SUMMARY: MINUTES FOSS STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING, MAY 24TH, 2016

Summary: FOSS Steering Committee Meeting     

May 24th, 2016

7:11 PM, LAMP, 185 5^th Street, Etobicoke

• SPRING BIRD FESTIVAL: May 28, 10AM-2PM at Colonel Sam Smith Park. Build swallow boxes, bird houses and bird feeders. Bird walks. Nature displays. Face painting. Prizes and more.
• PHOTO EXHIBITION: Having received endorsement from the City, FOSS will mount a photo exhibition at the Assembly Hall during October 2016. TOPICS: Natural Elements in Colonel Sam Smith Park (Maximum of 2 images per person; framed 8” x 10” prints; frames must possess their own wiring). Entrants will be charged a minimal fee. Opening night reception and speaker. See the FOSS web site for updates as they become available.
• FOSS will lobby Councillor Grimes and the City to repair the picnic shelter in Colonel Sam Park. The structure is historically significant and is the only sheltered location in the entire park.
•  Additional benches are needed in the park. The FOSS Steering Committee deems the City’s suggestion that visitors use the low rocks that remain where benches were formerly available is impractical.
• Other parks’ groups in the City have suggested forming a coalition to approach the City regarding off-leash dog infractions.
•  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/users should report all instances of graffiti/vandalism/illegal dumping of waste/illegal parking/off leash dog infractions to 311. The city's response is "complaint driven".
• Dog Park Improvements: FOSS has 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.