As we enter the last month of the quarter and look forward to Spring the Community Association continues to explore the addition of new events and increased community participation. The growing success of the Polar Party and the celebration of the community’s 60th Anniversary has encouraged the Board to sponsor two new events for 2016.

On March 11th we are planning a wine tasting and educational evening. Helped out by Northmount Liquor we will be tasting 7 wines in various price ranges with breads, meats and cheeses to accompany the wines. Cost for this event on a pre sale basis will only be $10 per member and $20 per non member. At the door this will increase by $5 per person. This is a chance to learn about wines and enjoy a relaxed atmosphere and evening with your neighbours. Participation is key to supplying sufficient wine for this event and thus we need to have advanced ticket sales that may be purchased at Northmount Liquor at 1041 40th Avenue NW.

2016 is the 60th anniversary for the Community. We are currently organizing a 60th Anniversary Picnic/BBQ on September 17th to celebrate this event. We envision at this time serving hamburgers, hot dogs, salads and beverages. This will be a family affair and thus games and activities are planned for both the adults and children. As plans for this event mature we will be providing additional details. Anyone wishing to add suggestions or volunteer to assist in the planning, preparation or helping out with this event please contact Jodi Dixon at social@cambrianheightscommunity.com or anyone else on the Board of Directors. Participation and volunteerism are required to create successful events.

In addition to these events the Community will be hosting the Annual General Meeting on April 28th and our always successful Stampede Breakfast July 16th. New events are being discussed for 2016-17 already and we encourage anyone with ideas or suggestions to contact the Board at cambrianheights@gmail.com or attend one of our Board meetings the first Monday of every month other than July and August.

The Community Association continues to offer a $100 maximum grant for community block parties. This grant will be provided to a maximum of 10 such block parties over the 2016-17 fiscal years (April/2015-March/2017). Application for this grant can be made through the community email address. Costs will be reimbursed (excluding alcoholic beverages) with receipts pertaining to organized block parties with broad attendance of all age groups. We encourage you to access this funding and create your own block event for the spring, summer or fall.

The City of Calgary has initiated a number of planning and development issues that will effect our community either directly or indirectly. We encourage everyone to visit the following resources to understand and appreciate how these changes will improve and impact the enjoyment and lifestyle within our community. The City plans a new bikeway on Northmount Drive through the communities of Triwood, Charleswood and Brentwood connecting the bike path to the 10th Street path between Rosemont and Cambrian Heights. Information and a feedback form may be found at www.calgary.ca/bikeprojects. The City is also planning a $1.1 million upgrade to Confederation Park this spring. Information on this may be found at http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Parks/Pages/Construction/Confederation-Park-Improvements.aspx  Thirdly the City Parks department is launching a new tree planting initiative targeting 25 communities each year over the next 3 years. Cambrian Heights has been selected for this new Re-Tree initiative for 2016. More information on this initiative may be obtained at http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Parks/Pages/Planning-and-Operations/Tree-Management/Managing-Calgarys-trees.aspx. We also encourage all residents to keep informed on the Green Line North LRT project as it will in the future impact the public transportation within our community. The City reference for this activity may be found at  http://www.calgary.ca/engage/Pages/Green-Line-North.aspx.

As we have previously discussed in these monthly messages our Planning Committee continues to be active in regards to monitoring the issuance of Development Permits (“DP’s”) by the City in our community. This activity covers the gauntlet from secondary suites in RC-1 neighbourhoods, to best guidelines for maintaining the identity of our community with the growth and densification, to long term transportation issues. Everyone should remain vigilant as to developments within their streets and if there are questions or concerns write to the community association (cambrianheights@gmail.com) or contact Daryl Beatty or Gary Wilson of the Planning Committee.

We continue to request that If you witness any off road vehicular activity through our community green spaces that you contact the community at cambrianheights@gmail.com or the police at 311 or 403-266-1234. This activity is both dangerous and damaging to these parks.

The website now provides memberships to be subscribed over the internet for convenience of the residents. Our new year begins January 1st and we encourage all existing members to renew via the website. There is also an ability for all residents who wish to receive email notifications of special events or issues of interest to the community to register without becoming members. We encourage all residents to participate in the community activities and future events and program planning by joining the association and communicating your thoughts either through emails or by attending one of our Board meetings which are always open for residents. Our next meeting will take place  Monday April 4th. at the Georgina Thomson  building on 14th Street and Northmount Drive NW at 6:30PM.

We have also registered our first two Corporate sponsors whose membership in the Community hopefully will encourage others. The Edelweiss Pre School and Northmount Liquors are participating commercial enterprises we encourage our community residents to support. We anticipate adding additional memberships over the first quarter of this year to better connect the community as a whole.

Remember Participation Builds Better Communities.

On Behalf of the Board;

Daryl Connolly, President

At the publishing of this letter the second annual Cambrian Heights Polar Party will have been held on Saturday January 16th at the community ice rink with free rental skates and helmets along with on ice games, a sports equipment swap, fire pits and hot chocolate to keep everyone warm. This event was initiated in 2015 and represented our starting point to add more activities centered around our community hall.

On March 11th we are planning a new event for 2016, a wine tasting and educational evening. Helped out by Northmount Liquor we will be tasting 7 wines in various price ranges with breads, meats and cheeses to accompany the wines. Cost for this event on a pre sale basis will only be $10 per member and $20 per non member. At the door this will increase by $5 per person. This is a chance to learn about wines and enjoy a relaxed atmosphere and evening with your neighbours. Participation is key to supplying sufficient wine for this event and thus we need to have advanced ticket sales that may be purchased at Northmount Liquor at 1041 40th Avenue NW. If you wish to get involved with helping out at this event or any future event please contact our Social Director Jodi Dixon at social@cambrianheightscommunity.com

2016 will also be the 60th anniversary for the Community. We are currently organizing a 60th Anniversary Picnic/BBQ in September to celebrate this event. We envision at this time serving hamburgers, hot dogs, salads and beverages. This will be a family affair and thus games and activities are planned as well. As plans for this event mature we will be providing additional details. Anyone wishing to add suggestions or volunteer to assist in the planning, preparation or helping out with this event please contact Jodi Dixon or anyone else on the Board of Directors. Participation is required to create successful events.

The Community Association continues to offer a $100 maximum grant for community block parties. This grant will be provided to a maximum of 10 such block parties over the 2016-17 fiscal years (April/2015-March/2017). Application for this grant can be made through the community email address. Costs will be reimbursed (excluding alcoholic beverages) with receipts pertaining to organized block parties with broad attendance of all age groups. We encourage you to access this funding and create your own block event for the spring, summer or fall.

As we have previously discussed in these monthly messages our Planning Committee continues to be active in regards to monitoring the issuance of Development Permits (“DP’s”) by the City in our community. The Planning Committee is working with the Federation of Calgary Communities to evaluate the best guidelines for maintaining the identity of our community with the growth and densification occurring in such mature communities. We all recognize re-development is going to happen as the population of Calgary grows and the City continues to promote growth and densification in the inner city to better utilize existing infrastructure. Your Board remains committed, within the bounds of the existing Land Use Bylaw 1P2007, to retain the green spaces, large trees and general character of the houses in our community. We have made additions to the website to help explain the permit process and have met with City officials to discuss future development. Everyone should remain vigilant as to developments within their streets and if there are questions or concerns write to the community association (cambrianheights@gmail.com) or contact Daryl Beatty or Gary Wilson of the Planning Committee. We have added a special section to our website dealing with the development permit process.

We continue to request that If you witness any off rode vehicular activity through our community green spaces that you contact the community at cambrianheights@gmail.com or the police at 311 or 403-266-1234. This activity is both dangerous and damaging to these parks.

We encourage all residents to participate in the community activities and future events and program planning by joining the association and communicating your thoughts either through emails or by attending one of our Board meetings which are always open for residents. One of our most successful programs is the Yoga class every Wednesday from 7:00 – 8:00PM at the Community Hall. We are always looking for new ideas for evening usage (recreational or educational) of the Community Hall and volunteers to help make these programs take place. Our next meeting will take place Monday March 7th. at the Georgina Thomson building on 14th Street and Northmount Drive NW at 6:30PM.

The website now provides memberships to be subscribed over the internet for convenience of the residents. Our new year begins January 1st and we encourage all existing members to renew via the website. There is also an ability for all residents who wish to receive email notifications of special events or issues of interest to the community to register without becoming members. We encourage membership as support to the numerous volunteers and programs initiated by their dedication to the community but also encourage those who are uncertain as to membership to register as email recipients to become better informed of both activities and issues relevant to the community.

We have also registered our first two Corporate sponsors whose membership in the Community hopefully will encourage others. The Edelweiss Pre School and Northmount Liquors are participating commercial enterprises we encourage our community residents to support. We anticipate adding additional memberships over the first quarter of this year to better connect the community as a whole.

On behalf of the Board of Directors we wish all residents of Cambrian Heights the best for 2016.

Remember Participation Builds Better Communities.

On Behalf of the Board;

Daryl Connolly, President