October 2021 Newsletter
October 5, 2021
 BOARD RECRUITMENT We will not be holding a membership meeting in October as we have only updates to report (see below). Here are the minutes from September’s meeting. We are currently starting recruitment for the SRA Board of Directors in anticipation of our 2021 Annual General Meeting, scheduled for November 3. Do you have a passion for Strathcona? A burning desire to tackle community issues? An interest in an area that we haven’t focused on? Suggestions of people we could approach? As always, we are looking to welcome a diverse board from across the many different populations in our neighbourhood. The time commitment varies from a few hours a month to as much as you want. Please reach out if you’d like to learn more. E-mail us a sra@strathcona-residents.org.  HAWK & KEEFER MURAL After hours (and hours) of planning, painting, finishing and more, the eye-catching, fantastic street mural at Keefer and Hawks is complete. Many thanks to Amy and Jade for organizing and overseeing. So much effort was put into this and it brightens up the intersection, with a lot of meaning within the mural. Here’s a note from organizers with details about the design and a list of thank yous to those who contributed. Bravo!Air quality updates: monitors to be placed across Strathcona  AIR QUALITY MONITORING PROJECT The Air Quality (AQ) Steering Committee, which includes representatives from the SRA, the Port’s Environmental Team, Metro Vancouver, City of Vancouver, UBC and Vancouver Coastal Health has selected 13 preliminary locations for AQ monitors. Here’s the detailed map. The hope is to place monitors in all of these locations, but that will be influenced by budget and the ability to find an organization, business or resident able and willing to host a monitor. We are also looking for a few volunteers to help us approach owners of potential sites. If you live near any of these locations and would be interested in hosting a monitor at your home, please let us know by e-mailing AQProject@strathcona-residents.org. The monitors will be installed in early 2022 and will be in place for two years. We can provide more details about specific requirements for house power, WiFi, access, etc. once it is available. Learn more about the monitors being considered. Strathcona Park updates – fences, trees, off-leash area and more We are getting closer to the community having full access to Strathcona Park. The fences are supposed to come down sometime in October but we have no exact date yet. One of the questions asked at last month’s meeting was in regards to trees being taken down. According to Park Board staff, any trees that have been removed have been replaced at a minimum 1:1 ratio (though not always in the same location). The shrubs that were removed west of the playground and along Hawks will not be replaced due to health and safety concerns (they tend to accumulate hard-to-remove sharps and other garbage). Park Board is working with Environmental Youth Alliance to enhance other areas with more natural vegetation. The youth team at Strathcona Community Centrecontinues to offer the Skate Host program at the Strathcona Skate Park through until Sunday, October 10 (weather permitting). Skateboarding enthusiasts are welcome to connect with staff and other park users at the following times: Tue/Wed: 3-7 p.m. and Sat/Sun: 12-4 p.m. Park Board Staff “look forward to carrying on with park activations and supporting access to the park for a range of communities. Please reach out with any ideas or suggestions.” E-mail jessica.land@vancouver.ca and please copy the SRA, if possible: sra@strathcona-residents.org. Just a reminder: In September, the SRA completed a report based on the survey we sent out about Strathcona Park. Many thanks to all who took the time in filling it out. The report includes a list of ten recommendations based on the input we received from the survey. Strathcona’s First-Ever Dog-In     Well, the dogs raised the ruff! The Sept. 19 saw Strathcona neighbours hosting the first-ever Dog-In in the dying dog days of summer. Treats + good cause + community building = an ultimutt good time, complete with many fabulous prizes for adults, kids and obviously pooches. Paw yeah! We were thrilled to see Donna Rosa, GM of Parks and Recreation show up, with her adorable pooch Leila, along with around 40-50 other dogs and neighbours who visited throughout the morning. Progress was also made, after years of asking, on our plea to create an off-leash area for our four-legged friends and we’ve been told that dog owners can soon expect a fenced, off-leash area. It may be a temporary solution for now but it is a win – we continue to work towards the re-imagination of Strathcona Park (where we have also asked for a specific dog area). We couldn’t have done it without all the happy pups and neighbours who turned out. Communities matter. Many thanks to the Vancouver Foundation’s Neighbourhood Small Grants (as well as the SRA) for supporting the event. Many thanks to the Eastside Culture Crawl for some fabulous prizes. Huge thanks to organizers Esther Rausenberg and Katie Lewis, Richard Tetrault for the amazing backdrop and more, Sarah for the ever-so-patient and fantastic photography, Lisa, the best snack woman of all time and Jack/Roberta for helping out. Probably some others we missed as well. Lots of laughter, lots of amazing dog portraits and we made the evening news. We had labrad-oodles of fun. It was paw-some. Okay, enough with the dog puns. Check out these un-fur-giveably cute pics!Need more dog pics? Us too Check out more cute dogs/download event photos here: https://sarahrace.smugmug.com/Strathconadogs/ Password: furbaby It’s the leash you could do! Trash Talk: Adopt-A-Block Update Thanks to the dozen residents who agreed to Adopt their block. Here are the blocks that have been adopted so far. We still have a number of orphan blocks that need your love and care, especially east of the tracks and west of Jackson. Adopt-A-Block just means taking a little time (at your convenience) to walk around and pick up litter. We can provide grabbers, bags, gloves. Come on. Feed the can, man! Be part of the solution, not the pollution! Bonus: Join the pickup program and “rake in a bonus – free bags for fall leaf collection.” Plus, it’s meditative, a fun activity, and satisfying – good, clean, wholesome fun. Email Susan at AdoptaBlock@strathcona-residents.org Backpack Program Volunteers Needed The Strathcona Community Centre’s Backpack Program provides food security for 173 households in our community, including 500 children. They need local volunteers to help pack and hand out food baskets every Thursday and Friday. If you can spare some time, please contact Lorraine at lorraine.holubowich@vancouver.caor 604-713-1839. UPCOMING STRATHCONA EVENTS   Short Film About the Militant Mothers of Raymur to premiere at VIFF We are thrilled to announce that the short documentary MILITANT MOTHER—which features Carolyn Jerome sharing the remarkable story of the Raymur Mothers—will be screening at Vancouver International Film Festival online Oct 1-10, and in-person at the Annex Theatre (823 Seymour Street) on Oct 5 at 9 p.m. and Oct 6 at 4 p.m. You can purchase tickets online. Online Open House: 456-496 Prior St Rezoning Application Residents can now give feedback on a proposed rezoning from Strand Developments for towers at 456-496 Prior St. A virtual open house is now on until October 17. We encourage all Strathcona residents to take a look at the proposal and submit feedback/questions. Did you miss the September SRA meeting? Many thanks to Caroline for putting together the minutes from the last meeting. Click here to become an SRA member or update your information Copyright© 2021, Strathcona Residents Association, All rights reserved. |