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Volume 27 Number 1 Newsletter of the Swansea Area Ratepayers' Association January 2000
SPECIAL MILLENNIUM ISSUE
THE LAST 33 YEARS -- THE NEVER ENDING
QUEST FOR COMMUNITY
There are those who wonder what use is the Swansea Area
Ratepayers Association (SARA)? What has SARA ever done
for us or Swansea?
Let's go back over the last 33 years. Why 33? In 1967
Swansea, Forest Hill and Toronto were amalgamated and
the Swansea Ratepayers' Association became SARA and
admitted residents and businesses to become members.
While SARA has not always been the sole contributor, it
often has been the linch pin or the major contributor.
What would the community be without:--
SWANSEA PUBLIC SCHOOL
At one point after the 1967 amalgamation the Toronto
School Board wanted to change the name to Windemere
P.S. -- later they wanted to close the school because of
projected loss of enrollment -- SARA fought to keep the
name and the School shoulder to shoulder with the PTA
-- SARA fought the Board when it tried to shut down the
Industrial Arts and Family Studies programs in the 1970's.
HUMBER RIVER BRIDGES
SARA was instrumental in forcing Metro to redesign the
bridges to take into account pedestrian and bicycle traffic
both north/south and east/west to be completed in 2001
[Ed. note: we are still making sure with the support of our
Councillors that the paths are on both sides of the river]
-- and was involved in the design of the award winning
pedestrian bicycle bridge over the Humber.
THE RAVINES & THE BLACK OAK SAVANNAH
SARA helped develop and led the fight to protect our
ravines -- without that effort today most of our ravines
would be tennis courts and grass -- SARA was one of the
first groups to champion the restoration of the Black Oak
Savannah.
SWANSEA TOWN HALL
In 1967 and again during the 80's and through the 90's,
SARA fought to keep the Swansea Town Hall for the use
of the Community -- in the late 60's, after amalgamation,
the City wanted to sell the Town Hall off -- the battles
included maintaining the Swansea Memorial Library in
the 70's, 80's and again now.
THE UNIQUE LOW RISE FAMILY ORIENTED
NEIGHBOURHOODS
SARA fought to ensure the zoning supported low rise
family oriented development while fighting proposal for
high rise towers (over 20 stories) next to Grenadier Pond
in the 60's; 40 storey towers in the Ormskirk/Southport
areas; 10 storey towers on Bloor Street West near Riverside.
COLBORNE LODGE DRIVE BETWEEN
QUEENSWAY & THE LAKESHORE
SARA supported and championed the creation of bicycle
lanes and the naturalization of the roadway.
THE SWANSEA COMMUNITY RECREATION CENTRE & FIELD HOUSE
SARA together with several others were responsible for the
design of the new buildings, and SARA fought strongly
for a larger swimming pool attached to the centre rather
than a junior pool. When the City tried to divide the
Village into groups supporting the Community Centre or
the Field House or the Town Hall but not all three, SARA,
along with one other group, called on the organizations
together to reach an agreement in a united front. That is
why we have all three and not just one. [Ed. note: Is this
now happening again re: the Library?]
SARA NEEDS YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT
FOR THE NEXT 33 YEARS
Never since the last amalgamation have so many threats
to our community come to the fore at once. As this special
newsletter goes out to you -- we have the pressures of large
bars to the north and the south coming forward; the
abolition of single family zoning by the City; the proposed
closing of the Swansea Memorial Library (note meetings
on this were held on the 12th and 13th of January, 2000);
the proposed closing of the Swansea Firehall; the apparent
systemic failure of the City to enforce its own by-laws
whether they are zoning, noise-free protection or hours of
operation of gas stations/gas bars.
SARA has an executive of approximately 21 volunteers
who do their best, but we cannot be every where, nor do
we have the funds to carry out all the tasks needed. For
example: SARA is part of a coalition of single family
communities fighting the City at a 5 week Ontario
Municipal Board hearing set to remove single family
housing from all of the former Metro. This comes after
several other battles which have drained our war chest. One
way of raising funds is through memberships. The other
is fund raising. Please join us in our quest to keep our
community vibrant, unique and special into the next
millenium.
On the 1st of January, 2000 our membership fees go up.
Individual memberships will cost $10.00; Family will cost
$12.00; and Business $14.00. Also, come to our special
workshop and visioning meeting to be held at The Swansea
Town Hall on Thursday, February 3, 2000 at 7:30 P.M.
where we will talk of the future and break into specific
working groups dealing with such topics such as: saving
our Library, saving our Fire Hall, preserving Family
oriented neigbhourhoods, controlling large bars,
enforcement of City laws on hours of operation to name
a few. Contact Bill Roberts at 769 - 3162 or Jamie Bell at
392 -1954 for more information.
Other issues SARA has been involved in: fighting large
bars on Bloor St., including the Savannah; developing
controls on gas bars to make them less obtrusive in terms
of lighting and design; keeping High Park a mixture of
native plants and community uses and not being
transformed into hostels or miniature amusement parks;
traffic and parking; policing; attendance at numerous
Committee ofAdiustment and Ontario Municipal Board
hearings in support of community neighbours; and
fighting to have the City operating in an accessible,
democratic and open fashion.
Please join now, and, of course, if you can give a
donation of any amount it would help. Your help can
make the millennium a rebirth of our community's
strengths and quest.
THE SAVANNAH IS NOT BACK
Thanks to SARA calling a public meeting to mobilize the
community and our participation at the hearing in
support of the City, the "Savannah" bar was not approved
at 500 sq. m. or even 300 sq. m. but only 260 sq. m. which
is only 60 sq. m. over the largest permitted restaurant in
the Bloor West Village. (Note SARA was instrumental in
following and ensuring that bars/restaurants could not
exceed 200 sq. m. and that there would be no more roof
top patios on the south side, and then got the restrictions
applied to the north side.)
GAS BARS
SARA continues to monitor, but with our efforts and that
of the Ripley Avenue Residents Group; the City now has
controls relating to lighting and the relation of gas bars to
commercial areas. The first gas bar to fall under the new
rules is the ESSO on South Kingsway.
HOURS OF OPERATION OF GAS BARS
SARA continues to press the City to enforce its by-laws.
We will keep you advised.
MEGACITY COMMUNITY COUNCILS
SARA attended the Ontario Municipal Board to ensure its
boundaries remained intact. While the new legislation has
made the several months process a waste of taxpayers
money and time, we have made the City aware of our
unique character, for the next round of boundary changes.
HIGH PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE
J. Bell is our representative and successfully coordinated
the volunteers that completed the Children's Playground
project in High Park.
TRAFFIC CALMING ON RIVERSIDE DRIVE
This is coming forward again. SARA has raised concerns
with the impact of design changes where Riverside Drive
meets South Kingsway.
99 COEHILL DR. (1 RENNIE TERRACE)
No new information.
BILLY BOB'S
Billy Bob's got its front patio and is now seeking a roof-
top patio. SARA supports the surrounding residents who
have concerns about this request.
MEOW CLUB
SARA attended the Alcohol and Gaming Commission
hearings early on the express concerns this would be a bar
and not a restaurant. We were successful in having
conditions imposed which required it to be a restaurant.
Those special conditions, not normally imposed, are
part of the basis for the revocation hearings which we
understand are now scheduled for January 25th, 26th
and 27th at 6 p.m. and on Jan. 28th at 9 a.m. all day.
Meetings will be held at the Royal Canadian Legion
Hall #344, located at 1395 Lake Shore Blvd. West, just
east of the Boulevard Club.
SWANSEA MEMORIAL LIBRARY
SARA, along with others, appeared on short notice before
the Library Board to oppose the stealth closing of the
Library. At present the Library Board has put the closing
on hold. But it should be noted that the Library Board
held two meetings. One on the 12th of January at the
Runnymede Library and one on the 13th of January in
Swansea. One of the suggestions was to have a Swansea
Room at Runnymede and expand the Runnymede Library.
Is this an attempt to divide Swansea from north of Bloor,
or is it an attempt to move the library from the front and
centre of Swansea so some day it can be removed without
a fight? We hope you were able to attend at least one of
the meetings to make your views known.
SWANSEA FIRE HALL
SARA has opposed its closing unless the new hall can be
located in such a way that present response times are not
affected. If that can be done we do not want to lose the
building which was the Village's municipal hall before the
Swansea Town Hall was built.
Newsletter Committee
- Jamie Bell & Louis Gris
Editor- Bill Roberts
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