Dufferin Avenue
London, Ontario N6A 5R2
Phone: 519.438.1288 ext.1227
Fax: 519.672.8209
Email: bhuston@dillon.ca

CONSERVATION MASTER PLAN

The City has hired Dillon Consulting Ltd. to complete an ecological inventory and evaluation of the Medway Valley Heritage Forest Environmentally Significant Area (ESA). The study is focused on the lands south of Fanshawe Park Road West as part of Phase I of the Conservation Master Plan process. At the meeting, Dillon will provide an update on its work to date. The city anticipates receiving the Dillon report on the ecological inventory in late 2013. A second Community Information Meeting will be held in early 2014 to present the findings and launch the Phase II start-up. Phase II will deal with public use and management of the ESA and include the formation of a public advisory committee.

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