17 Ave SE BRT Update - upcoming detours and closures (September 28, 2018)

Rendering of the 17 Avenue and 36 Street SE Station. Source: City of Calgary

Written by the BRT Project Team

Published on September 28, 2018

Crews are busy at work on International Avenue, and there are some detours and closures this weekend.

September 29 to October 1, 2018 – 17 Avenue and 19 Street SE

• Starting at 7 a.m. September 29, 2018 westbound 17 Avenue S.E. will be reduced to one lane at 19 Street S.E.

• The westbound left turn lane on 17 Avenue S.E. to 19 Street S.E. will also be closed.

• Eastbound 17 Avenue S.E. will be reduced to one lane east of the 19 Street S.E. intersection. 

October 4, 2018 – 17 Avenue and 19 Street SE

• Traffic lanes on 19 Street S.E. will be shifted and the pedestrian crosswalk on the east side of 19 Street will be opened. This work is weather dependant.

October 5 to 9, 2018 - 17 Avenue and 19 Street SE

• Starting at 7 a.m. September 29, 2018 westbound 17 Avenue S.E. to 19 Street S.E. will be reduced to one lane at 19 Street S.E.

• The westbound left turn lane on 17 Avenue S.E. will also be closed.

• Eastbound 17 Avenue S.E. will be reduced to one lane east of the 19 Street S.E. intersection.

Source: The City of Calgary

Don’t forget your favourite businesses on International Avenue are open during construction, so make sure to stop by.

Stay in touch with the BRT Project Team and get all updates by visiting www.calgary.ca/17AveSEBRT.

Renfrew and the North Hill Communities Local Growth Planning project

Updated: September 24, 2018

Hi Renfrew!

We wanted to put this upcoming engagement on your radar.  In September of 2017, Councillor Carra was a sponsor of the Community Planning in North Central Green Lines Communities Notice of Motion along with Councillor Farrell that was approved by Council. In April of this year (2018), City Administration came forward with their report on local growth planning. What came out of this was the ‘North Hill Communities Local Growth Planning’ project.

What is the North Hill Communities Local Growth Planning project and why does it matter?

As you may know, the North Hill Communities Local Growth Planning project is a new, multi-community approach to planning at the local level and includes the communities of Renfrew, Greenview Industrial, Highland Park, Mount Pleasant, Tuxedo Park, Winston Heights-Mountview, Crescent Heights, Rosedale, and Capitol Hill.

While Renfrew is not a Green Line community, the Notice of Motion asked that the Main Streets work be dovetailed with Green Line work in order to be efficient with funds and to scale up the work being done in order to better coordinate public engagement and planning work internally and externally.

Councillor Carra has always believed that the next local area plans should be transformative and empower a generational shift in how we build our Great Neighbourhoods and our city; this is a major step in doing so.

As Renfrew is bounded by 16 Avenue N and Edmonton Trail, this is a great opportunity to shape the direction of planning for the community.

As one of his promises to Renfrew of delivering updated local area plans for every community in Ward 9 before the end of 2021, he was very proud to see this Notice of Motion receive approval from Council.

What is the timeline for this project?

As part of the work City Administration was directed to do, they will begin online engagement, from September 19 – December 7 with in-person engagement starting either late September 2018 or mid-October 2018.

Visit this link to help guide the future vision for Renfrew and the surrounding communities and making sure your ideas are heard and recorded.

In the new year, The City will shift into more focused engagement activities with visioning and local area plan content discussions.

Upcoming in-person events

There are upcoming opportunities to review the proposed work to be done and speak with others who are interested in shaping the future of your neighbourhood:

1. Pop-Up Event: Chat with the project team - learn more about the project and how you can get involved.

• September 29, 2018 - 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

• Safeway at 1818 Centre Street N

2. Pop-Up Event: Chat with the project team - learn more about the project and how you can get involved.

• October 4, 2018 - 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM

• Safeway at 1818 Centre Street N

Many hands make for light work

This is the first time that a project like this has been done for this part of the city and there will likely be growing pains as we learn, adapt to new challenges, and work towards solving them through tough, frank and thoughtful conversations.

Through the local growth planning process, we will be working together to create a future vision for how land can be used and redeveloped – building on the vision, goals and policies outlined in Calgary’s Municipal Development Plan and the Developed Areas Guidebook. 

Get involved and stay involved!

The Ward 9 Office will be encouraging people to visit the online Engage website, subscribe to receive email updates, and asking residents to consider applying for the North Hill Communities Working Group (more details to come).

This is a very important project for Renfrew. Please be as involved as time and capacity permits and that you share this information with your neighbours in the community so they can direct the conversations they would like to have to drive the improvements they would like to see in the future.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to the Ward 9 Office.

Upcoming closure of the Calgary Zoo's West Gate

Calgary Zoo’s West Gate will be closed effective Tuesday, October 9, 2018. Photo Source: Global News

Hi Inglewood and Ramsay residents! The Ward 9 Office has received word from the Calgary Zoo that the West Gate will be closed effective Tuesday, October 9, 2018.

However, eligible Calgary Zoo members who live in Inglewood and Ramsay are able to pass through the Calgary Zoo’s Security entrance with their valid zoo membership and special Ward 9 Community Pedestrian Pass.

Please confirm your eligibility for the pass by contacting ward09@calgary.ca and include a photo of your valid zoo membership and proof of address.

A few reminders for how members gain special access to the zoo when the West Gate is closed

Valid only for Day Admissions – Daily 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (during West Gate closure only)

• Inglewood and Ramsay residents who are valid zoo members must contact the Ward 9 Office to receive a Ward 9 Community Pedestrian Pass.

• To gain access through the Security entrance, members must present both a valid membership card along with a valid Community Pedestrian Pass.

• If a membership has expired, unfortunately access will not be granted.  The Security Team is not able to renew memberships; this can be done at the north gate, online or over the phone.

• Access applies to pedestrians only; there is no public parking available.

• Members entering at the Security gate are not able to bring guests who are non-members as Security does not have the capability to capture payment or complete transactions.

• As the Security Team does not have the capability to capture payment or complete transactions, there will be no special access for evening events including ZOOLIGHTS.

The West Gate will re-open in the spring of 2019. Please visit www.calgaryzoo.com for more details

Achieving our values through our budget

Date: September 11, 2018

The Budget.

It’s the most important thing we as a city do. It drives what our neighbourhoods look like, how we’re connected, and how essential services are delivered to us all.

Every four years, The City creates business plans and budgets. This year is no different. This new four-year (2019-2022) budget program called One Calgary is becoming more service-focused. To do this, each department is putting forward their budget by service delivery, instead of by department.

Over the years, I’ve heard that you want to know more about the services provided, how your tax dollars are invested, how that investment is delivered to you everyday, and how that investment shapes your future.

This new way of viewing The City’s service plans and budgets will make it clear what services are provided, how much those services cost, and how those services provide you value. You’ve told me that there are things that matter to you that you feel are inadequately funded, with some of these everyday things - like snow removal, parks maintenance, illegal dumping, bylaw officers, and traffic calming.

I’ve also heard from you that the larger items that will shape our city for the better aren’t given the appropriate amount of resources, and it’s shown through the lack of funding. Items like transportation, pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, affordable housing, planning and development policies and programs like Main Streets and Step Forward, along with the seniors Age-Friendly Strategy (to name a few) aren’t budgeted for in a way that will deliver our success into the future.

I’m calling on you and your neighbours to tell me what your funding priorities are. Photo source: Iris Jegen

The City will begin engaging you on the One Calgary budget process in November, but I want your feedback much sooner than that. While I know from many of you who have attended the Ward 9 Community Objectives Workshops what your priorities are, I’m calling on you and your neighbours to tell me what your funding priorities are so that during budget deliberations, I can have laser clarity and ensure that the resources and tools that we need to continue building Great Neighbourhoods is locked into the budget.

Please send me an email at ward09@calgary.ca with your name, community, and your top 10 important items so they can be addressed during budget deliberations. The more responses, the better. 

If you would like more information, feel free to check out some more of the budget pages:

• One Calgary

• Our Services

• 2019-2022 Service Plans and Budgets hub page at calgary.ca/yourservices

I hope to hear from you soon.

Gian-Carlo

P.S. sign-up for my Ward 9 e-newsletter at www.bit.ly/Ward9Newsletter

Join us for the Ward 9 Traffic Safety Meeting

Join us for the annual ward 9 Traffic Safety Meeting. Photo source Lisa Wolansky.

Did you know that The City of Calgary and Calgary Police Service host annual meetings about traffic safety in each ward?

On Monday, November 5 from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Forest Lawn Community Association (4020 26 Avenue SE) the annual Ward 9 Traffic Safety Meeting will be taking place. 

The Community Traffic Safety meetings are a great opportunity to learn about traffic safety initiatives in your community and provide your input on how we all can improve traffic safety in our neighbourhoods.

Presentations by The City and Calgary Police Service highlight work being done, followed by an open discussion with various safety experts from The City of Calgary, Calgary Police Service, and Ward 9 Councillor Gian-Carlo Carra.

Please RSVP by sending an email to ward09@calgary.ca