Hokey Geeze! Some shrubbery!

I am sure some of you have already noticed the presence of some junior shrubs at the dog run? wow. And some landscaping with the impatiens in the corner by the service gate? and the lovely hosta display in between the trees on the way to the entrance gate? things are looking up!

What is going on? Am I taking crazy pills? Shrubgate 2010

Hello? Anyone accountable in City Hall for the dog runs? For the shrubs? Are there shrubs? Are these shrubs to be planted at the Lansdowne Dog Run? At any dog run? Have they been ordered? Are they in transit? Do they exist?

You may recall that at the June meeting, Cynthia Lulham was asked to look into the shrub issue, again. By the mayor, again. There was also a promise to call the questioner (Paul Creighton) the NEXT DAY with the answer as to shrub status. Not only no call, but still no answer. This is where the idea of crazy pills comes in. I mean, seriously, how hard can it be to answer a question that has been asked at least three times over three months? This answer doesn't deliver the lost clue to the location of Eldorado or the Fountain of Youth, rather it highlights landscaping choices in a public area.

Have the shrubs been planted? Have the shrubs been purchased? Yes, or No. Not much wiggle room here - yes we did, no we didn't. Does the approved $80,000 for green landscaping include safety and beautification treatments for the dog runs?

If this is all new, the shrub idea was suggested by the city as a way to help deter dogs from jumping out over the fences. The city's position is that the cedar shrubs will maintain natural look and will not only provide some protection to the dogs and owners inside, but to the passersby outside the fence.

Some dog run goers feel that shrubs are a limited deterrent and in fact pose a hazard in that dogs still jump and can get caught and strung up on the shrubs. Shrubs are also expensive, slow to grow, and need to be planted and maintained. All this instead of just adding a section to the existing chain link fence? Cheaper, more effective and can still be fancied up with decorative greenery.

Chances are though, this wait and see tactic is going to drag on until the arena construction/destruction begins at which point, the dog run will cease to exist - not only physically, but as an issue or cause for concern for some councillors.

Request for a temporary dog run during arena construction

Bridget Blackadder, president of the Westmount Dog Owner’s Association, asked the following questions during the first question period at the June 7th City Council Meeting.

Bridget Blackadder: Bridget Blackadder, Springfield Avenue. Two-part question for the mayor and council. Do we have an expected start date for the construction of the arena, and, do we have an idea of how long the noisy, messy, construction might last?

Mayor Trent: Perhaps I could ask the chairman of the arena committee, but we're talking early next year I suppose breaking ground?

Chairman: I would say to just looking at a timeline of what is reasonably possible given that we are getting into the more detailed design phases and then we have to go to tender etc., It would be unrealistic to think that any construction would begin in the year 2010. .So you could pick, if it were it would be at the very end of the year or the beginning of next year would be the earliest possible date when you could imagine the start. That actually is an advantage in the sense that when you are doing excavation and that kind of thing which is the messy and the noisy part, it’s winter and people’s windows are closed so you know, there’s an advantage to actually getting that work done then so that could work in our favour And then a project of this size should take about 18 months, but it reaches a phase after a year I would say where you’re working indoors, right, so. ..

Mayor Trent: dust..

Chairman: Such as it is..

Bridget Blackadder: indoors, under doors..

Chairman: Yes so..

Bridget Blackadder: The reason I ask is that during the heavy construction, the dog run at Lansdowne will have to be closed. The construction folk are going to need that space for making their messes and, you know, for safety reasons the dogs and their walkers and owners. So I’m putting in front of council the need to add something else to the To Do list. We have to find an adequately sized, safely fenced, appropriately lit, dog run for, we’ll call it between 12 and 18 months. And I guess we’d best get started now. So who do I speak to? Who is going to get this yummy little mini-project started?

Chairman: I think you just did. We will have of course a checklist, this is just one of them, traffic considerations…all kinds of things… that need to be managed in the course of this project and that's definitely one of them.

Bridget Blackadder: I would like to, I will write you a letter listing out what I think the dog folk would believe to be an appropriate..

Chairman: That would be very helpful

Bridget Blackadder: ..substitute with any caveats that we know from history, and then I’ll get on the phone to you.

Chairman: That would be very helpful and I would thank you for it.

Council Meeting: Q&A on the dog runs

Transcript of the June 7^th, 2010 Council Meeting

First question Period

Paul Creighton: My name is Paul Creighton, Mr. Mayor, and I live at 437 Argyle. Two questions if I may, both relating to the dog runs. But first I would like to offer a note of congratulations for the work done on the Lansdowne run with the resurfacing of the surface area with a) appropriately sized gravel, and b) an appropriate depth of the gravel. I say this with some trepidation cause the last time I congratulated you, the mavens in the public works heard about it and with the speed of the Hadron collider the congratulated item was removed. Anyway, I’m sure that won’t happen this time. It’s harder to pick up gravel bits than it is to pick up fence.

Mayor Trent: So the subjects of your congratulations tend to become ephemeral?

Creighton: That’s right, that’s right exactly. My question number one. The last council meeting you will recall Mr. Mayor, we broke down the initial improvements of the dog runs into what nature would do and what the department of public works would do. Nature has done its course in that at least one of the plants at the Lansdowne run, I believe it is called Solomon’s Shield (sic) is now at least three or four feet above the level of the fence and is growing randomly and rapidly, perhaps in a way that will not meet the approval of the priorities advisory committee but never the less very good growth. The rest of the hedging is basically cedar, and it has grown about an inch as it has not been cut as Mr. Martin said Public Works would not do. So it is progressing slowly on that side. On the other side, public works was, I understand, to purchase a variety of shrubs that were thick and fast growing. To date there have been none planted. Can I ask you whether any have actually been purchased, and if not why not?

Mayor Trent: Who wants to answer that one? Who is the expert on planting for dog runs?

Paul Creighton: Cynthia Lulham, what has happened to the shrubs?

Cynthia Lulham: um, I don’t know. As far as I know, Claudette Savaria has ordered them and they’re to be planted. I noticed that a lot of other shrubs haven’t been planted yet so I assume they’re all coming together.

Paul Creighton: This will all be done before fall though, I hope

Cynthia Lulham: Oh yes, yes

Creighton: One must always check

Cynthia Lulham: I promise, I promise. I’ll email you tomorrow

Paul Creighton: Winter wheat is very good in the fall, and tulips too but shrubs not

Cynthia Lulham: I will take note and email you tomorrow with the time

Creighton: Now, the next question if I may. The maintenance gates at both the dog runs are in deplorable condition. At least one has been at least opened and closed and that was the one at Lansdowne to get the trucks in with the gravel. Can anyone tell me when work might be done on the replacement of, or repair of either or both gates?

Mayor Trent: who is the gatekeeper huh?

Cynthia Lulham: Well, researching shrubs, I’ll do gates too.

Paul Creighton: You will. Good, so it’s done then.

Mayor Trent: Gates and shrubs.

Hear this for yourself at: (http://www.westmount.org/page.cfm?Section_ID=1&Menu_Item_ID=61)