SATURDAY'S CLEAN-UP AND BIRD BOX BUILDING

It was a wet, blustery day on Saturday for the Annual Sam Smith Clean-up organized by Alan Roy, but that didn’t stop the hardy from coming out to do their part - FOSS and CCFEW members, Police College Rovers, Laurel Broten (MPP Etobicoke - Lakeshore), reps from Michael Ignatieff’s and Councillor Grimes’ offices, local families, birders, dog walkers and, of course, the indomitable Alan Roy in his waders hauling out the big stuff from North Creek.  The park is now spotless.  The job was a little easier this year, probably due to the new high-capacity litter bins that were installed last year and the work done during the week by city staff, local schools and Earth Day volunteers.

Friends of Sam Smith Park set up a tent this year and invited families to build tree swallow nesting boxes using kits supplied by the Toronto Region Conservation Authority.  There are now approximately twenty-three boxes set up in the park, mostly all claimed, due to FOSS’s efforts.  As these have become a big draw for park visitors, there will be another opportunity to build a box at the upcoming Bird Festival on May 29^th.  Look for the FOSS table.

The photographs show Daniel and his dad, Liam, Abhelin and their dad and Laurel Broten and her son Ryan working on boxes. Jennifer, an Ignatieff staffer, made one on behalf of her boss too!

SAM SMITH - DISCUSSION TOPIC AT UPCOMING PLANNING CONFERENCE

Lakeshore Planning Council is hosting a community planning conference on Saturday, May 1st.  One of the discussion groups will directly focus on neighbourhood parks.  It is important that a strong defense for creating, preserving and enhancing natural areas in our parks be made by those in the community who consider it important.  As we know, allocation of public park space is a hot topic when it comes to determining that fine balance between recreation and nature.  For more information and to register, call 416 252 9701 ext 795 or go to www.lakeshoreforum.ca

CLEAN-UP DAY - SUNDAY, APRIL 25TH

TREE SWALLOW BOXES

Over the weekend, FOSS members cleaned out, repaired and re-installed tree swallow nesting boxes while early arrivals swooped overhead ready to claim their new homes.  Many have been destroyed by vandals and need to be completely replaced.  This is currently in progress.  Some new boxes made by FOSS members, based on a plan previously posted on this blog, have already been wired to some posts.
Everyone is invited to take on the construction of a box as a family project.  They need to be installed correctly - contact Terry Smith for help with that.
The Toronto Region Conservation Authority will provide some nest box kits for the upcoming Clean-up day (April 25^th) and the Bird Festival (May 29^th).  If you and your family want to assemble and install a box at one of those events, look for the FOSS table.

Did you know that four species of swallow breed in or around the park?  Aside from the cavity-nesting tree swallows, barn swallows nest under the observation deck over the pond, rough-winged swallows nest in small outlet pipes along the sea wall along the south side of the marina and cliff swallows build mud nests under the overhang of the Filtration Plant's southernmost building.

LEGS (LAKESHORE ENVIRONMENTAL GARDENERS) PRESENTS ....

PUSSY WILLOWS

Here is a follow-up to a recent post about the collection of pussywillows from the park.  People were seen gathering large quantities about a week ago.  When questioned by a member of Friends of Sam Smith Park and other concerned park users, a variety of misleading responses were given.  The matter was reported and investigated.  As a result, there were warnings given and letters written by the Bylaw Officer who will lay charges if this is repeated.
To report incidents, call Officer Bellamy at 416 392 0018

SNOWY OWL

Richard Dubiel took this photograph of the owl over the weekend on its usual daytime roosting spot. A crew of workmen were on their way down to the docks as he was shooting. You can see the owl in the bottom RH corner facing the men.

SNOWY OWL BACK IN THE PARK

Saturday March 27th - photographed by Heather Jack

ILLEGAL REMOVAL OF PUSSYWILLOWS FROM PARK

We've been hearing recent reports of quite a few people breaking off and removing large quantities of pussywillow branches in Sam Smith.  This is against city bylaws (Toronto Municipal Code - Parks 608 - 7 B .." no person shall in a park break, injure, deface, destroy, move or remove the whole or any part of a flower, plant material, fungus, tree or other vegetation ...").

This is currently being investigated by the City.

  

The odd branch taken by a family may be probably no big deal, but these folks, we understand, are taking them to sell.  On the Lakeshore they sell for about $7 for three or so branches, so it's a lucrative activity.  Besides, the broken shrubs are upsetting for people to see and they should stay for all to enjoy.

If you witness and wish to report such activity, call Jorge Ture, Sam Smith Park Manager, at 416 394 8559 or e-mail him.

MAY 29TH BIRD FESTIVAL - SAM SMITH

On May 29/10  the City of Toronto is holding a "Bird Festival" at Col. Sam. Smith Park.

This is just what we need to showcase all the wonderful wildlife we have in the park. The City is organizing some activities for the children  i.e scavenger hunt, exhibits etc.. CCFEW will be leading bird walks. FOSS was thinking of some events that we could offer on that day - one idea was a wildlife photography workshop.  Is there anyone who would be interested in leading the event?

Do you know any musicians who would like to play during the day.

If you would like to share ideas and /or like to volunteer, please let us know

Details to follow

 Just a reminder the "Clean up day" for Sam Smith Park is April 25/10.

CALL FOR NATURALIZATION AT ROTARY PARK COMMUNITY MEETING

At the Rotary Park public charrette last Saturday, there was strong support for daylighting the mouth of Jackson Creek as well as increased naturalization.  Both were key features in the designs worked up by all three tables.

The design process is being lead by Netami Stuart from City of Toronto - Parks, Forestry and Recreation
She has a copy of CCFEW's  "Towards the Ecological Restoration of South Etobicoke", and she introduced the concept of daylighting the creek in her opening presentation.  This document can be read online.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that families, residents and park users want our parks, all parks, no matter how small, to have plenty of natural areas set aside for critters so that our kids as well as adults do not lose that essential contact in this grey, concrete world we all live live in.  Our children need a place to try catching a frog, to marvel at a darting dragonfly or to watch red winged blackbirds building a nest in the impossibly swaying reeds.

Richard Louv's "Last Child in the Woods" introduces the term "nature deficit disorder" as a contributing factor in things like childhood anxiety, depression and obesity - a thought provoking read.

We must protect what we have and insist on more!

NEW DIRECTION FOR PARKS?

I went to an interesting Parks and Environment Committee meeting at City Hall on Wednesday hosted by Councillor Paula Fletcher, the Chair. They had invited experts from the arts, community and academic communities as well as the TRCA to discuss ideas and opportunities for a new park vision.  The City is initiating a citywide, multi-year Parks Plan to guide decision-making for our system of public parkland.

The discussion was all about neighbourhood empowerment and calls for local grassroots organizations to be embraced instead of merely tolerated or ignored.  It was suggested by many of the speakers that the City tends to regard parks as “private property” and that the management model currently employed is too rule-driven, permit dependent, too standardized and excessively governed by concerns over liability and CSA standards and renders these public spaces virtually inaccessible.  The committee was told that community groups should not be treated as supplicants but as partners and that the City needs to give up its “guardian mentality” so that citizen energy can be engaged.  One speaker went so far as to say, “Public energy in Toronto is sucked into a black hole of nothingness – it should be allowed to flower!” 

Adam Vaughn spoke to an idea that’s been kicking around the parks Committee for a while – the idea of each park having a PIA, a Parks Improvement Association, made up of local community groups, residents and stakeholders.  This sounds a lot like the Public Advisory Board recommended in the Sam Smith Master Plan from the nineties.  Calls from the community for this to be implemented have been ignored so far by the City’s political representative.   

Hopefully, the tide is turning.

Posted by Terry Smith

Cooper's Hawks have returned to their original nest site!

The Cooper's Hawks have returned to Building 29, the most southwest building at Humber College, facing south.

The hawks used to nest there, but the area has been under construction for some time.  Last year the pair nested in a fir tree west of the playing oval, and the year before, they were in a nearby willow tree.

The hawk watching should be much easier this year.

Many thanks to George Raikou for the photo.

LOCAL BLOGGER ON PARK'S BIRDS

Follow this link to read an amusing encounter with the park's visiting Snowy Owl - photographs too.

TWO IMPORTANT DATES FOR YOUR CALENDAR

Sunday, April 25th        PARK CLEAN-UP DAY
Saturday, May 29th      SAM SMITH PARK BIRD FESTIVAL
Details to follow

ROTARY PARK COMMUNITY DESIGN CHARRETTE

One of the issues around stormwater management in Sam Smith Park is the possibility of daylighting Jackson Creek, a buried creek that flows into and under the large swale near the Gatehouse.  Uncovering the creek and allowing it to create a pond or wetland in the swale  could provide a more naturalized solution that would enhance wildlife habitat and be a tremendous asset for our nature park.  The buried Jackson Creek eventually flows into Rotary Park where it enters the lake.  If this outflow were to be daylighted as part of the new design for this park, it would be an interesting natural feature there too.  Please attend this community charrette and share your views.

ETOBICOKE GUARDIAN ARTICLE ON OFF-LEASH DOG PARK IN SAM SMITH

Dogs will soon run free in an area of Colonel Samuel Smith Park. City parks staff were expected this week to install off-leash signage in the 0.6-hectare run of open field to the east of the RL Clark Water Treatment Plant.
Once the signs are in, the off-leash park is officially open.
Dog owners Joanne Tobler and Maria Doyle proposed the off-leash area last summer to city parks officials.
"It has been too cold. My dogs won't wear their boots," Tobler said, as she explained she had not been recently to the leash-free area of Sam Smith Park where she often walks her four dogs - a pug, pug-Shih Tzu cross, a Jack Russell-Corgi cross and a black Lab.
Last week, city council approved 29 new off-leash dog parks. The dog parks join the city's 33 existing off-leash parks.
The review of dog parks comes more than two years after council adopted the People, Dogs and Parks Off-leash Policy to deal with the growing conflict between dog owners and other park users.
At a public consultation meeting in December, approximately 65 people, most dog owners, overwhelmingly supported south Etobicoke's two proposed off-leash parks - in Sam Smith Park, and a second 0.7-hectare area on the southwest arm of Humber Bay Park West.
It was the largest turnout ever for a leash-free area proposal suitability assessed by the city, said Carol Cormier, city manager of parks, standards and innovation.
Fencing emerged as dog owners' primary concern with both off-leash parks.
Currently, a fence exists at the water plant site, Cormier said.
City staff will review the off-leash park's fencing situation in spring to determine whether additional fencing is required, Cormier said.
The Humber Bay Park West off-leash park is set to open in spring.
At issue in that dog park is a fence. Toronto and Region Conservation Authority wants it fenced, citing the danger of strong lake currents in the area. Dog owners largely don't want a fence.
Etobicoke's only other off-leash park remains open, but is threatened.
The dog park in Don Russell Memorial Park is a proposed site for the installation of an $800,000 FIFA artificial turf soccer field donated by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment to adjacent Lakeshore Collegiate.
Benches and garbage cans will be installed in both dog parks. City bylaw enforcement officers will regularly monitor both off-leash areas.
City policy prohibits pit bulls, female dogs in heat and non-neutered males from off-leash areas.
Last year, three applications for off-leash designation in Etobicoke were denied, citing proximity to wetlands and conflicting existing park uses at King's Mill Park (north of Bloor Street West), Michael Power Park and Grand Avenue Park.

SNOWY OWL IN PARK - PHOTOS BY GEORGE RAIKOU

OFF LEASH MEETING MINUTES

Follow this link for the full minutes from the December 7th meeting at the Assembly Hall where the City's presented its plans to set up off-leash dog walking areas in Sam Smith and Humber Bay West.

JOIN THE ETOBICOKE-MIMICO WATERSHED COALITION

Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA) is looking for committed individuals to become new members for the Etobicoke-Mimico Watershed Coalition.

This action-oriented committee will consist of a diverse group of individuals of all ages and backgrounds who come together with the common purpose to protect, regenerate and celebrate their watershed. The committee will have representation from the following groups within the Etobicoke and Mimico Creeks Watersheds:
Residents;
Community groups;
Other public agencies;
Businesses;
City of Toronto Community Councils;
All levels of government; and
TRCA.

As a member, you will:
Assist with the implementation of the Watershed Plans for the watersheds;
Work with communities to deliver watershed management programs;
Help build capacity for watershed management and sustainable communities;
Share your knowledge, experience and skills; and
Attend educational sessions.

For details and to download an application form, please visit: http://www.trca.on.ca/watershed-champions.

Please note that to become a member of the Coalition you should have geographical representation within the Etobicoke and Mimico Creeks watersheds and or Lake Ontario drainage area.
Not sure if you qualify? The above link provides a map where you can zoom in to your resident/work area and see the exact watershed you are located in within the TRCA region.  

We encourage you to consider applying to Etobicoke-Mimico Watershed Coalition and/or forward this message to others who may be interested. Please note that applications are being accepted until Monday, January 25th.  

Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me with the information provided below.
Alexandra Papaiconomou | Administrative Assistant, Etobicoke-Mimico

Toronto and Region Conservation
70 Canuck Avenue, Toronto ON M3K 2C5
Phone: 416-661-6600 x 5569
Fax: 416-667-6278
Email: apapaiconomou@trca.on.ca
www.trca.on.ca

REBAR WINTER ART - PHOTOS FROM GEORGE RAIKOU

SAM SMITH OWLS

Here's a great shot recently taken by Brian Keaveney of an Eastern Screech Owl roosting during the daytime in a coniferous tree in the park.  Look out for them at this time of the year.  They remain motionless and are hard to spot. 
The Snowy Owl and Screech Owl are not our only owl visitors.  Barred, Short-eared, Long-eared and Northern Saw-whet have also been observed hunting or roosting at Sam Smith.

TORONTO FIELD NATURALISTS BIRD WALK IN PARK

Sat, Jan. 23 at 10:00 a..m. • COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK – Birds

Leader: Anne Powell. Meet at the southwest corner of Lake Shore Blvd. W. and Kipling Ave. Bring binoculars. Morning only.

RESIDENT PARK KESTREL

Superb shot by Richard Dubiel of the kestrel that is seen daily in the park hunting or watching from the top of a tree on the spit.

WINTER BIRDING AT SAM SMITH

HISTORY OF NORTH AND JACKSON CREEKS

Michael Harrison, former President of Citizens Concerned for the Future of the Etobicoke Waterfront, hosts a blog called The Lost Creeks of South Etobicoke.  He posts fascinating information with old maps and photographs of the two creeks, Jackson and North, that are referenced in the previous post.  Remnants of these two creeks flow through the Lakeshore Grounds.  There is great interest in the restoration of these two creeks by adding more water flow as part of the stormwater management initiative.  Check out his blog where you can see a photograph of the ornate stone bridge that used to cross Jackson Creek between the large and smaller swales as well as information on other lost creeks in our area. (The bridge is actually still there, buried and minus balustrades - look closely).  Double click on the 1936 map of the Ontario Mimico Hospital to see the path of these two creeks (map courtesy of Michael Harrison)

COMMENTS SENT BY FOSS TO ETOBICOKE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT FACILITIES STUDY

SEE POSTS ON THIS SUBJECT
POST 1

POST 2


Toronto Works and Emergency Services

Public Consultation Unit

55 John Street, 19^th Floor

Toronto

Ont. M7Y 2W1

December 18, 2009

Attention: Josie Franch, Public Consultation Co-ordinator

Re: Etobicoke Stormwater Management Facilities Study–Ward 6

We are responding to the community meeting you held at the Assembly Hall on November 12^th 2009 where the public was invited to submit comments on the implementation of stormwater management faculties in South Etobicoke. Your e-mail on November 23^rd indicated that preliminary comments would be acceptable into December given the amount of material to absorb. 

Friends of Sam Smith Park is a community group of local residents and park users dedicated to protecting, enhancing and preserving Colonel Samuel Smith Park.  Our organization has been in existence for over three years and our primary interest is to maintain the park as a nature park.  The park houses a diversity of environments that provide food, habitat and protection for the many species of birds, animals and plants that live there.  It is popular with birders, wildlife photographers and those who passionately enjoy urban, naturalized areas.

Given that focus, our first response is to indicate that we see this initiative not only as a means of improving water quality for fisheries, water birds and aquatic vegetation but as an opportunity to increase natural habitat in the park.  For that reason, we would certainly favour implementation designs that blend in with the natural environment such as wetland, wet pond and/or flow balancing system.  The mechanical systems, in our opinion, are inappropriate for Sam Smith Park.

There are a couple of creeks in the park that do not have enough water to support much aquatic life.  Jackson Creek is buried and we have watched the flow of water in North Creek reduced to a mere trickle over the years.

We would like to see Jackson Creek daylighted and augmented with increased flow from stormwater.  The water would flow into the northern swale (north-east corner of the park), creating a shallow wetland for water treatment, and run under the roadway into the smaller swale from where it could be piped under the gravel path south to the lake or continue as it presently does to Rotary Park.

North Creek flows into the wetland pond through a spruce grove forming a beautiful riparian pathway that attracts migrating songbirds in the spring and fall.  Water flow is erratic and insufficient; the pond fed by the creek is frequently below optimal water level.  Stormwater could be diverted to supplement the base flow and increase opportunities for aquatic life in the creek.

If a wet pond system is considered, then its location must be carefully chosen.  Aside from diminished water flow in North Creek, the TRCA sections of the park seem to function well and would not benefit from too much disturbance.  They probably would not be suitable for another pond unless one could be put into the cultivated meadow adjacent and east of the Lakeshore Yacht Club.  Other locations north of the bicycle path should be considered.

A flow balancing system might work very well in and around the lake outflow from the wetland pond.  We understand that such a system can treat water coming from both directions.  The two bays in that area are collectors for algae floating in from the east along the shore and can smell pretty bad in the summer.

Lastly, we would like the City to look at a stormwater consolidation scenario that utilizes more than just one site.  If all the stormwater in the South Etobicoke catchment basin flows into Sam Smith Park, then, naturally, a more substantial management system requiring ill-fitting, engineered solutions would be needed.  Even though there are exciting opportunities for habitat enhancement in this initiative, as we have described above, the park’s naturalized areas are sensitive and we fear that they might be overwhelmed.

Considering that the Etobicoke project is part of the City’s 25-year wet weather flow master plan, the recommendations and observations we offer here must be considered as merely preliminary in what we hope will be a longer consultation process. It is impossible to understand all the ramifications of each design choice in such a short time without all the questions being answered.

We would be glad to discuss this with you and look forward to the next stage of this initiative.

Yours truly

Terry Smith

Acting Chair, Friends of Sam Smith Park

CC    Councillor Grimes

        Nancy Gaffney, TRCA

        Laurel Broten, MPP

        Michael Ignatieff, MP

HUMBER COLLEGE MAP

Ever wondered what happens in those Humber College sites that went into the old, refurbished hospital cottages?

Follow this link to map of Humber's Lakeshore campus  and click on map to see readable, large-scale version

NEW CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL COMING TO LAKESHORE GROUNDS

The Guardian article below indicates that there will be a go-ahead for this project to be located at the south-west corner of Kipling and Colonel Sam Smith Drive, where the heritage orchard is located. There have been few, if any, public meetings about this for the community to have input into such issues as how many trees can be preserved or will there be underground staff parking to save green space.

   

December 10, 2009

The provincially-appointed supervisor of Toronto's Catholic school board made several more approvals at Wednesday night's board meeting to pave the way for the consolidation of two Etobicoke elementary schools at a new, to-be-constructed building on Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive.
At the November meeting of the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) last month, supervisor Richard Alway adopted a resolution to consolidate Christ the King and St. Teresa schools in a new school located on approximately 2.19 acres of land just southwest of Kipling Avenue and Lake Shore Boulevard West, as of June 30, 2012. The consolidation is estimated to save the board approximately $509,753 per year in classroom, school administration, and operations costs, a staff report stated.
At the December meeting of the board held on Wednesday, Alway additionally approved the relocation of St. Josaphat to the vacated St. Teresa site effective June 30, 2012; and the declaration as surplus to the needs of the TCDSB of the current Christ the King Elementary School site, located at 3672 Lake Shore Blvd. W., and the former Brother Edmund Rice Catholic Secondary School, located at 55 Pelham Ave., effective June 30, 2012.
Proceeds from the sale of those two sites (estimated at nearly $14 million) will go towards the construction of the new, $8.3 million, 519-pupil school on Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive.
With the relocation of St. Josaphat to the St. Teresa site, all three Eastern Rite schools (St. Demetrius and Josyf Cardinal Slipyj) will be located in the southern end of the former Etobicoke boundaries, necessitating Alway to also green-light the immediate initiation of a comprehensive review of all Eastern Rite schools, including service area boundaries and transportation service.

TAMARA SHEPPARD'S ARTICLE ON OFF-LEASH MEETING

Follow this link to the Etobicoke Guardian

More on the off-leash area from 27th Street Blog

LATEST ON OFF-LEASH DOG WALKING AREA

At tonight's meeting, City Parks gave details of two off-leash dog walking areas to be established at Sam Smith and Humber Bay West.  Their "People, Dogs and Parks" policy can be read on their website. The map below shows the location for our park.  It will be approximately one and a half acres in size and be on the R.L. Clark Filtration property behind their existing fence.  Toronto Water has given permission for this area to be used, maintained and supervised by Toronto Parks on a "we'll see how it works out" basis.  It will be located near the bus loop just south of Father John Redmond School, north west of the Power House parking lot.  There will be two access entrances from the roadway and it could be up and running in a month or two.  It will be unfenced for the time being - a fence may be constructed to enclose the area in the spring.  The area will be open from 6 a.m. to 12.00 a.m., Monday through Sunday  There will be no water for dogs to drink.  There will be no lighting.  Benches and litter receptacles will be provided.  Parks may put up coyote warning signs because coyotes have been seen recently in the wooded area close by. Concerns were raised that coyotes might be removed if they were seen as a threat to the dogs.  The City has a Code of Conduct for off-leash areas and their by-law officers, we were told, will enforce it.  The Dog Owners Association that got this rolling has no legal responsibility.
DOUBLE-CLICK ON THE THUMBNAILS BELOW FOR BETTER VIEW

SNOWY OWL REPORT

Two photographers in the park today reported seeing a snowy owl in the yacht basin, on the 4th last dock, on the east side.
This is an extremely early sighting for this species in our park.

FOSS SPEAKER EVENT

Last night, Dave Taylor from the Riverwood Conservancy in Mississauga gave a spirited and eloquent accounting to Friends of Sam Smith Park of his organization's beginnings and the wonderful work done there around education and stewardship.  From the initial fight to save a diverse natural area along the Credit River from development, the community and supporters have created an enduring legacy for the residents of Mississauga, a place where they can peacefully wander riverside, woodland, meadow and wetland with a good chance of seeing wildlife.  It is our goal that Sam Smith, our nature park, continues to provide that for us.
Thank you, Dave, for your inspiring story.
Let's all make sure we get out and visit Riverwood.

NEW INTERPRETIVE SIGNS COMING

Members of Friends of Sam Smith Park, CCFEW and Janette Harvey, a natural environment specialist from the City of Toronto - Parks, Forestry & Recreation have been working with some enthusiastic students from Sir Sandford Fleming to create new interpretive signage for the park.  The signs will be made from a tough acrylic that is designed to withstand weather and vandals.  They will be similar to the butterfly signs at Humber Bay East and the one we now have, thanks to CCFEW, at the south parking lot in Sam Smith.  Here is one of the signs.  The other signs will cover water birds, native plants, mammals, butterflies, beavers, snakes, wetland wildlife and forest succession.  The plan is to have them installed early next year.

FOUR COYOTES RECENTLY SEEN IN SAM SMITH

Here's a report from a local blogger of a recent coyote sighting.  Watch your small dog!

DEVELOPER VERSUS RESIDENTS OVER LOSS OF LOCAL LAKE VISTAS

The City, Toronto Region Conservation Authority and Lakeshore residents are going to the Ontario Municipal Board next week to request the OMB to deny the developer Dunpar their application to cram seven dwellings on to a small, lakeside property at 51 Lakeshore Drive at the bottom of Fourth Street, a move that substantially contravenes the City's Official Plan and South Etobicoke's zoning regulations.  It will deprive the community and Waterfront Trail users of lake vistas, walling them off with a massive townhouse barrier.
For more information, go to the residents' blog.
Please join us down at the OMB next Monday if you can.

MEETING - OFF LEASH AREA FOR SAM SMITH

It seems inevitable that the City's intention is to establish an off-leash dog walking area in Sam Smith.  The question is where.  If it ends up being anywhere other than the Water Treatment Plant's grounds, such intensive use would have a huge impact on wild life.
Come out to this meeting and share your views.

MORE INFO ON THE STORMWATER PROJECT

Today, I spoke to Josie Franch, the Public Consultation Coordinator for this project, and she told me that any end-of-pipe system put in to Sam Smith could go anywhere inside the box shown on this image.  If the system is located in the lake itself, like a flow design, then somewhere inside the shaded area is where it would be.  This is somewhat different from what we were told at the presentation where a number of "constraints" were outlined (referred to in the previous post).  Josie can be reached at 416 338 2859 or by e-mail.  The City has a web site for this project.
We will talk about this some more at Thursday's presentation where we will have some blank comment sheets available.  They are also available on line.
Many people who attended the presentation last Thursday felt that the November 26th deadline for public comment on this project is way too soon for the community to understand all the implications.  A suggested first comment might be a request for more time! 
Posted by Terry Smith

STORMWATER MANAGEMENT PRESENTATION - THURSDAY, NOV 12TH

(DOUBLE-CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW)

At last Thursday’s presentation on the Etobicoke Stormwater Management project, the community was introduced to the South Etobicoke element of the City’s 25-year plan called the Wet Weather Flow Master Plan.

There are 30 storm water outlets along the Etobicoke shoreline that carry untreated rain runoff to the lake. (In South Etobicoke, sewer and stormwater pipes are, fortunately, not connected as they are in some other parts of the city.) The City wants to build end-of-pipe systems that would collect oil, dirt, grit and pollutants from this runoff before it is discharged in to the lake. These systems would be designed to treat 90% of rainfall events up to 25 mm. The goal is to provide shoreline water that is cleaner for swimming and for wildlife.

There are a number of different systems that could be used and a number of different locations or combinations of locations that could be chosen.

Sam Smith Park is definitely on the list. There is an existing outlet in the marina just east of the clubhouse that has a floating barrier – this outlet already carries most of the runoff from a large catchment basin further north, up to the QEW. (We were told that this basin would not be increased).

The photograph on this post shows the park with different system designs that could be employed at Sam Smith at the bottom with a checkmark. The footprint of each design is to scale with the map of the park. For a detailed explanation of each of these management methods for end-of-pipe control along with all the other presentation material, go to the City’s project website.

There were many questions that would certainly impact the park and couldn’t be answered by the consultants or City staff at this time …

• Will there be just one enormous consolidation site chosen for all the runoff or will the flow be spread out over a number of sites?
• What are the constraints for the different systems on a park specific basis (i.e. if a wet pond solution was chosen, where are the workable locations in Sam Smith?)
• What weight will be given to such selection criteria as habitat protection, cost, technical considerations etc?

Staff asked for public input via a comment form they handed out. They explained that this would be the only opportunity for the public to add input. The form can be found on the City's project page where it can be printed and mailed. The address where it should be mailed is at the bottom of the second page. Alternatively, there is an e-mail address and phone number there as well.  According to the City's handout, comments need to be in by November 26th.   They are hoping for site(s) and design choice to be completed by February 2010! In the opinion of most people at the meeting, this is far too early for the public to digest all the possible alternatives without a full, site-specific explanation of all the implications. This fact should definitely be expressed in any communication with the project team.

Terry Smith will replace the vacationing Allen Valk as FOSS’s representative on the Community Working group associated with this and can be contacted at tz.smith@sympatico.ca. The next meeting for this group is scheduled for January 2010, just weeks before the announcement of the chosen site(s) and system – seems extremely inadequate.

If Sam Smith is chosen as the sole or the major site, most park users who appreciate the natural elements of the park would probably go for an option that has a possibility of enhancing wildlife habitat, like a wet pond and flow balancing system combination. But, there are possible problems with this. Because of piping, gravity and proximity to the lake constraints, where could they be built? – the north swale is definitely out. What existing habitat would be removed to accommodate them? What would be the maintenance issues? … and so on. There are always concerns when development of any kind is proposed for a special place where every existing square foot is cherished. This is a complicated issue that requires a lot of thought and education.

Posted by Terry Smith

MORE OFF LEASH COMMENTS

Read comments on a Sam Smith off-leash area from a 27th Street blogger.

STORWATER MANAGEMENT ON ETOBICOKE WATERFRONT

In preparation for this Thursday's Stormwater Management presentation at the Assembly Hall, you might want to read the minutes from the Etobicoke Waterfront Stormater Management Facilities Study Community Working Group's meeting held last March

This project has many implications for Sam Smith Park.

PUBLIC MEETING - OFF LEASH AREA PROPOSAL

CCFEW BIRD WALK

UPCOMING MEETINGS OF INTEREST

COMMUNITY UPDATE ON PROPOSED SKATEBOARD PARK
Thursday, November 5th
7.30 p.m.
Lakeshore Collegiate Institute
Cafeteria

PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING
ETOBICOKE WATERFRONT STORMWATER MANAGEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Go to City's web site for more information on this project
Thursday, November 12th
7.00 p.m.
Assembly Hall

NOV 19 - FOSS SPEAKER EVENT - "URBAN WIILDLIDE AND HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS"

Mark this in your calendar ......
Thursday, Nov. 19th., 7 p.m., Assembly Hall - North Room

Dave Taylor from the Riverwood Conservancy in Mississauga will talk about his organization’s efforts to save and enhance wildlife habitat in an urban setting and their goal to stimulate public awareness by providing educational programs and stewardship activities to the community.
Free. Everyone welcome.

COLONEL SAM SMITH DOG WALKERS ASSOCIATION

Check out this organization's website for the latest on the City's off-leash policy for parks and this group's goal of having a dog walking area in the RL Clark Filtration Plant.

WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST

A message for all you wildlife photographers out in the park .......The Canadian Wildlife Federation is holding a photo contest. To enter, you need to join the CWF Photo Club, but membership is free.
There is also a kids' photo contest.
Check out the Canadian Wildlife Federation website for more info on this contest..

SKATING TRAIL CONSTRUCTION BEGINS.

It is very sad to see approximately 80% of the meadow chopped up , the same meadow that was fought so hard for a few years ago, that offered the promise through natural succession of maturing butterfly habitat and the progressive growth of more complex wildflower, shrub, tree and native grass colonies.

Let us hold the City to its promise that, after construction, a significant buffer between the cement of the skating trail and the adjacent, environmentally sensitive woodland, wetland and creek is established with appropriate space, plantings and berms.

I wonder how the soon-to-hibernate groundhog colony in the meadow is coping with all of this!

DUSK AND DAWN JOGGING/CYCLING ALERT!

"I found the protective fencing surrounding the building of the skating trail on the walking and cycling path. Just to let you know this is “an accident waiting to happen”!!! In the dark you cannot see the fence and as a cyclist I see someone doing a face plant or worse. Check it out yourself at 6 AM and you will see the fence just blends with the morning darkness."
FOSS member

HALLOWEEN'S COMING!

Don't forget the Charity Haunt at the
Power House
65 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive
Toronto Ontario
(Lake Shore & Kipling)

Power House Information Hotline:
416 338 1081

Further information available at http://charityhaunt.ca

FALL TREE AND SHRUB PLANTING

Many thanks to the 20 or so dedicated friends of Sam Smith, who braved the cold, rainy weather last weekend to participate in the City of Toronto's "Live Green Toronto" fall planting.

Along with a number of oak trees, many shrubs producing berries, were planted at the eastern end of the park.

In the years to come, these plants will help to attract even more songbirds to Sam Smith Park.

Photos: George Raikou

EASTERN PATH INTO THE PARK REPAIRED

The eastern path into Sam Smith Park, off Thirteenth St., has been repaired after a summer of heavy cloudbursts caused heavy erosion to the natural paths.

Many thanks to the Toronto Parks staff for their timely response to our request.

The many cyclists, mothers with strollers and disabled users of the park can now enjoy their smooth, natural path back into Sam Smith Park once again.

Photos: George Raikou

CCFEW OCTOBER BIRD WALK IN PARK

COME PLANT TREES AND SHRUBS IN THE PARK

GUARDIAN REPORTS ON SKATING TRAIL UNVEILING

Skating trail glides ahead in south Etobicoke

TAMARA SHEPHARD
September 24, 2009

Revised city plans to build a nearly $2-million ice skating trail in Colonel Samuel Smith Park drew quiet contemplation this week rather than contention.

Long-standing opponents had charged the plan is an intrusion on the lakefront retreat, an argument first raised in 2006 in a protracted battle against a controversial, now defunct, plan to build a skateboard park on the site.

But none of that was in evidence this week.

An open house unveiling by city staff Tuesday night of revised trail drawings moving the skating trail mostly out of the meadow drew few residents.

The revised city plans call for construction of a fully accessible 260-metre linear trail 4.6 metres wide in a figure eight configuration southwest of the park's Power House. Earlier plans, hotly contested by many residents, to build it north of the Power House where a woodlot is located, has since been abandoned.

"The end result works much better," Morteza Behrooz with PMA Landscape Architects said in an interview. "There's a tree planting plan for the whole area; a pond will be created. We'll be introducing new habitat to enhance the area's ecological value."

Project bids closed Sept. 11. The construction contract is expected to be awarded within a month.

"We're looking to break ground this year. We'll do the preparatory work. In spring, the job should be completed," said Daniel McLaughlin, project manager of construction operations, capital projects, with the city's parks, forestry and recreation department.

Recreational outdoor winter skating would begin in December 2010.

Resident Ian Bruce said he'd be lacing up his skates. He skates similar outdoor trails in Brampton, Scarborough, Harbourfront and on Ottawa's Rideau Canal.

"I think it's a nice concept. They made a good decision to abandon any plans to build it north of the Power House," Bruce said. "I have some concerns about conflicting uses with the natural environment, birds and wildlife, but I think this is the least damaging location."

Some residents questioned whether a community advisory group would be struck to plan the future vision of the lakeside park.

Fifteen months ago, Ward 6 Councillor Mark Grimes adamantly opposed Friends of Sam Smith Park (FOSS) membership on any committee. Grimes charged the group is "politically active" and said "nothing is going to happen there" if FOSS was involved.

A Grimes' staffer said Tuesday there is currently a moratorium on new parks' advisory committees while the city determines new terms and conditions that govern them.

"It's better than the original plan," former area councillor Irene Jones said of the new skating trail drawings. "Next, they need to plant the meadow and protect the trees in the park. The Power House needs a use. This is a good use."

But New Toronto Good Neighbours' founder Jem Cain isn't convinced.

Cain, who intends to run against Grimes again in the 2010 municipal election, argued the $2 million could be put to better community use.

"There are lots of other needs, repairs that need done to park equipment where hundreds of families would get the benefit year-round," Cain said. "There's also now free Saturday afternoon skates year-round at the new arena."

Earlier this month, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment officially opened its new MasterCard Centre for Hockey Equipment one kilometre north of the ice skating trail site on Kipling Avenue.

The new 30,000 sq. ft. Maple Leafs' and Toronto Marlies' practice arena is open to the community 250 hours a year, the result of MasterCard funding.

Community use hours include free family skates every Saturday; free open skates for students on professional development days, as well as free ice time from September to June for community groups.

SKATING TRAIL DESIGN SHOWN TO PUBLIC TODAY

These are the final design and computerized visualization of the skating trail presented to the public this evening at Father John Redmond. (Double click on images for larger scale). The design is very close to the concept sketch we were given before the summer and which can be found on this blog. Approximately 40% of the western section of the meadow will be lost to the trail. We were told that construction will start very soon and that the excavation and concrete forms will be completed before the end of December when construction will stop until resuming in April to finish the project. The lighting shines downwards and the music will come from speakers on the lamp posts, not broadcast from the Power House. We were told that the TRCA will furnish funds for planting and habitat restoration in the remainder of the meadow and in the woodlot north of the Power House. There is, as yet, no significant movement towards the establishment of the long-called-for Citizen's Management and Advisory Board for the Park.

SPEED SKATERS INTERESTED IN PROPOSED FAMILY SKATING TRAIL

Etobicoke Speed Skaters will be attending the September 22nd. meeting at Father John Redmond where the design for the skating trail will be presented at 6.30 p.m. Their obvious interest in using the trail for practice takes the original concept of family, recreational skating further than what was originally presented. It is important that this meeting be well attended.
Check out their blog.

COLONEL SAM SMITH DOG OWNERS' ASSOCIATION

You may want to check out this organization's blog.

CCFEW AUTUMN BIRD WALKS - Sun., Sept. 13 and Sat., Oct. 17

Sunday, September 13th 

9:00 - 11:00 am, Colonel Sam Smith Park
Leader: Glenn Coady
Meet in the south parking lot (where the road ends) at 9:00 am 

Saturday October 17th 

9:00 - 11:00 am, Colonel Sam Smith Park
Leader: Hugh Currie

Meet in the south parking lot (where the road ends) at 9:00 am

The walks are lead by experienced birders and are free for anyone who is interested in attending. Everyone is welcome! 

Walks are held rain,or shine!

CITY'S OFF-LEASH DOG PARK POLICY

Information Session: Off-Leash Dog Park Policy

Wednesday September 16

6:30pm-8:30pm

Mimico Centennial Library, 47 Station Rd.

Please visit http://www.markgrimes.ca/off-leash-dog-park-meeting/ for more details

REVISED SKATING TRAIL DESIGN TO BE UNVEILED SEPTEMBER 22ND

Open House: Colonel Sam Smith Skating Trail

Tuesday September 22

6:30pm-8:30pm

Father John Redmond Catholic Secondary School foyer, 28 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Dr.

The purpose of this meeting is to present the revised layout for the skating trail project. For more information please visit http://www.markgrimes.ca/skating-trail/

See previous FOSS post on the revised design