Drinking Fountain

I've received word from the city that the drinking fountain in the park is working again. It's been 4 years and boy am I thirsty!!

Unfortunately, the drain has been irreparably clogged with sand so the water will have to run off onto the path/sand until the summer's scheduled, major reno work gets us a brand spanking new fountain.

PLEASE try to prevent further damage to the fountain and keep an eye on the little ones who are magnetically drawn to shove anything they can into it. Speak up so we all can drink up!!

Our new table has arrived

Ping pong season has begun in earnest! Friends of Ritchie Parkette's solicitations have been heard. In fact the case for ping pong tables in city parks has been so well received that we are told 5 other tables have been made for parks around the city. A bone fide coup!

The general opinion is that it plays very well and looks smarter than expected. Hopefully it is respected and remains in good condition for years to come. Please speak up if you see it being mistreated. 

I am told that even Loblaws sells paddles and balls - so now you have no excuse to get your game on. 

In the photo below undefeated neighbourhood champion, Pepi, proudly sits atop his concrete throne of glory beckoning a worthy opponent to attempt a shot at the title. Any takers?

Councillor Perks lends support to Ritchie Parkette grant application

"As the Councillor representing this area, I support their Weston Grant application as it builds on the work that the community and the city have started. The application proposal, if approved, not only compliments the existing plans through the Parks department but provides additional features that will serve to enrich the site and further the ever growing sense of community that exists because of this park."

Download a PDF of his letter of support here.

Many are called, few are chosen.

A few short weeks ago it was brought to the attention of The Friends of Ritchie Parkette that The Garfield Weston Foundation was sponsoring something called The Weston Family Parks Challenge. Essentially they are requesting proposals from community groups which if successful would provide up to $5 million in aggregate over a period of three-years to fund innovative park initiatives across the City of Toronto. With the assistance of Park People they will work with communities to generate a broad range of ideas to creatively fund, sustain and engage Toronto’s communities with their city parks and nature.

Some of our members jumped at the chance to fund items requested by the community but weren't in the City's capital budget. These were items like a new rink, a water box to help provide water in the winter to the rink, water play opportunities, a shed and other items to help facilitate kids and adults in enjoying the flora and fauna of the wilds of Ritchie Avenue. With a lot of hard work (huge shout-out to Alanna) our proposal was developed and submitted.

Many proposals were made to the Westons in Round 1 and very few made it to Round 2. I'm elated to report that we are one of the few. We will keep you updated as soon as we hear more. In the meantime, for your reading pleasure:

The full text of the proposal can be downloaded here.

Just to Add...

Hi

Mickey Hamill has been missing since Thursday morning, he has an Irish accent and a limp when walking. He was last sighted in the Adelaide downtown east side but from the junction/high park area. Here is the original news release

http://www.cp24.com/news/missing-senior-left-home-in-a-cab-and-never-returned-police-say-1.1234744
Thanks

Laura

Local man missing

A couple people were walking by the park asking if anyone has seen this local man. He has a medical condition. If you see him around please contact the police.

St. Patrick's Eve Party!

Get lucky!
No, not in the parkette but next door at 75 Ritchie.

Saturday, March 16 at 4:00 PM

Come early: We are planning a Bodhran workshop, with a master Irish drummer for kids and the young at heart. Come out with your families for some good luck and cheer at our St. Patrick's Eve party. There will be Irish stew, shamrock burgers, and green food and drink for kids and adults, as well as lucky challenges and charms for all. Come celebrate all things Irish and see if you can be the one to find the gold at the end of the rainbow. Bonus: if you can catch one of our Leprechauns you get to take him home with you.

Alanna, Hercules, Kaia, Max and Oscar are hosting and have asked me to blog it.

If you get lost: 416-536-2692

The rink is ready

If you haven't already, please suit up and enjoy the new rink at Ritchie parkette. It's open for business and the price is right. We will be planning a skating party one weekend so stay tuned...

Also, post a comment or let me know if you are interested in helping with some evening floods. And if you see that the ice is wet from a flood please refrain from skating on it until it is completely frozen (usually a couple hours).

Thanks again to the neighbourhood elves and home hardware for making it happen.

We have a rink! (almost)

A new 25'x35' rink has been built and filled with water in the parkette. Now all we are waiting for is it to freeze which will probably take until the new year.

Home Hardware on Morrow generously donated the liner and half of the lumber costs. Consider showing your gratitude for their neighbourly gesture by thinking of them next time you visit the hardware store. At very least thank them if you happen to run into them.

We need your help in a couple ways:

1. Please keep off the rink until the large "PLEAAE KEEP OFF" sign has been removed. It will take a few days to freeze and stepping on the surface too early will undo the hard work of your fellow neighbours and ruin the ice. Repairing it will mean a further delay so feel free to speak up if you see dogs or kids tempted to test it.

2. $200 dollars in material costs and an as yet unknown dollar amount in water (generously supplied by the Fortis family next door to the park) will hopefully be recouped by those who use it. We will plan a skating party once the rink is underway to fundraise but in the meantime if you plan on using it consider donating between $10 and $20 to the cause depending on how much you think you will use it. You can put it in the mailbox at 75 Ritchie.

Thanks and happy skating...

Parking warning

Beware of accidentally parking in the new handicap parking spot just down from the parkette. I noticed a ticket on an illegally parked car and was astonished at the preposterous fine amount. $450!! Wow.

Parkette Meeting Summary

Thank to those who came for the meeting last night. Although a unanimous consensus wasn't achieved in all areas I will attempt to summarize where we landed on things anyway.

1. Sand retention. We liked the idea of using natural logs (similar, albeit smaller than these) to enclose the sand area on 2 sides (see attached photo). This keeps the sand off the path, which will protect the new sod and they will make an attractive barrier which can be used as seating by little ones. The downside is they will have to be replaced after a few years once they start to rot.

2. Widen pathway. Although this will cut into the green space there isn't much we can do about it since government law requires approx. 1.5 m wide paths so that potentially two wheel chairs can pass simultaneously. We did talk about angling the path a little as per attached diagram.

3. Move bench. We'll move the bench closer to the twirly slide to allow for more green space. Also we'll add a bench back onto the small concrete pad where there used to be one.

4. We all agreed to replace a baby swing with an accessible swing (can also be used by babies).

5. Relocating the water fountain closer to the entrance of the park to 1. save money and 2. keep it away from the sand. Also we'll be able to tap into it for occasional slip and slide misadventures.  It would be amazing if we could bury the waterbox below the frostline to use the water for flooding a rink but the City will get back to us on whether it is possible once they determine the depth.

6. Add new sod where needed and try to level of green space as much as possible.

7. New lighting at the rear of the park (similar to old lighting but with lights that can focus a little better). Position indicated on diagram although should probably sit right along the middle of the edge of the concrete pad.

8. The latched gate at the back was a controversial one. A few parents were quite adamant that it was not a good idea so unless there is a strong voice I think we can safely assume that it isn't going to happen.

9. Retaining wall and fill to try and slightly level off the corner of the park. This is still in the air. We've been told it will be expensive and would only give us 1.5 feet higher at the lowest point. I don't think anyone would object to this but it is a lower priority ask.

10. Toy corral. This would probably be better situated where there isn't much activity anyway - in either of the back corners.

11. Additions to play structure. This could happen although personally I don't substantially see a huge benefit. The ideas of clocks and tic tac toe boards seemed not to interest too many adults and I never see any kids play with them in parks that do have them. A net or a mini-climbing wall up one side of the structure (ostensibly replacing something that is already there) is possible though.

12. Lastly, the ping pong table. We are limited to what we can do on the pad. Removing the concrete pad is too expensive and basketball nets were ruled out. Both the Councillor and the park designer thought a new concrete table would be an easy fix and inexpensive use of the space. It would also be Toronto's first table in a public park! There was not unanimous support for it though. One issue is that it wasn't an activity devoted to fitness (obviously spoken by someone that hasn't seen me play when the jacket comes off). And also it isn't suitable for the under-5 set (although I'm not sure what would be on a concrete surface.

So now is our final chance to brainstorm any other concrete pad ideas and get consensus on a new direction otherwise the table looks like it will be a go.

One major qualifier for a new table is the requirement for it to be a good table. There is no point in a having a big, cracked hunk of concrete with a corner missing junking up the park. We need to ensure that it can withstand Canadian winters and Canadian teenagers. I've seen other tables made for parks in Europe and the U.S. but the Parks people are looking at a local option. As long as it is the proper, size, height and has been tested to withstand the abuse it will undoubtedly take - I think we are good.

I apologize if I have missed something. Please let me know in the comments. Let's having a discussion about the particulars so we can send a revised plan to the Councillor's office in a week.

Owl spotted

This snoozing predator was spotted in the parkette on Remembrance Day. Keep an eye out for it in the trees in the back corner above the ping pong table.