Updates
Summary of the December 1st, 2008 City Council Meeting and Recent Events:
21/12/08 22:36
Thank you to all the
ROLO members who came to City Council on December
1. We had a sea of people in red with ROLO
stickers on; about 100-150 of our people were in the
gallery. Our ROLO rep gave a great speech which
will be posted shortly on our rolodogs.org website
under the “documents” tab.
The ROLO presentation highlighted the history of Chief Whitecap Park as well as explaining how ROLO was created and how we eventually received Standing on the Master Plan Steering Committee. It brought home the fact that ROLO’s vision plan and inputs at the Steering Committee meetings were left out of the minutes, and that proposed day camps and NO DOG areas were never discussed by stakeholders at general committee meeting, but surprisingly ended up in Stantec’s “Preliminary Concept Plan”. This left us with 25 % of the park as NO DOG and 97 acres earmarked for development, as well as the elimination of the south parking lot on Grasswood Road.
As a response, Council asked ROLO to trust that their City administrators will follow the Master Plan process. They also told us that they have not read the Concept Plan proposal, which was submitted by Stantec so they didn’t want to react until the process was complete. City councillors believe that over the next few months, the committee will re-convene and work towards achieving a consensus. If that is not an achievable goal, then a number of Options may be developed, followed by an Open House for the public, followed by a meeting with Council who would then vote on the best option. We were also told that Council would not support any development, such as www.nkmipdesert.com, which was cited on page 8-54 of the Stantec Report, as ‘a good example’ of what the Whitecap Dakota band would like to see in the park.
Thank you to all members who wrote letters to Council and to all who came to the Council meeting. ROLO also appreciated the many petitions that we received which we handed in to Council. There are more steps to take as we participate in the City’s “Process”, and we will keep you informed as events unfold.
As a result of your letters and our presentation to Council, the Committee Chair has called a meeting of the Master Plan Steering Committee for Jan. 2009 to work at reaching a “compromise in the design that will allow the process to continue…. The Committee will discuss alternatives that all committee members can agree to” All members of the committee are encouraged to “think of ways we can change the design so we can reach a compromise”.
Lastly, we are sorry to say that our chair, Lina Hack, has resigned. We appreciate her efforts and hard work over the past two years to help get ROLO started and growing. Kim Stratemeyer, an original member of the ROLO Steering Committee, has volunteered to take on the role of interim Chair. The Steering Committee is a group of volunteers and we welcome any member who would like to join us. Please call Michele at 343-6559 if you are interested in playing a more active role in ROLO.
Please do not park in front of the gates – this is a good “turn-around” area for cars, and it also leaves the space open in case emergency vehicles need to get in to the park.
Please continue to pick up your dog’s poop. It is especially important to clean up – council members, MVA and other interested parties may visit the park over the next little while and it is important to show visitors that we look after our Park. Enjoy the trails in 2009!
Yours sincerely,
The ROLO Steering Committee
The ROLO presentation highlighted the history of Chief Whitecap Park as well as explaining how ROLO was created and how we eventually received Standing on the Master Plan Steering Committee. It brought home the fact that ROLO’s vision plan and inputs at the Steering Committee meetings were left out of the minutes, and that proposed day camps and NO DOG areas were never discussed by stakeholders at general committee meeting, but surprisingly ended up in Stantec’s “Preliminary Concept Plan”. This left us with 25 % of the park as NO DOG and 97 acres earmarked for development, as well as the elimination of the south parking lot on Grasswood Road.
As a response, Council asked ROLO to trust that their City administrators will follow the Master Plan process. They also told us that they have not read the Concept Plan proposal, which was submitted by Stantec so they didn’t want to react until the process was complete. City councillors believe that over the next few months, the committee will re-convene and work towards achieving a consensus. If that is not an achievable goal, then a number of Options may be developed, followed by an Open House for the public, followed by a meeting with Council who would then vote on the best option. We were also told that Council would not support any development, such as www.nkmipdesert.com, which was cited on page 8-54 of the Stantec Report, as ‘a good example’ of what the Whitecap Dakota band would like to see in the park.
Thank you to all members who wrote letters to Council and to all who came to the Council meeting. ROLO also appreciated the many petitions that we received which we handed in to Council. There are more steps to take as we participate in the City’s “Process”, and we will keep you informed as events unfold.
As a result of your letters and our presentation to Council, the Committee Chair has called a meeting of the Master Plan Steering Committee for Jan. 2009 to work at reaching a “compromise in the design that will allow the process to continue…. The Committee will discuss alternatives that all committee members can agree to” All members of the committee are encouraged to “think of ways we can change the design so we can reach a compromise”.
Lastly, we are sorry to say that our chair, Lina Hack, has resigned. We appreciate her efforts and hard work over the past two years to help get ROLO started and growing. Kim Stratemeyer, an original member of the ROLO Steering Committee, has volunteered to take on the role of interim Chair. The Steering Committee is a group of volunteers and we welcome any member who would like to join us. Please call Michele at 343-6559 if you are interested in playing a more active role in ROLO.
Please do not park in front of the gates – this is a good “turn-around” area for cars, and it also leaves the space open in case emergency vehicles need to get in to the park.
Please continue to pick up your dog’s poop. It is especially important to clean up – council members, MVA and other interested parties may visit the park over the next little while and it is important to show visitors that we look after our Park. Enjoy the trails in 2009!
Yours sincerely,
The ROLO Steering Committee
Update #17 - August 12, 2008
28/08/08 22:15
August 12, 2008
ROLO Update
TOPICS IN THIS EMAIL:
(1) Blog with ROLO on our new WIKI
(2) Important: MVA personnel at Chief Whitecap Park
(3) Masterplan Meetings for Chief Whitecap Park Update
(4) You can help us!
Read More...
Update #16 - June 10, 2008
01/07/08 00:47
June 10, 2008
UPDATE FROM ROLO
Recreational Off-Leash Organization
Topics in this email:
1) Meet the ROLO Steering Committee Sunday June 15th
2) Details from the last Master plan steering committee for Chief Whitecap Park
3) Upcoming meetings from animal services with the city of Saskatoon
Read More...
Update #15 - June 3, 2008
01/07/08 00:41
June 3, 2008
NOTE FROM ROLO
Recreational Off-Leash Organization
Representing Off-Leash Dog Walkers at Chief Whitecap Park
1) Music Video Being Filmed at Chief Whitecap Park
Wednesday, June 4th
- Park still open
- City Administration wants us to know they are
authorized to be there for 12 hours
2) Meet ROLO’s Steering Committee:
- SUNDAY, June 8th 12 noon to 2 pm
We will be at the NORTH end of
Chief Whitecap Park to talk about the current
meeting with City Administration and other
ROLO issues
Come out and chat with us !
3) Master plan Meetings for Chief Whitecap Park
- The first meeting of 2008 just took place
Monday, June 2nd
- We will sending out an update on this topic
shortly.
Thanks so much!
Lina Hack
chair of ROLO
Read More...
Update #14 - January 2008
01/07/08 00:37
January 26, 2008
MESSAGE FROM ROLO
Happy New Year from all of us on the ROLO Steering Committee!
Here are the topics contained in this email:
1) Keeping the park clean of poop still no. 1 priority!
2) ROLO’s Water Study of Chief Whitecap Park
3) ROLO continuing to contact city council and MVA
************************************************************* Read More...
Update #13 - November 2007
01/07/08 00:12
November 14, 2007
MESSAGE FROM ROLO
What a nice fall season we’ve been having at the Chief Whitecap Park.
Here are the topics contained in this email
1) Park Poop Clean Up
2) Master Plan Process – Water Study Results
3) ROLO Water Study
4) Request for Expertise from you
a. Veterinarians
b. Biologist/Ecologist
5) Horses at the Park
*****************************************************************
Read More...
Update #12 - September, 2007
29/09/07 08:09
A Message from ROLO
We hope everyone has had a wonderful summer at Chief Whitecap Park (CWP). The ROLO Steering Committee was quietly working over the summer with a few projects that we will tell you about over the next few months.
ROLO’s purpose continues to be:
(1) Promote CWP as a permanent location for off-leash dog walking as part of a healthy lifestyle for Saskatoon and surrounding residents.
(2) Facilitate CWP to be an inclusive area alongside of the off-leash dog walking for many outdoor appreciating activities.
(3) Stewardship to the natural wild life, vegetation and South Saskatchewan River
(4) Actively monitor the park by members being involved, aware and empowered to comply with ROLO code of conduct.
(5) Participate in the design of the park in communication with City Administration.
(6) Education of many diverse park users regarding appropriate care of the park to maintain its current natural state. Read More...
Update #11 - July 7
14/07/07 11:04
There are a few things to update everyone regarding the proceedings of ROLO and the Master Plan Process.
Read More...
Update #10 - May 30th
31/05/07 20:40
Hello ROLO Members
Many events have been taking place in the background regarding Chief Whitecap Park. The steering committee is working on these issues as they come up. There are many details to the large picture. If you would like to know more please email me directly.
Read More...
Webmaster Update, May 2007
21/05/07 09:49
Hi . The website has been very quiet for the last couple of months as we haven't had much to report. Lina will provide an update soon once we have more information. Things are moving forward but very slowly. The report from Stantec was supposed to be completed sometime in April but there has been a delay. Stantec was asked to survey the residents of Corman Park. Some of the members on Chief Whitecap Steering Committee, of which ROLO is now a member, wanted to ensure that everyone has a chance to provide their input, so the Report of Finding will be distributed the week of May 22 - 25th. This will give the committee a couple of weeks to review the report. As of today, May 21 we still have a while to wait for the public release of the report. Keep checking back as we will post information as it becomes available.
The water testing by the city is underway but we don't know the exact timing of this report. I would expect them to collect multiple samples over a period of time so this report may not be available until the end of the summer. In the meantime keep enjoying the park. Thanks for cleaning up after your dogs, and watch for future ROLO information in your e-mail and on the website.
Message from the Chair
30/03/07 21:10
Thank you to everyone who joined us at the All Members Meeting. It was a great success to us to share with you where we have been taking all of these issues. It is really important that we the steering committee do not work in isolation from you, and that information flows all directions. Read More...
ROLO Meeting Presentation Posted
27/03/07 22:57
For those of you who missed the general meeting on Monday March 19th, I have posted the presentation in the Documents area for you to download. Scroll to the bottom of the page. Read More...
Update #9 March 10th
11/03/07 23:09
A Message from the
Chair:
This month is shaping up to being a busy month for ROLO, it does feel like a lot of things are going to be happening.
1) Of primary importance for us, dog walkers/park enjoyers, to get together and become a solid group at our:
ALL MEMBERS MEETING
Read More...
This month is shaping up to being a busy month for ROLO, it does feel like a lot of things are going to be happening.
1) Of primary importance for us, dog walkers/park enjoyers, to get together and become a solid group at our:
ALL MEMBERS MEETING
Read More...
Update #8
22/02/07 22:13
A Message from the Chair:
Thank you for participating with our survey on our website that has been very helpful in formulating our ideas into one message. We have a strong message to convey to Stantec, to the Master Plan Steering Committee of Chief Whitecap Park, and to City Council. It involves details on specific particulars that have come up in our investigation over the past two months.
Read More...
Update #7
01/02/07 21:38
A Message from the Chair:
The report is, there is nothing new to report. From the perspective of the City, all talk regarding the master plan and our participation in the master plan has been put on hold because of the pending report regarding the new water intake site. Read More...
Update #6
16/01/07 21:50
Update #5
13/01/07 21:48
Saturday, Jan 13, 2007
Dear ROLO Membership,
Thank you for being patient with our email group. We are now a group of 166 emails strong, and that is still growing. Read More...
Update #4
09/01/07 21:45
A Message from the Chair:
Last night’s meeting was a success! We had approximately 90+ people who toughed out several hours of insightful issues in our city to hear our concern voiced in council. Read More...
Update #3
03/01/07 21:35
Update #2
22/12/06 21:22
We were told on Wednesday December 20 that the City of Saskatoon has plans to build a new water intake opposite the mole beside power pole park. Read More...
Update #1
18/12/06 21:15
