ACNA April 2010 Newsletter[1]

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Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association Newsletter April 2010 Page 1 of 8Contact: Colleen Coulson, tel: 519-749-1424 [email protected]

Alpine Community Neighbourhood

Association

Alpine CommunityNeighbourhood

Association

acnaapril2010newsletterR031310


Association

ACNA NEWSLETTER APRIL 2010contact: Colleen Coulson, tel: 519-749-1424 [email protected] http://alpine-cna.blogspot.com

Earth Day EventPlease come out on April 24th (Rain Date = April 31st), when ACNA holds our third annual

Earth Day community clean-up. The past two clean-ups were verysuccessful and noticeably reduced the amount of garbage lying

about in the neighbourhood. On the 24th, we start at 9:00 AM andcontinue to 1:00 PM, but you can come help at any time during

this period, for as long as you want. We meet at Alpine Publicschool and provide supplies and gloves for you to use whencleaning up. We appreciate everyone's participation each year, in

keeping our neighbourhood clean and safe.

Earth Day at Huron Natural AreaDuring the afternoon of Earth Day (Saturday April 24th, 1-4 PM) there will be special activitiesat the Huron Natural Area, 801 Trillium Drive, not far from the intersection of Bleams Road andStrasburg Road.

That day, there will be events for the whole family including live birds of prey, bird housebuilding (limited quantities), crafts, entertainment and tree planting.

This park/natural wilderness area incorporates woodland, grassland, ponds and marshes.Walking trails permit access to many of these features. More information can be found athttp://www.kitchener.ca/pdfknap_park_series_huron_natural_area.pdf

Annual General Meeting:Our Annual General Meeting with beon May 4, 2010 at 7 pm at Alpine

School Library. All residents of theAlpine area are invited andencouraged to attend and vote for this years executive.

P o s t e d i n t h

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Preheat your oven to 350F.Mix the sugar, margarine and eggs for 3 minutes. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda,salt, walnuts and mashed bananas.Grease a regular size loaf pan. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 1 hour or until atoothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.Cool, slice and serve.Tips and Variations:Replacing the sugar with a sugar substitute like Splenda turns this into a great Diabetic dessert or a treat that those of us watching our calorie intake can enjoy in moderation.

Add extra walnuts on top of the bread before baking for extra crunch.Heres a simple but great tip. To avoid those pesky strings when peeling bananas, peel themfrom the bottom end. No strings! It really does work.

W e thank Ann Zeiger, Graham Jeffery,Colleen Coulson, Dennis HaidConstables Lisa Nyusa and Mark

Koiter for their contributions to thisnewsletter.

The Mayonnaise Jar When things in your life seem, almosttoo much to handle, When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee. A

professor stood before his philosophy class And had someitems in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, He

picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students,if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the openAreas between the golf balls. He then asked the students againif the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next

picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course,the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the

jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous yes.The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectivelyfilling the empty space between the sand. The studentslaughed. Now, said the professor, as the laughter subsided,I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things - family, children,health, Friends, and Favorite passions Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, Your lifewould still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car. The sand is everything else The small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first, Hecontinued, there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energyon the small stuff, You will never have room for the thingsthat are important to you. So... Pay attention to the thingsthat are critical to your happiness. Play With your children.Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out todinner. There will always be time to clean the house and fixthe disposal. Take care of the golf balls first The thingsthat really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.One of the students raised her hand and inquired what thecoffee represented. The professor smiled. Im glad youasked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, theres always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend. Please share this I just did.......

2/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup soft margarine2 eggs, unbeaten1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

Banana Bread2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 cup chopped walnuts1 cup mashed bananas

R e c i p e C o r n e r


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Graffiti BustersOn this site and in the ACNA newsletter, we regularly feature the Graffiti Busters Hotline telephonenumber. (519-741-2320)

The City of Kitchener Graffiti Busters Program does more than just cleaning up graffiti. The programalso promotes enforcement and educational initiatives aimed at reducing the amount of graffiti inKitchener, and raises awareness about actions that can be taken to prevent graffiti.

Fast reporting and removal of graffiti means the site is less likely to be "tagged" again.

If you witness graffiti vandalism in progress, please call 911 immediately and report the crime to thepolice.

When you see fresh graffiti on property in the City you can:1) call the Graffiti Busters HOTLINE at 519-741-23202) or you can go on the Graffiti Busters web page...(http://www.kitchener.ca/graffiti_busters/graffiti_main.html)

...to e-mail Graffiti Busters or complete the online reporting form.

Police HQ Open HouseWaterloo Regional Police are having an Open House of their Headquarters onMay 8th, 2010, between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Headquarters is located at 200Maple Grove Road in Cambridge. For more information, you can contactCatherine Wilkinson (519 650 8500 ext. 8768)

Several booths from within the community, information sharing.Climbing wall, Live band, WRPS band, Kids Motorcycle pictures, Face Painting, Tattoos, ERUdemonstrations, Hockey shooting radar speed tracking, Chip Truck and BBQ withHamburgers/Hot Dogs/French Fries/Chips/Pop all money donated to the Childrens SafetyVillage, Pony Rides, Childrens Safety Village has a puppet show, jeeps, Matrix.

What can you do to get more involved in your neighbourhood?Come out to our monthly meetings. See above.What would you like to see in your ACNA newsletter?Wed like to have your input: anything new or noteworthy that happened?Like to pay tribute to a special neighbour?Got an interesting story youd like to share?


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McLennan Park UpdateAs presented in the February 3rd public Open House, the McLennan Park development planhas been finalized for construction starting in the summer, to be completed by the end of 2010.

The second phase of McLennan Park improvements includes...* Playground Area, including accessible playstructure and splash pad.* Skateboard Park with bowl and street elements.* McLennan Park Gate roadway, centralized drop-off and parking areas.* Entrance Feature off McLennan Park Gate at Blackhorne Crescent / Block Line Road.* Pedestrian Trails and Landscaping.* Basketball Courts and Beach Volleyball Courts.* Washroom Building and Picnic Shelter.* Great Lawn for picnics, ice skating and field play.* Public Art sculpture

For details about these improvements, you can go to the City's website and download plans.http://www.kitchener.ca/parks/

Annual Community Garage Sale: Saturday June 12, 2010For the last two years we have been promoting a community garage sale for the weekend before Fathers day. Last year we had approximately 27 homesparticipating in this community event. It is a good time to get rid of old stuff youno longer want and find new treasures. This is a good way to meet your neighbours too. I continue to meet new neighbours each year and enjoy getting toknow them and visiting with them. There are some places that do not allow garage sales. If you want to participate but cannot do so where you live, you can call me and set up at myhouse. Colleen Coulson 92 Geneva Crescent. Phone # 519-749-1424.

Are you a good neighbour?I know our area has many good neighbours, as I have encountered many of them.I would like to thank the neighbour ;- who found our dog who ran away this winter and who took him to the humane society so we

could retrieve him.- who uses his big snowblower to clear out the end of our driveways after the plows have gone through.- who returns my mail when it is delivered to the wrong address- who smiles and waves at meet as they go by- who keeps an eye on my house when I am away

It takes only a minute to smile or say hi to our neighbour. I encourage everyone to think about this;Do your neighbours think you are a good neighbour?.One of residents recently had a problem with rats coming on his property. He said their wasnothing on his property to attract the rats, so it was concluded that something in theneighbourhood was attracting them. Be a good neighbour and make sure there are not attractivegarbage etc to attract mice, rats, raccoons and skunks. See article in our newsletter regardinganimal problems.


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Living with Coyotes in Kitchener Kitchener has a large number of green spaces, many of which are preserved in a natural, wildstate. This gives the coyote an opportunity, especially in the south end of Kitchener, to live in

close proximity to people. Coyotes are most active at dusk, overnightand dawn. They very seldom carry rabies and do not form largepacks, like wolves do. Coyotes usually do not pose a direct threat to

humans and help keep down the population of small rodents.However, they have been known to attack and kill small pets, likedogs and cats. They are also attracted to garbage.Here are some tips for keeping coyotes from being a nuisancearound your home

- Never feed coyotes and do not leave out food for other animals that they can steal. Even birdfeeders can attract rodents that, in turn, attract coyotes.- Make sure your garbage is stored in sealed containers, and placed on the curb on themorning of pickup.- Never compost meat products.- Keep your pets indoors, dont let them roam and keep dogs on the leash when walking them.- A solid wood six-foot tall fence will generally keep them out of the yard.Coyotes generally avoid direct contact with people. If you do encounter a coyote- Dont approach them, but dont turn your back on them, or run away. Stand still or back awayslowly. They usually want to move away from you.- If you live in an area where coyotes have been seen, carry something to frighten the coyote,like a whistle, flashlight, or an umbrella you can pop open.Homeowners, and not the City or Region government, are responsible for the removal or destruction of any nuisance animal on private property. The homeowner may use the servicesof a commercial wildlife exterminator or trapper to do so.

Here some event calendar info

Waterloo Regional Police Male Chorus Fish FryWednesday April 21, 20104:30-7:00 p.m.Parkminster United Church275 Erb Street East, WaterlooAdvanced tickets onlyTickets available by email at [email protected] or 519-208-9326

tickets adult $14.00 Child $7.00 (12 and under)

Meet our Recruiters on CampusMarch 24 201010:00 a.m. till 1:00 p.m.Conestoga College on - Campus Job Fair Location: Recreation Center, Doon Campus, Kitchener


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LAKE SUPERIOR FACTS Lake Superior contains ten

percent of all the freshwater on the planetEarth.

It covers 82,000square kilometers or 31,700 square miles.

The average depth is147 meters or 483feet.

There have beenabout 350shipwrecks recordedin Lake Superior .

Lake Superior is, by surface area, the largest lake in the world. A Jesuit priest in 1668 named it Lac Tracy, but that name was never officially adopted.

It contains as much water as all the other Great Lakes combined, plus three extra LakeEries

There is a small outflow from the lake at St. Marys River (Sault Ste Marie) into Lake Huron.but it takes almost two centuries for the water to be completely replaced.

There is enough water in Lake Superior to cover all of North and South America with water afoot deep.

Lake Superior was formed during the last glacial retreat, making it one of the earthsyoungest major features at only about 10,000 years old.

The deepest point in the lake is 405 meters or 1,333 feet. There are 78 different species of fish that call the big lake home. The maximum wave ever recorded on Lake Superior was 9.45 meters or 31 feet high. If you stretched the shoreline of Lake Superior out to a straight line, it would be long enough

to reach from Duluth to the Bahamas . Over 300 streams and rivers empty into Lake Superior with the largest source being theNipigon River .

The average underwater visibility of Lake Superior is about 8 meters or 27 feet, making it thecleanest and clearest of the Great Lakes. Underwater visibility in some spots reaches 30meters.

In the summer, the sun sets more than 35 minutes later on the western shore of LakeSuperior than at its southeastern edge.

Some of the worlds oldest rocks, formed about 2.7 billion years ago, can be found on the

Ontario shore of Lake Superior. It very rarely freezes over completely, and then usually just for a few hours.Complete freezing occurred in 1962, 1979, 2003 and 2009.


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Alpine Community Neighbourhood Association - Who Are We?

We are group of motivated Kitchener, Ontario residents living within the followingboundaries:- Ottawa Street- Strasburg Road- Homer Watson Boulevard- Block Line Road

We want to work together to protect and ensure a better social, economic andbusiness climate in the neighbourhood.

A neighbourhood association like ours may produce a neighbourhood newsletter,organize events/picnics/recreation activities, clean up a neighbourhood park orfocus on problems in the neighbourhood.

For further information, contact Colleen Coulson at 519-749-1424.

ACNA Aims and Objectives1. To work to foster pride in our neighbourhood, to maintain a safe andenvironmentally friendly community.2. To encourage and facilitate resident participation in all issues affecting theneighbourhood.3. To provide information and awareness of community problems/issues andprovide a forum for their resolution.4. To preserve and enhance the quality of life in the Alpine Communityneighbourhood.5. To provide an open forum for members to voice opinions on neighbourhoodconcerns in a supportive and impartial manner.6. To be a voice for our neighbourhood interests by acting as a liaison withgovernment bodies, schools and businesses in and around our neighbourhoodand to work with other neighbourhood associations on common concerns.7. To represent the residents within the boundaries of ACNA in areas concerningexisting situations, proposed changes or planned changes which affect theneighbourhood.8. To be non-profit.

Documents

ACNA April 2010 Newsletter[1]