Volunteer

This is a job that pays! A training session is mandatory and provided by the community association. This is a great way for you to be involved in our community. If you have already taken the training, you are not required to attend again. You may retake the training if you would like to refresh your skills. If you are 12 years of age or older and interested in becoming a referee for the 2017 outdoor soccer season with HHBH, please contact Melissa Hagg at melissahagg@gmail.com or 403-284-2410.

Hello everyone. March is here and, along with it, more daylight, less snow and warmer days (hopefully). As we head towards spring, we can see an end to the winter hibernation – whether physical or psychological.

Our community association changes with the seasons too and this month your board is getting active on a few projects.

The biggest and most exciting project is the expansion of our facility. Many of you have visited our gym on a regular basis for sports activities but did you notice the little boardroom door on the left as you walked through the entrance? Have you ever actually gone through it? If your answer is no, you are not alone. But we are hoping to change that!

As I mentioned in my January message, after many years of dreaming and saving, we are finally going to build an addition to our building. This expansion will be approximately 3000 square feet and look fairly ordinary on the outside but on the inside, it will be a very versatile space that can be partitioned to suit many purposes such as dance and yoga classes, meetings, receptions, and seniors’ activities.

The success of this project depends on your help. As you know, our community association board is run by volunteers and this project is no exception. We need your help in the form of opinions, ideas and expertise. We have set up a building committee and meet the third Wednesday of every month from 7:00 – 9:00 PM, in our boardroom. Our Vice-President, Carol Sandahl has become our capable and fearless leader so please email her for more information and to be involved: vp@hh-bh.ca. You now have a reason to go through that door!

Our other project is much smaller but important in its own way. On March 18 at 4:00 p.m. (again – in the boardroom) there will be a special meeting of our community membership to help revise our association’s bylaws. This was a well-written document 60-odd years ago but unsurprisingly, some things have changed and other clauses are simply outdated. Our community has grown and evolved and it’s important that the laws by which we govern reflect those changes. The foundation is still sound but some of the details need updating.

This project is not as exciting as a new addition so to reward your participation, there will be a party in that same boardroom (and gym) that evening, from 6:00 – 9:00. Even if you can’t attend the bylaws meeting please come! Bring your family and friends as there will be lots of food and fun activities. It’s a great way to meet those neighbours you’ll begin seeing more of now that winter is coming to an end.

And finally, just a reminder that effective communication is critical to a vibrant and safe community so check out our HHBH website at www.hh-bh.ca. There you will find upcoming events, announcements, facility information, and loads of other content, as well as links to our Facebook page and Twitter feed.

 Laura

Thank you Calgary for your participation and support throughout the Crowchild Trail Study.  Together we have developed recommendations for short-, medium- and long-term changes and upgrades to Crowchild Trail that reflect a balance of many ideas and perspectives, and best align with the study’s key principles and goals.

The final study recommendations will be presented to Council’s Standing Policy Committee (SPC) on Transportation and Transit:

Date: Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Time: 9:30 a.m.

Location: 800 Macleod Trail S.E. (Council Chamber)

If you are interested in speaking to Council about the study, we invite you to join us on April 19, 2017.  As with the majority of reports from City Administration, the Crowchild Trail Study will be presented to Council’s SPC on Transportation and Transit before it is forwarded on to Council.  You are welcome to speak to Committee, but not at the regular meeting of Council.  Reports are heard in the order they appear on the agenda which is published approximately four days in advance of the meeting.

More information on attending meetings of Council and Standing Policy Committees is available at calgary.ca. For more information on the study, visit calgary.ca/crowchild.

February can be a challenging month. Winter fatigue sets in, the days are still short, and the excitement of the holidays has worn off (except maybe for lingering bills). The upside is that February only has 28 days and luckily, there is no shortage of things to do in our community. Below are just a few:

• Go skating in Green Park. Many dedicated volunteers are involved with maintaining the ice rinks, regardless of weather, and they do an excellent job! I hope you will take advantage of their hard work and make the most of our Calgary winter as you enjoy the outdoors with neighbours, friends and family.

• Register your children in our community outdoor soccer program. Registration started February 1st and we hope to have teams for ages ranging from 4 to 18. This is another volunteer-run program so get involved and help out. It’s a great way for both you and your children to connect with neighbours. Information is available on our website: hh-bh.ca.

• Help us prepare to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday. Our events director, Patricia, is planning a community party on August 19 and wants you to be part of it! Come out to the workshops scheduled 2:00 – 4:00 every Sunday in our community boardroom and bring your entertainment talents. This is the perfect antidote for chilly February Sundays. Again – check our website for more details.

• Plan to come to a community Special General Meeting on Saturday, March 18 to help us update our association’s bylaws. Admittedly, this is a pretty dry topic, but to make up for it we are planning a party immediately afterwards. More details are available on our website.

• Volunteer on our community association’s board. Unfilled positions include Sears Plume Director and Co-Director for running and maintaining our facility.

• Check out our community website regularly so you’re in the loop on what’s going on. As well, find us on Facebook and Twitter and become part of our conversations, with topics ranging from lost pets, found items, safety and security updates, and sometimes, just beautiful stories or photos.

• Come and enjoy our drop-in gym programs. These include badminton Tuesday – Friday mornings, pickle ball Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, and free family gym nights on Fridays.

I wish you all a happy February that includes lots of fun activities and very little shovelling.

Laura

Happy New Year!

A new year is an opportunity to share our plans and dreams for the upcoming twelve months. So at this time, I would like to share with you what 2017 may hold in store for our community.

The biggest dream is to finally realize the goal of improving our community facility by building an addition. As many of you know, shortly after we moved into our current building in 2002, an architect was hired to design a large addition. These plans have been tucked away for over a decade and subsequent community association boards have been saving money from revenues and casinos. Members have been discussing how the design could be improved and waiting for our neighbouring library and North Hill Centre mall owners to come through with their promises of renovations so that we could work with them to have an integrated design that would best serve our community.

After several extensions given to us by the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission for future use of the proceeds we received from their casinos, we received a letter last October advising us that we would lose over $200,000 and possibly be removed from their list of charities if we did not submit a plan for the expenditure of their funds along with a time line. Suddenly, all our waiting for future collaboration with other interested parties was pressured into action.

Our response included a proposal to build a 3000 square foot addition that will be a multipurpose area. This new space will be versatile so that it can be partitioned when needed and suitable for a variety of uses such as meeting rooms, athletic studios, and banquets.  Casino funds and our sizable savings from general revenues over the years will fund the project. The time line for this project is estimated to be approximately 2 years.

As well, our board has contacted Councillor Druh Farrell and she has been sympathetic with our sudden call to action by facilitating a meeting with the city’s public library department and mall owner. We still hope that our project will fit into an integrated design even if it is done in stages rather than all at once. And we hope that you will contribute with your ideas and support so that we can create a design and renovation that will be worth the long wait! We will be asking for your input.

A much smaller project this year is to update our community association’s bylaws. They are outdated in some areas and inaccurate in others. Change requires a special general meeting with 21 days notice so please watch for further information and an invitation to attend this event.

I hope that you are looking forward to your own plans and dreams for 2017 and I wish you health and happiness.

Laura