Attendance: Tony Bolla, Jeri Brodie, Richard Cavanagh, Mike Foderick, Linda De Giorgio, Mike Hussey, John Keating, Anita Kung, Beth Marcilio, Nick Marcilio, John McAuley, David Raymont, David Shanoff, Florence Watts, Dick Watts.

• Heritage/History
  1. Regal Road School portico – Principal Kathleen Meighan hopes RHRA will continue to show interest in having the front portico properly repaired. On December 1, Dick and Harry Lay met with Board technical staff and Ms Meighan, to discuss the work remaining. The technical staff will do further research, prepare an estimate of the cost of repairs and report back to Ms. Meighan early in 2004. They also asked whether RHRA would be able and willing to raise funds towards the repairs, estimated to be in the order of $20.000. Dick answered…possibly.
  2. Dufferin/St.Clair Library murals – Restorer, Lazlo Czer had initially given a projected start date for January 2004. However, he is still working on a contract to restore a cathedral in Ottawa. There is still no word as to a confirmed start date.
  3. Garrison Creek marker – the boulder and marker for Mt. Royal Parkette will probably be installed in the spring.
  
  
• Street Beautification
  1. report from Marc Procunier, city forester – recommendations for the maintenance and improvement of trees and other vegetation on the Springmount boulevard, Springmount steps and Glenholme steps have not yet been received.
  2. Street beautification – graffiti is starting to reappear on the mailboxes. Please adopt a box and clean it with lacquer thinner. Boxes east of Oakwood are particularly in need of cleaning as well as garbage bins. Garbage bins have been removed from park grounds due to dumping problems. A number of barrel planters are in need of repair or replacement. The barrel at the top of the Glenholme steps was stolen in November.
  
  
• City Council/Community Council/Ward 17
  1. sidewalk repairs and OMG container at Dufferin/Davenport – When the sidewalk repairs were done to Davenport and Dufferin, a small wedge of the corner was overlooked. Florence is working with Councillor Palacio’s office to get that patch filled in properly, and to have an OMG garbage bin installed at the Dufferin/Davenport bus stop.
  2. Community Council boundaries – The city of Toronto is considering a request from Ward 14 to include Ward 14 in Toronto South Community Council Area. This change could impact on Ward 17’s inclusion or exclusion from Toronto South Area. Councillor Palacio has requested input from RHRA as to which area Ward 17 should be in. Presently Ward 17 is part of Toronto South. It was agreed that we feel more ties with the Toronto South area and would prefer to remain a part of it. Dick will send a letter to Councillor Palacio expressing our sentiments and our reasons.
  3. Councillor Palacio’s survey – every household in Ward 17 should be receiving a survey from Councillor Palacio’s office requesting public input on what is important to them. Mike will send the survey in the PDF form to Tony Bolla to post on the Website so those who have not received one can print a copy. Completed surveys can be faxed, mailed or dropped off to one of Councillor Palacio’s community offices.
  
  
• Carol Sing and Storefront Holiday Decorations
  Thanks to all who attended and helped out to make the carol sing a success. A new initiative to encourage stores along St. Clair from Winona to Westmount, to decorate their storefronts was made. Marla Percy judged the storefronts and a certificate and prize of “St. Clair West in Pictures” book was presented to the Ontario School of Ballet for the best decorated storefront. Jerrett Funeral Home, Bove Aesthetics and Melange Enterprises were also commended for their efforts. Pictures of the winning storefront windows are on www.mystclair.com



• St. Clair TTC EA Study
  1. meeting with Mayor Miller December 17th – SWRC, Corso Italia, RHRA, St. Clair Gardens and St Clair West BIA met with Mayor Miller to discuss the EA process and how it can be improved. Mayor Miller is meeting with city councillors and the EA study team to determine what might be done to allow for more meaningful community input into the Study.
  2. RHRA position statement and recommendations – RHRA members have agreed to have Dick represent the group to seek changes to the EA process to allow for greater community input. These changes include establishing a clear purpose for the study that will help to build our community, not just to solve a public transit problem.
  3. Community Workshop– a workshop of 60 people from 20 groups in the Study Area (Yonge St. to Gunns Rd.) will be held by the EA Study Team on Monday January 26 to discuss the criteria for evaluating alternative transit solutions, the weights that will be given to these criteria, and the list of possible alternative solutions. RHRA has been invited to send 3 delegates. John Keating Mike Hussey and Dick will attend. In their pre-meetings, Dick, John and Mike (RHRA Workshop Team) have agreed that there are not sufficient opportunities for public input during the next key phases of the Study. That is during the time when the recommended solution is being formulated and defined in some detail.
     After some discussion, the Executive authorized the Workshop Team to try to ensure that additional community workshops and public meetings are included at strategic times in the decision making process. John presented a diagram and text indicating specifically where and when these meetings should occur and what should be the objectives of these meetings.
     Dick distributed a statement of purpose for the Study, which he hopes, will be useful in maintaining focus on what we are trying to achieve. He also distributed a new draft statement of purpose prepared in December by the EA Team and noted that it is far superior to their previous draft.
  4. St.Clair West BIA and community groups meeting with EA team February 5th – Councillor Palacio will be present at this meeting with the EA team and the BIA. An invitation has been extended to Regal Heights and the broader community. This is another opportunity to give input. The meeting will be held in St.Clare Church Parish Hall at 7 pm.
  5. Capital Works Projects, Study Design - Brown & Storey, Architects, have been engaged by the City to prepare recommendations on aesthetic and functional improvements to St Clair Ave. as a complementary study to the EA Transit Study and as an integral part of the St.Clair West Revitalization Study. About ten community reps. joined the architects on an inspection walk Sunday Jan.18 from Glenholme to Lansdowne. The remainder of the area will be covered in a second walk in a couple of weeks.
  6. SCRIPT is a new group that is forming to support and advocate for a dedicated Right of Way for the St. Clair streetcar. They will have their first meeting on Wednesday January 21st at 7 pm at the JJP Centre.
  
  
• Finances/Membership We currently have 67 paid family memberships. Presently there is $1300. in our account. $300. is designated towards the library mural fund to assist with fund-raising costs.



• Other
  1. School reports – Regal Road Public School –Jeri Brodie reported that they are looking for donations of computers; last fall there were 3 break-ins where money and computers were stolen from the school. The grade 4 to 6 students may want to start another butterfly garden again this spring.
  
  
  2. Police meetings – will continue monthly on the first Thursday in the cafeteria of OCI. A police officer will be present at each meeting. Constable Dennis Cadorette will be there to address community issues. Reminder of these meetings will be announced through the autodialler, and David will also post e-mail notices. Mike Foderick will inform the police that people have been observed parked in front of the Regal Road School entrance and loitering around at night.
  
  
  3. Natural ice rinks – Mike Foderick informed us that natural ice rinks could be created in park spaces if 10 volunteers will commit to maintaining it and flooding it on a regular basis. The closest one to us now is at the Wychwood Car barns.

Next Meeting: February 17th 7:30 pm at MacConnell’s, 38 Glenholme.