2011

Report

Recreation & Parks Month

Recreation & Parks Month Report 2011

June was “Recreation and Parks Month” in Ontario,

celebrating the important benefits and value of parks to

individuals, families, neighbourhoods and communities. The

Operations & Waste Management Division of the Public Works

Department was a 2011 Ambassador and with the support of

many local partners, is pleased to be leading the Parks Month

celebrations in the City of Hamilton with several program

initiatives.

The theme “Live it Everyday” encourages citizens to value and appreciate their local and community parks. Recreation and Parks Month gives us the opportunity in an exciting way to increase the awareness of the value and important benefits of parks to individuals, families and to our community. Great parks make great neighbourhoods.

Park Appreciation Days 2011

These single day volunteer clean up and

beautification events at “adopted” parks

under the City’s “Adopt-a-Park” program,

include litter and debris clean ups, graffiti

removal, weeding and application of mulch

within beds and around trees.

Park Appreciation Days:

15 of our 37 Adopt-a-Park groups

held a Park Appreciation Day

during June.

Several of our Adopt-a-Groups held

multiple Park Appreciation Days

during the month of June.

We also welcomed two new Adopt-

a-Park Groups to our program.

The Extreme Park makeover started in June…..

With sponsorship support from The Hamilton Spectator – Kids Unlimited program working with Operations & Maintenance Division staff and volunteers from the Rotary

Club of Hamilton, the park makeover began in June and has improved shrub beds through weeding and mulching, planted trees and shrubs, removed graffiti and benches will be installed to enhance the parks appearance. Thanks to the generous financial support from The Hamilton Spectator - Kids Unlimited, a ten piece outdoor gym will be installed at Jackie Washington Rotary Park in mid-August; This is the second GreenGym for our City. The Extreme Park Makeover will be completed in early September 2011.

What is the GreenGym?

A GreenGym, is very similar to an indoor gym and consists of a range of equipment to suit all needs. The key differences being that the equipment is found outdoors so it is robust, weatherproof and colourful. It does not use weights for resistance, but rather one’s own body weight. The devices are inviting and look more like friendly playgrounds than intimidating fitness equipment

GREAT PARKS MAKE GREAT NEIGHBOURHOODS! The Adopt-a-Park Program

The Adopt-a-Park program is a year round volunteer program through which volunteers can help maintain and care for the green spaces, trees, flowers and shrub beds in their local community park. The Adopt-a-Park Program is designed to help keep Hamilton parks attractive and safe with the ultimate goal to engage park users and community groups in creating and preserving clean and safe parks for everyone. Litter and graffiti removal as well as beautification efforts help to create great parks and... great parks make great neighbourhoods!

Code Red area gets a GreenGym

Jackie Washington Rotary Park is located

in the area defined in the Spectator’s

Code Red Story. The GreenGym provides a

great opportunity for all community

members to enjoy fitness and healthy,

active living. Best of all, it’s free to use

and enjoy any time.

List of Events

June 1st

Woolverton Park

Adopt-a-Park clean up.

Carter Park

Graffiti Removal

June 2nd

Pinky Lewis Parkette

Adopt-a-Park clean up.

June 5th

Victoria Park

Butterfly Garden Clean up

Peace Memorial Park

Adopt-a-Park clean up.

June 11th

Jackie Washington Rotary Park

Start of the Extreme Park Makeover.

June 18th

Shamrock Park

Adopt-a-Park Beautification.

Lands Inlet (JWRP)

Adopt-a-Park clean up.

June 19th

Tweedsmuir Park

Summer in the Park

June 22nd

Warren Park

Planting native plants & wildflower

seeds

June 25th

North Central Park

BBQ & Street Tree Giveaway

Waterdown Memorial Park

Adopt-a-Park Clean up.

June 26th

Eastmount Park

Adopt-a-Park clean up.

June 29th

Woolverton Park

Adopt-a-Park clean up.

THE RESULTS…….. Another successful year!

293 volunteers contributing more than

1700 hours of volunteerism in our parks!

93 bags of litter, 42 recycling bags and

109 yard waste bags collected.

Over 93 yards of woodchips and mulch

was used in shrub beds and around trees.

An impressive 403 graffiti tags removed

and cleaned-up by our Adopt-a-Park

volunteers in June 2011!

THE RESULT IS A CLEANER

AND GREENER HAMILTON

FOR ALL TO ENJOY!

THE RESULTS…….. Another successful year!

June Results 2009 2010 2011 Number of Park Appreciation Days 12 21 22

Number of Adopt-a-Park groups 26 35 37

Number of Community Clean Trailer Requests 17 25 25

Number of Volunteers 231 286 298

Number of Volunteer Hours 801 1567 1730

Number of Garbage Bags Collected 121 125 93

Total Number of Yard Waste & Recycling bags Collected 62 92 151

Number of Recycling Bags Collected (separated by stream for 2011) n/a n/a 42*

Number of Yard Waste Bags Collected (separated by stream for 2011) n/a n/a 109*

Number of Graffiti Tags/sites Removed 25 297 403

Yards of Woodchips 22 25 93

* Note: In 2011 Recycling bags and yard waste bags were counted as separate streams

unlike previous years. The total number of yard waste & recycling bags collected

represented a combined number total for comparison.

COMMUNITY CLEAN TRAILER The Success of the trailer!

Over 1500 volunteers collect litter, remove graffiti, and beautify our parks each year. In an effort to keep Hamilton Clean & Green, volunteers participating in Hamilton’s Clean & Green programs needed the tools and equipment to do their work effectively. In late 2009, the Operations & Waste Management Division of Hamilton’s Public Works Department created and introduced an innovative solution to meet the needs of the volunteers... a Community Clean Trailer. The Community Clean Trailer is equipped with supplies for litter & debris clean-up, graffiti removal and landscape tools for beautification projects.

THE SUCCESSES….. Recreation & Parks Month Success Stories.

THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN Victoria Park

These butterfly gardens were created in conjunction with Strathcona School to support the Monarchs in the Classroom program, in which the students raise and release Monarch butterflies each September. The butterfly garden supplements the learning in this program, and is maintained by the volunteers through the school program and the community. These dedicated volunteers conducted several weeding and mulching events during June. This is an exciting initiative and it is exciting to see butterflies and children using this space!

JACKIE WASHINGTON ROTARY PARK The start of the Extreme Park Makeover

Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Hamilton have adopted Jackie Washington Rotary Park. As part of the Extreme Park Makeover, volunteers from the Rotary Club planted shrubs and plant material in the beds. The planting is the start to a revitalized Rotary Court in the park. Litter and graffiti removal was part of the clean-up.

SHAMROCK PARK Corktown Neighbourhood Association

Do you pay attention to your neighbourhood? Do you notice lawns, gardens and how improving your local park can make your neighbourhood even better? Berry Bogusat does! Barry is the chairperson for the Corktown Neighbourhood Beautification Committee and was featured in the Corktown Crier – a neighbourhood newsletter. Barry and his team have adopted Shamrock Park and have done an outstanding job of redefining the shrub beds. For the past 3 years, the

committee holds an annual garage sale in the park with the proceeds being used to purchase plant material for Shamrock Park. Over 100 plants have been added to this park in the past few years and each spring beautiful bulbs pop up with tulips and daffodils. At the Park Appreciation Day in June, over 50 volunteers helped mulch and weed the shrub beds. Graffiti abatement has been successful with the group working diligently on rapid removal, paint overs and reporting vandalism in Shamrock Park.

LANDS INLET - JWRP The Hamilton Naturalists’ Club

Imagine neighbours coming together to help turn former industrial land into a place for nature. Imagine a place where birds and butterflies can thrive and children can experience nature right in their own neighbourhood. Through the Land’s Inlet Nature Project this vision is becoming a reality! Lands Inlet is adjacent to Jackie Washington Rotary Park. Through the leadership of the Hamilton Naturalists Club, community volunteers and youth groups have naturalized and beautified this site by: ■Collecting and removing garbage and recyclables from the area. ■Planting over 130 native trees and shrubs and more than 1,750 native wildflowers and prairie plants. ■Mulching and watering plantings and removing invasive species.

The Hamilton Naturalists’ Club Continued…..

During June, volunteers continued their work by mulching the area and removing weeds and invasive species.

PINKY LEWIS PARKETTE Wever Community Hub – Moms Group

The Wever Community Hub has one of the smallest parkettes in our City, but the Mom’s Group continues to beautify and improve their community. The trees and the shrub beds required over 20 yards of woodchips and mulch. This small but mighty group not only mulched their parkette, but continued the next day by beautified the front entrance to Cathy Wever School. The Moms worked with the daycare children and spruced up two large planters and then installed shrubs and flowers around the school sign. The parkette, recreation centre and school are all part of the Wever Community Hub.

NORTH CENTRAL PARK North Central Community Association

North Central Park is located in the Keith Neighbourhood. The active volunteers from the North Central Community Association have adopted this local park. The volunteers, many of whom are neighbourhood residents, conducted litter and graffiti removal and placed mulch around the trees in the park. All of this was completed early in the morning so they could then hold their annual Fun in the Park Event. There was a BBQ, horse drawn wagon rides, mini golf, a fire truck and many smiling faces using the splash pad on this hot June day.

TREES MAKE GREAT NEIGHBOURS….. In addition to the Adopt-a-Park activities at North Central Park, the Horticulture & Forestry Section attended the community event and promoted the Free Street Tree Program. A tree study carried out by Environment Hamilton reported that Hamilton's north end is saddled with poor air quality. The study measured the health of maple and ash trees based on the amount of lichen on the trunks. Higher readings of the fungus show that air quality is good in an area. Lower readings are a sign of poor air quality. The Keith neighbourhood in Hamilton's north end is described by the study's coordinator as a "lichen desert". Hamilton’s Free Street Tree program offers homeowners the opportunity to have a free tree planted in front of their home. Every Tree Counts!

RECREATION & PARKS MONTH Thank you to all of our volunteers and the Adopt-a-Park Groups!

ADOPT-A-PARK The 2011 Adopt-a-Park Groups

Allison Park - Allison Park Neighbourhood Assoc. Andrew Warburton Park - Homeside Park Committee Bayview Park - Air Cadets Birge Park - Landsdale Area Neighbourhood Association Bishop's Park - Stinson Community Association Carter Park - Stinson Community Association Carter Park/ Rail Trail - John Howard Society Cathedral Park - McMaster B.A. Health Science Central Park - Central Neighbourhood Association Durand Park - Durand Neighbourhood Association Eastmount Park - Mountain Kids Club Eastwood Park - HMCS STAR Glendale Park - Glendale Secondary School Land's Inlet JWRP - Hamilton Naturalists' Club Jackie Washington Rotary Park - Rotary Club of Hamilton Jack C Beemer Park - Brain Injury Services Lucy Day Park - PW-Central Fleet Section McLaren Park - Notre Dame House Memorial Park - Knights of Columbus #10091 Mountview Park - St. Teresa of Avila School Myrtle Park - PW-Business Services Section North Central Park - North Central Community Association Peace Memorial Park - Mountain Kids Club Pinky Lewis Parkette - Wever Community Hub Shamrock Park - Corktown Neighbourhood Association Tweedsmuir Park - Landsdale Area Neighbourhood Association T.B. McQuesten Park - Enterprise Rent-a-Car T.B. McQueston Park – Rotary Club of Hamilton Mountain Victoria Park - Strathcona Community Council Strathcona School Victoria Park - Butterfly Garden Lake Avenue School Warden Park – Westview Middle School/Lake Avenue School Wellington Park – Dodsworth & Brown Funeral Home Winona Park - 1st Winona Scout Group Winona Park - Winona Men's Club Wolverton Park - Liberty for Youth Woodlands Park - Barton Village BIA Southam Park - Sprout Organic Growing Camp

BE A NEIGHBOURHOOD CHAMPION! For more information……

Adopt-a-Park

Neighbourhood Champions are enthusiastic volunteers throughout our city that want to help make Hamilton Clean and Green! Neighbourhood Champions are people just like you who want to help clean-up and beautify our neighbourhoods and parks. Become a Neighbourhood Champion and get your group together to Adopt-a-Park! For more information on adopting a park visit www.hamilton.ca/adoptapark or call 905-546-CITY (2489).

Every Tree Counts…Free Street Tree Program

Lets Get Growing…..Free Street Trees!

This fully funded program allows for the installation of new trees and

replacement trees on the city owned portion of a property ('road allowance').

Order your Free Street Tree Today. Visit us at www.treeshamilton.com or call

905-546-CITY (2489).

Graffiti is a Crime!

Take action: Report graffiti in progress call: 911 Report existing graffiti call: 905-546-CITY (2489) If you know of graffiti activity and wish to report it anonymously, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Clean & Green Programs….visit us at www.hamilton.ca