Community Cleanup Day

It was a cold morning but thanks to everyone who came out, we got the park cleaned up in record time this morning!

A huge thanks to everyone who participated, including Ward 17 Councillor Cesar Palacio. Special thanks to Frank Ruffolo, Recreation Coordinator, for helping to get the word out about this event and for providing staff and extra volunteers this morning.

A few photos:

Community Meeting Nov 15 - Earlscourt Park Revitalization

We mentioned in a previous post of news from Ward 17 Councillor Cesar Palacio of upcoming renovations to the Park.

We are thrilled to announce that renovations are scheduled for Spring 2013 to replace the deteriorating stairs leading up from Davenport Road and install barrier-free access in that same area of the park.

Councillor Palacio will be holding a Community Meeting this week to discuss these improvements. All interested should attend!

When: Thursday, November 15, 6:30pm
Where: Joseph J. Piccininni Community Centre, Main Lobby.

For more information, please visit: www.cesarpalacio.com/earlscourt.html

A Meeting of Park Minds

Friends of Earlscourt Park held our first official meeting with Ward 17 City Coucillor Cesar Palacio on August 23. In addition to his willingness to facilitate projects to better the park, and offering his support as a liaison with the City where needed, he has made us aware of a series of initiatives that affect Earlscourt Park.  

Meeting highlights:

General Maintenance issues in the Park. Maintenance issues should be reported by calling 3-1-1. Concerns may also be directed to Cesar's office (cpalacio@toronto.ca); he will follow up and ensure that the issues are being dealt with in a timely manner.

Capital Improvements. Several structures at Earlscourt Park are slated for refurbishment/repair/renovation under the City's capital expense budget over the next decade. Stay tuned for more details.

Upcoming Community Meeting: Cesar's office will be coordinating a meeting in the coming weeks to solicit community feedback for the proposed ramp up from Davenport to replace the existing stairs which are badly in need of repairs. Please read more about this here.

Green Initiatives: Cesar's office will hold a community consultation meeting in the future to duscuss greening the Park. Date TBD.

Band Shell and surrounding area: This structure exists because of community fundraising, and Cesar continues to work with local labour unions and BIAs to continue fundraising to bring this area to completion.

Beautification: Friends of Earlscourt Park has identified a series of smaller initiatives relating to park beautification, such as planting of perennials and painting the wading pool. Councillor Palacio agrees that projects such as these can make a big difference and offers his support to help prioritize and facilitate these projects.

We are thrilled with Councillor Palacio's commitment to working with our group!

Update on Maintenance Issues - July 25, 2012

Councillor Cesar Palacio and his office have been working with the Parks Supervisors to address current maintenance issues in Earlscourt Park. We were pleased to learn the following this week:

1. Wading Pool Inspection: Parks has had a plumber inspect the wading pool to ensure that all is in good working order. This includes the spray (fountain) feature, which we are told is fully operational aside from those times that the pool is being filled or emptied. 

2. Litter: New closed-style garbage and recycling containers have been ordered to replace the existing open concept bins, which allow litter to be blown through the park and playground. In addition, Solid Waste Management has been asked to increase the overall number of containers in the park. 

3. Playground Signage: Parks has placed an order for signage to encourage park users to "Please help keep our parks clean".

We thank Councillor Palacio and the Parks Supervisors for addressing these issues!

Combined with last week's news about the upcoming field house renovation and future ramp installation from Davenport this demonstrates a genuine interest from the City on addressing concerns in the Park. 

Earlscourt Park is Getting Capitol Improvements!

Hello EP lover,

We've had some wonderful news from Councillor Cesar Palacio about upcoming Earlscourt Park renovations:

• Earlscourt Park Fieldhouse (Building #7 - south of the new soccer field) is getting completely redone this year. Over $150,000 is being invested in renovations. This is a fantastic addition to the park and soccer field; players and residents will now have a proper place to change before using the field.

• Switchback Ramps. The deteriorating state of the stairs (from the dog park to Davenport Road) is being addressed by staff. Since Toronto has to be fully accessible by 2025, Parks and my office have come together to develop a ramp design to replace the stairs. The ramp will begin and end at the same location as the current stairs to avoid any accessibility confusion. The attached photograph is a built example in Hamilton that staff are using as a precedent. This is a huge capital infrastructure investment that we should all be proud of.

Sample ramp design from a facility in Hamilton

Hip Hip Hooray!!