SUMMARY: MINUTES FOSS STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING, NOVEMBER 24TH, 2015

Summary: FOSS Steering Committee Meeting

November 24th, 2015

7:08 PM, LAMP, 185 5^th Street, Etobicoke

• ·      BIRD FEEDER PROJECT: FOSS has erected bird feeders in the area behind the Power House and plans to maintain them during the December-March skating season. Volunteers are required to fill the feeders. Initial funding for this project was provided by a grant from the Weston Foundation. Contact FOSS (see web site) if you wish to participate.
• ·      Representatives from the FOSS Steering Committee will attend the ETOBICOKE PARK FORUM scheduled for December 12, 2015, 1-3PM at Etobicoke City Hall with the purpose of sharing/gathering information related to park improvement.
• ·      PHOTO EXHIBITION: FOSS’s plans for a photo exhibition scheduled for September or October 2016 have been accepted and have received the city’s endorsement. TOPICS: Natural Elements in Colonel Sam Smith Park (2 images per person; 8” x 10” prints mounted in black frames). Entrants will be charged a minimal fee. Watch the FOSS web site for updates as they become available.
• ·       FOSS is pleased to report that Colonel Sam Park has been officially designated as an Environmentally Significant Area (ESA). FOSS continues to lobby for the inclusion of two additional areas bordering the park. These areas are presently being evaluated and their fate will not be announced until the fall of 2016. For more information, see the following web site:
• ·      http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=68fd811f23248410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD>
• ·      CSSP supporters should report all instances of graffiti/vandalism/illegal dumping of waste/off leash dog infractions at the Lookout and elsewhere in the park to 311. The city's response is "complaint driven".
• ·      Dog Park Improvements: FOSS recently learned that its lobbying efforts for improvements to the dog park have been thwarted. The Water Treatment Plant administration controls the land in that area and will not allow the planting of additional trees. HOWEVER, in response to a recent letter sent by FOSS to Councillor Mark Grimes, the Councillor has indicated that he will consider improvements to the Dog Park as part of the 2016 budget. FOSS’s letter will be forwarded to the supervisor of parks.
• ·      New FOSS web site on line: www.friendsofsamsmithpark.ca. Links directly to the blog spot.
• ·      FOSS Membership Renewals: See web site for membership form. Present members are encouraged to renew and individuals on FOSS’s contact list are welcome to join.
• ·      FOSS's ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING is tentatively planned for March 1, 2016. Continue to check web site for details. New volunteers are very welcome.