| 1. Secondary Plan Response: Study Session Saturday November 9, 1:00 p.m. at Downtown Community Centre + Input Requested by November 12 2. Affiliation – Olde Berlin Town in the Civic Centre and the City of Kitchener 3. Nearby Happenings 4. Wanted: Additional Heritage and Development Committee Members 5. We want to hear from you! |
| 1. Secondary Plan Response: Study Session Saturday November 9, 1:00 p.m. at Downtown Community Centre + Input Requested by November 12 Our neighbourhood has posted an updated copy of our draft response to the revised Secondary Plan proposal which governs land use. We request your input, corrections and comments by Tuesday November 12th. Please send to writeus@oldeberlintown.ca. Interested in comparing the existing zoning against the proposed zoning for addresses in our neighbourhood? Here’s a step-by-step guide, complete with all the links and maps you’ll need! https://oldeberlintown.ca/zoning/ Want some help in understanding the Plan or to discuss your thoughts with neighbours? Join us at our upcoming study session, 1:00-2:30pm, November 9th, 2019 at the Downtown Community Centre, in the Workshop Room. You can also email us at writeus@oldeberlintown.ca. |
| 2. Affiliation – Olde Berlin Town in the Civic Centre and the City of Kitchener The City of Kitchener is reviewing its Affiliation Policy and a number of changes are being proposed to City Council by recreational staff. An October 29th article in The Record outlined several of these. Some of the proposals could impact some Associations financially and the booking of space for programs delivered at Community Centres. Olde Berlin Town Neighbourhood Association (OBTNA) in the Civic Centre is officially affiliated with the City of Kitchener as are many other neighbourhood associations. But not all neighbourhood groups and organizations are affiliated. There is a process and criteria to be met before a neighbourhood is granted affiliation status. Currently, there are important benefits that come with affiliations such as risk management, support from city staff, access to resources like a Community Centre, program grants, printing of newsletters, minutes, and flyers, and staff assistance (subject to guidelines and budgetary availability). In turn, affiliated groups are expected to “maintain a range of community based activities to improve the quality of life in the City”. They should be voluntary, not-for-profit, non-partisan, be inclusive of and responsible to the needs of the community, be open to the public and should have a structure for accountability. The city aims to encourage volunteerism and citizen leadership. Members of OBTNA have already participated in workshops and will continue to engage with the City. |
| 3. Nearby Happenings This Thursday November 7th, #LipOffKW returns to the Apollo Cinema (only a short walk from our neighbourhood!) for another night of awesome lip sync battles – all to raise money for ALLIN2020, a campaign to end chronic homelessness in Waterloo Region by November 2020. Saturday November 9th marks the 19th Annual Frederick Art Walk from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s a 4 km walking tour through our “neighbouring neighbourhood.” The event features unique hand-crafted works for sale including fabric art, paintings, photography, pottery, stained glass, sewing crafts and jewellery. Wondering what’s going on at our beautiful KPL Central Branch? With free flicks in their theatre, knitting workshops, toddler socials, music in the lounge, tech tutoring and so much more, there’s something for everyone. Keep an eye on the events calendar here. (You can filter by Location: Central Library.) Don’t forget to grab something tasty from the Hacienda Cafe, located just inside the library. Have you visited our neighbourhood brewery lately? Descendants Brewery has great daily specials and events. (Musical Bingo, anyone?) They also just won Gold in The Record’s Readers’ Choice Awards; cheers to that! Get pampered close to home at The Sonneck House Salon and Spa! The Sonneck House (German for ‘Sunny Corner’) is located at 108 Queen Street North at the intersection of Queen Street North and Margaret Avenue. The property was designated, for its historic and architectural value, by the City of Kitchener. |
| 4. Wanted: Additional Heritage and Development Committee Members Our committee meets monthly to review land use policy and potential developments in and around our neighbourhood. No previous knowledge or experience required. Interested? Just email writeus@oldeberlintown.ca. |
| 5. We want to hear from you! Do you have thoughts on how we can make our neighbourhood even better? Ways to build a stronger sense of community and get neighbours engaged? Maybe you want to organize a small event? (There are grants available!) We, the OBTNA Board, would love to hear from you. Email us anytime with feedback at writeus@oldeberlintown.ca. We’re always looking for volunteers too. Don’t forget to follow us on social media (links below) and tag #OBTNA in your posts! (Photo: Olde Berlin Town Pop-up Cafe, Sept. 29, 2019) |
