Vallhalla Newsletter May 2015

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Hope you never planted your annuals flowers / vegtables too early. We did have a few nights of frost.

Love the warmer weather, but my dog "Bro", ten months old now, is having a difficult time with the heat.

Purchased an extra large size cooling jacket for him. You run cold water over it and it stays cool for three to four hours. Unfortunatly he is still growing and it is already too tight. I hope he stops soon. LOL Five cups of puppy food a day ... What goes in must come out.

Street Cleaning

A number of residents / neighbours asked me what happened to the street sweeper this year. Last year Valhalla was one of the first areas in Aurora for the streets to be cleaned. That was around the first of April. The sand / dirt was a pain. You would be tracking it into your driveway, garage, and house. The area did not look clean and the streets seemed narrower. I sent the following message to our contact on May 11th;

Hello ________:

Residents are e-mailing me wondering why their street has not been cleaned. (It seems to be most of Valhalla) I stated to them it maybe because we were first last year and the areas are rotated each year. So we could be last on the list this year and/or there could even be equipment problems.

Hope I am correct in stating this.

Anyways, just thought I would let you know.

If one of your staff have an ETA for street cleaning in this area I will pass it on.

Have a good one!

Cheers,

Eric

The following is the Town's Response within 20 minutes:

Good morning Eric,

I apologize for the delay in providing this service, but there were several factors that impacted this contract, one being minimal contractor availability due to the high demand for street sweepers in York Region. I’m happy to report the contractor arrived last week and we anticipate having the majority of the Town completed before the end of this week, weather permitting.

Once again I apologize for the delay and I thank you for your patience and understanding.

Regards,

The NEXT morning (May 12th) two street sweepers arived in our area with a dump truck. Refer to slideshow on the right. There was so much dirt and sand on our streets that the dump truck was filled after just sweeping a few streets. The problem is that since the sweepers came so late this year compared to last year, how much sand / debris has gone down the stormsewers?

On May 12th afternoon I sent the following to our contact:

Thank You!

Just got home and the street cleaners (TWO) are doing my street and Hollingshead. They just emptied their loads into the dump truck. The truck is already full. Wow! That is a lot of dirt for a few streets.

Wonder how much sand has already gone down the storm sewers …

Since none of this dirt can be used on the roads again, where is it taken too / dumped?

Thanks again … I’m sure a number of the neighbours including myself are pleased. It sure makes a difference in the area but also just driving in your driveway and not tracking it everywhere.

Cheers,

Eric

The following was our Town's response.

Your welcome Eric. The sand collected is screened to remove garbage and then contractor takes it to a landfill site.

Regards

Seems like such a waste. Too bad it could not be refined to be used again or for another purpose.

Questionable water

Please refer to the above picture. While walking the dog along Yonge Street in front of St. Andrews College I noticed this liquid contents from a drain under Yonge Street being merged with one of the Holland River tributaries. To be on the safeside, I thought I better report it since our area community well is just down the road. The drain is directly across from the automotive dealerships. Sent an e-mail with a google link that showed the exact location along with the photo above on May 1st. The attached picture shows some sort of liquid compound that is coming out of the storm drain under Yonge Street that is going directly into one of the Holland River tributaries. The opening is located on the west side of Yonge Street in front of the south soccer field at SAC. The car dealerships are on the east side. I would like to know if the rust like residue is from a pipe, a natural compound, or …. Hopefully it is not toxic to marine life. FYI: The truck / car dealerships are on the east side. Here is a Google picture link https://goo.gl/maps/pEIMz

The following was staff response: I have now located the storm outlet in question(3rd attempt).This is part of the Region’s Yonge St storm system not The Town of Aurora. The car dealerships on the east side of Yonge St. do not drain into this storm system. Their system all drains into a storm pond at the north end. Only 15699 Yonge (Aurora Autowholesalers)is connected to this outlet. But I see no sign of anything abnormal in their catch basin. This may only be iron sediment from ground water entering the storm drain. But I’ll let the Region determine that as it’s their system

I have copied them on this email

I have not heard anything back from the region or our town so I presume that it is iron sediment. Thank goodness for that. You may recall the building that Parmount Trucks leased, that is now Highland Leasing has a large drain in the garage area. Our town staff seems confident that ALL the drains except for the one in front of Aurora Auto Sales (that was checked) goes to the storm water management system in front of McAlpine.

Update YRT/VIVA

YRT/VIVA Update: The slideshow to the right shows what is happening at this time. Even though we reported this construction problem, I'm presuming York Transit does not want to take any chances and have prioritized the removal and reconstruction of the bus stop. You will see that the notice sign has been posted on the shelter, stating the bus stop will be moved. Probably just before the SAC driveway while the shelter is dismantled. A picture in the slideshow shows the orange lines and X's showing what will be removed. Looks like all of it.
Noticed now and again a bicycle tied to a post. Suggested to York Transit that they may want to consider adding a bike stand to this location when the new stop is built. Well, it looks like I started an e-mail frenzy. What I can tell you is that it will be considered.
The bus stop sign at Batson / Yonge where the bus has not been running for "X" years HAS finally been removed. Sure must have been confusing for new riders.

Do you know your net worth?

Calculate your net worth – the difference between what you own and what you owe – and compare your results to other Canadian households.

Click on the "Bay St" sign.

It will open up another window.

Does anyone know who owns this bike?

It was found at Craddock Park in the bushes near the river. York Regional Police have picked up the bike.

An idea!

The following message was sent to our Town Elected officials on May 7th.

Aurora has numerous walkways that connect developments, parks, streets, … some are very long. In order for residents to easily describe the location of the walkway, since these walkways do NOT have a specific municipal address, … would it be an idea to give these walkways a name. The town could sell naming rights to raise funds for other projects, keep a reserve fund to specifically maintain these walkways (fencing, lighting, cement, damage,,) funds needed to increase service levels, … provide liquid equity for unforeseen problems, or for smaller items that could not be passed in the budget?

Example: Highland Chev Buick and/or the owner of all the car dealership buildings may want to purchase the naming rights for the walkway from Old Yonge to Yonge and call it Highland Stroll … The name would make it much easier to report problems to town staff, emergency services, direct residents, …

The town could also honour a long time staff member who has gone above and beyond …

Just a thought …

Cheers,

Eric

We heard back from the following elected officials, what was nice, in the following order:

1. John Able Adopt a good Trail! I sent Mr. Able and the other councillors an e-mail back stating I don't think you can call these walkways a Trail since they are paved walkways 6 to 8 feet in width.

2. Wendy Gaertner Fantastic idea Eric!

3. Harold Kim That's a terrific idea Eric. ......

4. Michael Thompson Thanks for the e-mail ...

I presume the mayor and the other councillors have me on spam and/or they felt it was not worthwhile to persue.

From my understanding the town does not have a recognition program for their staff. Suggestions were given to some of our directors about four years ago after an informal conversation. They stated they did like the ideas but I don't know if they persued them.

In the NEWS

The Zellers / Target store on Bayview will be taken over by Canadian Tire.
The CAO, Neil Garb for our Town has resigned and will be taking the CAO postion for Richmond Hill. Before Mr. Garb came to our town as CAO from my understanding he was the Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives and Administration for the Region of York.
Diane Buchanan has been named Aurora's Citzen of the Year. Congratulations Diane. Yes, Buchanan Crescent was name after a relation of Diane.
Stern Acura construction has started just west of the Super Store at St. John's Sideroad and Earl Stewart Drive.
The cement structure of the NEW water tower has been completed. The cone that will be pulled to the top is now being constructed beneath it. Hope they remember our Town Logo!
Do you like our Town flag? It was just resurrected. I think there was a reason why it was retired some moons ago. IMHO I like the idea of our town having a flag but I would like to suggest to the powers at be to think about revising it.

Valhalla Area Reported Problems View slideshow to the right.

Connection walkway fences - during the winter I think our sidewalk snowplough contractor caught the blade of the plough in some of the fences. A number of the walkways have the fence pole connections off. The post within the slideshow may have been caused from the rise of the cement on the sidewalk that the plough blade caught then turned the equpment bending the pole. So it was really no fault of the driver.
Vandalism again by 21 Old Yonge (Electrical Transformer) the BELL BOX cover was off. If you had some tapping on the line over the last month, this may have been the cause.
Paving equipment left. One of our neighbours thought this equipment was going to be used for the construction of the speed cushions. After two days of the equipment sitting in the same spot not being used disrupting traffic, I e-mailed our contact asking if this company was contracted by our town ... The e-mail back stated: Hello Mr. McCartney, I have forwarded to by-law to look after. Thank you, _______ So, obviously that company had not been contracted by the town and the equipment was removed by the end of the day.
During the early morning of Saturday May 16th you may have heard a chainsaw. I was walking down Old Yonge with my dog around 7:30-8am and I heard a saw, looked up, and a number of shavings were over both me and the dog. There was a cherry picker at Highland with a guy in the cherry picker cutting the branches. I said nothing, but took two pictures. He kind of went bolistic. He knew he was in the wrong since the area I was walking in should have been blocked off. What if one of the branches came down on me or the dog? I wonder if he had permission from the town. I guess it was not our time. I did not report this.

1. Hi Eric, what do I do if I see a problem? 2. What if my neighbour makes too much noise, what can I do? 3. My neighbours grass must be over a foot high. Why doesn't the town do something? 4. My neighbours dog barks at five in the morning everyday. 5. Eric, is my neighbour allowed to have a tow truck on the road? 6. My neighbour has a boat in the driveway all year. is this allowed? 7. Eric, how large of a trailer can I have parked in my driveway? 8.My neighbours backyard is a dump, what can I do?

Answers

If you see any type of problem or something out of the ordinary, call the police at (905) 830.0303 and press one. If it is town related matter such as any of the questions above or infrastructure, e-mail the town at info@aurora.ca or call / e-mail one of your councillors. The link is at the top of the page. If none of that works and you still have a problem, please don't hesitate to contact me. With questions 2<->8 from my understanding there is a bylaw for all of these problems / issues, but have you spoken nicely to your neighbour? Maybe post the bylaw on their front door / mailbox. They will soon get the hint. I can tell you that unless you make a FORMAL complaint to the town the bylaw will not be enforced. Our bylaw officers do not “keep an eye” on any properties in a proactive nature. You need to make a formal complaint. Your name is held in confiedence. Hope this helps.

Joint Operations Center

Slideshow Below

The plan is to add a monthly picture to the slideshow from Wilson Park so you can see the progress of this 24 million dollar project.

The charts / graphs for

Aurora Homes Sales Statisitcs

have been updated.

Click the home below to open a new window.

The Slideshow Below

The park benches requested have been place in both Wilson Park and Atkinson Park. They are being used. I wish the town would have staked / chained them. They are heavy but they are being moved around.
This past winter was so cold that it killed a number of shrubs, trees, and plants. A number of people who have Coy / Fish ponds without a heater found that their fish did not make it this year. Their pond was too shallow and had no heater so the fish / coy died.
As you may have noticed, a number of Ash tree leaves are already wilting. The Emeral Ash Borer has been feeding on the living wood cells. Numerous trees in our area will need to be removed over the next three years. The slideshow below will show an example of one Ash tree just removed over the last week. Unfortunatley, a number of the trees that had been replaced did not make it over the winter. If you do have a new tree planted on the front or side of your home. Water it. It's really your tree. The roots need to take hold. Trees make such a difference to an area.
Speaking of trees, almost all the Austrian Pine Trees have the Pine Wilt disease or Bursaphelenchus xylophilus. What a shame. This has and will continue to be costly for our town to look after. Not just taking them down, but getting rid of the stumps without harming the underground infrastructure, then planting a new tree. Does anyone remember the Dutch Elm Disease problem? The provincial government had a works program where they would come on your land, unannounced and cut down all the dead Elm trees on your property.

On Saturday Morning June 13th you may see me riding down Yonge Street along with a number of other volunteers on the Heart & Stroke BIG Bike.

We all have some friend or family member who has had a Heart Attack or Stroke. I'm riding again this year for my brother Jeff.

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death for Canadian men and women. I support this foundation each year to help create more survivors. All of the money raised through Big Bike will go to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, where they’ll use it to develop life-saving treatments that bring hope to heart disease and stroke patients. In the last year alone, the Heart and Stroke Foundation has helped created 165,000 survivors of heart disease and stroke.

Please help me reach my fundraising goal by making a donation today. It's only with your help that we can continue to fund this vital research, and return more survivors home to their loved ones.

Would love to have your support. Tax receipts are e-mailed automatically if donation made on-line. Here is the link to my BIG Bike Web page: http://bit.ly/1PRpig2

Walmart

I presume Walmart Canada finally realized that they may not be making money with on-line orders. Where we used to purchase a one dollar item and have it shpped to our front door, Walmart has changed their policy. Your order now must be $50 or more to receive free shipping. Amazon Canada still has free shipping for orders over $25.

Dates to Remember

Father's day Sunday June 21st

First day of summer is Sunday June 21st

Pan Am Games Torch Relay in Aurora Thursday June 25th

Aurora Dance in the Park Tuesday June 30th

An idea to protect yourself from black-legged ticks

After taking a walk use a lint roller over your clothes. Best to do so before entering the house.

There are also a lot of mosquitoes around. I don't know how many times I have been bitten already. If possible, cover up when going outside and wear light clothing. Do not use any cologne, fragrant deoderant, soap, ...

Studies show that if your blood type is "O" mosquitoes are more attracted to you.

Collections

Garbage Thursday June 12th & 26th

Yard Waste Thursday June 4th & 18th

If you need more bins they can be purchased at the town for the following:

Blue Box $13

Green Bin $25

Kitchen Catcher $7

Backyard Composter $31

If your Blue Box or Green Bin is damaged / broken bring it with you to the Town Hall, 100 John West Way or the Town Operation Yard at 9 Scanlon Court. The Town will replace it free of charge. FYI: There is more of a selection regarding Blue Box size at 9 Scanlon.

Power Stream: The only power outage I have noticed this month was Sat. May 30 at 7:00am to 7:06am. Next month I will speak to Power Stream to find out the cause.

Volunteering

How many hours have you volunteered this month? Try something you may enjoy doing.

Until next month, keep safe, keep laughing, stay healthy, and say hello to everyone you meet. Do what you can to help those around you. There is always someone worse off than you. How fortunate most of us are.

Cheers, Eric

Web site: www.McCartney.me E-mail: eric@mccartney.me

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Canada Post Community Mailboxes

The following was posted by Canada post on their Community Mailboxes Forum. Thought it maybe of interest to you. Every household that will be converted to community mailbox delivery will receive an information package from Canada Post in the mail when the transition process begins. The information package includes a short survey that will help us better understand people’s priorities and preferences about their new delivery method. In residential neighbourhoods, we always strive to find sites along the side of a corner lot rather than directly in front of the house, and we will meet with residents who homes are adjacent the selected sites to answer their questions. Canada Post will work closely with your municipal planning department to find sites that are unobtrusive and meet our criteria for safety, accessibility and proximity to the addresses they serve. If you have concerns about a site we have selected for a community mailbox, we invite you to call our customer service line at 1-844-454-3009.

The above answer was found on the Canada Post Forum at http://feedback.canadapost.ca/questions/

What I found interesting is the statement above "will work closely with your municipal planning department to find sites ..." if the statement posted by Canada Post is true, why does our town need to create a BYLAW that will make Canada Post apply for a permit for each community mailbox location? Never thought a municipal government could have the upper hand over a Crown Corporartion. Do you think this may go to court? If so, I do hope our Town has budgeted for legal costs and expenses.