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Northwest Corner Project (3): 2019
Feb.6, 2019 DTAH presentation
Notes on the presentation errors:
p.32: Luke Anderson says the the unit paver paths are not accessible for his wheelchair, neither are the crumbling parts of the asphalt paths (listed as "accessible formal pathways")
P.33: the building entrances are used often and without difficulty by people with wheelchairs, why are they marked inaccessible? - what makes the concrete path inaccessible? Angle? What is the angle? - is the sidewalk accessible from the mall? - many people enter from the Gladstone drop-off -- why is it not marked as an entrance?
p.48: the main room has fluorescents as backups, had halogen as its main lights. Why not mentioned?
Feb.6, 2019, email to LURA
I believe that Megan said at the public meeting tonight that the Dufferin Rink clubhouse kitchen is "not really a kitchen at all" and that DTAH looked at some other park kitchens for examples of kitchens that were built in a way that conforms to the health and safety standards. She gave the kitchen at Christie Pits as an example. Could Meg let me know where in Christie Pits that kitchen is located?
Feb.7, 2019, response from LURA
Megan provided the following examples of community facilities improved in the last number of years that have included facilities to support expanded/new food programs:
- The High Park Children’s Teaching Kitchen (mentioned in last night’s meeting): More information about that particular kitchen can be found online, including here: https://www.oaa.on.ca/professional%20resources/sustainable%20design/case-studies-details/Straw-Bale-Children%E2%80%99s-Teaching-Kitchen/26
There are also new kitchens supporting community programming built at the following community centres:
- Parkway Forest Community Centre, 55-59 Forest Manor Road, Toronto - there is a picture of the kitchen on the following website: https://dsai.ca/projects/parkway-forest-community-centre/
- Warden Hilltop Community Centre, 25 Mendelssohn Street, Toronto - an older example, but kitchen facility pictured at the following website: https://www.toronto.ca/data/parks/prd/facilities/complex/1865/index.html
- Don Montgomery Community Centre, 2467 Eglinton Avenue East, Toronto - https://www.toronto.ca/data/parks/prd/facilities/complex/712/index.html
The facilities at Christie Pits that have recently been improved include the outdoor bake oven and the surrounding areas for outdoor gathering and dining (the bake oven a very popular one and is permitted to the public; however permit holders must connect with the Parks Supervisor to receive training). At last night’s meeting, Megan was referring to the outdoor bake oven and surrounding areas as a type of outdoor kitchen – the City would like to clarify that there is no indoor kitchen at Christie Pits that conforms with City standards for kitchens, so Megan misspoke. The design team has heard feedback already that the new outdoor bake oven at Christie Pits does not achieve the high temperatures ideal for bread baking. The team would be interested in feedback on other aspects of this redesign at Christie Pits, including the seating and dining areas. Having the community’s and CRG’s help in collecting examples of renewed facilities that appear to work well is valuable to the design team. If there are other examples the community thinks the design team should be considering, the team encourages the community to share those examples with them (e.g. through email (fastest means of communication), or at a CRG meeting). The project team would also like to clarify that the public is welcome to attend the CRG meetings as observers, and if they have any comments or feedback, they can provide this in writing to Lura staff after the CRG meetings.
Follow-up posts
Jutta for CELOS
It’s been a week now since the city’s public meeting about re-making the rink and the clubhouse. Over the next two weeks, I’ll be posting short pieces about the different elements that drive this project. On my list: conflict of interest, the availability of experts in “community behavior change mechanisms,” the Bombardier company as the sponsor of “place-making” in rinks, how money floats around, designing a neighbourhood that fits the money, environmental side effects, the coming of the tall towers, who works in the park, and who lives here now. read more
Councillor Bailao letter to dufferingrovefriends list March 9, 2019
I'd like to take a moment to clarify some of the questions my office has received about the process regarding the improvements to the northwest corner of Dufferin Grove Park. read more
March 11, 2019
Text of the city web page construction schedule etc. for Northwest corner project (copied here).
March 25, 2019, from Jutta
Today Lura sent a message to CRG members saying they had published the first of three blogs “meant to provide community members with a solid understanding of the project,” The blog is here. Two members of the CRG had already asked me to make a list of what is and is not a current code violation at the rink. The Lura blog came at the right time – it helps me shape my list a little better. My list, and responses to Lura, are here.
March 27, 2019, email to Liz McHardy of Lura, from Jutta
Could you ask Capital Projects to send me (and publish):
1. The complete list of elements that don't "meet code" for the rink house as it is now, and the relevant code number
2. The specific list of bylaws and any other regulations that are not being adhered to currently at the rink (including the rink slabs and surroundings), referencing the problematic building element and the number of the bylaw or regulation. This should include information about which of those elements pose a risk to occupational health and safety, or where there is a concern about a future legal claim against the city.
3. The specific test/assessments carried out on the rink slabs that show they need "imminent replacement." read more
March 27, 2019, email to Parks manager Peter White
I hear you said last night that you're the person who told me the rink slabs were not showing problems. But as I recall it, I asked the CIMCO guy, Jeremy, and he said he was unaware of any problem. I asked him because he said that CIMCO takes care of rink slabs as well as what's in the refrigeration room.
As you see from my cc to Lura, I have now asked about specific evidence that the slabs/pipes are in the kind of trouble that needs the whole thing to be dug up and trucked over to the Spit.
As for the refrigeration equipment itself, I want to make sure I understood what you said when we talked in December. I thought you said that PMMD didn't get the CIMCO maintenance contract out until a week before the rink was to start up. Hence the delay in noticing a problem with the condenser rust, testing the system etc.
The city's web page confusingly gives the contract award date as August 11, 2018, for $1.16 million, but then the actual award link says Nov.8, 2018 -- to service 45 outdoor rinks. The second date is three weeks before -- but it still leads to a crazy scramble. Why so late, when the RFP was issued on June 4 and it sounds like CIMCO was the only contender?
April 5, 2019, response from Peter White
I was told by staff attending the last public meeting that the comment about the slab being ok was attributed to me by a member of the public. This person indicated that I had said this at the meeting we had with you on site. While Jeremy [from CIMCO]] may have indicated that he was not aware of any problems, it is a stretch to say that there is nothing wrong with the pad or that it doesn’t need replacement.
As for the issuing of the Cimco contract, the November date is probably the most accurate. I cannot speak to the time interval following the issuing of the RFP as that was in the hands of PMMD.
April 5, 2019, email back to Peter White
Good to know that you say there are signs that the pad needs replacement. I sent my questions through LURA, to find out where and what those signs are. It's been over a week now with no answers. Do you have them?
I imagine that either Peter D. or Katy A. told you I said you said the pads were fine. But I did not. I said at the CRG meeting that tech services said they knew of nothing that was wrong with the pads. I didn't want to say CIMCO because there is very little time to explain anything at those meetings and since tech services rink maintenance has been replaced by CIMCO, Paul Brown is still where the buck stops, yes?
No response
April 3, 2019
On March 27, Andrea Holtslander posted a question on the dufferingrove list:
I was at a meeting last night about the revitalization project for the northwest corner of Dufferin Grove. I brought up the environmental cost of replacing the rink and mentioned that a number of people that I've spoken to who play hockey there say they don't care if the rink is standard size or not. However, one man at the meeting said the rink is a "disaster." Peter Didiano, Supervisor of Capital Projects, wanted to know who these people were who didn't care about the rink being a standard size.
It's relevant because the city is citing the need for the hockey rink to be a standard size as a reason for its replacement. (Standard size would be slightly bigger than the rink is now.) I don't play hockey, but if you do, perhaps you could weigh in and let LURA, the firm in charge of consulting with the community, know your thoughts: lmchardy@lura.ca.
Over the following week there were quite a lot of responses. read more
April 9, 2019, email to Lura
Tomorrow it will be two weeks that I haven't heard back from you or from the city re the questions in my March 27 email. It sounds like I need to file an FOI request. Can you let me know if that is the reason why there has been no direct response?
NOTE: The city's link to the awards list is here. One happens upon it by accident.
Back to p.1 here
Forward to p.4 here