About 60 people were in attendance. Dick Watts welcomed everyone to the 30^th annual meeting of the Association. A few special visitors were introduced: José Perez, Chairman, St Clair West Revitalization Committee; Cynthia Toniolla, library services manager; Caroline Ingvaldsen, Branch Head, Dufferin/St Clair library; Tony Bolla, My St. Clair.com; Mike Foderick, executive assistant to Councillor Palacio; John Lorinc and Karen Beattie from the Regal Road School Parent Council; and Evan Castel, Davenport Residents’ Association.

Renata Gonsalves, principal of O.C.I. shared some words of welcome and thanks to RHRA for all the support to the school through the years. The new vice-principal, Robert MacIntosh, was introduced. OCI celebrated its 100th anniversary this year. An historical booklet of the school was presented to RHRA and a copy to Caroline Ingvaldsen for the Dufferin St.Clair Library.

1. Heritage and History
   The library has decided to produce a third edition of “St.Clair West in Pictures”. This will include new information about more recent events on St. Clair such as the TTC ROW, the library mural restorations, the BIAs, the restoration of the Regal Road school portico. The Toronto Public Library sought financial assistance towards the production of the new edition and generous private donations have been received. The RHRA has contributed $500 from our heritage fund towards the production. In return we will receive 42 books to sell for $20 each. It was proposed that monies from the book sales should include: $500 returned to the heritage fund and $340 to the RHRA operations account. The meeting was in agreement. The formal book launch will be timed in conjunction with the re-opening of the library. Pre-orders for the book can be made with RHRA. See Linda DeGiorgio.



2. Street Beautification
   1. Gardens and Graffiti – Florence Watts reported that gardening efforts have continued despite the many construction projects going on in our neighbourhood. Thank you to all who help work towards the greening and beautification of our area. Assistance is being requested for the regular removal of graffiti especially on the gray boxes east of Oakwood Ave.
      
      She also paid tribute to three persons who have contributed greatly to our neighbourhood and who have died recently: Elizabeth Davies of 83 Oakwood created a beautiful garden on the corner of Burlington and Oakwood that is peaceful and calming at a very busy intersection; John Brooks of 10 Glenholme was one of the founding members of RHRA in the 1970s, he assisted in the street tree planting program in our area, and he instituted youth programs. He was a recipient of The Order of Canada. Former MP Charles Caccia was an avid environmentalist who supported our greening initiatives through the years. He arranged for free tree seedling distributions annually in this district.
   2. Litter clean–up – John Keating reported that this year’s clean up was another successful venture with about 25 participants who picked up litter from the interior streets, laneways and Mt. Royal Parkette. Thanks to all who came out and to Councillor Palacio’s office for their assistance with equipment and for the garbage pick-up by the city.
   
   
3. Waste, Recycling and the Environment
   1. Pilot project results, problems and solutions – Mike Foderick and Kevin Vibert gave a progress report. As a result of the pilot project it is clear that one solution does not fit all situations. Some new approaches have been developed. Some homes can be exempted from the large bin usage, but residents must first request a site inspection to establish that the large bins cannot be stored on the property. Three options are available: i) use two smaller bins at no extra charge; ii) if the bins are too heavy to manage, a form completed by your physician needs to be filled out before the city will pick-up the bins from your veranda; and iii) in extreme cases see-through plastic bags can be used.
   2. The City is presently rolling out the new recycle bins citywide. Residents are encouraged to give feedback to the City as they start to use these new bins. Pilot project bins will be exchanged for newly designed bins as the roll out proceeds. Bins can be exchanged in June if you need to move up or down in size. All recycle materials are to be placed in the bins. If you have more than fits the bin, keep it aside until the following collection date. Large bulky items such as furniture, large boxes from appliances etc will still be collected when placed beside the garbage bin. If you have problems, call Councillor Palacio's office at 416-392-7011.
   3. Eco-School Program – Linda DeGiorgio, Karen Beattie and John Lorinc reported on the green initiatives at Regal Road Public School. Regal Road has joined the ‘school green program’ offered by the TDSB. Greening changes include: computers shutdown at the end of the day; classroom recycling; use of CFL lights where possible; use of green cleaning products by the caretaking staff; Regal Road school has earned a “GOLD” certification upon their first audit. Further greening projects include the development of an outdoor classroom that will double as a green space with seating. Donations to assist with the purchase of shrubs at the outdoor classroom are most welcome. Contact John Lorinc.
   
   
4. Planning, Zoning, Construction
   1. Mount Royal Parkette – Amy Bodman reported that the construction by the City is just about complete except for the installation of handrails along the steps and completion of a seating wall. The next step is the greening of the parkette. This long term project will be more of a community initiative. Assistance by interested persons is being sought to develop a community garden, to incorporate historical links (such as the Garrison Creek), art work and links to the Murmur aural heritage project. Contact Amy Bodman if interested.
   2. St. Clair Transit ROW construction schedule – Mike Foderick reported that construction from Dufferin to Westmount will be completed by June 30^th. Construction from Westmount to Vaughan will go to tender in the second week of July. Construction will continue in this area through the summer and fall.
   3. St. Clair street-tree plan – Dick Watts reported that the street-tree planning from Dufferin to Winona is not explicitly a part of the TTC ROW project but rather is a City project. Because the TTC project includes the narrowing of some sidewalks, a number of trees need to be removed. The current plan proposes that new ones will be planted but that they will be unevenly distributed, and, that trees will not be planted where the sidewalk is narrower than 4 metres. At the last meeting with City reps, it was proposed that the 4-metre rule be relaxed by up to 25 cm to possibly add an additional 29 trees. Mike Foderick and the planning consultant are following up on this.
   4. Watermain rehabilitation – David To from the City, and Sean Mackay of Ferpal Construction reported on the project. The City will be rehabilitating the watermains by adding a new liner to the existing watermains through trenchless technology. The end result will be improved water quality, improved fire flow, reduced energy costs of pumping water and a structurally sound watermain. Water services to homes will also be upgraded. A rather complicated, thirteen-step procedure for home servicing was discussed. This procedure will be sent out separately via RHRA Communications in a few days. See also: www.ferpal.ca.
      The watermain project in Regal Heights should be completed within about 8 to 10 weeks.
   5. Dufferin/St.Clair Library renovation – Caroline Ingvaldsen reported that the renovated library will include a new program room named “Earlscourt Room” as proposed by RHRA, a newly planted garden to replace the former garden, and a walkway to the rear laneway. Construction is proceeding fairly well on schedule and re-opening is expected in early September.
   
   
5. Membership & Finances
   38 memberships for the 2008-2009 season were sold this evening and eight families had paid in advance… for a current total membership of 46 families. Total membership in 2007-2008 was 64 families.
   

   Operations Account
   In bank account	$379.00
   Petty cash on hand	$14.00
   Membership fees received May 13, 2008	$380.00
   Sub Total	$773.00
   Heritage Fund	$305.00
   Total	$1078.00

   
   In addition to these funds we expect to replace $500 in the Heritage Fund when RHRA copies of St. Clair West in Pictures are sold.



6. Other
   Regal Heights BIA – Sarah Lockett, chair of the local BIA (in the area Westmount to Glenholme) reported that the BIA is now officially renamed ‘Regal Heights Village BIA’. They are working to extend their boundaries eastward to Oakwood Ave. A long-term goal is to improve the lighting, planters and seating. As a first step, this year’s BIA budget has been spent on the installation of underground hydro conduits. Next project will fund the wiring, followed by the erection of decorative street lights. Tony Bolla reported that, with city grants, he is working on developing a new ‘shop locally program’. We have wonderful new retailers entering our neighbourhood that need our community support. Through the duration of the TTC ROW construction, people are reminded that one TTC fare on the St. Clair line has a time-based transfer of two hours. One can stop and shop, hop back on with the same transfer and shop a little further down on St. Clair. Mike Foderick commended Sarah and Tony for the countless hours of dedication and hard work they have put into making St. Clair Ave a better place.



7. Executive Committee
   1. Powers of the Executive (submission from Elizabeth Cinello) – as Elizabeth was unable to be present she sent her suggestions in a letter. She requested that there be more general meetings to permit more people to be a part of the decision making. Dick stated that everyone is welcome to join the executive meetings at any time. Caroline Ingvaldsen suggested that when the library renovation is completed, some of the executive meetings can be held in the Earlscourt Room instead of at individual homes. 1357 Davenport Rd, City of Toronto Parks and Recreation space was also offered by Mike Foderick as another possible meeting space. A further idea raised was to use a computer-discussion-board/forum. Tony Bolla said he would help implement one.
   2. Election of 2008-2009 Executive Committee – David Raymont (past chairman of RHRA) read the names of the present executive members who attended at least three meetings during the year. He stated that they were automatically nominated for the coming year and asked if they were willing to stand. All agreed to stand. A call for new, additional executive members yielded no nominations. The following Executive Committee was elected to serve next year: Brent Calhoun, Richard Cavanagh, Rosa Cordiano, Linda DeGiorgio, John Keating, Anita Kung, Harry Lay, Brian MacConnell, Beth Marcilio, Peter Norman, Florence Watts, Dick Watts.
   3. The meeting adjourned at 9:10 pm.

The next regular executive meeting is scheduled for September 16, 2008, at the Watts’ home, 57 Regal Rd.