Town Hall Minutes

I want to thank everyone for coming out to the Town Hall at West Park Secondary School. Even though the weather wasn't on our side we still managed to get some great suggestions for positive changes in Western Hill. I have posted the comments and suggestions made by the community for everyone to view. For full meeting minutes please click here.

- Clean up along Twelve Mile Creek

-Oak Hill gardens is historical and needs to be maintained

- Keep West Park School Open

-Keep West Park Pool open- constantly used by people of all ages

-More activities for kids to do in the community

-A walkable community is something that should always be kept in mind when developing in Western Hill

-Sidewalk along Great Western Street down to the Train Station

-Open up a satellite museum in the West End and involved Rodman Hall

-Create a welcome kiosk at the train station that highlights areas of St. Catharines

-Have a viewing platform on the Western Hill side of the new Burgoyne Bridge

-Something needs to be done with the derelict buildings and vacant lots along St. Paul Street West. They are eyesores in the community.

- Banners on new bridge will create noise from the West end winds. It has happened before and they had to be removed.

Thank you again for participating and sharing ideas for the community. Again if you would like to see the full meeting minutes then click here.

Also please comment on these suggestions that were brought up.

What are your thoughts?

Do you agree with some and disagree with others?

What are you willing to put forward to see these changes take place?

Chalk Walk

I have been spending time trying to find creative ways to engage children with the Western Hill community and I think I may have found it!

Every year Lewiston (USA) holds a "Chalk Walk" competition. A fun and engaging, one day art project that brings together local elementary schools in the neighbourhood.

Is this something you feel could work in Western Hill?

What are your thoughts?

Here is a link to the Lewiston festival and a video from a similar project:

http://www.wheretowhento.com/45th-annual-lewiston-art-festival-august-13-14-2011

Town Hall Meeting

The RAFT and WeCan (West End Community Action Network) will be hosting a Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday November 29th at 7:00pm at the West Park Secondary School.

What do you think should be changed in Western Hill?

What are your suggestions to making that change happen?

We are looking to update the residents of Western Hill about successful projects that have taken place but more importantly we are looking for suggestions for positive change from the community. The meeting is open to all residents of Western Hill to come out and discuss some of the issues facing Western Hill.

Great Job!

The official unveiling of the mural was a huge success! There wasn't a cloud in the sky and several community members were able to attend. Special thanks for the Standard for running a great article in the paper on the event (see link). I would also like to thank everyone for taking time out of their afternoon to celebrate with the community on a job well done and I look forward to hearing more suggestions for positive change in Western Hill at our next Town Hall!

Standard Article:

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3359637

Unveiling Date is Set

The date for the unveiling is set for November 5th at 2:00pm! Come join us to celebrate an amazing community-led project that really captures the history of St.Catharines and more specifically Old Western Hill.

New Contact

I would like to pass on a new contact name for all questions regarding the Train Station Mural Project. Due to some staffing changes, for the next couple weeks, this blog will not be updated on a regular basis. If you would like to volunteer with the mural project or have any questions regarding the project, please contact Shawn Reimer at 905-324-0035 or email him at shawn@reimergraphic.com.

No Painting on Monday

FYI, we will not be painting on Monday due to some staff shortages. We'll resume painting on Tuesday.

RAFT Newsletter

I just want to pass on the RAFT's newsletter where the Train Station Project is highlighted. Thank you to our committed volunteer who gave the interview and for all of you who continue to make this project a success. Have a read.

Paint, paint and more paint

The painting has officially started and wow, how exciting. In the blazing heat, Reimer Graphic's team along with some unbelievably dedicated volunteers have been painting the images at the Train Station. It has been such a great start to the project and it's only the beginning.

Until further notice, we will be at the Station every day painting. Please feel free to join us at any time. We would love to have you.

Let the Painting Begin!

I want to invite all of you to join us for our first day of painting, tomorrow, August 5! We will be meeting on the platform at 10:30 a.m. and will be there for most of the day. Please bring a hat, sunscreen and cold water as it's suppose to be a scorcher of a day. But, with a good attitude, good people and a good project, we are guaranteed to have a good time.

Hope to see you all there!

Images on the Wall

Last night we had a great time tracing the mural onto the wall. With a projector set up, pencils in hand and trains passing in the background, it was a great night to be at the Station. Thanks to all the enthusiastic volunteers who came and helped out. We had to really work together to make sure that we weren't creating shadows on eachothers work, but I think we all managed to make it work. It was great to see real images on the wall after months of talking about it.

We wil be beginning to paint by Thursday of this week. If you are interseted in helping, please comment on this post or go to our Volunteer page and I will add you to the mailing list. Stay tuned for our next tracing night as we were not able to get it all completed.

I encourage all our readers to stop by the Station to see our progress. There will be plenty of "comings and goings" at the Station this month so make sure you come and check it out. Happy painting!

Tracing Tonight

Tonight's the night. Come out for a great time tracing a giant mural on the wall. We will be meeting on the platform around 10 p.m. to trace what is projected on the wall. Bring your friends and neighbours for a great community event!

Rain Check

Unfortunately due to the rain and some miscalculations, we will NOT be having our tracing party tonight. Reimer Graphics were not able to get the panels installed in time. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience that this may cause. Our new date is Monday, August 1st at 10 p.m. Please let me know if you can make it out on Monday night. The more the merrier.

This also means we do not need volunteers Monday during the day. Stay tuned for when we will be working during the days.

Again, I apologize for the last minute changes. Thanks for your patience.

Tracing Party

So the panels for the mural are being installed as I type and we will be ready for the next step. If you are someone who can't come during the day to help out, or is a night owl just gearing up at 10 at night, we need you!

We are looking for any volunteer who is willing and available tomorrow night (July 28) to come at 10 p.m. to trace a 100 foot projected picture onto the wall of panels. This will require little artistic skill, just the ability to draw on-top of the lines you see. The more people we get, the quicker the project will go, so please bring your friends and neighbours for this unique community project. It is guaranteed to be a good time.

If you are interested, please comment and we'll see you on the Train Station platform at 10 p.m. this Thursday night.

No Work Today

Due to the increased temperatures we will not be working for the rest of the week at the Train Station. Monday, July 25th we will be back at work around 10:30 a.m. Come to the platform or at the old Nerd Building. Come ready to sand, paint and install!

And So it Begins

We have officially begun the mural project! The lumber arrived on Tuesday morning and under the blazing sun the work was started with constructing the frame on the wall for the panels to be mounted. Thanks to Reimer Graphics the lumber is all mounted and are ready for some panels.

For the remainder of the week, we will be sanding down the panels and then priming them to be mounted on the wall. We hope to be working inside as this heat would be sure to get the best of us if we tried to be outside. Hopefully we'll get a break from the heat and be able to get more work done.

If you are interested in participating, we would love to have you. The more hands, the faster it will go, so please come out to help. Check out our Volunteer page for more information on volunteering. Hope to see you out there!

St.Catharines Standard Article

I want to make a shout out to the St. Catharines Standard for posting such a great article about our Train Station Project. Thanks for the accurate representation of our project and helping us spread the word about our community project. Here's the article.

Please feel free to re-post this link in any way possible to share this great story.

Volunteer Availability Form

If you are interested in volunteering, please see our Volunteer page for full details on when we will be beginning and to fill out a quick questionnaire about your availability and preferences.

Volunteers Needed!

Looking for a great way to get involved with your community? This is the time! We are looking for volunteers of all types to help with this one of a kind, community project at the St. Catharines Train Station. Handymen, painters, sanders, artists and team players are all needed to get this project complete. If you are interested in participating please contact Suzanne at 905-327-4355. We will be beginning the project on July 18th. Come one, come all!

Western Hill Social Event of the Year!

Come support your local news source at this years annual West Side Story Fundraiser. A community event for the whole family. Enjoy great music, tasty food and fun friends.

Calling all Volunteers

We have reached our fundraising goals and are ready to start painting! We are very excited to get started in this great community project but we need your help. We are looking for volunteers of all types. If you are a hard-worker, have handy-man skills, painting skills, drawing skills or just a good attitude, we need you. Please contact Suzanne (905-327-4355 or suzanne@theraft.ca) if you are interested in helping. We will be looking for volunteers as early as July 4th. Stay tuned for more details.

Niagara Neighbourhood Community Fund

I would like to pass on some very good news that we have received grant money from the Niagara Neighbourhood Idea Fund for our mural project. Thanks so much to the communities of United Way, Niagara Community Foundation and the Trillium Foundation for your support in our efforts.

Last Minute Call Out

This post is coming with very short notice but I would like to send out an invitation to all of you to join the Mural Committee on Tuesday, May 31st from 4-5:30 p.m. for an update on the Mural Project and our current status. The reason for this short notice is that today we hit a road block that we need your input on and your thoughts on how to over come it.

The meeting will be on Tuesday, May 31st at 4 p.m. at West St. Andrew's church. If you have any questions or concerns that you would like to ask me before this meeting please feel free to contact me. Please leave a comment and share your thoughts on this post.

I hope to see you on Tuesday.

New Life

If you remember back in early November we had a group of Girl Guides come in and plant a couple dozen tulips at the Train Station as the beginning of the re-landscaping around the Station.

After a long winter the tulips have finally pushed through the soil and have made a grand appearance. The flowers are beautiful and already making a huge difference in brightening up the property. Thanks girls for bringing new life to the Station.

Community Clean Up

When I started in the morning I was convinced the rain had scared everyone away and that I was going to be left to my own devices to clean up around the station. But then, much to my relief Nancy, Jim and Robin came to clean up the future site of the Community Garden. These three West End Gardeners were there preparing the site to be tilled, cleaning up any debri and garbage that may have drifted onto their land as well as digging out old cement blocks; saving the plow from being seriously damaged (thanks Jeff).
Jim, Nancy and Robin, thank you for coming out and showing your support for this project. You have some beautiful land that is going to really make an impact in your community. Thanks for "pitching-in" and making the community clean up day a success.
Happy planting!

Future community garden site.

Let's Clean Up

So it looks like we will finally have our clean up day this Saturday. If you are willing and able, come out to the St. Catharines Train Station for a morning of "Spring" cleaning. Our objective will be to pick up some garbage and give the Station a once over before the summer months hit.

10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Meet at the West end of the building where we planted the tulips last year.

Come ready to work!

Please leave a comment if you are coming so we can plan accordingly.
Hope to see you there!

Re-scheduled AGAIN.

So the weather does not seem to be cooperating with us and our schedules don’t seem to be aligning. For these two reasons, the station clean-up scheduled for tonight will be cancelled. The new date will be Saturday May 7^th and hopefully we will have nice weather, a good turn out of people and accomplish much. We will be meeting at the back of the station where we planted the tulips at 10 a.m. and will be cleaning till about 12 p.m. If you are able to attend please leave a comment below. Hope to see you on the 7th.

Rain, rain, go away!

Our Spring Clean up Day this morning is officially POSTPONED! Due to the heavy rains that show no sign of stoping, we will be postponing our efforts to Monday, April 18th from 6:30-8:30 p.m. If you are still interested please leave a comment on the blog so I know how many to expect for Monday evening. I apologize for any inconvenience they may cause.

Have a good rainy day and we'll see you Monday.

Pitch-in Day Rain Plan

I have had questions about what we will do if it rains on Saturday. If it is slightly raining we will be continuing with our plan to do our community clean-up- come dressed for the weather. If it is absolutely pouring we will reschedule our clean-up day for Monday evening from 6:30-8:30 p.m. I will post only if it is cancelled. Let's pray for sun!

See you on Saturday.

Pitch-in Day

April 16th, we will be having a community clean-up day. Our efforts will be a part of the City wide "Pitch-in Day" where community members across St. Catharines will be doing their part to clean up the City.
We will be focusing our energy around the St. Catharines Train Station and neighbourhood. Due to our Train Station Revitalization initiatives we thought this would be an appropriate place to start. If you are interested in joining us please contact us so that we can have enough supplies for the group.

Meet at the station at 10 a.m. to get your bags and gloves. Clean up will be from 10-12 p.m.

Ridley Partnership Formed!

We have exciting news to share: Ridley College has agreed to give us land for the community garden! Our hope was to start a community garden in the back field behind the station and it is now happening. Thanks to Jim Blundell and Robin Guard, the partnership has been formed and we hope to get our shovels in the dirt as soon as the ground thaws.

The community garden will promote community gardens, community pride and community partnerships.

Thank you to Ridley College for your community involvement and partnership.

May the Fervor Live On

This afternoon I was given some tragic news that one of the members of our residence group has passed away.

I met Richard Kirton, Rick, and his wife Angela back in September at the first public meeting that was held at Club Roma. When I opened the floor for discussion, Rick was one of the first to jump up and to share his ideas about what needed to change in Western Hill. His comments were not ones of blame or complaint but instead of constructive criticism and active suggestions of ways to bring prosperity into his community. He was passionate to see change come to Western Hill and it was obvious that he would do everything he could to see that change come to pass.

At the second meeting at WestPark Richard was present again with Angela. Again, Rick was full of optimism and passion and was an active member of the discussion. At that meeting Rick made his commitments clear by joining a residents group dedicated to seeing revitalization come to the St. Catharines Train Station.

At the first residents meeting, Richard had a keen interest in the mural project on the front of the station. He wanted to demonstrate the good in the Western Hill community and bring to light the significance of the station and the uniqueness of his community. Rick was interested in seeing significant change come to Western Hill and was excited to be a part of the action. Rick had a fervor that was contagious.

With Rick's passing, I am reminded of the fragility of life and the quickness of time. My encounters with Rick were few but his impact was lasting. Rick showed me that Western Hill was a community worth fighting for; Western Hill was a community worth investing in; and Western Hill was a community with enthusiasm and zeal. I will never forget Rick's passion for his community and I hope that as a group we can carry that passion forward. I pray that Rick's vision for the future would be realized among us and that we can partner with Rick to see revitalization come to Western Hill.

Thank you Rick for giving us hope for the future and may your fervor live on among us.