President’s Message – December 2017

On Saturday, October 28 the Community hosted their annual Halloween Party featuring music, games, prizes and a great exhibition of costumes. Attendance was at a maximum for the Hall at times as participants came and went.  We want to thank all the volunteers that made this event possible especially Jessica Demers, Chris Maggiora and Board member Jennifer Manns. In addition, the City of Calgary provided three volunteers whose help was greatly appreciated.

At the writing of this letter, we are looking forward to two new events.  The first new event is being introduced on Saturday, November 18 at the Community Hall. Thanks to one of our members, Nancy Else, we are holding a Lego Contest for children age categories from 4 to 14. The theme for the contest is Canada 150 and is open to community residents and those of surrounding neighbourhoods. A second new event is planned for December 2 involving a joint effort between the Community Association and the Cambrian Heights School Parents Association. This is a fundraiser for the school focused on an evening of Rustic Sign Painting, wine and deserts. For more information and event details please see our website www.cambrianheightscommunity.com or contact Jessica Demers at jessdemers@hotmail.com. In addition, the Polar Party will return January 27 with expanded activities. At this point, we also anticipate another Pub night and a Wine or Scotch tasting event in the first quarter of 2018. Again, look for details on our website or the Community Newsletter as we draw closer to the events.

The continuation of these programs, development of new programs and the financing of new and existing facilities within our community is the continuing objective of your Board of Directors. Our developing partnership with the Cambrian Heights School holds great promise for new events combining the Community resources and the school volunteer base. New volunteers are always needed for social and recreational programs throughout the year. No less critical are the financial and administrative issues that may be less visual but are equally important. This Fall/Winter explore the possibility of volunteering a little of your time towards areas in which you feel comfortable and allow for flexible time commitments.

The Community Hall has witnessed an upgrade this summer to establish our facility as a full commercial kitchen. This now provides increased usage of the kitchen and thereby expand the types of events that may be hosted at the Hall. This program has been in planning and development for the past three years. With grants from both the City of Calgary and the Provincial Government, the cost of this work is minimal to the Community. We anticipate the establishment of our kitchen as a full commercial cooking facility in late December or early January 2018. In anticipation of this enhanced use capability, we have modified our rental rates slightly in recognition of other community halls with equivalent facilities. The challenge will be to generate ideas and programs that will develop its use potential into 2018 and 2019. Renting it out to commercial enterprises can add revenue for the Community but we hope its greatest use will be through community activities whether social, educational or charitable. If you have any ideas please contact us at cambrianheights@gmail.com.

Thanks to a grant issued through the Federation of Calgary Communities and financed by ENMAX Corporation we will be replacing current ice rink and building lighting with LED energy saving fixtures that should reduce our electrical costs significantly. We will add lighting to our secondary ice rink at the same time.

We have at our Annual General Meeting held in May raised the membership fees (except for senior rates which remain constant) for the Community effective January 1, 2018. These fees will now be more comparable to those of surrounding communities. However, until the effective date, 2018 memberships may be purchased at existing rates. See our website or the Community newsletter for registration.

The next public meeting of the Board will take place Monday, January 8 at the Georgina Thomson building on 14th Street and Northmount Drive NW at 6:30 PM. All residents are welcome to attend and share any concerns, questions or ideas you may have relevant to Cambrian Heights.

Remember Participation Builds Better Communities.

On Behalf of the Board;

Daryl Connolly, President