Parkallen Summer 2023 Newsletter

Parkallen News

Your Parkallen Community Garden Update: What’s Growing in the Parkallen Community Garden this year?

By Brent Flesher and Marlene Wurfel

“Lasagna Gardening”

The plot thickens! We are rebuilding the west end of the community garden using a “Lasagna Gardening” strategy, where there is a ‘noodle’ layer of cardboard that acts as a decomposable weed barrier with a filling of straw, and topped with fresh compost.

A Shift in Direction

The Parkallen Community Garden follows a collective gardening model. Some community gardens have designated plots that people sign up for, plant and harvest. The collective model avoids the “your zucchini is invading my lettuce” type of conflict. The garden is planted, watered, weeded, and harvested as a community resource. New this year is the concept of “Plot Captains” who steward a plot: deciding what to plant and making sure that the plot is tended.

New Garden Director!

The Parkallen Community Garden is pleased to announce a new Garden Director in 2023; Brent Flesher has a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Conservation Biology. He’s one of Edmonton & Area Land Trust’s stewards and has been a Parkallen resident since 2003.

Dawning of the Age of Asparagus

New this year is an asparagus forest that should be ready for spring 2026!

Volunteers Needed!

New volunteers of all ages and abilities are welcome throughout the growing season. Learn more and sign up for our mailing list at: parkallendiggers.org

Or email us: garden@parkallen.ca

Community Memberships are Required

Need compost? Parkallen Community League members are welcome to our community compost pile, provided your league membership is up to date.

Need to purchase a Community League Membership? efcl.org/membership-purchase/ or, email membership@parkallen.ca

Mark Your Calendar for these FREE Garden Events:

Yoga in the Garden Saturday, June 24, 2023 10:30 – 11:15 a.m.

*class will be cancelled if it rains* Cost: Free!

Join Tira Mills for a fun and energizing practice. Learn about Katonah Yoga® themes (metaphor, maps, geometry, archetypal form, measure, and more!). All levels are welcome. Please bring your own mat!

Tira Mills is a registered Doctor of Acupuncture, certified Katonah Yoga instructor, and co-founder of The Origami Yogis. Visit theorigamiyogis.ca

Fairy Door Workshop in the Garden Saturday, July 8 at 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. in the Parkallen Community Garden

Rainy day location: Ellingson Park Gazebo

Construct a fairy door. Cost: free. Materials supplied. Register to reserve a spot: garden@parkallen.ca

All ages and abilities welcome!

CIVICS CORNER: Zoning Bylaw Renewal, District Planning, and Infill Safety and Protections

Written by Jan Hardstaff, Parkallen Civics Committee Co-Director

Note: this article includes links, which can be found on the web version of the newsletter at Parkallen.ca/ newsletter.

The City offered refine level engagement on the 2nd Draft Zoning Bylaw for one month during May. Unfortunately, this was insufficient time for Civics to review, understand and respond to the 850 page document, which can be found here on the web version of the newsletter.

The Scona District Community Council met on May 23, 2023, to develop feedback by consensus on its recommendations to the Refined Draft Zoning Bylaw, which can be found at this link.

The folder shared above includes a comparison of current, first and second draft proposed regulations for the RM Medium Scale Residential Zone (to replace RA7) the RS Small Scale Residential Zone to replace current RF1 in Parkallen, Backyard Housing to replace Garden Suites and Landscaping regulations which reduce the number of trees and allow permeable rock, shale, and artificial turf to substitute living plant.

Modelling of the RS Zone can be found at www.SmarterInfillYEG.ca, along with a RS Zone - Smarter Infill YEG Draft Zoning Bylaw for a Sustainable Future.

You are encouraged to contact the Mayor and Council to request a postponement or extension of refine level engagement to September 1 to October 31 to give citizens and Community Leagues more time to review the Draft Zoning Bylaw and provide informed feedback to adapt or adjust the proposed regulations. The focus is on allowing larger buildings to achieve greater density, but it is possible to achieve density while also maintaining 30% Green Asset Area and room for trees. More also needs to be done to ensure affordable housing is built and that there will be appropriate consideration of both current and future residents and maintaining, healthy, safe and livable neighbourhoods for both.

District Planning

The city is releasing 15 revised District Plans and District General Policy on August 14 for refine level engagement from August 21 to September 29.

Residential Infill Construction Safety: “What We Heard” Report

Parkallen Civics Committee members of the Residential Infill Working Group attended stakeholder workshops on January 11 & 24. Also in attendance was the new City Safety Codes Branch Manager Robb McAdam, Provincial Safety Codes Council, Occupational Health & Safety, the Provincial Building Administrator, Community Standards, City Planning and Industry Stakeholders. You can find the Civics Commitee’s “What We Heard” Report at the link here.

This document includes, in Appendix B, the Residential Infill Working Groups five recommendations and rationale to support them from the Building Code and FOIP records of the City’s Quality Management Plan, a contract with the Province to Administer the Building Code.

This meeting was held in response to a Urban Planning Committee motion from January 19, 2021, (which followed an April 23, 2019) motion to work with community stakeholders to explore their recommendations to improve the infill construction process so everyone has a positive outcome. This followed a April 2019 Parkallen infill excavation failure and lack of enforcement of the excavation provisions laid out by the National Building Code – Alberta Edition. In 2020, FOIP records were obtained that indicate the City uses an educational approach to its administration of the Building Code, which builders appreciate, but which does not ensure the law is applied and enforced to protect the public from hazards and adjacent property and buildings from damage. An unfortunate consequence of this failure is that risk is transferred from the building industry to neighbours and if damage occurs, the city considers this a civil matter in which they cannot intervene.

Summer is a great opportunity to focus on learning in a less high pressure environment

1. Learn jazz scales and chords/progressions/ improvisation, and jazzy piano repertoire OR

2. Learn to play your favourite pop tunes at the piano, chords and improvisation OR

3. Get more great classics under your belt! http://www.edmontonpianoteacher.com

Summer Sizzlin’ at Studio6!

EXPRESS YOURSELF THROUGH SONG!

- -learn the basics of phonation, breathing and how to coordinate the two.

- Learn how to sing some folksongs, or just your favourite tunes.

- All ages and levels welcome.

- http://www.edmontonpianoteacher.com

MINI Musicians ages 3 1/2 - 5

Introduction to keyboard and music through singing, movement and games;-This is a keyboard/Kodaly based approach. Students will learn Solfege, keyboard basics and fundamental rhythms.. Small groups of 2-3 maximum;. 2 sessions per week;

http:/www.edmontonpianoteacher.com

Vision Zero Update & Summer Traffic Safety Improvements

Written by Jan Hardstaff, Parkallen Civics Co-Director

It’s going to be a busy season! This summer, the City will be implementing the following safety improvements in Parkallen:

• A crosswalk redesign at 112 Street and 70 Street will see the existing crosswalk widened to include both the original angled crossing and a direct crossing from the alley. The design will include a vibrant crosswalk featuring footprints and other crossing methods of all kinds. The community is invited to participate by emailing your stylized footprints to president@parkallen.ca.

• A midblock crosswalk will be installed on 111 Street, from the park path through to the Birch Gardens patio. Our city partners have consulted with and received buy-in from the affected businesses.

• A two-stage crossing will be installed on 72 Avenue at 112 Street. This type of crossing has been successful in many European cities and the City of Edmonton is looking forward to trialling it here. If successful, it will become permanent. More information will be provided on two-stage crossings once received from the city, watch the Parkallen website for more details coming soon.

Do You Have Your Community League Membership?

Membership Term: September 1, 2023 - August 31, 2024

Purchasing a membership benefits our neighbourhood and provides you with perks and discounts. Please check out available discounts at https://efcl.org/membership-purchase/. Contact membership@parkallen.ca or purchase online at https://efcl.org.

Dirty Hands Diaries - May 5, 2023

It’s planting season at the garden and the first Tuesday evening volunteer shift of the year. I’ve been planting onions (seedlings and bulbs) with a new volunteer who attended our orientation on Saturday. She’s very keen and as the sun begins to dip below the horizon, she comes over to say goodbye. “Thank you for tonight. It feels so good to get my hands dirty again!” I ponder that as I look at my own hands, blackened with soil from separating onion seedlings soaked in a worm casing solution we use to support growth. I wave goodbye as my 3 year old grandchild, who is sitting beside me in a brightly flowered sun hat pushing a small wheelbarrow full of onion bulbs, declares, “that’s how I know I am a gardener. I have dirty hands too!” as he gleefully holds his soiled hands up for inspection (not to mention his face that is almost as dirty...).

I contemplate this idea of getting my hands “dirty” in the garden. I reach out and bury my hands in the garden soil - it feels cool and damp and I am reminded of the millions of life forms living in its depths. These dirty hands are my connection to the land (thanks to Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass for this reminder) and I feel my spirits lift another notch as I contemplate what it means to be part of something bigger than myself. It feels so good to be back working within a vibrant community whose collective efforts support Tubahumarize, an organization that supports women and children in Rwanda.

As I look around, I can hear my grandchildren puttering alongside each other and my daughter and son-in-law chatting while they plant onion bulbs. We are the last ones in the garden tonight (as is often the case). We always have so much trouble leaving here. It is such a peaceful place. I can hear a pair geese honking as they fly overhead and am reminded of the flocks of sandhill cranes that flew overhead last Saturday afternoon. I gaze out to the garden plots with their raised beds and joining pathways that shape the landscape of the garden. We are realizing the fruits of last year’s labour as we worked to reengineer this beautiful space. I can see the

hoop house in the orchard, the permanent pathways creating a mosaic that gives the garden structure, and the sprayer heads of our underground irrigation system. Lying here and there are the amazing tools that help us grow such healthy food - spring rakes and wire weeders, our homemade dibbler, and the carts we use for hauling things out to the garden plots. Just like the life forms working industriously below the surface, our volunteers work together in symbiotic harmony, feeding the land and our gardening souls.

We are a small but mighty team out here at the Green & Gold Community Garden. Come out anytime to check us out. We are out Tuesday mornings (10-12), Tuesday evenings (6-8) and Saturdays (11am-1 pm). Who knows - you might even get your hands dirty!

To see where we are located, see our website at https://www.greengoldgarden.com

Margaret Milner Green & Gold Community Garden Volunteer

Volunteer and Become a Class Leader

NOT Falling for You is:

• a physical activity program to prevent falls

• volunteer-led, low-cost or no-cost

• offered in community locations - halls or libraries

• for adults aged 50 and above

• based on new research.

Benefits of Volunteering:

• Receive FREE fitness & CPR certifications

• Lead a free exercise class for people your age

• Improve your mobility

• Reduce your risk of falling.

You are Eligible to Volunteer if you:

• Are living in Alberta

• Are 50 years of age or older

• Can exercise independently

• Can commit to teach a 12-week 1-hour exercise program.

To apply to become a volunteer leader, please contact: Cathy Gladwin, Health Promotion Facilitator

Phone: 587-596-0845

Email: cathy.gladwin@ahs.ca

Dan has been teaching for over 40 years, including over 20 years at MacEwan University. He’s currently accepting students for private drum lessons at his studio in the Parkallen Community in South Edmonton.

All Levels. All Experiences.

TO BOOK A LESSON PLAN,