Riverdale Community Association Newsletter

Riverdale Community Newsletter – April, 2017

City of Whitehorse Town Hall Meeting The City of Whitehorse had a town hall meeting at Christ the King School on Wednesday, April 5th. The City’s objective was to improve their understanding of the unique issues that affect Riverdale. The Mayor was in attendance to listen to Riverdale community concerns and issues. The topics discussed included traffic and speeding, only one bridge/emergency plan, bridge maintenance, roundabouts, bylaw enforcement including parking, heating fuel tank issues and water wellhead safety; bike lanes and trails. If you were unable to attend the town hall meeting, you can email mayorandcouncil@whitehorse.ca to let them know what your Riverdale concerns are.

The City will be providing a report on the meeting results. Thank you to all who came for sharing your ideas and perspectives on municipal issues that affect our community. More information is on the City website at: http://www.whitehorse.ca/Home/Components/News/News/2593/31?backlist=%2f.

Grey Mountain Summit Trail One of the projects identified in the draft Chadburn Lake Park Plan -- the Grey Mountain Summit Trail -- has been approved by the Trails and Greenways Committee and City Council for implementation. This trail will be a multi-year initiative by the Youth Achievement Centre, using youth trail builders to work on the trail. An environmental assessor will be involved with the trail design to ensure that the trail respects local ecosystem needs.

The Riverdale Community Association is a member of the Trails and Greenways Committee this year. If you have questions about this trail, or any other parts of the draft Chadburn Lake Park Plan, you can email us at riverdale.c.a@gmail.com or contact the City at trails@whitehorse.ca.

Preserving our Night Sky Heritage

Photo courtesy Amber at Yukon River Farmette

The Riverdale Community Association board was given a presentation by the Yukon Astronomical Society on their Light Pollution Abatement work. The International Dark Sky Association works to improve public lighting in an effort to maintain dark skies; and to reduce the human health and wildlife impacts resulting from light pollution. Even Whitehorse has a significant light pollution problem.

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What do you think about reclaiming our ability to enjoy night skies and the aurora borealis in Riverdale? Would you like a presentation on this topic at a community meeting? More information is available at http://darksky.org. If you have any comments you can email us at riverdale.c.a@gmail.com.

FireSmart for 2017-18 FireSmart work this year is now planned for the area just north of Grey Mountain Road between the cemetery and the powerline as shown on the map at right.

This is a continuation of the work that began in this area three years ago.

If you have any questions or concerns, you can email riverdale.c.a@gmail.com and let us know.

FireSmart Presentation – April 27th Do you have questions about FireSmart, and how to protect your own home? Would you like more information about recent forest fires and how FireSmart work helped? We have invited representatives from the FireSmart team and from Energy, Mines and Resources, Forest Management Branch to explain both how FireSmart protects our community from fire and how you can FireSmart your own property.

The presentation will be on Thursday, April 27th at 7:30 pm at the Heart of Riverdale Community Centre. All Riverdale residents are invited.

Heart of Riverdale Community Centre The Heart of Riverdale Community Centre is continuing to be a busy place. There are many activities for children to choose from, including a show choir, RAWK Band, kids theatre, music, drama, dance, art, multimedia, or even just a visit to the ball pit.

You can even register on line now for summer camps. If you and your children are interested, you can check the website at www.theheartofriverdale.com, then click on Programming/2017 Camps/Summer Camps 2017. You can also call 393-2623.

Kids’ Theatre

RAWK Band

Show Choir 2

Riverdale Rinks The rink in Liard Park (the park surrounded by Liard Road) and the rink on Nisutlin Road were kept clear all winter with the help of volunteers and the ice was watered regularly by the City. Thanks go to the City, and Phil Gibson and Jason Adams for their help and interest. Thank you also to all the other volunteers who helped keep the ice clear at all the rinks. A special effort was made to keep both the Liard and Nisutlin rinks clear of snow and the ice watered during March Break so that children in Riverdale would have a fun activity to do during the spring school break.

This spring we would like to finish painting the boards around the Liard Park rink. If you are willing to help, please send an email to riverdale.c.a@gmail.com to let us know.

Pee Wee Hill For many years, the Riverdale Community Association has heard residents' concerns about the Pee Wee Hill trail (the Pee Wee Hill trail leads up to the Hidden Lakes area from the powerline trail behind Hyland Crescent). These concerns have been centred around the trail being too slippery, particularly in winter and in the late spring; and potential trail user conflict between the different users accessing the trail. As a result of these concerns, Riverdale Community Association (RCA) explored a number of options, including installing an alternative path up to the top of Pee Wee Hill. The RCA recently learned that this option has been rejected by the City.

The City's preference is that the Pee Wee Hill trail be regraded and widened to improve accessibility for users, and access up Pee Wee Hill for firetrucks. This was requested by the City Fire Department in order to reach wildland fires in the greenbelt more easily.

The RCA will continue working with the City to ensure that there is adequate access for fire trucks and to address trail safety and use. We would like to hear from Riverdale residents on your thoughts on the Pee Wee Hill trail. Please let us know where you have challenges, and what you think the best solutions might be. You can email us with your suggestions or any questions at: riverdale.c.a@gmail.com.

Suspicious Activity The RCMP wish to remind all residents that the summer months can mean an increase in vehicle “shopping” (taking valuables from cars that were left unlocked). Please remember to lock your vehicle. If something has been taken from your vehicle, or if someone has gone through your vehicle, but hasn’t taken anything, the RCMP would still like you to report it to the RCMP's non-emergency line so that they know what area of the city is being targeted. The number to call is (867) 667-5551. This number can be used to report any criminal or suspicious activities that you witness in your neighbourhood.

The RCA has representatives on the Community Policing Committee. If you have issues that you'd like brought up to this committee, please email us at riverdale.c.a@gmail.com. We do have an upcoming vacancy on that committee, so if you are interested in taking a more active role, please contact us for details.

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Your Community Association We host regular monthly board meetings on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:30 pm that any member is welcome to attend. If you'd like something put on the agenda, please e-mail riverdale.c.a@gmail.com one week before the meeting.

The Riverdale Community Association executive is: Niki Deneault (President), Nick Clark (Vice-President), Sierra Van der Meer (Secretary-Treasurer), Richard Zral (Director), Sara Crane (Director), Julie Desbrisay (Director), Sunny Patch (Director), and Doug MacLean (Past President). If you have any questions, suggestions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at riverdale.c.a@gmail.com. We are also maintaining a Riverdale Community Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Riverdale-Whitehorse-Community-330120237034886/

If you are interested in serving on the board, please contact us as well.

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