The Passing of Laura Ann Ramsay

RAMSAY, Laura Anne June 15, 1950 ~ October 27, 2009 Passed away in the arms of her husband Jim Robertson, on October 27, 2009 at Royal Jubilee Hospital, after a courageous 57-year battle with Diabetes. Laura was predeceased by beloved family members, infant sister Bobbi, brother Garry and father Robert. She is lovingly remembered by her husband Jim, mother Arleen Ramsay, sister Glenda Nikirk (Doug), children Chad (Tara), Morgan (Laura) and Kirsten, grandchildren Kayleen, Jayda, Nadal, Shelby, Montana, and Bailey, as well as nephews Malcolm and Rodney Ramsay, and Brett Nikirk and niece Carly Nikirk. Laura was a bright, energetic woman who led by example. Her ability to love was boundless and she was an inspiration to all who had the pleasure to know her. Even in failing health, she refused to be hampered by pain or blindness and was able to complete and publish her book “The Southenders ” a tribute to the south end of Nanaimo, her home and the community she loved. A Celebration of Laura’s life will take place on November 14, 2009 at 2:00 pm at Sands Funeral Chapel, 1 Newcastle Avenue, Nanaimo, BC. In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Laura’s name to the Kidney Foundation or the Canadian Diabetes Association. Sands ~ Nanaimo 182441

What’s up at SECA?

Next meeting Wednesday November 4  Planned Agenda

We’ve invited the architect for the planned apartment building at 253 Victoria Road to show us he drawings and get some initial feedback.  City staff are expected to attend as well.

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It’s a busy busy month for us!  Beer and Burger coming up on Friday November 13th, and then Mark Lakeman from City Repair (hopefully) speaking on  Sunday November 29.  We’ll feature each under a separate heading.

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We KNOW you’ll want to renew your membership early when you see our ooh-la-la new SECA membership cards!

And we now have terrific  SECA colour flyers to pass out, thanks to Chris Sholberg at the City.

Lucky Beer ‘n Burger Friday November 13

LUCKY Beer & Burger Nite

Friday November 13

Newport Bar & Grill

6 – 9 PM

This Friday the 13^th could be your lucky day!

v                      50/50 draw – win some money!

v                      Silent Auction – shop for Christmas!

v                      Dance to Mike’s DJ Service

v                      A band will be playing after 9:00 PM

Beer, burger, and a special treat – for $13

Get your tickets early – limited seating.  Buy at Sandra’s Head-to-Toe Salon, 721 Haliburton, the Newport Bar & Grill, the Nov 4 SECA meeting, or from any SECA board member.

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If you have anything to donate, please call Sandra at 250.753.1394 or Moni at 250.753.1188.

SECA brings Mark Lakeman, City Repair to Speak

Well, we were trying to have the details organized for this newsletter, but alas, it hasn’t happened.  The original Thursday Nov 26 date isn’t working, work, so we are trying to reschedule it for Sunday Nov 29.  Stay tuned!  If you specifically want to be notified once we’ve got things finalized, leave a post below and we’ll get back to you.

If you haven’t had the chance to hear/see Mark Lakeman speak, you’re in for a real treat.

Mark Lakeman is a visionary architect, founding member of Portland’s City Repair & the 10-Day Village Building Convergence/VBC, and director of the ecological design firm Communitecture.

Formed in 1996, City Repair was conceived as an “anti-virus” to combat isolation and over-commodification of conventionally designed cities, by literally inserting villages into cities.

Now a national movement, City Repair combines architecture, urban planning, anthropology, community development, public art, permaculture and ecological design in projects that transform public space.

Visit www.cityrepair.org

See pics of Portland City Repair projects from one of our previous posts.  Click here.

What’s Up in the Neighbourhood?

The city has received a development permit application for a 4 story apartment building at 253 Victoria Road (think behind the Dairy Queen).  We’ve invited the designer to come to our November meeting, present his concept, and get some initial feedback.

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Artist Yvonne Vander Kooi is half-way through her colourful mural on the washroom walls at Deverill Park.   Although this is a commissioned job for her, she has donated countless hours of service to both the South End and the city.  If you’re quick, you she’s the Hidden Hero this week on Shaw TV Channel 4.  Bravo, Yvonne.

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Fitness Edge is taking over the lower floor of the building next door, which formerly held the hydroponics store and MP Jean Crowder’s campaign office.  They will use of for exercise classes, and it can also double as a meeting space, fitting up to 50 people comfortably.  They’ve done a terrific job in renovating.

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On Sunday November 1^st, 2009 the Young Professionals of Nanaimo are hosting a community BBQ to help raise funds for the restoration of Nanaimo’s E&N Train Station. The event will be from 1-3 pm and will include many local residents, community and business leaders as well as local media. We encourage you to forward on this invitation to anyone who may be interested in learning more or contributing to the restoration of the Train Station.

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MLA Doug Routley is finalizing plans on a Nanaimo office.  In the meantime,  the grand opening of his Ladysmith office is on November 14^th from 2:00 – 5:00 pm.  Anyone that would like to come and have a coffee/tea and visit with Doug and his staff  is welcome.

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Port Place Mall is doing an info session about the mall redevelopment, sadly, the same night as our next SECA meeting.  In the Mall, Wed Nov 4 from 6 to 8 PM.  Perhaps we can ask them to come speak with us at another time?

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The Nanaimo Community Gardens Society & The City of Nanaimo

Invite You to a Gathering of Local Community Gardeners

Who? Community Garden leaders and anyone interested in spearheading new food garden initiatives, including representatives from the City of Nanaimo and food security organizations.

Where? Harewood Activity Centre, 195 Fourth St (near Bruce St.)

When?  Tuesday November 24th,

Display Set Up & Viewing 6-6:30pm Meeting 6:30-8:30pm

Why? To share our successes, challenges, and our dreams – with the aim of supporting each other, increasing collaboration and growing more community gardens.

Agenda

(To help us shape the agenda to benefit those who are attending, please indicate what you would like to gain from this meeting when you RSVP.)

6:00pm Set-up and view displays of community garden initiatives (photos, literature)

6:30pm Facilitator will bring meeting to order. The agenda will be modified to suit needs of participants, but will likely include introductions and discussion of:

§ how your garden is structured

§ who participates

§ to whom food is distributed

§ how it is funded

§ what has worked well for your initiative

§ what has been a challenge/barrier, and

§ individual and collective goals for the future and how we can help each other

8:30pm Adjourn.

Please RSVP by November 17^{th by calling 250-816-GROW (4769)}

Or emailing Pat at pat.w@shaw.ca

Remember to let us know what you would be interested to gain from this meeting so we can best accommodate you and your community garden group.

Nanaimo Community Gardens Society

^{www.nanaimocommunitygardens.ca}

^{250-816-GROW (4769)}

7-10 Club Grand Opening

The Nanaimo 7-10 Club Society invites you to celebrate their Grand Opening November 8, 1:00 to 4:00 at the Community Service Building 285 Prideaux Street. For more information 250-714-0917. email – info@nanaimo710club.com Web site – www.nanaimo710club.com

Neighbourhood Plan Update

Issues/Opportunities Workshop

Thursday November 12  6:30 to 9:30 PM

Bayview School  (140 View St)

If you haven’t received a flyer for this event in the mail, it should be coming to you soon.

The purpose of this event is  to get input from residents on the most important issues in the neighbourhood and also to uncover opportunities for the future.  As this will be a 3 hour sit-down event, we are asking folks to RSVP so that we know roughly how many to expect.

If you plan to attend, please register by calling 250.755.4483, so we can ensure there is enough seating for everyone.

~submitted by Chris Sholberg, Community Planner

Gino Sedola Memorial Tree Planting

Planted and decorated, with fresh new grass

With typical South End good luck, the bad weather held off! Fifty neighbors and friends participated in the planting of the memorial tree in memory of much-loved resident and mentor Gino Sedola.

In a very moving ceremony, Gino’s youthful escapades in the South End and many accomplishments as an adult were recalled. Friends and relatives spoke about how much Gino meant to them. MLA Leonard Krog, Mayor John Ruttan, Counselors Fred Pattje, Loyd Sherry and Merv Unger added a shovelful, helping plant the beautiful dogwood tree. Gino’s granddaughter Shauna Sedola read a poem in memory of her grandfather.

We then moved across the street to Fernville House (the house that moved!) for a feast and a toast in memory of our friend.

Thanks to Barbara Densmore (who is now a Professional Celebrant) for leading the ceremony, Sydney Robertson and Ed Chan for hosting the lunch.  And to Pat Squire for deftly guiding the tree selection and planting process.

Click here for the complete story in pictures.

Janine Sedola captured the last (and funniest) part of the ceremony and posted it it on You Tube.  Click here to see it.

A special thanks to city staff who helped get the cul-de-sac ready in time for the ceremony:  Parks and Rec staffers Jeff Ritchie, Kirsty MacDonald, Jim Plasteris, and the guys “on the ground”   Wayne, Ryan, and Jessie. And to the Roads folks too, especially Rick Borean who is a master organizer.  And to City Arborist Alan Kemp, who allowed us to “think outside the box” to come up with an original South End tree planting.

and awaaayyy go the yellow barricades..!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, one more great South End story.  When we couldn’t get the chairs we needed from our usual supplier, Joanna from Fitness Edge stepped forward and offered to lend them to us.  You were a life saver, and we REALLY appreciate your community spirit!

Gino Sedola Memorial Tree Planting Sunday October 25 @ 11 AM

Please join us as we remember Gino by planting a tree in his memory in the new cul-de-sac.

We’ll follow the ceremony with a pot-luck lunch. Bring your memories of Gino, and a dish or bottle of  Italian wine for the event.

Location and Event Details

Tree Planting will be held at the new cul-de-sac at the corner of Irwin and Milton Street.

This will be a standing ceremony.  If you would prefer to sit, please bring a chair.

The Potluck Lunch will be at Fernville House, the home of Sydney Robertson and Ed Chan next to the intersection at 167 Irwin.

Parking on the street around the intersection.

If you wish, please drop off your lunch offering at the house before the ceremony.

Rejuvenated Nanaimo now the Place to Be

An article in today’s Toronto Star travel section.  It’s interesting to see your city through the eyes of someone who was familiar with it, left, and hasn’t seen the place in years.

Here’s how it starts:

When I was growing up in a small town on Vancouver Island, every weekend I longed to hear my dad say these magical four words: “We’re going to Nanaimo.”

Click here to read the whole article.

Neighbourhood Plan Update

Design Consultants Tackling Nicol Street Divide

Nicol Street, also known as Highway 1, divides the South End, contributes to some of our social ills, and is a big issue in Neighbourhood planning.

This from Chris Sholberg:

We have also just hired an urban design consultant: Ramsay Worden Architects Ltd. in association with a second firm called Urban Forum Associates (both very experienced outfits out of Vancouver).   They will help us with both the south End Neighbourhood Plan and the Newcastle/Brechin Hill Neighbourhood Plan and one of their primary tasks is to look at urban design possibilities for the major traffic corridors through each neighbourhood (Nicol Street being one of them).

Our first staff meeting with them will be Sept 17 after which we will be giving them an orientation tour of both neighbourhoods.

First Consultation:You can still provide feedback until Oct 23

The first public consultation was held on on October 6 at Bayview School.  This comment from Chris:

Based on the sign in list we had over 120 persons attend and in this line of business that is a great turnout.  [Comment sheets can be ] submitted by the Oct. 23 deadline.  For your reference, we have the on-line version of the comment sheet posted at our neighbourhood plan webpage: http://www.nanaimo.ca/EN/main/departments/Community-Planning/4299/SouthendCommunityPlan.html.

Please encourage anyone you know to fill out the survey who hasn’t already done so.

For the Neighbourhood Planning page on the city website , click here or contact the City of Nanaimo Community Planning Department, Phone 250-755-4472 or 250-755-4483.

~ Thanks to Chris Sholberg, Heritage and Community Planner