October 2009
Where has the time gone? Its been too long since I have Raeved about our parks. Over the summer I did the ‘Chevy Chase’ vacation, we drove over 6800 km taking in Western Canada back to Saskatchewan, then south through Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada & California. Then home through Oregon & Washington. We saw lots of countryside, communities & of course parks along the way. It was a great but even better to be home. Returning I am proud to boast about our parks & the work our staff do day in day out.
Recently BC Rivers Day was celebrated & we were pleased to support RiverSong. The event will included a celebration of pebble mosaics created by the students of Colquitz Middle School. It also marks the reopening of the boardwalk. This section features a new curved concrete platform with wood handrails. Parks have worked closely with Public Works and Environmental Services in building this structure in a sensitive riparian area that was completed as part of our capital program this year.
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We have also been working on the lower Churchill Drive Parking Lot in Mount Douglas Park. Once complete, the lot will be better organized for parking and pedestrian use, while reducing encroachment and dumping into the natural areas of the park.
In Browning Park two bridges are scheduled for replacement and a multi-use trail will be built connecting Knight Street to Wordsworth through Browning Park. This project is supported through a LocalMotion grant, and is a step toward the vision of the Bowker Creek Greenway.
Its so good to be HOME!
Rae S. Roer
Parks Manager
July 6 2009 - Beach Season is here!
It’s a great time to get out & enjoy one of our many waterfront parks, beaches or beach accesses.
In a recent article in the TC Jack Knox lists some of the well known favourites & of course some of the hidden gems. Our web site has a listing for your reference.
The Frog Park (Beckwith Water Park) is also now open daily from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. It’s another great place to enjoy some family fun & keep cool.
I also want to thank the Gorge Tillicum Community Association for having us as part of their 10th Annual Canada Celebration. We participated in the Parade & our staff we on hand answering questions & meeting many happy people. It is always rewarding to get such great positive feedback as well as many great suggestions on things people would like to see.
This Blog will be updated to share our successes, some ideas & hidden gems. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions please feel free to email us at parks@saanich.ca
Rae S. Roer
Parks Manager
June 1, 2009
Feels like summer. June is here.
Baseball season is in full swing. Trail and beach use is up. We have over 44 beach accesses that call on days like these. But the best sign of summer is June 1 when the water gets turned on at the Beckwith Frog Pond water park. The waterpark operates noon – 4:00 pm daily in June/September and 10:00 am – 6:00 pm July - August.
Another sign of summer is park bookings. Over the next month Cadboro-Gyro Park, Mount Douglas and Beckwith are popular destinations for dozens of schools and thousands of students who use our parks for year end celebration.
On Saturday May 30, I attended the release of 50,000 Chum Salmon Fry into Douglas Creek on Saturday. Bob Bridgeman, Streamkeeper with the Friends of Mount Douglas (FOMD) has been working to restore salmon to the creek for the past 10 years. Recently, an oil spill into the watershed delayed the planned release. And now, 24 hours after the chum fry release we have experienced another. This is very frustrating for all involved. We all have a role to play in protecting our watersheds. We are working on watershed planning for Douglas Creek and it now seems a broader approach with more education may also be required. We will be working with Saanich Engineering to follow up on the immediate concerns and the rest of these other efforts will take time and resources.
The Rhododendrons are peaking in Playfair Park. The late spring seems to have brought them all to bloom at once. Get out to see them while the show is still on.
Garlic Mustard is the latest invasive plant that is challenging us. We are working with many to launch an early Detection Rapid Response. Follow the link below to find out more on this new invader. http://www.saanich.ca/resident/environment/invasive.html
This Blog will be updated to share our successes, some ideas & hidden gems. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions please feel free to email us at parks@saanich.ca
Rae S. Roer
Parks Manager
April 22 2009
Happy Earth Day!
What better day to rave about Saanich Parks than the annual Earth Day. The annual celebration is 39 years old this year. It was intended to bring attention to environmental degradation by staging an environmental teach-in. Today it is celebrated in over 170 countries in the world.
Today we are planting trees in Gordon Head, we are supporting some stewardship activities at Glendale Gardens and this weekend more community stewardship activities will take place in Cuthbert Holmes Park in conjunction with the Gorge-Tillicum Community Association.
Everyday, we work to preserve, protect and enhance the over 700 Ha of parkland in Saanich. In addition, we look after boulevards and administer the Tree Preservation Bylaw. We have also been working hard to find ways to re-green Saanich Parks. Over the past few years efforts have been made to preserve/protect the environment by making changes in the following areas: Irrigation, Fertilizer, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), Buildings, Parks Maintenance, Natural Area Mgt, Storm Water management, Hybrid vehicles, Tree Planting, Native planting, Stream keepers and Trails.
We are also currently undertaking the development of an Urban Forest Strategy. The Urban Forest Strategy will recommend direction and actions that will allow Saanich to optimize the benefits of it urban forest by envisioning and enabling an integrated and sustainable approach to preserving trees and enhancing Saanich’s Urban Forest. You can participate by taking the on-line survey on our web site or plan to attend the Open House June 11.
This Blog will be updated to share our successes, some ideas & hidden gems. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions please feel free to email us at parks@saanich.ca
Rae S. Roer
Parks Manager
March 5 2009
Saanich, the community, its people, our politicians and our staff care deeply about our Parks. For over 50 years Saanich Parks has been committed to ‘greening’ our community. Our mandate is to work in partnership with the community to create a quality of life that supports healthy lifestyles and preserves/protects our natural environment. I am reminded of the value and regard placed on parks by the community and our elected officials weekly, often daily. These beliefs are matched with a similar dedication and professionalism in the way the staff approach their daily work.
Recently, I enjoyed an all too rare, ‘walk in the park’ with our Construction Foreman, Larry Middleton. Larry has been with Saanich over 35 years and is a testament to this approach. With great pride Larry walked me around Outerbridge Park (formerly Shangri-La). Our crews have been working on a restoration plan for the site and have recently completed the pond loop trail. It is now accessible to the community off Royal Oak Drive. No off street parking exists at this time.
It is a wonderful oasis. Mrs. Outerbridge spent over 20 years to create her bird and nature sanctuary and we are proud to now be the caretakers of this legacy. We have worked with her trustee to develop the current state of redevelopment. Over time we will continue this work, expanding the input into the community for any future phases of work.
In the meantime, I encourage you to explore this gem. If you ever wonder what one person can do, while you walk the site think of Mrs. O. As well, I hope you notice the quality of work and care taken by our staff in the restoration of this phase of the project. I am very proud of the work done by our planning/design, arboriculture, horticulture and construction crews.
This Blog will be updated to share our successes, some ideas & hidden gems. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions please feel free to email us at parks@saanich.ca
Rae S. Roer
Parks Manager
February 2009
Over the past few years Saanich Parks has been working to improve communications with the community. One of the ideas our group came up with was the Blog, specifically the Managers Blog. We thought it was a great idea, a 21st Century idea, a new e-connected way to reach the community. The only hang up was writing it. So here is the first, maybe it’s a New Years resolution but I really think it’s motivated by the recent loss of a great community builder Frank Leversedge. He seemed to always have time for community, soccer, youth, & his family; surely if he could do it I have time to write a Blog.
I met Frank when I arrived in Saanich in 2003. He was a part of the Cordova Bay Soccer Club. I soon learned he was tiger, passionate about his game (soccer), his club, the players (young & old) & the community. We began to work on ways to meet the needs of the Club as they had lost the Trio fields. We were working on some ideas with the ultimate solution being the artificial turf field that is now in use in Lochside Park. FELPS was Frank’s baby. It’s said without him it would not have happened. I agree. For more about Frank follow the link to the CBSC web site www.cordovabaysoccer.org
I have been in the Parks & Recreation business over 25+ years in 3 different Provinces & in 5 different communities. I have made many mistakes but I learned a few things along the way too. One of the things I have learned is that its people like Frank that build community. Every community has them & in Saanich we are lucky to have many such folks. Community partnerships have built most if not all of our parks. From the 4 artificial turf fields we now have (a 5th on the way this summer), the lacrosse boxes, the ball fields including the Lambrick Park dugout project this year. But it’s not just the sport clubs we have many active Community Associations & ‘Friends of” organizations that are passionate about their community. They work with our staff on many projects often challenging us in many ways but in the end we all must remember we are building community. Frank’s celebration of life at Lochside Park Jan 16 reminded me on this & much more. So to all those who help make Saanich a Healthy Community thank you; I look forward to continuing to build safe, healthy & sustainable Saanich Parks with you all.
This Blog will be updated to share our successes, some ideas & hidden gems. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions please feel free to email us at parks@saanich.ca
Rae S. Roer
Parks Manager
Contact Us:
1040 McKenzie Ave
Victoria, BC V8P 2L4
(250) 475-5522
parks@saanich.ca
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