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Mid November Update

Dear Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour,

1) Dave McCallum’s amazing video of ON THE WALL 2017
2) Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour AGM, Nov 23
3) Do we really want to live in a Market Society?:
Michael Sandel’s view + Vision for Kingston’s intensification video + mounting citizen disgust TV feature + plea from Frontenac Heritage Foundation
4) Archaeological study of Byron Parking Lot
5) Ferry Expansion for Wolfe and Amherst Islands
6) New Deepwater Dock for Downtown?
7) 9 North St. update (old stone building behind Rideaucrest)
8) North King’s Town study update
9) FKIH nominated for Accessibility Awards!
10) Santa Claus Parade + Free Transit, Sat, Nov 18
11) Third Crossing Construction Begins, Mon, Nov 20

 
1) Dave McCallum’s amazing video of ON THE WALL 2017
https://youtu.be/h6Xv5PShhRg
This really is a totally wonderful report on the project.
Thanks SO very much Dave!
Still waiting for staff report on recommendation for a permanent legal wall.
 
2) Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour AGM, Nov 23
What:  Usual quick AGM stuff + a couple of sources asking for us to partner with them: Justine Scala’s Solstice event in Doug Fluhrer Park in December and Jeff Mann’s request for us to work with him to apply for a Trillium Grant to reduce the city’s car dependence.
All welcome.  Delicious light refreshments. 
A chance to meet friends new and old.
Where: Party Room, Frontenac Village Condo.  To get there, go as far north as you can on King St. You will be at the entry to the underground parking garage.  Signs will be posted showing how to access the party room. 
If you need wheelchair access, please phone 613-544-1246.
When: Thurs, Nov 23, 6:30 pm
 
3) Do we really want to live in a Market Society?: Michael Sandel’s view + Vision for Kingston’s intensification video + mounting citizen disgust TV feature + plea from Frontenac Heritage Foundation
 
Having just finished Harvard philosopher, Michael Sandel’s, “What Money Can’t Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets”. I was particularly struck by this sentence: “WE’VE DRIFTED FROM HAVING A MARKET ECONOMY TO BEING A MARKET SOCIETY”.  These days everything seems to be up for sale.  Aspects of society previously considered off limits to markets are now being controlled, degraded and corrupted by the market.  Certain values should remain lines in the sand.  Mayor Paterson himself has said that one such line he will not cross is the destruction of Navy Memorial Park.  Most of us would agree that universal health care is another line in the sand.  Human-scale heritage should also be a sacrosanct value that we, as a society, treasure and want to preserve in our historic downtown. 
Have a look at these two important videos:
a) Vision for Kingston’s intensification video:  
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKbcwRlSNMM&t=2s
b) TV feature on community meeting showing mounting community outrage – citizens increasingly upset by developers and the values of the market society which systematically destroy the human-scale of local communities.
https://globalnews.ca/news/3849057/kingston-community-fight-high-rise-developments/
c) And this from the Frontenac Heritage Foundation:
“On November 21, in an in camera session, city staff will be asking for direction from council on the OMB appeal by Homestead Holdings of this development application. This involves two residential towers, one on Block 3 and one on Block 5.  If you have concerns about this you should be contacting your local councillor.
These large scale downtown high-rise developments (at Queen, King and Wellington Sts.) will have a huge negative impact on the human-scale of the downtown – the reason tourists and citizens alike love Kingston’s downtown.  Are we in fact killing the goose that lays the golden eggs? 
More info? Shirley Bailey of the Frontenac Heritage Foundation –shirleyb123@gmail.com.
 
4) Archaeological study of Byron Parking Lot.
In order to compensate for the downtown spaces that will be lost with projected downtown development, the Byron Parking Lot (on Queen opposite the Capital Theatre) may be used to create more public parking spaces.
KINGSTON, ONT./Nov. 9 , 2017
“Our initial tests indicated we need to do more archeological investigation. This will involve drilling additional bore holes and making test pits. We need to patch the surface once the study is completed,” says Sheila Kidd, director of transportation. “This additional work is expected to take one month. Permit parkers who use the lot have been relocated to accommodate this work.”
The City is studying the site from many perspectives, including: heritage, transportation, land-use planning, site-servicing and natural environment. Study findings will be considered along with other key elements of the potential parking structure – including parking capacity, amenities, safety, security and asset-life management – to develop a recommendation for the site.
See the City’s downtown parking options: <http://www.CityofKingston.ca/Parking>.

5)  Ferry Expansion for Wolfe and Amherst Islands
 
The Ontario government is spending $61 million to build two new ferries for Wolfe Island and Amherst Island. The new Wolfe Island ferry will carry up to 399 passengers and 75 vehicles. The Amherst Island ferry will have a maximum capacity of 300 passengers and 40 vehicles. The Amherst Island ferry will be completed in December 2019; the Wolfe Island ferry will be ready in December 2020. The province has awarded the contract to Damen Shipyards. MP Mark Gerretsen and the feds are also supportive.
https://www.facebook.com/markgerretsen/videos/1549670565094953/
 
6) New Deepwater Dock for Downtown?
 
KINGSTON – City council is to be asked to consider the wharf at 1 Queen St. as the site of a deepwater dock to accommodate cruise ships.
“City staff are recommending that Crawford Wharf continue to be used to dock smaller cruise ships and that the city begin discussions with the owner of the 1 Queen St. wharf about its use as a deepwater dock.
Cruise ships are limited in where they can dock by water depth and mooring facilities.
Creating a deepwater dock would allow Kingston to attract larger cruise ships to a mooring in the downtown core, the report stated.”Only cruise ships with small passenger capacity can currently be accommodated at Crawford Wharf,” the staff report stated. “The Great Lakes Cruise Company and the MS Hamburg are the largest cruise line/ships and none of these cruise ships can currently moor at the Crawford Wharf or in Kingston.”
Crawford Wharf can accommodate smaller cruise ships, and two cruise ships — Ontario Waterway Cruises’ Kawartha Voyageur and St. Lawrence Cruise Lines’ Canadian Empress — regularly dock there. The 66-passenger Canadian Empress is scheduled to dock in Kingston 23 times next year. But the MS Hamburg, a 420-passenger luxury cruise ship can’t dock anywhere along the waterfront and its passengers have to be shuttled to shore in smaller vessels. It is expected to stop twice in Kingston next year.
The Great Lakes Cruise Company ships Grand Caribe and Grand Mariner could also dock at the Crawford Wharf, but currently Kingston is not a port of call for them. Together, those ships are scheduled to pass Kingston eight times next year. Great Lakes Cruise Company’s 202-passenger M/V Victory I is expected to pass Kingston eight times, and its identical sister ship, the M/V Victory II, is to enter service in May. The company’s 210-passenger Pearl Mist is expected to pass Kingston twice next year.
An engineering company hired by the city looked at the 1 Queen St. wharf, Crawford Wharf, the former marine museum wharf at 55 Ontario St. and the Coal Dock as potential deepwater dock sites. The assessment of the sites included bathymetric surveys, a review of historic water levels and vessel characteristics and minimum draft requirements, assessments of the amount of time that mooring depth requirements can be met without dredging, and a review of the sites’ characteristics and opportunities to improve mooring potential.
The Crawford Wharf, where the cruise ships already dock, would need “significant dredging” to be deep enough to accommodate larger ships, the report stated. Expanding the Crawford Wharf could also disrupt its current use by Kingston 1000 Islands Cruises and personal watercraft in the area. By comparison, the 1 Queen St. wharf would need moderate dredging, has sufficient mooring and is in good condition. It also provides a central location in the downtown
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation is in the process of completing an environmental assessment for the planned rebuilding of the adjacent Wolfe Island ferry terminal and the staff report suggests there is an opportunity to work on the 1 Queen St. wharf in conjunction with that project.
elferguson@postmedia.com ”

7) 9 North St. update (old stone building behind Rideaucrest)
“Report Number 17-291
To: Mayor and Members of Council
From: Lanie Hurdle, Commissioner, Community Services Resource Staff: Peter Huigenbos, Director, Real Estate & Environmental Initiatives Date of Meeting: November 7, 2017
Subject: Approval of Initial Study Grant Application for the Property Located at 9 North Street
Executive Summary: This report is being brought forward on behalf of ABNA Investments Ltd, the current owner for the application at 9 North Street, for Council’s consideration of approval of a Brownfield Initial Study Grant. The Initial Study Grant is a component of the City’s Brownfield Community Improvement Plan, intended to assist developers in assessing the environmental condition of their property and developing remediation plans before remediation and redevelopment, and to support additional applications to the brownfield program that may be made at a later date. The property is within Brownfield Project Area 1A, as approved by Council in March 2013, and is therefore eligible to apply for the Initial Study Grant. This report recommends that the application for an Initial Study Grant for the property at 9 North Street be approved to a maximum of $20,000. Estimates provided by the agent’s consultant have indicated that the Phase II ESA work will cost up to $48,165 for the property. Based on the estimate provided, the owner is eligible for a maximum Initial Study Grant amount of $20,000. If approved, the $20,000 grant will be paid to the registered property owner once the study is completed and reports have been provided to the City to the satisfaction of the Environment Director. This report also recommends the passing of a by-law to permit the Initial Study Grant to be paid out upon completion of the required elements. In 2017, three Brownfield Initial Study Grants have been previously approved by Council for other projects which have depleted the budget available for the remainder of the 2017 calendar Council Meeting 24 November 7, 2017 21 Report to Council Report Number 17-291 November 7, 2017 Page 2 of 6 year. This report recommends approval of an additional $20,000 to make up the budget shortfall. Recommendation: That Council approve the application to deem 9 North Street as eligible to receive up to $20,000 in an Initial Study Grant under the Community Improvement Plan – Brownfields Project Area 1A; and That the City Treasurer be authorized to issue the grant payment, to the registered property owner of 9 North Street at the time payment is requested, subject to satisfactory review of required documentation by the Environment Director; and That Council give all three readings to the by-law, attached to Report Number 17-291 as Exhibit B, to provide an Initial Study Grant for the property at 9 North Street; and That Council approve the use of up to $20,000 from the Environmental Reserve Fund to fund the approved Initial Study Grant for the 9 North Street property”
 
8) North King’s Town study update
“Report Number 17-283
To: Mayor and Members of Council
From: Lanie Hurdle, Commissioner, Community Services Resource Staff: Paige Agnew, Director, Planning, Building & Licensing Services Date of Meeting: November 7, 2017
Subject: North King’s Town Secondary Plan – Phase 2 Technical Studies: Award of Contract
Executive Summary: The purpose of this report is to advise Council on the outcome of the evaluation of proposals received in response to the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Phase 2 Technical Studies for the North King’s Town Secondary Plan, and to seek approval of the recommendation of staff. The RFP was issued on July 14, 2017 seeking the provision of professional services from qualified consulting firms to complete the Phase 2 Technical Studies for the North King’s Town Secondary Plan, which will include a land use plan, transportation plan, servicing plan, cultural heritage resources study, and a financial and implementation plan. The RFP closed on August 30, 2017 with only one proposal received, which was from Dialog, the consultant that conducted the Community Visioning Exercise and Preliminary Market Analysis in Phase 1. A City review team evaluated the proposal based upon the criteria established and specifically documented within the RFP. The City review team has concluded that the proposal provided by Dialog meets the criteria established in the RFP and is appropriately priced. The City did not receive a minimum of three proposals in response to the RFP; therefore, Council approval is required to proceed with the recommended proposal as per the City’s Purchasing By-Law. The proposal received from Dialog was for a total of $620,975 (inclusive of HST), which is approximately $181,000 more than the remaining budget of $440,000 for the North King’s Town Secondary Plan. The reason for this increase in cost is related to changes in the scope of the project, following the completion of the Visioning exercise, which includes additional work related to cultural heritage and servicing capacity. Staff are recommending that these additional costs be funded through the Working Fund Reserve. Council Meeting 24 November 7, 2017 1 Report to Council Report Number 17-283 November 7, 2017 Page 2 of 8 Recommendation: That Council approve an additional $181,000 for the Phase 2 Technical Studies for the North King’s Town Secondary Plan contract with Dialog, to be funded from the Working Fund Reserve; and That Council authorize the Mayor and Clerk to enter into a contract with Dialog for up to $620,975 for the Phase 2 Technical Studies for the North King’s Town Secondary Plan in a form satisfactory to the Director of Legal Services.”
 
9) FKIH nominated for Accessibility Awards!
We are most grateful to those who nominated us for awards in 3 of the 7 categories.  Thanks so very much.
What: Award presentations. 
Speaker Meenu Sikand from the Rick Hansen Foundation.
Background Info: This annual award was created in 2011 to recognize a person, group or organization that has made or is making a significant contribution beyond legislated requirements towards improving access for persons with disabilities in Kingston.   The 7 categories include: Built Environment, Customer Service, Education, Employment, Recreation, Volunteer and Other. 
The winners of this year’s awards has been selected by the Municipal Accessibility Advisory Committee from the nominations received
Where: Memorial Hall, City Hall
When: Thurs Nov 30,  1-3 pm. Featuring special guest speaker Meenu Sikand from the Rick Hansen Foundation.  A reception will follow the ceremony. 
Please RSVP your attendance at:  www.accessibility-awards.eventbrite.ca.   
The event is free to attend.  All welcome. 
The nominees for the Celebrating Accessibility Awards are: 
Built Environment

Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour, K&P Trail
NORTHSIDE Espresso + Kitchen, Jessica Huddle and Cade Pentland-Boyce
The Spire, Friends of the Spire
Customer Service
4Cats Arts Studio
Amey’s Greenwood Taxi Ltc
Lynda Breen; Deaf Mentor, Grass Creek Summer Camp
Education
Jordan De Rooy, Teacher/Coach
Karen Zalontz, Yasmine Djerbal, Katherine Porter: Queen’s University & H’Art Centre
Employment
Costco Kingston Staff – Michael Moore Warehouse Manager
April McGinnis
Recreation
Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour, Accessible Trails Initiative
Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour, Accessible Recreation and Inclusive Social Community Building
Melanie Loxton, Tallack Martial Arts
Vicki Keith, Kingston Y Penguins, Vicki Keith, Penguins Can Fly Program
Volunteer
Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour, Wheelchair Rally
Independent Order of Odd Fellows Health Care Equipment Free Loan Program
Other
Gail A. Delaney, Veterans’ Affairs Canada
Michele Brandt, Kingston Community Health Centre

10) Santa Claus Parade and Free Transit, Sat, Nov 18

KINGSTON, ONT. / Nov. 14, 2017 – Kingston Transit and Downtown Kingston! Business Improvement Area will again offer free transit this Saturday, Nov. 18 in celebration of the 14th annual Nighttime Santa Parade. Kingstonians are invited to ride any Kingston Transit bus on any route (local and express) free all day long!
In addition to the free rides, Kingston Transit will add buses to its standard Saturday schedule to offer 15-minute service on all express routes from 3 – 8:30 p.m. This special event express schedule will be available at <http://www.kingstontransit.ca>.
“The extra service we’re offering this Saturday is the perfect excuse for people to try one of our Park and Ride locations. Riders can drive their vehicles to a Park and Ride, hop on a bus and we can take them right downtown to all the action! For example, the 601 Express from Innovation Drive east of Highway 15 will take you right to our Downtown Transfer Point at Bagot and Brock streets. You will be downtown in 20 minutes!” says Jeremy DaCosta, manager, Kingston Transit.
Kingston Transit offers free parking at five Park and Ride locations throughout the city: Centre 70 at Front and Days roads, the INVISTA Centre at 1350 Gardiners Rd., Kingston Gospel Temple at 2295 Princess St., Montreal Street at Highway 401, and Innovation Drive east of Hwy. 15. Bus stops are within a short walking distance of each of these locations.
Downtown Kingston!’s annual Nighttime Santa Claus Parade starts at 5 p.m. and runs along Princess Street from Bath Road to Ontario Street. The Tree Lighting Ceremony begins at 7:15 p.m. at Springer Market Square.
Plan your bus trip with Google Transit: <http://www.kingstontransit.ca/tripplanner>

11) Third Crossing Construction Begins, Mon, Nov 20

KINGSTON, ONT./Nov. 14, 2017 –  The work to build up the embankments to the bridge across the rail tracks on John Counter Boulevard is set to begin again on Monday, Nov. 20. Motorists and cyclists should expect occasional delays over the course of this work which will continue until mid-December.
“This is the final layer of rock we are adding to the embankment that will eventually support the bridge over the tracks. There will be heavy truck traffic in this area as we complete this work,” says Mark Campbell, acting director of engineering for the City of Kingston.
Building the bridge embankment is Phase 3 of the five phase project to widen John Counter Boulevard.  Phase 4 work – widening John Counter to four lanes between Sir John A. Macdonald and Indian Road – will be complete by the end of this construction season. The final phase will involve realigning Portsmouth Avenue and building the bridge over the rail line. That work is tentatively scheduled for 2018-19.
TRUCK ROUTES
Trucking activity at the entrances to the embankments – just east of Portsmouth Avenue on John Counter Boulevard and at the intersection of Old Mill Road and John Counter Boulevard – may result in minor traffic delays along John Counter Boulevard.
Here are the hauling routes:
•      East embankment (east of CN tracks): Trucks will travel from McAdoos Lane to Division Street, then along the 401 to Sir John A. Macdonald Boulevard then to John Counter Boulevard and on to the site.
•      West embankment (west of CN tracks): Trucks will travel from McAdoos Lane to Division Street, then along Highway 401 to Sydenham Road and onto Princess Street to John Counter Boulevard and on to the site.
For more on this project, go to <http://www.CityofKingston.ca/JCB>.

As always, thanks so much to those of you who actually made it to the end of this tome. Much appreciated. Hope to see you at the AGM,
Cheers,
Mary Farrar, President,
Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour