September 11, 2010

Last night I went door to door in east end Cochrane. Two interesting issues were raised:

1. The need for door to door recycling pick up; and
2. Concerns about the location of the so-called east end connector pathway from the Spray Lake Rec Centre to Dewey Blainey Park.

Door to door recycling pick up is currently handled by a private collection company, Cochrane Recyclers for a modest fee. Here is the link to their website:
http://www.cochranerecyclers.com/

I was able to pass on that information as well as let the new citizens who recently moved here know that all people in Cochrane can drop off their recycling at the depot. Here is the link to the town's recycling depot:

http://www.cochrane.ca/municipal/toc/webcms.nsf/AllDoc/E6B2A4C70DB629E3872576FE0075A1F9?OpenDocument

This is an interesting topic that has been discussed many times in the past by different councils. Certainly, it is an issue worth raising again. If recycling were to be picked up by the Town on the same day as garbage is picked up, then instead of every citizen making the trip to the depot, there would be one company dropping materials there. In that case, the depot would be required to sort the materials into bins, which is done right now by citizens when they drop off. On the other hand, think of the fuel emissions and fuel savings to the community if everyone is not driving their recycling to the depot in private vehicles. Which program would provide the most beneficial service to society overall? Would more citizens participate and therefore, remove more product from the waste stream and Calgary's landfill? Would the increase in landfill fees be offset by the increased saleable product?

The east end pathway connector is a plan the current council has to extend a pathway over the CPR tracks across from Carolina Drive. Citizens who live on both sides of Carolina Drive do not want a sidewalk extended from First Street in front of their homes. The reason stated adamantly is because the residents would lose their substantial landscaping, including 20 year old trees, and there simply is not sufficient room to accomodate a sidewalk on an already narrow street. The proposed neighbourhood solution is to run a pathway in the alleyway behind the homes on the east side of Carolina Drive. Other ideas include signage and letting people know that they can walk up that short distance of road and connect to the pathway in Dewey Blainey park. Certainly, that would be the cheapest and would have least impact on the existing neighbourhood, providing a reasonable solution for everyone involved.

A third issue raised was about getting involved in the community association. Many people are aware of the group and work that is going on to sustain the east end community. The citizens who talked to me all thanked Andy Marshall for his dedication to this community.

Overall, I was warmly received and had an opportunity to meet 12 new neighbours who have moved to town in the last year or so.

Today was the Mutt Strut! There were so many people out, with dogs of every breed and size. I want to comment on how much Jack Tennant does for this community, but especially for the Cochrane Humane Society. Jack is truly a sustainability ambassador and community builder.