September 2016
Parkallen
News In this issue… • Electoral Reform • Little Libraries • Community League Updates • Vandalism • Summer with Sydney • Meet Jeremiah • Infill will have an impact
The empty lot at 10910 - 62 Avenue is all that remains of the planned Martin Estates subdivision.
Missing something? Removed antenna unlocks surprising origins of Parkallen By Niall McKenna As a former journalist, I consider myself to be quite observant. So how did it take me more than a month to notice a shack and large antenna had been removed from the southeastern edge of our neighbourhood? I realize that antennas and cell towers are the kinds of urban architecture most of us don’t pay much attention to. But as a techie guy, I wanted to know more: What did this mysterious antenna do? What happened to it? And what happens to the vacant lot left behind?
The first question was easy enough to answer, thanks to a Google search of the site’s address: 10910 - 62 Avenue. The antenna was part of the “outer marker” or non-directional beacon system that helped planes land at the City Centre Airport, which was closed three years ago this month. According to Jonathan Bragg with Nav Canada, the non-profit agency that owns and operates Canada’s airport communication infrastructure, a non-directional
beacon transmits a signal that airplanes can use to situate themselves as they approach an airport. The beacon in Parkallen was installed in the late 1950s or early 1960s, just as our neighbourhood was coming alive with homes, apartments, a school, several businesses and our distinctive circular road pattern. But the story of the land on which the beacon sits dates back much further. The clue to this heritage came when I looked at the land title for