Sept. 29 , 2016
Community
Culture Days St. Catharines

Culture Days this weekend
 
Culture Days are back in St. Catharines and local artists are encouraging residents to get creative and try something new.
 
The City of St. Catharines joins more than 900 communities across the country in celebrating Culture Days from Friday, Sept. 30 to Sunday, Oct. 2 with free activities for all ages. Abstract painting, puppetry, theatre improv, sculpture, film screenings, drawing, music, facility tours and more will all be part of the Culture Days St. Catharines weekend.
 
There will be a lot to do: Culture Days activities will take place at eight participating sites in St. Catharines.
 
    
Culture Days at the PAC
PAC turns one
 
The FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre is gearing up for its first birthday Saturday, Oct. 1.
 
To celebrate, the PAC has crafted a special day filled with free activities - guided tours, workshops, interactive activities and more - from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. as part of Culture Days weekend in St. Catharines.
 
Learn More
Join the Clean City Clean Up
 
Fall clean up now Oct. 1
 
Join the Clean City Advisory Committee and other volunteers from across St. Catharines as they help pick up litter and garbage from City parks and public spaces Saturday, Oct. 1 from noon to 3:30 p.m.
 

Discuss smoke alarms, fire safety
at annual Open House
 
City firefighters are urging residents to replace smoke alarms that are more than 10 years old in a new campaign set to begin during Fire Prevention Week.
 
Don't Wait: Check the Date! Replace Smoke Alarms Every 10 Years is this year's theme for Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 9-15. Ontario law requires working smoke alarms on every storey of a home and outside all sleeping areas. Replacing them after 10 years is also the law. Fire Chief Dave Wood urges property owners to check the expiry dates of their life-saving devices and if in doubt, replace them.
 
The fire chief invites residents to discuss smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms and fire safety during Fire Services' annual Open House Sunday, Oct. 2 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Geneva Street Fire Station (64 Geneva St.). The event also features family fun, including fire hall tours, contests and children's activities, a free barbecue and more.
 
 
Open Late_ Museum Secrets

Open Late season finale set for Oct. 4 

The St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre invites the community to celebrate the 2016 season of its Open Late series at a grand finale you don't want to miss.
 
The Open Late finale is set for Tuesday, Oct. 4 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and features live music, delicious food truck fare and special after-hours tours of museum galleries like no other. Visitors are invited to separate fact from fiction on the museum's "History or Hearsay" tours, featuring artifacts on display for one night only.

The finale will also feature the Ello Gov'na food truck and music by local award-winning artist Beth Moore at 8:30 p.m. Admission to the Open Late Finale Party is $5.

Learn more

Downtown St. Catharines
 
New signs lead the way downtown
 
Downtown visitors are sure to find their way to the Meridian Centre, the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre or Market Square more easily thanks to new signs throughout the core.
 
The City has been posting new wayfinding signs featuring a map of downtown to guide pedestrians to a host of destinations, including, the St. Catharines Public Library, the bus terminal and City parking garages. Images of major venues, like the Meridian Centre, the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, Market Square and Brock University's Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts are highlighted on the map to make finding directions even easier.

Read more
 

Pumpkinville Oct. 15

Pumpkinville is set for Saturday, Oct 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Happy Rolph's Animal Farm.
 
The fun-filled family fall festival will have plenty of free games, activities and entertainment including: pumpkin carving, scarecrow building, bouncers, hay dive, crafts, face painting and more.


A Report from
Mayor Walter Sendzik
Mayor Walter Sendzik
Congrats to the Niagara Wine Festival on another great event.
 
The 65th anniversary of the festival brought tens of thousands of visitors downtown, around the city and through wine country over the past two weekends. It was a great opportunity to showcase our hometown and the transformation of Downtown St. Catharines.
 
With two new student residences now open and fully occupied, we've welcomed 700 new residents downtown this year, helping to bring renewed energy and vibrancy into Downtown St. Catharines. If you haven't been recently, I encourage you to visit downtown and some of the new shops and restaurants that have opened up. 
 
This weekend we celebrate Culture Days with free, family-friendly activities at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, Rodman Hall and other locations across the city. On Friday, the Meridian Centre will host the IceDogs home opener .
 
On Saturday, the IceDogs will honour the St. Catharines TEEPEES, the 1954 and 1960 Memorial Cup winners, with a special ceremony. Tickets are available at a discounted price online, so come out and help us celebrate St. Catharines sports history and culture this weekend and see how downtown is becoming a hub arts and culture with activities, events and celebrations for all interests and ages.
Council Highlights
City asked to buy old Glen Ridge school

City Council has been asked to consider using part of the playground of the Glen Ridge Public School on South Drive as a City park.
 
City Council directed staff to report back on recommendations made by a task force studying options for future uses for the former school, including that the City buy the property to maintain parkland for the Glenridge neighbourhood. 
The task force also recommended, among other things, the City sell the rest of the property for developments that fit the character of the neighbourhood.
 
The District School Board of Niagara closed the Glen Ridge school at the end of last school year after a modified accommodation review. City Council opposed the closure and established the task force to make recommendations for future use of the former school property.
 
City Council also extended the terms of reference for the task force until it makes a final decision about the property.

Old Glen Ridge school now a heritage building
 
City Council designated the old Glen Ridge Public School building, except for the 1987 addition, to be of cultural and heritage value under the Ontario Heritage Act.
New public issue reporting system for councillors
 
City councillors now have an app to help them raise residents' concerns and service requests with City staff.
 
Councillors will use new software from Public Service Requests Inc. on their tablets to create service requests and share information.
 
Residents should still contact Citizens First with inquiries and service requests. Council will use the new system to escalate a concern for a citizen.

Council sets its 2017 schedule

Council is planning to meet 24 times in 2017.
 
Council set its 2017 schedule with bi-weekly meetings, with a few exceptions: three meetings in both February and March and one meeting in both of August and December.
 
Council meets at City Hall starting at 6:30 p.m. Can't make it there in person? Follow the proceedings from anywhere during the City Council livestream.

More council online

 

Council Highlights offers informal summaries of some of the recent decisions and business discussed during St. Catharines City Council meetings.

 

The Office of the City Clerk provides a full recap of decisions and motions in its official minutes, available on the Friday after every St. Catharines City Council meeting.

 

Click here for City of St. Catharines council meeting agendas and minutes.
 
Digital versions of the Garden City Current are available. Click here to read past issues.

Upcoming meetings
Oct. 3
City Council
6:30 p.m., City Hall

Click here to learn about other upcoming meetings.

 

Click here to learn about construction projects happening in the City.

City of St. Catharines | communications@stcatharines.ca | http://www.stcatharines.ca
50 Church St
St. Catharines, L2R 7C2