July is full -in Doug Fluhrer Park and in the downtown.
1) TGIF Family Fridays in the Park
2) Important Climate Change Event
3) Walking and Cycling Tours for your pleasure
4) Ad Hoc Cycling Group Update
5) The new “Martello Alley”
6) Call to Artists
7) Kick and Push Festival
8) Bus trip to see Caravan Stage in Clayton, NY.
And then there is the political stuff:
9) Public meeting on proposed 20 story tower on movie theatre site.
10) Waterfront Working Group update
11) Transportation Master Plan update
12) Secondary Plan for Old Industrial Area and Inner Harbour
13) Completion of K&P Trail to Kingston’s Downtown
14) Your participation in update of Kingston’s Official Plan
15) Ontario Trail News
And then there is some wonderful heritage news:
16) Swamp Ward and Inner Harbour History Project!
1) TGIF FAMILY FRIDAYS IN THE PARK- EVERY FRIDAY IN JULY
Come for the activities and bring a picnic for after.
ALL WELCOME!!! KIDS NOT REQUIRED!!!
(BE SURE TO CHECK THE CALENDAR THROUGHOUT JULY AT WWW.FRIENDSOFINNERHARBOUR.COM
Friday, July 3:
5:00 – 6:30 pm: BAREFOOT PLAYERS:
“All the World is a Stage” followed by drama workshop for kids.
Honestly adults enjoy these shows more than kids.
Adults get the subtleties.
You are most welcome – even without kids!
More info? www.queensu.ca/drama/
Friday, July 10:
5 – 6 pm: KINGSTON FIELD NATURALISTS workshop for kids.
6 – 7 pm: Community BBQ and games organized by wellingtonx.
More info? www.wellingtonx.wordpress.com
Friday, July 17:
5 – 6 pm – MATT ELLERBECK, Salamander, Snake and Turtle Man.
More info? www.savethesalamanders.com
6-7pm – GARY RASPBERRY’s children’s musical performance. More info? www.garyraspberry.com
Friday, July 24:
To be arranged
Friday, July 31:
5 – 6:30 pm: BAREFOOT PLAYERS: ‘All the World is a Stage”
followed by drama workshop for kids.
More info? www.queensu.ca/drama/
2) IMPORTANT CLIMATE CHANGE EVENT:
As one of the goals of the Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour corporation is stewardship of the Inner Harbour environment, we feel it important to support climate change initiatives such as this:
WHAT: The March for Jobs, Justice & the Climate
WHEN: Sunday, July 5th
WHERE: Downtown Toronto (Climate bus leaving from Days Inn Kingston 8:40am)
BUS TICKETS: https://www.picatic.com/
Another round of international climate negotiations is coming soon.
We need to shift from the carbon polluting, boom-and-bust cycles of a fossil fuel economy to a stable, clean economy that promotes equity, respects Indigenous sovereignty and recognizes the limitations of our climate. It’s important to send a strong message to our leaders.
KINGSTON COORDINATOR: gavinh@pandavoice.com
The bus is coming from Ottawa and Gavin needs to know how many tickets sold are from Kingston. Please let Gavin know if you purchase a ticket and want to join the bus in Kingston.
3) CYCLING AND WALKING TOURS FOR YOUR PLEASURE:
If you are interested, we would be delighted to take you and your friends on either
a) an Inner Harbour Heritage Tour for an hour’s exploration of stories from the past in Kingston’s Inner Harbour, and/or
b) a cycling tour of options for the K&P Trail to downtown.
More info? inverarymary@yahoo.com
4) AD HOC CYLING GROUP’S GREAT NEWS:
Kingston’s newly formed Ad Hoc Cycling Group is working in cooperation with Tourism Kingston to create a better web presence re Kingston and Area recreational cycling routes.
If you feel in the mood for a ride, try www.plotaroute.com
Use the e-mail address: kingstoncycletrails@gmail.com with the username: kingstoncycletrails and the password trails.
In this way you will find the few routes we have posted so far and you can add your own routes as well.
We are hoping that Tourism Kingston will post a new route each week during the summer months.
5) ON THE WALL ARTIST UPDATE:
David Dossett’s “Martello Alley” – An Artful Adventure
The labyrinth of alley-ways in downtown Kingston are like little adventures we can explore every day, full of surprises, intrigue and history. A turn here, a stone wall there, secret little balconies with a view of a court yard or a sculpture quietly, humbly hanging above your head – these are all gems that are unique to Kingston! Well that alley-way adventure literally just got a lot more intriguing.
Venture down “Martello Alley” at 203 B Wellington Street. Prepare to have a smile that only great art and creativity can create! Reminiscent of, and inspired by La Rue du Trésor in Québec this is a new artist collective offering eclectic works in Kingston’s downtown that are sure to brighten any day. Selling original art work as well as prints, this is a space designed for any budget and any style/size of space.
Drop by and see what’s new, meet an artist and have a cup of coffee with the artists. www.facebook.com/MartelloAlley
6) Citizen VOX – Studio22 CALL TO ARTISTS:
Call to artists for a dialogue on politics & democracy as we approach the 2015 Federal Election.
Wall space available for VISUAL ARTISTS for works that speak to political and societal issues of the day.
A venue for PERFORMANCE ARTISTS for speeches, scenes, monologues, stand-up, songs & spoken word.
Space for WRITERS who have words that poke, provoke, soothe or seek to solve.
Citizen VOX is an exposition running from Sept 15th to Oct 18th, 2015.
Submission Deadline: August 15, 2015. Submit online at http://s22.ca
7) KICK AND PUSH FESTIVAL – THIS SUMMER AT THE GRAND
Kingston’s newest summer attraction.
Six theatre companies filling the downtown with great shows:
Theatre Kingston, Blue Canoe, Single Thread Theatre, Cellar Door Project¸Fixt Point and Convergence Theatre.
More info? www.thekickandpush.com
8) BUS TRIP TO SEE CARAVAN STAGE IN CLAYTON, NY.
So sad that Caravan Stage aboard the Amara Zee will not be entering Canadian waters once again due to Transport Canada regulations.
SO – we are planning a trip to Clayton NY sometime mid-July to see the show in the U.S. More info coming in a dedicated mid-July update.
When dates are finalized they will be uploaded to the calendar on the webpage along with contact info for buying tickets.
www.friendsofinnerharbour.com
And now for the political stuff:
9) PUBLIC PLANNING MEETING RE PROPOSED 20 STORY BUILDING ON DOWNTOWN MOVIE THEATRE SITE: THURSDAY JULY 2, 6:30 P.M., COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL
https://www.cityofkingston.ca/
10) WATERFRONT WORKING GROUP UPDATE
This past June 24, Thinc Design presented their rough draft proposal and asked for public input concerning priorities. If you have comments and suggestions you would like to add to the mix before the final report is completed in September, contact Neal Unsworth (nunsworth@citiyofkingston.ca)
11) TRANSPORTATION MASTER PLAN UPDATE
We are pleased to report that staff has decided to reconsider the Transportation Master Plan that was presented to Council earlier this year and that contained so many flaws – including a recommendation for yet another Environmental Assessment of the Wellington St. Extension. Many thanks are due to those of you who attended the EITP Committee meeting and spoke with such passion against the extension. Thankfully staff has decided, after reflection, that the report should actually be considered a draft with the final report due in September. We are cautiously hopeful that the revised report will address the many questions and concerns raised both by Council and by many engaged citizens.
12) SECONDARY PLAN FOR THE OLD INDUSTRIAL AND INNER HARBOUR AREAS
We are also cautiously pleased to report that Council has endorsed paying $600,000 for completion of this secondary plan. The area under study will be bounded by John Counter Blvd in the north, Division St. in the west, the water in the east and possibly Bay St. in the south. This plan will be led by a planning firm and should involve extensive community outreach involving citizens as well as developers to address social, cultural and neighbourhood issues as well as roads. It makes sense to have a comprehensive plan for the whole area rather than completing things piecemeal. Stay tuned.
13) COMPLETION OF K&P TRAIL TO KINGSTON’S DOWNTOWN
Thanks to Council once again for including this in the new Strategic Plan and for agreeing unanimously to support Councillor Peter Stroud and Councillor Jim Neill’s motion for staff to assess the various options for completing the K&P to the downtown in time for Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017. We hope that Kingston will finally have a connection from the Trans Canada Trail to the downtown and that large sections of the chosen route will be off-road! Stay tuned.
14) YOUR IDEAS INCORPORATED INTO KINGSTON’S OFFICIAL PLAN
Paige Agnew, the city’s new planner has a Blog and is inviting comments:
www.cityofkingston.ca/
15) ONTARIO GOVERNMENT TRAIL NEWS
Not sure how this will translate into action but interesting nonetheless.
www.news.ontario.ca/mtc/en/
And now, some wonderful news on the heritage front:
16) SWAMP WARD AND INNER HARBOUR HISTORY PROJECT
This from their blog.
“Exactly one year ago today, on June 30 2014, Kingston City Council voted to save the Bailey Broom Factory building, after a brief and intense community campaign. The city had acquired the land for other purposes, and initially planned to tear down the quaint little brick building at the corner of Cataraqui and Rideau Streets. Few people knew its history at the time. But Michael and John Sinclair who own a business across the street got wind of the demolition, and from their alertness and concern grew a huge outcry, with hundreds of letters generated in a very brief span of time. The building was saved: it’s for sale now, and we can all keep our fingers crossed it is bought and brought back to life in a good way. But also, this near-loss showed that the city has been quite cavalier in identifying buildings that may be of heritage interest. It undertook last summer to integrate and update its inventory, as a beginning to a fuller process of listing and designating buildings of significance, even or especially if they are twentieth-century, industrial, or not widely noticed. And the Bailey Broom Factory rediscovery showed the value of engaging with people’s personal and family archives: only because Ida Hudson, a niece of Sam Bailey, provided them, do we have photos of this Kingston entrepreneur and community leader. (It is appropriate that he was known as an avid curler as well.)
The Swamp Ward and Inner Harbour History Project emerges out of Laura Murray’s curiosity about the part of Kingston where she has lived for twenty years. SWIHHP will focus more on people than on buildings, but a sense of place and built environment is central to its philosophy. The Swamp Ward and Inner Harbour are the oldest parts of Kingston. They were also, up until the 1970s, the heart of Kingston’s industrial economy. While the Sydenham Ward is the area people usually think of when they think of Kingston’s history, the Swamp Ward (as it was called, sometimes with a sneer but often with pride, and as it is called again) has just as rich a history. And a lot of that history is still in reach within the memories and photo albums of Kingston residents. That is what we hope to bring to light and cherish with this project.
This summer, Laura (Professor of English and Cultural Studies at Queen’s), along with student assistants Bronwyn Jaques and Lauren Luchenski, is conducting archival research and beginning an oral history project. If you or anyone you know would like to tell them any stories or ask them any questions, please do contact them. They will be only too happy to listen. As their research proceeds, they plan to offer walking tours, school visits, and perhaps some community-based artistic explorations of the rich materials these neighbourhoods have to offer.
Read the blog and you’ll be the first to know what’s happening! “
www.swampwardhistory.com
Facebook: Swamp Ward &Inner Harbour History Project
Wishing you a great summer and hope to see you around – in the park, on the trail and in the downtown.
Cheers,
Mary Farrar,
President, Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour
www.friendsofinnerharbour.com