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OTTAWA THIS WEEK - CENTRAL - December 1, 2011
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Old Ottawa South director to retire in 2012 EDDIE RWEMA eddie.rwema@metroland.com
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HWY 416 between Kemptville and the 401
Starlight Parade and Fireworks Fri. 7:00 to 7:45 pm Christmas Karaoke Contest Sat. 7:30 pm
Lots of kids’ entertainment Santa, Elves, Musicians, Special Animals Hearty Country Meals Farmers’ Market, Craft Show, Bazaar and much more!
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, 2011 4 o D ec t ember 2
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After more than 20 years as executive director of the Old Ottawa South Community Association, Deirdre McQuillan is set to retire early next year. With the search for a new executive director currently underway, McQuillan will carry on in her current role until her successor is appointed. During her long tenure as the full-time manager of the association, McQuillan played a pivotal role in growing the stature of the association and helping fundraise to have the community centre renovated. The association now serves more than 3,000 households and businesses in Old Ottawa South and runs recreational programming as well as special events for adults and children. “My experience here has been very wonderful,” said McQuillan, adding the part of her job she will miss most is interacting with members of the community on a daily basis. “I deal with people on the phone, some walk in with different ideas or problems – (it is) very stimulating and I will miss that,” she said. A former high school teacher,
Photo by Eddie Rwema
Deirdre McQuillan will be retiring in early 2012 after 20 years as the executive director of the Old Ottawa South Community Association. McQuillan said she is proud that together with area residents, the centre has helped create a sense of community in the neighbourhood. “It is like a village, people know each other, there is a place to come, there is a great school (Hopewell Public School), the business are improving and I would like to see that even improve more and to be really vibrant,” she said. “I would like to think I had a small part helping create that community.” Throughout her years with the association, McQuillan said traffic and development have always been the major issues on the minds of residents. At times these issues would divide neighbours, making her job even harder, for she had to stay neutral in trying to address or mediate such divisions. “It was very hard because you had to
New art installation unveiled at Old Ottawa South centre EDDIE RWEMA eddie.rwema@metroland.com
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stay neutral, but people would not think otherwise,” said McQuillan. In a position like hers, you learn to be very diplomatic and not to say things when you sometimes felt like saying them, she said. “Sometimes people would get very angry, lose friends over things like that and that was very challenging.” While years ago the most divisive issue in the community were things like trying to stop front yard parking, development concerns are more and more at the forefront. “There are enormous houses being built on small lots,” she said. One thing that causes McQuillan concern, however, is the dwindling number of volunteers in the community. “When I started here, people were willing to put a lot of hours into community events,” she said. “Now you hear a lot people saying they are too busy. I would like to see that volunteerism come back and people doing more in their own community.” She said if everybody did an hour each week that would make a huge difference. Michael Jenkin, president of Old Ottawa South Community Association, said the community will miss McQuillan greatly. “She represents the community’s living memory, how this place works and how to make it a better place to live,” said Jenkin. McQuillan is looking forward to new challenges, but isn’t sure yet what she wants to do at the moment. “I am just going to relax for a while and decide later what I want to do,” she said, admitting she had no idea her time with the association was going to last for two decades. “I enjoyed it though,” said McQuillan.
A vibrant new artwork that serves as a beacon of celebration has been installed at the Old Ottawa South Community Centre. Deborah Margo’s sculpture, For Everyone a Garden, celebrates the conversation between the past and present architectural identities of the centre and was unveiled on Nov. 24 The sculpture is a free-standing, contemporary relief consisting of 10 punctured and embossed copper panels, is mounted on a tension cable system in the vestibule of the new facility. “The images are all about gardens, green spaces and the animal life that is found in the community here,” Margo said of the installation, which is positioned in a manner so it can be viewed from both inside and outside the building. In collaboration with members of the community, Margo developed the artwork she said “celebrates the renovation
of the Old Ottawa South centre.” Capital Coun. David Chernushenko congratulated Margo for creating art that captures the essence of the community and its facility. “The fire hall addresses not only the recreational and environmental needs of this community, but also enriches the community in a cultural and artistic manner,” said Chernushenko. Michael Jenkin, president of Old Ottawa South Community Association, said the artwork was a visual representation of many of the residents memories and the things that they thought were important to them as individuals growing up and living in the neighbourhood. “We now have a very wonderful attractive design, one that incorporates people’s lives,” said Jenkin. The City of Ottawa sets aside one per cent of funds for municipal development projects involving public art, with the goal of enhancing the unique character of the space, while also increasing public accessibility to art. The fire hall project amounted to about $26,000.