Summersider

[Lacey]

With the snow gone it's so depressing to see how dirty/litter-strewn the area around the condo buildings is. Granted, I have noticed a huge improvement in the dog poo issue. It seems those signs really got the point across to someone (although there's still somebody who isn't picking up after their furry friend! Grrr!)

What I am shocked by is how many cigarette butts there are in the grass at the side of Building A. Someone must have spent the entire winter just tossing their butts over their balcony. In the spring, that space is going to be full of flowers and greenery, and it makes me sick to think of people ruining it. In the same area, I noticed someone had thrown some buns and bagels on the ground, too! It is so gross walking the dog and having to navigate the minefield of discarded cigarettes. It just makes the area look so cheap and trashy, it is embarrassing.

My hope for the Spring is that everyone comes together to keep this community clean. We should all have pride in our surroundings. The lawns were not meant to be giant ashtrays!

Rant over.

[Vlada]

With spring it's going to be even worse. People in the condo building now have parties on the balconies. This weekend there were two parties. One on the ground floor in building A untill 4 am (by the way, it was very loud, I coudn't sleep). Another one on the third floor in building B until 1 am.
So, a lot of people were smoking and throughing the sigarets on the ground. No considiration for the neibours and the surroundings at all.

[maximus2326]

Speaking of, I saw a pizza box just sitting in the stairwell near the parking garage entrance @ 10 Mendelssohn today. What the heck is wrong with people, its not like the garbage room is locked, cant they just take the 30secs it takes and drop their trash off in the room

[katbean]

I would imagine the people acting like this are renters.. as some renters just don't care about the property they live in the way an owner does; but i could be wrong.

For those party'ers or folks you witness littering or abusing the property in one way or another, you should call In Kim immediately to address the matter with the individual(s) - you'll probably need their unit number though or maybe you can show In where you saw it..

And for weekend/weekday parties esp. at an hour like 4am! I'd be calling the Police with a noise complaint!!

If we don't catch them in the act, and just see the results of their offensive behavior I hope we look after it, picking up the trash if it's a reasonable case. Although I'm totally annoyed by the loose garbage I sometimes see floating across my lawn I still always try to pick it up, even if its floated over to someone else's lawn nearby. I find that the willingness to do that also spurs others to do the same- it's a positive chain reaction within the neighbourhood.

[one_eye_skank]

Someone should organize a clean-up day where the whole community would come out and pick up garbage around our neighbourhood.

Show that you care. Go out there and make a difference.
_________________
Smile and the world will smile back.

[katbean]

Oh yah once a year in the summer time our whole ward is invited to participate in cleaning up the ward - but sure we could totally do one for summerside itself.

It's true, the better looking our community the more valuable & desirable our properties will be increasing the salability. And a consciousness from people in the community towards keeping it neat and clean says a lot about the kinds of people we have living amongst us to anyone driving through. And of course by caring for the environment locally we're helping at least to some degree in creating and maintaining a sustainable ecosystem.

Good suggestion O.E.S : )
How can we implement this proposed day?

[one_eye_skank]

I think the best way to implement this is to keep it simple.
Pick a Sunday and put a post on this website and ask people to come out and help clean up the neighborhood. All you really need is some garbage bags, gloves, and caring people.

All it takes is one person to make a difference. Check out these stories:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/05/28/cnnheroes.suzan.lakhan.baptiste/index.html

http://chinaabc.showchina.org/chinaabc_en/magazine/recommendations/200704/t112003.htm

It is a beautiful day outside today. Go out and smell the fresh air
_________________
Smile and the world will smile back.

[lon]

earth day is coming up (thurs. april 22nd), of course, we don't have to (and shouldn't) wait until then... i would think sunday afternoons would work for most people? perhaps early evening so as to avoid the heat? we could set it as a certain sunday each month (first? last?) and meet at the northeast corner by the community centre. we should do this somewhat regularily, it's an easy way to beautify the area, and show others that it really doesn't take that much effort to keep our neighbourhood clean...

i propose our first neighbourhood cleanup effort takes place this sunday april 11th, 6pm... meet by the northeast corner of the community centre... bring a garbage bag and gloves!

=)

[katbean]

If Im available (hubster has to decide on whether we're accepting a dinner invitation or not) I'll be there and I'll bring my neighbours.

There is a grant we could apply for too:

http://www.toronto.ca/cleanandbeautiful/pdf/nb_community_projects_application_form.pdf

Neighbourhood Beautification Program welcomes applicants
Do you want to improve a public space or add some colour to your neighbourhood? Fill out a 2010 Community Projects Initiative application form (PDF) to have your project considered.


Also there's an annual Warden Woods Ravine clean up day. Sat April 24 from 10am - 11:30am
http://www.adrianheaps.com/2010/04/24/warden-woods-ravine-clean-up/

And check this out
http://www.adrianheaps.com/2010/04/25/16th-annual-farlinger-ravine-neighbourhood-clean-up-and-planting/

in this case, the city provides this ravine with plants.. I love to garden!

[lon]

wow, good investigative work! sounds great!

see you sunday at 6pm!

[katbean]

[Lucie]

Sorry I missed it today, but hope to come next time Thank you to you and all those who helped keep our community beautiful

Lucie

[lon]

no prob lucie!

figured it might just be me (which it was!)... that's ok since it was the first day and probably not too many people even knew about it - maybe in a couple of weeks we'll at least double our numbers! =) picked up a bagload of recyclables and a bagload of trash - and found a $5 bill! score! =)

of course, it doesn't even matter if the group grows, cleaning up by yourself is just as helpful, as you have been doing! awesome!!! it wasn't actually all that bad, looks as though a lot of it blows in from the construction sites/surrounding areas... i feel like i got a good workout too - squats/back extensions from all the bending and standing!

should we try again in a week or two?

[lon]

check that - katbean was out in full force with neighbours... sorry, thought that was lucie's pic at first!!!

good work summersiders!!!

=)

[katbean]

we went to meet up with you.. but we didn't see anyone.. so we just went our way.
some kids were out there playing so we asked them to help us- they did for a while. it was good.