Monday, April 25, 2011

April Meeting Updates

The City is working with the County Planning Commission to craft a sustainable master plan to include a community visioning portion. Mayor Sutherland along with Paul Alsenas, Carol Thaler and Chris Alvarado from the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission, were all present at the meeting. The master plan was last updated 10 years ago and is largely around land use planning. The Mayor would like to take this opportunity to update the master plan and set a vision for where the City wants to go and where the residents want to go. There is a desire to have the master plan address a broader perspective, including how the City grows in a sustainable way, addressing everything from human capital to health and education, expanding it beyond land use and zoning. According to Paul Alsenas, our region leads the nation in the sustainability effort. He reviewed examples of innovation and leadership in the field that are occurring in Northeast Ohio. Carol Thaler gave a presentation and reviewed a slide with the group that showed that Environment, Culture, and Economics must all be integrated to be truly sustainable. The group then discussed how to expand the current master plan to include a sustainability vision. The Green Team is very excited to work with the City on this project.

A brief update was given on the Bay Community Garden by Bob Shields. To date, 120 plots have been spoken for with only a few remaining plots available. There has been a change in rules this year where community gardeners are being asked to provide 1-2 hours of service within the garden each month to help with general maintenance such as grass cutting and tending to common areas like the sunflower garden and pumpkin patch. So far, the response for volunteers has been incredible. Residents at The Knickerbocker want to get in on the gardening action as well and have requested 7, one-half plots (so, 3.5 beds)—the beds need to be raised to around 30 inches. Bob is looking for individuals or groups to help with labor and materials. If you are interested in helping out, please email Bob at: bobshields@oh.rr.com.

Volunteers are needed for 2 upcoming GT events—May 5th for the Bike-to-School Safety Fair from 6:30-8:30 PM at the Bay Middle School. Volunteers are needed to set up the table and promote Green activities. On Saturday, May 21st the 4th Annual Waterway clean-up is planned with Bay High School Project Earth Club from 11 AM-2 PM. Eryn Whistler, the Project Earth adviser, would like to expand the clean up beyond the waterways, and is looking for adult volunteers to assist the students in specific areas. Anyone interested, please contact the GT at: bayvillagegreenteam@gmail.com.

Our next regular monthly meeting will be Tuesday, May 10 at the Bay Community House beginning at 6:30. Make a difference, get involved!

Saturday, April 9, 2011

SPRING, The Promise

With spring comes a promise that better uplifting sunny days are ahead. There is no turning back the clock. We are guaranteed that temperatures will soon be going up, jackets will be coming off and a breeze of fresh air will soon be coming through the window. The heavy feeling of winter will be just a memory. Spring is the time to refresh our way of thinking. It is time for us to make room for the possibility of new growth. Just as the earth was silent under the snow, we have been silently waiting for this time to arrive. In a way we have all been dormant, but now the time has come for us to come alive. Spring is a hopeful time of year, it is a fresh start. This is the time to have new goals and new plans. This is the time when it feels good to break free and just breathe. Walk out into the fresh air and begin to imagine all the possibilities that spring can bring. Visualize all the colors that have been absent for all these months but will soon be in abundance. Picture in your mind the beauty of a newly planted garden. Mother Nature has given us the next season to enjoy she has kept her promise now it’s up to us to make the most of it.

Writing by Robin - a Bay Community Gardener