CentreCity

We're going to Committee!

Centre City Implementation is going to Committee next week, on July 22, to give our annual update on the great work that has been made over the last year in actualizing the vision of Centre City Plan.

At the same time, CCI is releasing the 2008 Clean to the Core report that illustrates The City’s substantial efforts to improve the cleanliness and safety in the downtown.  As well, a pilot State of the Centre City report is being unveiled which provides a comprehensive overview of the growth and change currently underway in the Centre City and how vital that area is to the rest of Calgary.

You can check them both out here, just go to the Council Agenda & Minutes section and look at the upcoming Land use, Planning & Transportation agenda.  

Also, feel free to come down to City Hall and share your thoughts.

CORE-struction Update

 

Collecting Bubbles & Butts

Earlier this spring, The City performed its first litter count along 100 block faces throughout the Centre City to better understand just how clean (or not) downtown streets and alleys really are.  The results revealed that the #1 most commonly found form of litter was cigarette butts. 

As a solution, The City and partnering Business Revitalization Zones (BRZs) decided to place small litter bins in high traffic areas to improve the appearance of these areas. 

 Starting tomorrow, 30 small litter bins (for cigarette butts, gum and small litter) are being placed in areas like the Municipal Plaza, James Short Park, Victoria Crossing, along 17th Ave and elsewhere.

"WARNING" on Downtown Phones

As part of the Clean to the Core program, Focus on Safety, The City and its partner TELUS are initiating a new project this week to remind Calgarians that public telephones are available for legitimate users only and are not to be used for conducting illegal business activities.

A number of months ago, several payphones throughout the Centre City were identified as locations where criminal activity (drug trafficking and prostitution) and social disorder was concentrating. 

Stampede Fireworks

The best video to date of this year's daily Stampede fireworks.

300,000 at '09 Stampede parade

This year's Stampede parade had a few unique additions, including a new float from the United Calgary Chinese Association, 12 miniature horses from Arizona and significant participation from Canada's armed forces, said Jay Barker, chairman of the Stampede Parade Committee.

"It's the kickoff to the greatest outdoor show on earth and it sets the pace for the whole 10 days that are about to follow," he said.

Officials estimate about 300,000 people turned out for this year's event, crowding downtown curbs, Plus 15-walkways and rooftops to catch a glimpse of the spectacle. "Its a cheap form of entertainment and it's family-friendly," said Barker.

Some 5,000 people take part in the parade every year, which was first held in 1912 amid a crowd of only 75,000. This year, 40 floats and marching bands from all over the world joined the festivities.

The rest of Tamara Gignac and Nick Lewis' article from today's Calgary Herald is here.

Town Hall Meeting dedicated to the Historic Calgary Brewery and Malting Company

JULY 16th

Community Heritage Roundtable and Inglewood Community Association are hosting a Town Hall Meeting dedicated to the Historic Calgary Brewery and Malting Company

In view of the recent demolition application for the site, we are arranging a panel of presenters and providing the community and public with an opportunity to:

• Celebrate the history of the brewery, founded in 1892 by "Big Four" rancher A.E. Cross, and its importance in the development of Calgary – a major industry, western Canada’s first salt water aquarium, Horsemen’s Hall of Fame Museum.

• Learn first hand about the brewery’s social importance to the working class roots of the community once known as Brewery Flats - a good employer for local families through good times and bad, the local gardens, recreation at the fish hatchery and trout ponds.

• Ask questions about the next steps which are planned for the site. The site is listed as Category A on Calgary’s Inventory of Evaluated Historic Resources. The Ministry of Alberta Culture and Community Spirit issued a Historic Resource Impact Assessment Order to evaluate the site to determine its significance and integrity and to provide recommendations.

• Share and discuss ideas regarding the public value of this site, and find out how to be part of the solution.

July 16th, 7 p.m.

Inglewood Community Association Hall 1740, 24th Ave. SE. RSVP by July 14th to

Register online at www.calgarycommunities.com  Workshops & Events Or phone 244-4111

 Free and open to the public, refreshments will be provided

Stampede is almost here!

Olympic plaza picks up city's cultural torch

Here is a great article by Stephen Hunt from today's Calgary Herald:

One frozen night last February, Olympic Plaza transformed itself into a venue for the sold-out world premiere of NiX, a play staged in a domed theatre constructed out of snow and ice that bore a distant resemblance to Superman's fortress of steel.

During the final week of May, Olympic Plaza was filled again, this time with thousands of kids attending the Calgary International Children's Festival.

One Saturday in early June, the plaza found itself jammed again, this time for Carifest, a celebration of Calgary's Caribbean culture.

What's going on here? The plaza has been touted as Calgary's de facto town square for 20 years now, but it has struggled to shed its reputation as a haven for drug dealers and the homeless, which contributed to a sense of unease about the area as a leisure destination. Now, however, after several years of initiatives to clean it up, it's heading into a summer hosting more events than ever. And Calgarians seem to be following.

New Favourite Buskers

Since the restrictions on Buskers have been rolled back, it's been nice to see the increase in numbers and variety of buskers downtown.  These guys are a new favourite.