Dunbar Residents Association News and Events

JANUARY 2008

• Westside Seniors’ Transportation Meeting
  • Wednesday, Jan. 16, 9:30 – 11:30 AM, Kits Neighbourhood House Hall (2305 W. 7th)

* Are you interested in seniors and transportation?
* Would you like to see community shuttle buses on the Westside?
* Are you passionate about speaking out on senior’s issues?

Kitsilano Neighbourhood House and the Westside Seniors Empowerment Coalition, South Vancouver Neighbourhood House, South Vancouver Seniors Council, and Residents from the Westside invite you to this Community Forum. Representatives from Translink will be in attendance.

For more information contact Julie Wall at 604.736.3588 or julie@kitshouse.org

• Dunbar Vision Implementation Committee (DVIC) Meeting
  • Monday, Jan. 21, 7:00 – 9:00 PM, St. Philip’s Church (3737 W. 27th)

The DVIC is a City-sponsored committee that is composed of neighbourhood volunteers who liaise with the City regarding planning in accordance with the Dunbar Community Vision Plan, approved by Council in 1998.

Agenda items which may be of particular interest to Dunbar residents:

• • Potential to influence the operational management plan for the planned 16th & Dunbar supportive housing facility.
  • Discussion concerning the City’s Ecodensity Charter.

All Dunbar residents are welcome to attend.

• Dunbar Garden Club Meeting
  • Tuesday, Jan. 22, 7:30 PM, Room 202, Dunbar Community Centre
    • Brenda Falk, of Tanglebank Country Gardens, Abbotsford, will speak on winter colour in the garden.
    • Drop-in fee is $3.

• Dunbar Make Poverty History Group (see Notice)
  • Wednesday, Jan. 23, 7:30 – 9:30 PM, Dunbar Heights United Church, 3524 W. 24th (at Collingwood)
    • Do you care about world poverty? BC’s children? Then come out and attend the inaugural meeting of Dunbar’s Make Poverty History Group.
    • Members will learn about projects and take direct action to end global poverty and that experienced here at home; BC has the highest rate of child poverty in Canada.
    • For more information, please contact Tina Crouse at 604-877-1468 or ThornburyCommunications@shaw.ca

• Park Board meeting re: Queen Elizabeth Park Observation Tower Proposal (see QE Park Observation Tower page)
  • Monday, Jan 28, 7 PM, Park Board Office, 2099 Beach Ave

• Dunbar Memorial Parent Participation Preschool is celebrating its 50th year and organizing a number of community events to commemorate this special milestone.
  • Tuesday, Jan. 8, 7:30 – 9:00 PM, DCC
    • Who’s in charge, anyway? A free parent education workshop with Kathy Lynn
    • Register for the event at: dunbarcentre.ca
  • Saturday, Jan 19, 1:30 – 4:00 PM, DCC
    • DMP invites families to attend its Open House for 2008-2009 registration. Programs available for 2, 3 and 4-year-olds.
    • More information is available at: www.dunbarmemorialpreschool.ca

• • Sunday, Jan. 27, 4:00 PM, DCC gym
    • Bobs and Lolo family concert
    • Bobs and Lolo are a local Vancouver group who are dedicated to connecting kids to the natural world with music, movement and make-believe.
    • Sharing musical stories that engage, inspire and educate, they teach kids to care about themselves, their neighbours and the planet.
    • Ticket prices: $7 per person (under 1 yr free).
    • Tickets are available online, by phone or in person at the Dunbar Community Centre. Tickets are non-refundable.

Dunbar Garden Club meetings are held as follows:

• 4th Tuesday of the month from September until May (excepting December)
• 7:30 PM
• Dunbar Community Centre

There is a speaker each month and outings to a nursery and/or private or public gardens are arranged in the spring.

Meeting drop-in fee is $3.

For more information, contact DGC newsletter editor Debby Stagg: dstagg@telus.net

Fall 2009 meetings/events:

• Sept 22: Ferns and the Woodland Garden – Mike Lascelle
  • Mike is manager of Amsterdam Greenhouses in Pitt Meadows.
  • He will cover design, species selection and care of ferns and their companion plants in woodland gardens.

• Oct 27: Great Plant Picks – Gwen Odermatt
  • Gwen is with Petals and Butterflies Nursery and is a member of Great Plant Picks Selection Committe which provides recommendations for plant choices according to growing conditions.
  • She will describe the work of the committee and show some great slides of its picks.

• Feb 24: Innovative Tips for Growing Vegetables – Mike Nassichuk
  
  • Mike has had a lifetime of experience as a home gardener, particularly growing vegetables.

• Mar 24: Ornamental Grasses – Ewan Mackenzie
  
  • Ewan is the joint owner of Exemplar Horticulture in Abbotsford.

• Sat, Apr 25, 10 – noon: Dunbar Garden Club Plant Sale, 37th & Highbury

• Apr 28: Garden Maintenance and Renovation – Guest Speaker/Moderator: Mr. Gerry Gibbons, the Gardener for VanDusen’s Sino Himalayan Garden
  • Mr. Gibbons’ introductory talk on garden renovation will be followed by a “question and answer” session, similar to the popular session in 2006.

City/Province Social & Supportive Housing Partnership

Decisions from Dec 12, 13 & 19 Special Council Meeting re:

City/Province Social & Supportive Housing Partnership – Memorandum of Understanding

(includes plans for 16th & Dunbar and 11 other City-owned sites)

You can review the minutes and watch video clips of the meeting on the
Agenda & Minutes page for this meeting.

The City of Vancouver purchased the property at the SE corner of Dunbar and 16th in May 2005 in “continuation of a long standing civic practice of supporting affordable housing options in the City. Dunbar is a community where there is no social housing available even though 6% of households are in core housing need.”

At the November 13, 2007 Vancouver City Council meeting, Council received a Report Reference on the City/BC Housing partnership to develop the 12 sites for 1100-1200 units of social and supportive housing.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City and BC Housing, which is included in the Nov 6, 2007 staff report City/Province Social and Supportive Housing Partnership, has been referred to a Special Council meeting on the evening of December 12, 2007 so that Council can hear from the public on this proposal.

The 33 page report contains detailed, significant information on all aspects of the proposal including descriptions of the 12 sites and the proposed tenant profile for each site. This report should be carefully reviewed by anyone interested in the plans for 16th & Dunbar. for a copy of this report with the sections particularly relevant to Dunbar highlighted.

The MOU contains the following description for the 16th & Dunbar site:

3588-96 West 16th Ave./3212-28 Dunbar St. (SE Corner of 16th and Dunbar)
This site consists of two lots and has a total area of 13,146 sq. ft. (119.5 ft. x 110 ft.). It is zoned C-2 and the maximum floor area allowed for all uses is 32,865 sq. ft. of which a maximum of 28,264 sq. ft. can be developed for residential uses. Retail frontage will be required along Dunbar St. The site is currently occupied by a commercial building with 4 tenants. All tenancies are month-to-month.

It is proposed that this site be designed for 50+/- studio units with 4-5,000 sq. ft. of ground floor retail. A third to a half of the units would be occupied by persons with mental illness and referred and served by a mental health services provider. All units would be tenanted by core-need singles with a priority for those living in Dunbar, West Point Grey and Kitsilano.

Government links:
* Background of 16th and Dunbar (was https://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/housing/reservedsites/owned/background/3204-3212DunbarSt.htm)
* Province and City of Vancouver Press Release
* BC Housing announcements
* City Report to Council including Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

Newspaper articles:

*Vancouver Sun (Dec 21/07): Housing is ‘real’ 2010 legacy

*Vancouver Sun (Dec 15/07): A chilling trend spreads among our neighbours Not in Anybody’s Backyard (NIABY) movement branches out to wherever cities want to put addiction treatment centres

* Vancouver Courier (Nov 16/06): City housing plan outlined

* Vancouver Sun (Nov 11/07): Social housing sites put on fast-track

MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
December 17, 2007

The Dunbar Residents Association (DRA) Tree Committee brought bows and other decorations to the site of the former Celtic Avenue Shipyards Monday to decorate a special Tamarack Tree that stands near its old entrance.

This 30 plus year-old tree, known as Fred s tree, was looking a little ragged. Some years ago its top was hacked off to make way for power lines and it sprouted an assortment of leaders. Though much beloved, Fred s tree has been called the Snoopiest Christmas Tree ever.

Tamaracks are much misunderstood trees, said Catherine Evans, convener of the DRA Tree Committee. They look like an evergreen, but really they are a member of the Larch family. Every year their needles turn yellow and fall off. People that don t know them assume the tree is dead and many get cut down.

The DRA Tree Committee hopes that by decorating this tree it will not only honour the memory of Fred, a long-serving member of the BC Forest Service Marine Division (see attached), but will draw attention to the Tamarack Tree. Tamaracks grow well in the acidic soil we have in Vancouver. They are wonderful heritage trees that should be preserved, said Evans.

The DRA Tree Committee is made up of neighbourhood residents concerned about the well-being of the urban forest. Started in 2006, the Committee has developed print resources and on-line reference materials to help support efforts to maintain and enhance tree planting and preservation in Dunbar and beyond. Committee members believe that through learning about and caring for trees, people gain a greater understanding of the environment and their role in ensuring its sustainability.

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For information, contact: Catherine Evans at 604.779.0522
or by e-mail cpwevans(at)telus(dot)netBACKGROUNDER: FRED S TAMARACK TREE
by Terry Slack, Boat Builder, BC Forest Service Marine Station

Fred s Tamarack is a story of a shipyard, the people who worked there and a tree that deserves to be recognized. Like many other old trees in Vancouver, this Tamarack has a story to tell.

Today as you can see, the tree looks out of place surrounded by protective screening. Passers by can be forgiven if they think it looks dead. But this tree is a survivor. While most of the other native trees planted nearby were cut down to make way for a housing development, this one lives on. It is also lucky; for when it was planted at the gate of the Forest Service Marine Station, later to become the Forest Service Maintenance Depot and then the Celtic Avenue Shipyard, the hole was dug just outside of the legal property line. This made it a boulevard tree, the property of the City rather than the land owner.

For many years when I worked at the Marine Station, I had to protect this Tamarack from being chain-sawed by tree experts who came to the office to tell us it was dead and needed to come down. This was because the Tamarack looses its needles every year and grows them back in the spring. During the winter it would look kind of scruffy, but it was only having its winter rest !

For years the Tamarack grew tall at the gate until new powerlines were put in and it was topped. Still it survived. It became Fred s tree in 1976. Fred was the skipper of the Forest Cruiser, a boat that worked from the Marine Station. In February 1976 Fred died while rescuing four other people from a sinking Beaver float plane on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. All the shipyard workers agreed that our friend and hero should be recognized at the shipyard site in some way. I remembered Fred once asking me about the funny looking tree at the gate. It looked to him like a tree he knew in Jamaica. After his death the Tamarack, or Native Larch as some people call them, became known as Fred s Tree.

Time has passed, the shipyard was sold and the forestry workers either retired or found other jobs. Fred s Tamarack tree, or as the Southlands residents call it, Snoopy s Christmas Tree, is still there. The tree is a lasting tribute and reminder of our shipyard friend and hero.

I think we all kind of love our Fraser River chums! But the males have some attitude problems when it comes to getting along with everybody. When it comes to getting caught (and nobody would like that), they slash out with their dog-like choppers that cut through the many pairs of fish gloves that fishers buy. Avoiding a major male chum scarring or fish poisoning under the ripped gloves is one of the hazards of trying to handle these thrashing brutes in the stern of a gillnet boat.

Like a well organized group ready for spawning ground battle, they pass by New Westminister on the way to the spawning grounds further up river. Some fishers swear a lot at these “DOGS” as they call them and have this idea that the further they swim upstream, the bigger and sharper the male chums’ teeth get!

After finishing with the net harvesters, the males move on to the spawning grounds with the lovely lady chums, and it is here that a great male hate for the other spawning guys completely takes over. Again, some people think at this time, even on the spawning grounds, the male chums kind of grow their teeth just a little bigger, we all know what for! Chomping and slashing the other guys who get to close to the lady chums, this is a normal reaction of the back alley spawning ground fighters. Oh we love our chums – I think!

Mother Nature has for thousands of years come up with a last gasp plan for these bad attitude male chums. It is very simple. After fertilizing the hard working female’s eggs, these boys still have lots of swimming energy left and they flap their way downstream for many miles before passing on to chum heaven or hell. This Mother Nature story is all about how dead male chum carcasses are spread out all along a stream down to a deeper tributary or river, to become life giving winter food for many other species such as sturgeon, etc. The females have little or no swimming energy left after spawning and die very quickly, providing carcass nutrients to the upper stream spawning grounds and to all the other species that depend upon fall and winter salmon as a food source .

Love my Chums!

Terry Slack

Forest and Foreshore

Pacific Spirit Regional Park comprises 763 hectares of forest and foreshore immediately west of Vancouver. The park’s forests stretch across Point Grey separating the city from the University of British Columbia. Its thin foreshore wraps around the tip of the peninsula and touches the Fraser River, the Strait of Georgia and
Burrard Inlet. The park’s closeness to both the university and the city entices visitors to reach it by foot, bus or bike.

Beaches, Marshes, and Forest
From estuary marshes, rock and cobble beaches, wooded ravines, upland forests and ancient bog – take your pick! Hike along rugged shores next to the ocean. Wander barefoot on shining tidal flats or sunbathe among scattered driftwood to the sound of lapping waves. Spot eagles perched majestically in gnarled, gray snags; their sharp eyes scanning the Fraser River, Howe Sound and English Bay. Climb steep trails past narrow ravines onto the forested plateau where most trails are suitable for hikers, cyclists and horseback riders. Tall cedar, hemlock and Douglas-fir are mixed with bright patches of bitter cherry, red alder and maple. The seasons highlight lush evergreens, brilliant colours or frosty branches.

Gateway Ground
The park was established and named in 1989. The name was chosen through a competition in which the selected entry described the park as “the gateway to the Pacific and a spiritual ground to becoming one with nature.” Pacific Spirit provides the perfect place to actively explore and appreciate the diversity and beauty of the forests and foreshore at the city’s edge.

Download and print full map in PDF format.
(Opens in a new browser window – close when finished.)

LINKS:

• Pacific Spirit Park Society
• Pacific Spirit Park