It was a positive and motivating meeting with city staff, Councillor Palacio, and a large group of the Friends of Roseneath Park on Wednesday evening!  A big thank you to Irene and Antonio for bringing pizza.

Here’s what we talked about in a nutshell:

·         Councillor Palacio will support our efforts to improve the park playground and build a community garden.  A petition will be circulated to drum up greater support and bring Roseneath Park nearer to the top of the priority list.

·         A community garden can be built in the near future; a new playground and any other design changes would be a more expensive and, therefore, long term project.

·         Timelines and funding are yet to be determined.  We will have to do some fundraising as a start since there are no funds immediately available.  The coucillor’s office will also do some leg work and get back to us about funding. 

·          FORP should consider adopting Charles Brereton Park on Oakwood as suggested by Councillor Palacio – to be discussed.

·         A petition will be circulated regarding installing speed bumps on Robina Avenue. 

·         For our information – there are currently no applications to redevelop the land adjacent to the park, i.e., the No Frills and parking lot. 

·         Another meeting with city staff will be scheduled in the near future, so let’s discuss the next steps!

Our next Monday Meet Up is on July 9 at 6:30 p.m.  It’ll be a great time to talk about our impressions, questions, and hopes.

Wednesday June 27 is fast approaching!  We are hoping for a big show of support for a community garden and playground improvements at our park.  Be at Roseneath Park at 6:30 to meet Cesar Palacio and Parks staff and have your say.

 A note about litter pick up:

A "garbage grabber" spares your back

Group litter clean ups have proven hard to schedule because of both the weather being unpredictable and city staff swooping in and doing a great clean up job before us.  However, litter continues to be an intermittent problem.  So when you see a lot of litter, we encourage you to go ahead and pick it up.  Several group members have gone out as individuals to pick up litter and have found that passers-by notice and often say “Thank you; you’re doing a great thing!” - And that it’s strangely addictive and fun, especially if you use a “garbage grabber.”  If you see litter and want some company for a clean up, contact Kasia at roseneath@hotmail.ca ; I’ll come and join you if I can. 

June's Monday Meet Up

True to our track record, the weather put a slight damper on our meeting yesterday.  But despite the threat of rain, what a great turn out for our first Monday Meet Up!  We welcomed a few new faces and had a crew of mini-Friends of Roseneath Park too, some of whom are pictured below:

Thanks to everyone for your great ideas, questions and enthusiasm.  I hope everyone notes their concerns and takes the opportunity to voice them at our June 27 meeting (6:30 at the park) with Cesar Palacio and Park staff.  We've taken note of the topics brought up yesterday; if you can't make it on the 27th and want to make sure your input is included, please send us an email, or if you have questions or are new to the group, email me at roseneath@hotmail.ca

See you in the neighbourhood!

plant giveaway @ foodshare

FoodShare's Annual Plant Give-away

The annual plant give away at FoodShare is coming Wednesday, June 13!
Come get free plants donated by the City of Toronto and Urban Harvest!!

Date: Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Time: 2-7pm
Location: FoodShare, 90 Croatia Street, on the side of the Brock entrance by the greenhouse. Click here for map and directions . (TTC - Dufferin or Lansdowne station.)

When you arrive, please sign in at the registration table.

COMMUNITY GARDENS: There will be a LIMIT OF 2 PLANT TRAYS PER COMMUNITY GARDEN(a combination of about 12 individual plants or 12 small 4-packs per tray).

INDIVIDUALS: There will be a LIMIT OF SIX plants for INDIVIDUALS (a combination of 6 individual plants or 6 small 4-pack plants).

**Plant Limits may be changed due to plant availability**

At 6:30, remaining plants will be divided equitably among all gardeners present.

• First come, first served, and the best plants always go fast!
• Please also note that we will not accept any calls to reserve plants.

Feel free to bring any extra plants that you'd like to give away, or perennials that you want to divide.

Please remember to bring whatever you will need to take the plants away with you (your own boxes, bags, flats, friends...)

Mark Your Calendars!

Monday June 11, 6:30 p.m. is our first "Monday meet up."  Come out to enjoy the park with your neighbours and share in the anticipation of our upcoming meeting with City staff. 

Wednesday June 27, 6:30 p.m. is the date of our meeting with Councillor Cesar Palacio and City Community Garden Coordinator Solomon Boye.  This is a big one - it may decide how far and how quickly our project moves forward, so show your support and attend!

Both meetings will be held at the park (unless weather dictates otherwise, in which case an update will be posted).