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More door-to-door in Valleyview

Posted Sun, 09/14/2008 - 00:40
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I continued my "fall check-in", as described in my last two posts, doing the remaining homes in Valleyview this afternoon.

Once again, a lot of people said that they are generally satisfied with a lot of town services, but they also mentioned some suggestions for areas that could be improved.

The same three items (the appearance of the renewed Banff Avenue, the recycling program, and the busses) got the most positive mentions.  Banff Avenue was described as a "vast improvement". 

One household also mentioned how pleased they are that a good map is now available for the trails right around the town - Tunnel Mountain, etc.  Another noted with pleasure the preservation of the Peck house, and expressed hope that we can do more for heritage home preservation.  And another commented positively on how much hard work had gone into the logistics of making Banff Live happen.

In considering areas for improvement, after Banff Live (which once again got top billing), the greatest area for concern was traffic congestion.  People are really looking forward to having the construction work at Banff and Buffalo completed, and seeing some improvement to the congestion across the bridge.

Some suggestions that were made by individuals ...

 First, some that echoed comments from yesterday's door-knocking:

  • More speed limit reminders/enforcement on Mountain Avenue
  • a pedestrian mall on Banff Avenue
  • do some soul-searching about who we are, what we're marketing
  • concern about the transition to fewer garbage bins

And some that were new:

  • Looking forward to having that commuter bike trail Banff-Canmore
  • Would like to see the pedestrian bridge built
  • do everything possible for affordable housing - maybe a 3rd Rocky Mountain co-op building?
  • look for more ways for the Town and the Banff Centre to work together
  • a concern was expressed about the level of salaries and perks at Town Hall, compared to what the taxpayers are making
  • a concern was expressed about the Rec Centre project, and a hope that it will be kept as low-end and low-cost as possible
  • a recommendation for pedestrian scrambles at main intersections (where all the pedestrians cross at once, in all directions)
  • a question about whether there should be bylaw considerations for temporary signs.
  • a question about the mandate/accountability of the Tourism Bureau, and whether we need a Chamber of Commerce
  • a request for a transit route to the Banff Centre

Deja vu all over again - door-knocking in Valleyview Sept. 11

Posted Fri, 09/12/2008 - 16:13
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As I promised in my September 7 entry, I have started door-to-door again, just as I did during the election.  And - as I suspected - people have a lot more to say to me now that I am a councillor and not just a candidate.

It was beautiful weather last evening, and a perfect time to visit with people.  Most seemed interested and pleased when I explained why I was at their doors -- there were lots of wry chuckles when I noted the comments from last year, that "We only see politicians on our doorsteps when they want our votes".

I asked people what they like about what the Town is doing, and whether they had any suggestions for areas where we could improve.  This is not in any way a scientific survey - it's just a check-in for my own information, to hear from people on their own turf, in their own words.  I also checked in with people who already receive my email newsletter to see whether it's useful to them, and signed up others who want to join the email list.  

Even people who had lots to say about areas for improvement generally added that they are mostly pleased with the services the Town provides.  It was common to hear something along the lines of "I'm concerned about X, but in general things are good".

The ROAM transit busses scored big on the plus side:  people said they "look stunning", "make us proud", "smell nice".  Several people also commented on the look of Banff Avenue, saying they like the way it's turning out, and they are happy to hear the September 24 end date.  Waste management got the nod as well - people applauding the recycling program, although some are concerned about managing the transition to fewer bins that's going on right now, even though this doesn't affect Valleyview as directly.  Central Park was praised as a well-set-up facility for outdoor weddings.

In terms of suggestions for improvement, because of the timing of my visit, Banff Live was top of mind for several of the folks I spoke to and got a lengthy mention at six doors.  People also talked about whether the municipal government should be marketing to visitors, whether we're attempting to make Banff into something it's not, whether we might be able instead to take advantage of our natural assets, which are becoming more and more rare in the rest of the world.   

Three households also mentioned the pedestrian bridge and their opposition to the proposed location.

Ideas for improvement that got individual mentions were:

  • the hydraulic fluid staining the ground under many older garbage bins
  • need for more activities for families
  • need to know what we're accomplishing on the GHG reduction part of the Community Plan
  • need to add some facilities at Reservoir meadow if we're renting it out for weddings
  • a concern about the number of traffic signs in town, and a request to direct some signage at pedestrians so they'll take responsibility for their own safety.
  • a concern about light pollution, and a hope that we can protect dark skies
  • A suggestion to improve the town's portion of the informal path from the lower corner of Valleyview to Mountain Ave, and a request to put a reminder about speed limits on the Mountain Avenue curve.
  • a request for more public parking on the edges of downtown.
  • a concern about stop signs around town getting obscured by the growth of nearby foliage.
  • a concern about the intersection at Buffalo and Bear not working well, creating congestion.
  • a suggestion that Banff Ave should go to a full pedestrian mall format.

Council update, September 7, 2008

Posted Sun, 09/07/2008 - 19:56
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Hello everyone:

I hope you're enjoying the first days of the school year, getting back into the autumn groove, and remembering to cover your flower boxes at night!

Here are some of the highlights of life on Council from the recent past and imminent future ...

BANFF LIVE

I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear that many of my curbside conversations over the past couple of weeks have been on the subject of Banff Live. 

Since there seem to be differing points of view on whether Banff Live was good for Banff, I'm interested in seeing an objective review of the results, based on concrete data and on the original goals that were supported by Council.  With that in mind, I've asked for a written report that covers the following:

  • A rundown of dollars spent (and on what) and dollars earned (and from what
  • A rough estimate of the value of paid staff time dedicated to the event
  • A rough estimate of volunteer time applied to the event
  • Estimates of audience numbers at various times of day (exclusive of staff, volunteers and security)
  • A list of national TV, radio and print coverage attained as a direct result of the event (with copies of the print items)
  • notes on how partners and funders of the reconstruction project were recognized at the event
  • a summary of the written/email input received from citizens (with copies included)
  • a summary of the evaluation done with businesses and visitors
  • an estimate of the extension of weekend visitation garnered from the event
  • and (perhaps most importantly) a list of lessons learned

I believe that most councillors will support having a report of this type done.  I expect we may see it at the October 14 council meeting, and it should help to provide the accountability and the learning opportunity that many people are looking for.

There was a comment in the Crag about "20/20 hindsight" being expected from Council.  With that in mind, in case you want to review what I said back in March about this event, you can go to my April 15, 2008 blog entry.

RCMP RIDE-ALONG

Thanks to S/Sgt Wiebe and Cst. Rachel Pergunas, I had the opportunity to go for a ride-along with the RCMP, from 1 - 3 a.m on the morning of Saturday, August 23.  I thought I'd have trouble staying awake at that hour (not exactly my typical schedule!) but I was so fascinated that sleep wasn't an issue.  It was great to have this insight into how our town is kept safe in the early hours of the morning.

I was very impressed with the effectiveness of the BarWatch network (the communication system that links the bouncers with each other and with the RCMP).  I was very impressed with the rapid response time that complainants were receiving.  And, as always, I was impressed with the courtesy and professional demeanour of our police, regardless of how badly the people they are dealing with may be behaving.

 FALL CHECK-IN

Last autumn, when I was campaigning door-to-door, there was one comment I heard often:  "Oh yes, it must be election time, that's the only time politicians come to see us!"  I heard it enough that I resolved to try something a little different.  Between now and the end of November, I'm going to door-knock all over town again -- just like I did during the election.  I'm calling it my "fall check-in", and if people like it, I'll do it again next year.  I have a feeling that some people may have more things they want to say to me, now that I'm a councillor, than they did last autumn, when I was a candidate.  And I have a feeling that going door-to-door will make it easier for them to have those conversations.

Please, tell me what you think of this idea!  And please let me know if there's a particular day you'd like me to come to your part of town, and I'll try to build my schedule accordingly.

Time to buy a new pair of shoes ... ;-D

COMING TO COUNCIL TOMORROW

Construction waste - mandatory waste diversion

Council is being asked to approve a mandatory requirement for construction sites to separate out and divert recyclable materials, such as kiln-dried lumber, metal, asphalt shingles, drywall, etc.  Pilot projects with Kerco and Leader were very successful, and the Town staff believe that most construction firms are supportive of this approach.  This is one part of the Town's continuing efforts to reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfulls of all kinds.

Car wash

Council is being asked whether they would like to change the existing rules about unused commercial building allocations in order to facilitate the building of a car wash.  This request is complicated by the fact that another car wash project (one that doesn't require a rule change) is in the works.

Historic site designation

The Crandall Cabin (which most of you will know better as John & Claudine Peck's former house) is coming up for designation as a Municipal Heritage Resource.  This is great news, as it means the preservation of the cabin will be assured.

Other items

Those are the highlights, but there are also reports on building permits, minor bylaw changes, updated business license fees, and an update on the progress on various administration projects.  You can see the complete package at:

http://www.banff.ca/Assets/PDFs/Town+Hall+PDF/Council+Agendas+PDF/2008+Agendas+PDF/2008-09-08-council-agenda.pdf