Community Blog

We thought we'd share the most recent compilation of crime statistics for Elbow Park, as well as a reminder to report any suspicious activity immediately to the police non-emergency line at 403-266-1234. As we continue to hear reports about car break-ins and package thefts from porches, we encourage you to report any of these incidents as it helps CPS prioritize which neighbourhoods to patrol more regularly.

If you feel threatened or witness a crime in progress, call 911.

VIEW STATISTICS

 

A few days before the Christmas holidays, collection of the garbage from our bins in the Clubhouse park ceased.  

Upon further investigation, we were informed by the City that the garbage bins located on our LOC (License of Operation, the park land we lease from the City) had been "donated" to our community association in 2016.  This was the first I had heard of that.

Since 2016, somebody was collecting our garbage. I suspect that it was the contractor working for the City who was unaware that the City was no longer going to collect our garbage on the LOC. This contractor had been collecting our garbage for years and probably assumed that it would be strange for the City to stop collecting the garbage from the bins in the SAME park.

A few days before Christmas 2019, we experienced FULL bins.  This was the first indication that it was EPRA responsibility to collect the garbage. The City has collected the garbage in our LOC Park  for over 50 years.  It took us by surprise that they would stop providing this service.

I asked the City to collect the overflowing garbage from the bins prior to Christmas, and they obliged.   Since I have been unsuccessful in resolving the issue since Christmas, the bins are overflowing once again. 

My attempts have been:

Contacting the Contractor who collects the garbage container at the playground adjacent to our LOC, however, they are unable to assist because it would be a "breach of contract".

I contacted the Contractor that the City used previously, however, they no longer work in the area and it is not financially lucrative to come to this area of the City.

I have contacted smaller companies that collect garbage, however, I've been told that they are unable to collect garbage that contains "animal products" (dog waste).  Regulation stipulates that no animal products can be disposed in the landfills. Given that our containers are 80% dog waste, these companies are not an option.

I've gone back to the City to request their assistance.  They offered to collect our garbage for $50 each time, however, will only do this for two garbage cans and when we get our new cans, bringing the total to 4, they will not be able to accommodate that many.

We are now investigating the possibility of moving the garbage bins onto the City owned land.  The City will pick up at these locations without charge.  One can be moved to the corner of 8th and 34th near the toboggan hill. I am waiting to hear where the other can be moved to.  

As for the donation that Valentine Volvo made to purchase us 4 new garbage cans and 1 recycle container; we will wait to see if we can move forward with this or not??

I will keep you informed as I hear more from the City. In the meantime, please use the garbage can near the playground to deposit your dog waste. This one is on City land and will have collection services.

COMMUNITY MEETING
Thursday, February 27th
6:30PM-8:00PM
Elbow Park Clubhouse

As you may recall from our email earlier this week, the City is adopting a new "Guidebook for Great Communities" which will direct how our communities will evolve and grow. The Guidebook will be the tool (statutory policy) that sets out guidance about how developments contribute to a "great community" and will be the guide for developing the Local Area Planning (LAP). 

As part of this process, the City is combining several communities together into "Multi-Community Plans”. Elbow Park has been assigned to a Multi-Community Local Area Plan that includes 16 other communities. A working group consisting of community association reps, some residents and builders, developers, business representatives, will prepare a Local Area Plan. 

“Guidebook for Great Communities” will go to a PUD meeting (Standing Committee for Planning and Urban Development) on March 4th for review and will go for final approval by City Council at the end of April. 

As time appears to be short, we wanted to share the information we have at hand and invite you to engage on the matter so the collective voice of Elbow Park may be heard.  We encourage you to join us for this EPRA hosted meeting to learn more. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

VALENTINE VOLVO DONATES FUNDS FOR NEW PARK GARBAGE CONTAINERS

Thank you to yet another generous sponsorship from Valentine Volvo, EPRA is now able to make a purchase of FOUR new garbage containers and one Recycle Container for our "Clubhouse" park. 

Two of the garbage containers will replace the one that sits at the corner of 7th St & 32nd Ave and one near the Clubhouse on 34th Ave. A third "extra" garbage container will be placed on the corner of 7th Street and 34th Ave near the mailbox. The fourth garbage container and new recycle bin will be placed near the basketball courts. Now that our courts are being used so frequently in the warmer months, this addition will help keep that area nice and tidy.  

We are so fortunate to have a partnership with Valentine Volvo who continues to support our community!  

We'd also like to thank Rick Simonton for his generous donation that allowed us to purchase four hockey nets for our outdoor rinks.  As a little kid Rick spent many hours enjoying the Elbow Park rinks and this was his way of giving back.  Score a goal for Rick, kids!

Want to make a difference in your community?

There are two additional resources we're in need of within the Clubhouse and would like to ask for donations to make the following purchases:

EPRA would like to purchase a projector for the Clubhouse in order to facilitate our meetings and engagement sessions.  We would rather not use paper when we need to share something with a large group and it would facilitate the process if we had a projector.

We are currently using stovetop kettles and we would like to purchase an electric kettle in order to decrease the risk of the open flame. 

TO HELP US PURCHASE THESE ITEMS, CLICK HERE

PULSE CHECK...ELBOW PARK COMMUNITY GARDEN? EPRA is looking into the possibility of setting up a community garden and there are a couple of locations that have been identified for potential use. A few residents have expressed interest in helping to get this initiative off the ground, abut before continuing we would like to get some more feedback to see if there is enough interest to pursue this. LEARN MORE

EPRA is looking into the possibility of setting up a community garden and there are a couple of spots that have been identified for potential use. A few residents have already expressed interest but before continuing we would like to get more input to see if there is enough interest to pursue this. If you have any questions, feedback, or would like to hear about some of the areas in Elbow Park being considered for this project, please email communications@elbowpark.com and we'll have a member of the planning committee get in touch with you.

BACKGROUND ON COMMUNITY GARDENS:

Typically, a community garden is a single piece of land gardened by a group of people. Residents would be able to rent individual or shared plots of land within the garden. Community gardens offer people and the community many benefits. They provide opportunities for both recreational gardening and food production, in underutilized spaces. Community gardens are great for the environment. They bring people together and may reduce crime rates in the neighbourhood by increasing visibility and engaging citizens in positive initiatives. There are many examples of community gardens throughout Calgary, for example, Inglewood Community Garden, Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Garden, Marda Loop Community Crop, and Bankview Community Garden, to name a few.

For more information about Community Gardening in general, please visit the Calgary Horticultural Society’s website at https://www.calhort.org/get-involved/community-gardens/

Thank you,
The EPRA Community Garden Committee

If you live in Elbow Park and are interested in a part time job with just a few hours per week, please apply to president@elbowpark.com.  We’d love to have you join our team!

Hours of Work: Flexible, 2-6 hours per week, Availability required 7 days a week
Hourly Wage:  $20 per hour

Responsibilities:

Assist the Clubhouse Manager with the following duties:

• Manage maintenance requirements with trades
• Develop administrative systems to support the Board
• Website administration
• Assistance with communication and marketing
• Coordinate Gazette advertisements
• Assist Gazette Editor
• Manage hall rentals 
• Onsite meetings with renters 
• Assist Treasurer with payments
• Order supplies and equipment
• Organize the storage spaces
• Manage the cleaning services
• Develop annual Clubhouse budget
• Manage cleaning and waste collection
• Liaise with EPTennisClub
• Mail Collection and Organization
• Assist with Marketing including Sandwich Board management
• Manage phone messages
• Open and Close the clubhouse as required
• Organize the storage spaces
• Assist the Clubhouse Director in the development of an annual budget.
• Maintain a Directory for Clubhouse business
• Assist with Event Organization
• Light Cleaning

I know that we agreed to refer to ourselves as the 55+ Group so my apology for using the "Seniors" word.  I had great hopes of getting this group flourishing by now, however, with all of the other responsibilities of the President role it has been put on the back burner.  

Let's revive it!  But, I need your help.  Firstly, I need someone or a group of people to take on the role of Seniors Program Coordinator.  Secondly, we need some "Seniors" to assist with:

• Booking a speaker for a session and coordinating the session

• Communicating to other Seniors and getting their participation 

• Assisting Seniors with transportation to the Clubhouse if necessary

• Writing an article for the Newsletter 

• With the support of the Event Committee, host an Happy Hour at the Clubhouse

Please email Jane at president@elbowpark.com and let me know if you are willing to help.

Thanks,
Jane

We would like to have a Block Captain assigned to each block in Elbow Park this year.  The idea is to have one person who is the main hub for community communication on the block.  The responsibilities for Block Captains would include:

• Gather contact information for people living in each house on the block, and supporting EPRA with the Membership Drive (once a year)

• Flag residents who may need community support (Seniors, Mobility Issues, Isolated Individuals etc)

• Provide communication to block homes regarding information specific to their area such as Safety and Crime concerns, Block parties and other Block initiatives 

• Provide feedback and communication to EPRA regarding concerns specific to the block

If you are interested in being a Block Captain for your block, or have any questions about this role, please send an email to Amy Norman at safety@elbowpark.com 

The City is adopting a new Guidebook for Great Communities (GGC) which directs how communities will evolve and grow. The Guidebook is the tool (statutory policy) that sets out guidance and a common understanding of how development will contribute to a great community.

The new Guidebook will influence the way that the City approaches development in all communities and will be used in conjunction with local area planning (i.e., Area Redevelopment Plans also called Local Area Plans (LAPs)). 

The City has been working with other communities on their LAPs and have lumped similar communities together into Multi-Community Local Area Plans that include policies for a group of communities instead of stand-alone plans (such as the Elbow Park Charter), as was the practice in the past. 

Elbow Park has not yet been included in a multi-community LAP and we don't know which other communities we will be lumped in with.  Multi-Community LAPs will provide a larger picture of assessing amenities - like parks and schools, infrastructure - like roads and sewer, and shopping or service areas that impact community evolution spanning numerous communities.

Our Elbow Park Development Strategy is to complete work on our Elbow Park Area Plan now.  That is part of what the new Planning Committee work is all about. Based on feedback that we get from Elbow Park residents, this group will create a Local Area Plan specific to Elbow Park. 

The city wants to increase density in ALL neighbourhoods and we want to ensure that we have a solid document that will provide guidelines as to where it should be located and what type it should be.

You will be receiving a survey in the future that will ask you specific questions about development in Elbow Park.  Please take the opportunity to respond in order to ensure that your voice is heard.  

For more information on the Guidebook:

https://www.calgary.ca/PDA/pd/Documents/Current-studies-and-ongoing-activities/guidebook/developed-areas-guidebook-proposed.pdf