On June 14th we hold our annual Heritage Day. Festivities get underway with a parade along Lawson to Highland Creek followed by entertainment and fun for the whole family. Plan to attend.

The last newsletter contained inaccurate information on the dates in May for the opening of the recycling depot on Morningside Ave., my apologies. In June the depot will be open on June 7th and 21st and continue to open every second Saturday through July, August and September.

Work is to resume in June on the Village Common. It was necessary to suspend construction last year following the discovery of high concentrations of salt in some areas of the site. The environmental study and recommendations should be complete by the end of May. Environmental remediation work will be carried out in June and July. Phase 1 of the park construction will take place from August to the end of October. This work will consist of grading, servicing, topsoil, sod, seeding, pathway construction, lighting and playground installation, and planting of trees & shrubs.

On April 26th I was honoured to represent the CCRA at the official unveiling of the plaque dedicating the "Crossroads" skateboard park at the Port Union Community Center. CCRA was one of several community groups in our area that along with the City of Toronto made a financial contribution towards the construction of the park.

Congratulations to Centennial Rouge United Church, which celebrated its 112th anniversary on May 4th, 2003.

Owing to work commitments, 2 of our executive who were going to look after membership had to resign. Fortunately Tony Sibley our treasurer agreed to take on the membership campaign. We thank Tony for assuming this very important duty on our executive. As you are aware we did not elect a President at our Annual General Meeting last fall. This, along with the resignation of our membership chairs has put an extra strain on the present executive. At our next annual general meeting this fall, please consider coming out and volunteering to serve on the executive.

Watch for the announcement of our Annual General Meeting in our October newsletter and plan to attend.

On May 12th a hearing was held before the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) regarding a planning application for 32 Irvine Rd. CCRA and several area residents made representation before the board to uphold the Community and City Council approval for 2 lots rather than 3 lots sought by the proponent. The OMB (a non elected provincial agency) did not uphold the decision of our elected Toronto City Council and approved 3 lots. The OMB indicated during the hearing that the zoning by-law was outdated and did not reflect current Provincial guidelines. This comment is very disturbing as it brings into question the validity and purpose of zoning by-laws in communities.

Work will continue on the reconstruction of the Lawrence Ave bridge over Highland Creek until late fall. The reconstruction of Port Union Rd south of Lawrence Ave. and the intersection of Port Union and Lawrence Ave. is also underway and will continue into the fall.

Often we receive notification of items such as the above noted reconstruction work which does not arrive in time to be mentioned in our newsletters. This information is posted on our web site at www.centennialcra.com so bookmark our site and don't forget to access it on a frequent basis.

A reminder that in late June the City will begin the new "Green Bin" organic waste program. Flyers have been distributed to all households in our community. Further information can be obtained at www.toronto.ca/greenbin

Don't forget our Summer Concerts July 6th,13th and 20th at the Port Union Community Center. Check elsewhere in the newsletter for further details. These concerts are a pleasant way to spend a summer evening, plan to attend.

Have a safe and pleasant summer.
Jeff Forsyth

(Jeff Forsyth is a former president of the CCRA and is currently the Vice President. He has kindly agreed to take over some of the duties of President, until a new President is in office.) If anyone is interested in finding out more about the role of the President, please contact Jeff.