What a gorgeous last day of summer it was -- kids were playing, neighbours were chatting on their porches. 

What did I hear at the doors today?  In terms of what people like, the favourite is still the look of the new Banff Avenue - with a couple of side comments about being glad that the construction is over!  Recycling and organics got several mentions as well, along with a hope that Middle Springs will get its own organics and plastics bins, and one wistful request for curbside recycling pickup.

Top of the list for concerns continued to be Banff Live, with community standards coming in second (people were expressing concerns about properties that are not maintained to the standard of the neighbourhood).  Bridge traffic was mentioned from a few angles:  general concern about bridge congestion, concern that the turn arrows at Banff and Buffalo are not on long enough, concern that the two-lane left turn at the admin building end is not well line-painted, and not well understood by drivers.

Two households also expressed concern about the town's role in tourism marketing.  "Run the town, don't sell the town, leave that to others" was one quote.

Individual households mentioned liking the following:

• FCSS: "give it 10 votes!".
• The town website:  "easy to use, use it a lot".
• The new busses:  "they're so visible".

Individual households mentioned the following concerns, issues, questions:

• a request to curb the spending on consultants
• a hope that the youth program for 13-16 year olds will be operational soon
• a concern about the quality of snow ploughing
• a question about when the final lift of asphalt will be done in Middle Springs 2g
• a request for more visitor parking in 2g, near the emergency vehicle pad
• a concern about Banff avenue design, specifically the narrowness for bikes and the trees on the corners
• a hope that the pedestrian bridge will go ahead

Well, I was certainly bang-on when I guessed that it would take longer to go door-to-door as a councillor than as a candidate.  At this rate, it will take me 'til Christmas to finish this round of door-knocking!  But I don't mind a bit -- I am having some great conversations, and I'm more and more convinced that this kind of mid-term one-to-one contact is really worthwhile.

What were last night's discussions about?  Several households are happy about the look of the new Banff Avenue:  it's "appealing", "pretty", "makes the pedestrians look happier and more relaxed".

And individual households liked:

• Banff Live:  "my kids enjoyed it"
• the sewage treatment plant:  "toured it with the school kids and it was amazing"
• the recycling program:  "hope we get an organics bin here in Middle Springs"
• the volunteer centre: "I've used it and it was great"
• the move of Abbeyfield House into the Bow Valley Housing portfolio:  "This will be so good for the convenience of the users"
• the library:  "love it!"
• the bike race:  "It was great to see.  Add mountain biking into the event somehow"
• Bear Street handicapped parking:  "really helpful"
• The secondary suite policy:  "hope it will happen, it would really help employers and employees"
• The new busses:  "gorgeous"
• The TIF funding for Banff Lake Louise Tourism:  "happy to see this in place"

How did people respond when asked what the town could improve?  Banff Live topped the list, and there were still a few references to bridge traffic, although most people noted the improvement now that the intersection of Banff and Buffalo is open once again.  A couple of people mentioned design concerns with the new Banff Avenue:  trees on corners, narrow intersections, the loss of the central line of banners, a suggestion to remove the remaining lamp post at the bridge end and "tidy up" the median there.

Individual households mentioned the following concerns, ideas, and suggestions:

• A suggestion to eliminate development permit fees for environmental retrofits such as adding solar hot water -- or to redirect those fees to an environmental fund.
• a request to not engage in special events designed to bring large numbers of visitors, and to help visitors slow down and enjoy the park.
• a request to communicate more with the families of Banff
• a suggestion for Banff-Canmore transit, 2 - 3 times per day in each direction
• A request for a parkade
• a request to improve the flower plantings in the downtown
• a concern about the amount of parking along Bow Avenue and its impact on the serenity of the riverside trail
• a question about when the filter cloths will be removed from the storm drains on Jasper Way
• a request to add a transit route to the Banff Centre
• a request for increased fiscal responsibility
• a concern about violent or offensive material in store window displays downtown
• a request to concentrate less on "what we're not", and concentrate more on protecting and sharing what truly makes this area spectacular.
• a concern about the safety of the crosswalk at Spray and Mountain:  cars not expecting pedestrians, children not expecting traffic.

It was a beautiful evening, and lots of folks were in the mood for conversation, so I covered only a small section of Middle Spring 1 tonight.  Wow - there are some real green thumbs up there!  The flowers were amazing.

Banff Avenue's new look and the town's recycling initiatives, especially organics, were items that got the most thumbs up from this first group of Middle Springs residents.  Looking out at the gorgeous evening, one man said that he's "just feeling pretty fortunate, overall", and I had to agree with him.

On the improvement side, bridge traffic was definitely top of mind for people tonight, pushing Banff Live into second place.  One couple told me that they had to walk to the Sports Hall of Fame dinner in their party clothes, because there was just no way to get their car onto Mountain Avenue on Saturday night at six pm.  I knew what they meant, because it took me more than 20 minutes to get from Valleyview to the CIBC that same evening.  One family expressed concern about emergency vehicle access to the south side of the river under those circumstances.

Other ideas and suggestions:

• keep an eye on spending, watch the big ticket items, remember the taxpayers
• watch out for and regulate vacation rentals
• support for  pedestrian bridge with a good direct connector trail to Middle Springs
• a request for improvement in snow clearing, and consideration of alternate-side parking to facilitate this

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

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.