To keep this great program running, we need volunteers for the positions of youth program coordinator and registrar (Jennifer Lambert as already stepped forward as equipment manager).  These positions can be shared. If you are interested please contact belmacsoccer@telusplanet.net or call Brad Odsen at 436-0938. 

BELMAC  OUTDOOR SOCCER
2006 Registration 

Belgravia Hall 
Saturday, February 25th 

McKernan Hall 
Sunday, February 26th 

12:30 to 4:00 pm. each day 

For more info go to www.swemsa.com or contact: 
belmacsoccer@telusplanet.net 

The monthly league meeting lets the community catch up on the months worth of activities, all in one sitting, as our committees and liason volunteers report back to “home base”. Due to the interest in the proposed development (covered below), there were approximately 20 in attendance this month. However, there were other reports as well…… 

SLRT Report 
The Hospital station is now open for business! During the opening ceremony it was announced that the next four stations: McKernan, Foote Field, Southgate and Centennial (Heritage) will follow in quick succession. The City has borrowed the money necessary for the completion of this line. The dig at Belgravia Road has yet to start, due to a lack of competative bids. Additional bids are being solicited. 

The local SLRTconsultation committee will be meeting once more with the City, to iron out details on the 114th Street station and LRT right-of-way. 

The West End Study (for high-speed buses / LRT) is continuing. A community consultation meeting is expected to be held in February. City council will be asked for additional funding to extend the planing process.  The trolley bus system will face another challenge in February. Councillor Krushell has a motion before Council to dismantle the trolley system as being too costly. If this is allowed to pass, expect additional noise and air pollution along 109th and 76 Ave. 

Restricted Parking 
The extension of restricted parking area in McKernan continues to be an option. The LRT, U of A south campus and the proposed densification along 109th St. will put additional pressure on residents to find parking in front of their own homes.  Contact the league if this would be of interest in your area of the community. 

CRC 
Our new Community Recreational Coordinator, Terri Johnson, was introduced to the community. She will be our liason with the City for our recreational programs. Her first order of business will be the McKernan Summer-in-the-Park program. This will be discussed and the extent of 
this program will be determined at next months meeting. Welcome Terri! 

Rinks 
Both rinks have now been in service since just before Christmas. Peter Gray has once again done a Yeoman’s job of getting the ice in. A BIG HAND for Peter. Fortunately, our requests for some additional volunteer efforts have been successful, with two gentlemen coming forward. In addition, a local sorority may contribute some hours in reward for some ice slots. That is not to say that more help wouldn’t be appreciated. If you can spend a few evenings, give Peter Gray a call at 434-0480. 

Other Housing Issues 
Just before the holidays, a house at the S/W corner of 109th and 77 Ave. was partially demolished and then refurbished with a 3-story front corner. This looks suspiciously like a violation of the Mature Neighbourhood 
Overlay. Despite the RF3 zoning, there was a rumour of a home business application. Stay tuned…….. 

The next league meeting will be held, as usual, on the first Monday of the month, February 7th at 7:30 p.m. in the League Hall (or the rink shack ……. who has the key???) 

The Editor 

The January meeting of the community league was dominated by discussions coming out of last month’s announcement of a proposed 60-unit housing development in McKernan. As you may recall, the plan is for a five-story unit, spanning six lots at the Northwest corner of 109th Street and 77 Ave. 

Currently the properties are zoned for RF3. This allows for some densification but developments must adhere to the Mature neighbourhood Housing Overlays. This limits the heights and area of lot coverage (see 
the housing section on the Messenger web page.) The proposed development cannot be constructed unless there is a change in the zoning along 109th St. 

Margret Jarosch and Jane Arscott, of our housing committee led us through initial reactions and the plans to support the community’s wishes.  To date, the committee has taken the following actions: 
made preliminary contact with our city councillors to inform them of this issue 
Obtained a copy of the recent Phase 1 planning report on the 109th Street corridor 
Contacted the other leagues with similar concerns along 109th St. 
Attended a hearing on a similar development planed for the Queen Alexander community 
Letter(s) objecting to this development sent to the city sent by non-committee members 
This development plan was presented for discussions to a recent CACCL meeting 
A sub-committee has been formed to help bolster the housing committee’s man-power 

The housing sub-committee assembled for this issue will, despite their full time jobs, be gathering information and formulating a plan, based upon feed back from the community. Their assignments in the short term will include: 
Contacting the city’s planing department for advice on zoning 
Gathering housing representatives from the surrounding communities to look at the bigger picture 
Soliciting feedback from the community 
Establish lines of communication with the city departments 
Creating a “paper trail” to document their actions, correspondence and concerns And, meet with the developers and their council, to provide our formal response to their project, and provide “constructive criticism” 

The developer, using time-tested methods, will be pushing for a compressed timetable of events. The developer is planing to start their permitting process in February! Volunteer organizations are not typically 
set up for rapid deployment of forces …. but we must. Often times, there is only one chance to “shut the barn doors before the cat is out of the bag”. If a prescient is set, a second, third and fourth similar development 
will be impossible to stop. 

And this is not an isolated case, there are already two other “big box” developments proposed  along 109 St. one of which is in the Queen Alexander community. Surprisingly, the same local architect is being consulted for all three, but with different developers. Hence if this corridor becomes a “battlefield”, we will have allies in the surrounding communities. The favoured approach is to join forces and to be as vocal as possible as 
soon as possible. Private members of the community will be sending letters into the planing department and our ward councillors, voicing disapproval. We would encourage as many letters as possible, to the league and city hall (see below for contacts). 

And what do the McKernan residents think of this particular development. Those present were poled and the comments oft repeated were:
The development is too high 
It will change the character of the (local) neighbourhood 
This will set a bad precedence, and open the door for additional large scale developments 
Will increase traffic short-cutting 
Will negatively affect property values of nearby single family homes (77 th and University Ave.) 
A few turrets and spikes does not make an attractive building 

Of the 18 people in attendance at the league meeting, 18 objected to the development. This provides a clear direction for the housing committee. 

During the meeting, a motion was composed and passed unanimously to the effect that:  “The McKernan Community League affirms the current RF3 zoning should remain in place in McKernan, in particular along 
109th Street.”   In order to strengthen our position on the 109 St. corridor, as second motion was also passed, “A moratorium on 109th Street re-development shall be put in place until the City completes Phase 2 of their Report on 109 St. Development” 

Your opinions can make a difference. 
 

Contacts: 

The McKernan League: 
McKernanCommunityLeague@telus.net 

Mike Nickels (496-8132)  and/or Bryan Anderson (496-8130)   2nd Floor, City Hall 
1 Sir Winston Churchill Square 
Edmonton, Alberta  T5J 2R7 

The Planing and Development Dept. 
5th Floor, 10250 - 101 Street 
Edmonton, Alberta  T5J 3P4 

E-Mails: 
Alternately, e-mail feedback forms can be used directly by going to the City of Edmonton web site. This site also contains city zoning maps and decriptions for those who are interested. 

The Editor 

Ann-Marie Thivierge, Vice President, Social Event Co-ordinator/Convenor, would like to thank the volunteers who 
showed their commitment to the McKernan Community’s “Tis’ the Season Event” on December 10, 2005.  The outpouring of time and resources from all of the volunteers, is a testament to what  can be accomplished when the community works together.  On behalf to the McKernan Community League, our thanks to those who helped make this event a success.  Special thanks to Councillor Bryan Anderson who took the time from his busy schedule to attend and support McKernan Community League. 

Thanks to the Alpha Si Sorority:  Nicole Mitchell-Duff, Courtney Brademann, Amber Lindeman, Caila MacLeod, Krystine Chung, Lana Zisin, Angella Yamamoto, Jess Wong, Jess Lau, Shawna Lepage, Angella McLelland, Leanne Anderson and Terri-Lynn Holiday 

And Community Members:  Avril Crossley, Hilary and Peter Gray, Jane Arscott, Julia Peters, Neil Armstrong, Brenda and Family, Shamsa Butt, Wayne Rogers, Una Bryce, Program Manager, City of Edmonton Community Services and Crystal and Sabrina (City of Edmonton Leaders) 

The date of the next event will be forthcoming in the next newsletter.  We look forward to your continuing support, which is always greatly appreciated! 

The South-side police are after the public’s assistance in spotting neighbourhood drug-houses.  This new program has already solicited dozens of calls, to the South Division station.  They now have 50 solid leads which were previously not on file. Prior to this initiative, six drug houses in south Edmonton were shut down over the spring and summer months. 

The Division has 42 active files and are gathering intelligence and doing background checks on the properties. Based on the information, the sites will be prioritized and action will be taken. The ultimate aim is to reduce the increased crime associated with these premises for the surrounding neighbourhoods. 

If there is a suspicious property in your area, call the hotline @ 426-8229. 

Mon. Wed. & Fri. - 6 to 8 a.m.
Mon. -  7:00 to 8:30 p.m. 
Wed.  - 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. 
Sat. 1 to 3  or  7 to 8:30 p.m. (Toonie Swim - adults with children) 

For lessons or additional information Call:  496-8756 

Who was Charles Simmons and when was he the president of the McKernan League?  We have some missing information on the History Page of our Community Web Site. If you can help with this or any other history, contact the Messenger and it will be posted.

You will create fun and exciting crafts to enjoy yourself or to give away. 

Lendrum Community Hall 
1st Saturday of the Month 
February to April 2006 
Ages 6 to 12 

› February 4th  ~  Valentine Chocolate Making  (code:201942) 
› March 4th  ~  Soap Making for Spring  (code: 201944) 
› April 1st  ~  Easter Decorations and Gifts  (code: 201946) 

Cost:  $8 per session 

To register by phone call 496-2966, in person at 11808 St. Albert Trail, or on-
line at eReg.edmonton.ca 

If you are experiencing lapses in the delivery of the Messenger to your door, contact the distributor, David Woolf @ 433-1739.

Additional copies are available at the community hall and the drug store on 76 Ave..... and there is always the web version. 

Hello, 

As recent homeowners to the McKernan community, my wife and I are very concerned over the proposed 5-story development on 77th Ave/109 St as described in the December issue of the McKernan Messenger. While we do not live that close to the development, we are worried that this may set a precedent that could significantly alter the nature of this community. We also very much empathize with those who will be directly affected. 

Unfortunately due to prior commitments we cannot attend the 
league meeting on Jan 3 to express our views. However we are committed to provide whatever help may be required to prevent this development. We want to keep a close eye on this issue, so any advice on how we can best stay informed would be much appreciated. 

Regards, 

Steve Wallace & Camille Cunningham 

PS - a cheque for our membership/donation is in the mail ! 

Q: What sound do porcupines make when they kiss? 
A: Ouch 

Actress: Have you ever seen me on T.V.? 
Fan: On and off. 
Actress: How did you like me? 
Fan: Off. 

Q:Why does a chicken coop have two doors? 
A: Because if had four doors it would be a chicken sedan! 

Q. A man rode is horse to town on Friday. The next day he rode back on Friday. How is this possible? 
A. The horse's name was Friday. 

Parents: Need a sitter, well our community sitter registry has a few reliable, qualified sitters, so you can get a night out. If you need a sitter, please call Lori Janssen @ 437-5238. 

Sitters: I’d still like to hear from anyone interested in sitting.  If you would like to be added to the list, please call Lori @ 437-5238.

 W   A    N    T    E    D
Content for the Messenger:
•  Community interest articles
•  Upcoming Community events
•  Great athletic achievements
•  Historical stories and/or photos
•  Local "characters"
•  Opinions on local happenings

Rates:
Family -- $30
Single Parent Family -- $20
Single (with skate tag)  -- $15
Senior - or - U of A Student (no skating)  -- $5

Date: ______________

Members Names: __________________
Address: _________________________
Postal Code: __________
E-Mail:  ____________
Phone: ______________
Childern's Names:   Birth Date:   Sex: M/F
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________

Type of Membership: ________________
Amount Inclosed: ___________________
Number of Skate Tags Reqd. __________
Donations to the League: _____________
Willing to Volunteer?  ____ Yes   ____ No
In what capacity? __________________

Comments:
 
 
 

Clip and Mail to:
McKernan Membership Committee
c/o Mary Heacock
7231 - 112 St.
T6G 1J4
Edmonton, Alberta

Thank you for your continuing support. 
A strong communtiy depends on You!