John Dance is The Mainstreeter’s
chief reporter and the former
Chair of the Old Ottawa East
Community Association’s
Planning Committee.
Relying upon his extensive
experience. he keeps our readers
informed of a wide range of
community developments.
                                

GRANDE ALLÉE PARK DE-FENCED

                                         Photo by Cynthia Dwyer

It took 61 days, many emails, and some fine grass-growing weather, but finally on July 11 the fences around the seeded and sodded parts of Grande Allée Park were taken down and the park was fully open.

“The fences were in place until City staff determined the grass was established enough to withstand community use and the City could take over maintenance from the contractor,” says Dan Chenier, the City’s general manager of recreational, cultural and facility services.

“All of the vendors at the Main Farmers’ Market that I spoke to were very happy with their sales, and they had definitely increased since the park became more open,” noted Cynthia Dwyer, a long-time volunteer with the Market, which now uses Grande Allée. “They had noticed that there seem to be more people just kind of wandering by, which makes sense because now anybody passing by would no longer see what looked like a closed-off area. Instead, they see a bountiful market.”

Once the fences came down, the benches along the Grande Allée became usable and musicians had new areas to perform on market Saturday mornings. Furthermore, the recycling bins behind the fences became available.

And there appears to be a positive spillover effect from the market thriving in the new and fully open park. As Nu Grocery owner Valerie Leloup observed, “Having the Main Farmers’ Market along the Grande Allée makes it more of a destination. The market is now at the centre of the Main Street neighbourhood and closer to all the other stores. We’ve definitely seen an uptick in the number of people visiting our store after going to the Market. It adds life and character to the neighbourhood and there’s more foot traffic, which benefits everyone!”

CANAL LIGHTING PROGRESS

Work on the Rideau Canal lighting rehabilitation project is progressing well and is on schedule, according to the National Capital Commission (NCC). Lights are being installed on the Glebe portion of Queen Elizabeth Driveway and the directional drilling for the underground wiring is 98 percent complete.

The longstanding need to fix Canal pathway and roadway lighting will result in 50 percent more lights and stretches where there have been gaps in lighting fixtures will be filled. The NCC is targeting project completion for 2025 but, as sections are completed, they will be activated.

The second phase of the Colonel By Drive retaining wall rehabilitation project will not begin until next year. The Mainstreeter had previously reported that this work would begin later this year. The second phase is all in Old Ottawa South between Bank Street and Rosedale Avenue. The work will be similar in appearance to what was done two years ago with the Old Ottawa East section of Colonel By Drive.

RIVERDALE SUBSTATION – TOBOGGANING “NOT RECOMMENDED”

The good news is that the upgrading of Hydro Ottawa’s Riverdale substation is on schedule, but the bad news is that Hydro really does not want anybody tobogganing on the hill just to the east of the existing building.

For many years, children have enjoyed sliding down the modest hill on the site at the corner of Riverdale Avenue and Main Street but, asked about this, Hydro says, “For safety reasons, Hydro Ottawa does not recommend residents use our properties for recreational use such as sledding. Most of our properties house electrical equipment that is dangerous to the public. We strongly recommend that residents follow all safety signs on our properties and use public parks for outdoor activities.” The design for the new building that is to be constructed to the east of the existing heritage building will be completed by the end of August and, previously, Hydro said that the design would be shared with the community before construction begins near the end of the year.

So far, Hydro has relocated the duct banks and infrastructure for underground chambers and it is relocating the cables from the old ducts, work that may involve some detours for pedestrians and cyclists.

                                 Photo by John Dance

LANSDOWNE – LESS ESCAPADE NOISE

This June’s Escapade Music Festival at Lansdowne Park was less noisy than last year – or at least fewer people complained about the noise. Old Ottawa East residents near the Canal are particularly aware of the noise because, unlike many Glebe residents, there are no obstructions to the sound.

Poor weather resulted in the cancellation of the final night and made for chilly attendance earlier. Escapade is an annual electronic dance music festival held at Lansdowne that hosts some of the biggest names in the electronic dance music industry. Despite the poor weather, enthusiastic concert-goers thronged Bank Street in the Glebe, many of them uniquely dressed for the event.

“By-law and Regulatory Services issued one ticket and one court summons to the organizers of Escapade for violations under the noise by-law,” says Roger Chapman, the City’s director of by-law and regulatory services.

This year, according to CTV News, City By-Law Enforcement received 38 complaints about Escapade. Last year, there were 152 complaints.

According to CTV News, “Some people on social media claimed they heard music from the event more than seven kilometres from Lansdowne, including in Orleans and Cumberland. One person responded to a tweet from Ottawa Public Health saying, ‘How about Ottawa Public Health looks at the excessive bass at this event for the second year in a row and how that affects people’s health.’”

As a result of complaints last year, the event coordinator of Escapade was charged with nine counts of violations of the City’s noise by-law. The result was one conviction with an associated fine of $490.

15 DES OBLATS PROGRESS

Work on the approved 284-unit redevelopment of the convent at 15 des Oblats has begun in earnest. Forum Asset Management has taken over sole ownership of the project.

Proper construction hoarding fencing with artwork has been constructed around the site. The demolition of the interior of the existing building and “soil work” have begun. Approval of the project’s site plan is not expected until next year.

LEES – HAWTHORNE WESTBOUND CYCLING

Westbound Lees Avenue – Hawthorne Avenue cyclists will have a safer route sometime in the future. The Greenfield/Main/Hawthorne project now underway includes a westbound cycling lane between Main Street and Echo Drive. According to City staff, “The 2023 Transportation Master Plan includes a project to add a westbound contra-flow bike lane on Hawthorne Avenue, specifically the segment east of Main Street.” This will connect Concord Street South to the westbound cycling lane on Lees extending east beyond Concord.

“The timing of this project has not yet been determined,” says Kalle Halaka, program manager of active transportation planning. “The City will share its priorities for the active transportation projects as part of the next round of public engagement on Part 2 of the Transportation Master Plan, which is expected in late fall of 2024.”

BRANTWOOD BASKETBALL COURT GRASS

Grass continues to grow in the cracks of the Brantwood Park basketball court but the City has determined that immediate replacement of the base and asphalt surface is not required. Last year, the City removed vegetation from the sides of the court, and the area was regarded to improve drainage away from the playing surface. Also, as had been requested by community members, lines were painted on the court to enhance playability.

“Courts in municipal parks are evaluated periodically for necessary repairs and, if needed, eventual replacement to ensure they remain safe and functional for all users,” says Dan Chenier, the City’s general manager of recreation, cultural and facility services. “Residents are encouraged to call 3-1-1 if they have any concerns or notice issues that require attention.”

PATHWAY BETWEEN BRANTWOOD PARK AND SMYTH BRIDGE

Aside from a new mowing schedule, the City has no plans for additional changes to the Rideau River Western Pathway (RRWP)/nature trail running from the southern end of Brantwood Park to the Smyth Bridge.

During the pandemic, and as the pathway to the north was much improved through Greystone Village, use of the Brantwood-Smyth RRWP section dramatically increased with resulting widening of the area used by pedestrians and cyclists.

“The City of Ottawa listened to feedback from the community on the maintenance of the Rideau River Western Pathway,” says Allyson Downs, director of parks maintenance and forestry services. “In consultation with the community, the City’s parks maintenance staff determined that an appropriate mowing schedule for the section of the pathway by Brantwood Park and Rideau Garden Drive would be five to six times a year.”

“Due to the tree canopy in the area and its susceptibility to varying degrees of flooding during the spring freshet, there are challenges with grass growth and as such, reseeding in the area would not be an effective option,” says Downs.

“In consultation with the ward councillor and community, the pathway was established as a paved multi-use pathway in some sections and, by Brantwood Park and Rideau Garden Drive, as an unpaved nature trail,” says Downs.

                                      Photo by Lorne Abugov

DOORS OPEN: HEALTH SCIENCES BUILDING ANDAIDS CENTRE

Two Old Ottawa East buildings – the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Health Sciences building on Lees Avenue and the AIDS Committee of Ottawa at 19 Main Street – were featured in June’s Doors Open Ottawa, an annual event that gives the public access to many of the City’s unique and often historically significant sites.

The new Health Sciences building had over 360 visitors. Laboratories in nutrition, occupational therapy and nursing were open to welcome visitors. Faculty members made presentations on head trauma in sport, motion analysis to understand locomotor disorders in Parkinson’s disease, and the anthropometry room (for the study of the measurements and proportions of the human body). Nine guided tours were given during the course of the event, held a few days before the first anniversary of the opening of the building.

During the guided tours, visitors saw: the modern classrooms and nursing simulation labs where students master a wide range of clinical skills; a metabolic chamber that monitors energy expenditure to better prevent and treat obesity; a hypoxia chamber that simulates altitude; a music and health studio where researchers study the effects of instrumental and choral practice on rehabilitation and well-being; and a neurotraumatology impact laboratory where researchers study brain and nervous system injuries in sport, to name but a few highlights.

The Health Services building is home to more than 45 classrooms and teaching labs, as well as 20 research labs located at key points to promote organic collaboration across disciplines.

“We had 50 visitors that day, and it went really well,” says Khaled Salam, Executive Director of the AIDS Committee of Ottawa. His staff gave guided tours throughout the day and provided information on the support, education and harm reduction services offered by the agency.