Reminder: Food Drive This Saturday, May 3!

This Saturday, a city bus will be driving through the streets of Kirkendall, picking up non-perishable food items from the porches and driveways of local residents. You should have received a flyer in your mailbox by now advertising the event – remember, stick the flyer on your food donation so that volunteers on the bus will be able to see it!

Alternate drop-off locations for the food drive are:

Locke Street Medical Clinic
Mr. Tony’s
Bad Dog Cafe
Zarky’s
Unitarian Church
Big Bear Convenience
Anytime Convenience
S & S Supermarket

All donations go to Mission Services food bank. They are especially short on canned tomatoes, pasta sauce, pasta, fruit, veggies and beans.

Volunteers for the drive are still welcome. Meet at 9:15 am on Saturday at the end of Studholme avenue, adjacent to the Chedoke Golf Club:

View Larger Map

Let’s show how much Kirkendall cares!

Meeting About Hamilton Rapid Transit Alternatives

Hamilton has a critical decision to make: when we build our new higher order transit systems, will we choose bus rapid transit (BRT) or light rail transit (LRT)? What’s the difference? Which choice is better?

A meeting on May 1, 2008 at 7:00 PM, will be held at The FRWY Cafe (333 King St. E. – at Wellington St. N.) to discuss this important choice. Full details are available on the Hamilton Light Rail website.

Do you have an opinion on this issue already? Feel free to let us know using the comment box below!

KNA Newsletter

The Kirkendall Neighbourhood Association has issued its first (well, first in a long while!) newsletter.

This issue covers the possibility of big box stores in the neighbourhood; includes a message from Brian McHattie; announces our partnership with Ryerson School; and announces the formation of the Community Care Committee.

Click here to read it (PDF).

Will Kirkendall Become a Truly Walkable Community?

Your KNA website administrator (me) was away on vacation last week, a week that saw a flurry of email updates from Brian McHattie and his staff. We try to post most of what Brian McHattie sends out on this website, especially if it directly impacts Kirkendall, or is especially important, but we don’t post everything and there are times when (like last week) we are unable to post anything he sends out at all.

For that reason, if you don’t want to miss any of the important updates from Brian, we strongly recommend that you bookmark his website, and/or send an email to daabrown@hamilton.ca with your name and street address to join Brian’s mailing list (your address is needed so that they know which neighbourhood list to add your name to).

Brian did send out an especially important email last week, entitled Will Kirkendall Become a Truly Walkable Community? The text of that email follows:

The Kirkendall neighbourhood has some important features that could make it one of the most walkable areas in all of Hamilton; a great commercial area in the Locke Street area, good access to HSR and GO buses on Main Street, and safe well-treed streets that make walking a real pleasure.

As many of you know, historically, Kirkendall was linked to Main Street and the adjacent Strathcona neighbourhood north of Main Street by three bridges over the CP rail tracks from west to east at Poulette Street, Pearl Street and Ray Street. Last year the Ray Street bridge was deemed unsafe and was removed, and we lost the Poulette Street bridge many years ago. Today, the Pearl Street bridge is the only connector left.

Currently, the City is undertaking a study to determine whether the Pearl Street bridge should be renovated and whether the Poulette Street bridge should be re-installed. The first PIC (Public Information Centre) was held on March 31.

You’ll note that the City consultant is recommending NO PEDESTRIAN BRIDGES ACROSS THE CP RAIL TRACKS!

I feel strongly that we need to have as many attractive pedestrian routes as possible to encourage folks to leave their cars at home with the clear benefit of more fit populations, reductions in greenhouse gases and air pollution, and the promotion of a slower pace of life obtainable when one walks.

What is my position? I believe that we need to fix the Pearl Street bridge (I use it many times per week walking between my home near Victoria Park to Locke Street to shop, attend meetings and socialise) and rebuild the Poulette Street bridge both so folks in that area have better access to Fortinos and other amenities, and so Strathcona folks have a better route to the Ward 1 Leash Free Park on Hill Street, Locke Street merchants, the HAAA grounds and for the youth, a safer route to Ryerson School and Recreation Centre.

I encourage you to review this information and provide me with your comments at bmchattie@hamilton.ca.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Brian

As well as providing Brian with your thoughts via email, you may also leave comments here, which we will let Brian know about.

Ryerson School Needs Your Help

The Kirkendall Neighbourhood Association is pleased to announce that it is donating $500 to the Ryerson Middle School trip fund. These class trips are costly (as high as $400 per student) and not all families can manage that amount.

We ask anyone that is able to add to the trip fund, as they are short about $1500. Let’s try to be sure every student can go on the school trip.

If you can contribute, please contact Dave Repchuk, Ryerson Middle School’s principal at 905-528-7975 or at dave.repchuk@hwdsb.on.ca.

Thank you!