Here’s a head’s up about some construction going on in the OEV ! See this note from the City of London:

Construction begins!
Welcome to the inaugural construction update for Phase 1 of the East London Link and Municipal Infrastructure Improvements. These updates will be provided on a bi-weekly basis during construction to help keep you informed about what is going on with construction on the East London Link project. 

Work starts at King and Lyle Street intersection next week
Starting next week, you will see crews in the area of the King and Lyle Street intersection setting up traffic control, removing the asphalt road surface, and starting sewer work. 

The work in this stage of the project will also have impacts to traffic. Beginning on Monday, March 21, King Street between Adelaide Street North and Lyle Street will be closed to traffic. This closure is expected to be in place for approximately four months.

Above: A map graphic showing the location of upcoming construction work for Phase 1 of the East London Link project, requiring a road closure on King St between Adelaide St N and Lyle St. A signed detour will help travellers navigate around the construction. Local traffic will be permitted through the closure.

Two-way traffic will be temporarily permitted on King Street between Adelaide Street North and Hewitt Street during this period to accommodate local traffic and visits to businesses in the area, which remain open. Pedestrian access will also be maintained through the area.

Motorists will be detoured to York Street while this closure is in place and are advised that Dundas Street in Old East Village also remains open to traffic.

Municipal Parking Lot #4 can be accessed from Marshall Street. Visitors driving to the area can take advantage of two hours of complimentary parking at municipal lots and on-street locations by using the Honk app and entering promo code ‘CORE’.

Cyclists are encouraged to use Dundas Street, where connections to the Dundas Cycle Track, Dundas Place, and Dundas-TVP Connection are available for east-west cycling connections through the core area.

If you were unable to make it to the pre-construction meeting hosted by the City of London on March 9, you can check out the recording of the meeting by clicking on the link below.

The East London Link is a multi-year project that will revitalize more than 6 km of road from Downtown to Fanshawe College. Remaining phases of the East London Link will be built between 2023 and 2025. The project will add transportation and transit improvements above ground, while repairing and replacing aging sewers, watermains and other underground infrastructure

Important Contact Information
Report parking/loading zone issues: To report misuse of loading zones or vehicles parked in non-designated areas, please call Parking Enforcement at 519-661-4537

Report non-emergencies: Contact the London Police Services Foot Patrol at 519-670-4023.

Report an urgent construction matter after-hours: Our team aims to respond to all matters related to construction within 24 hours. If you require immediate assistance, please contact our dispatch team at 519-661-4965 or es@london.ca.

Report Community Health and Safety Issues: Our Coordinated Informed Response team aims to provide a caring and compassionate response that supports individuals who are street-involved and living unsheltered find safe alternative solutions focused on housing. If you encounter someone living unsheltered on London’s streets or in need of outreach support: call London Cares at 519-667-2273 Encampments or needles: Call 519-661-4570 or email at service@london.ca In the event of an emergency, always call 911 This information is also available as a printable contact card, by clicking here.

Our team will be here for you every step of the way as this important work is underway. If you have any questions or concerns related to the construction work, please send them our way so we can work through a solution together

Thank you and have a great weekend.

Jaden and James

More information about this project

Want to learn about how to create a pollinator garden?

Interested in skills that can help you start your own garden for dirt cheap?

When: March 14th; 12:30pm – 1:30pm

What to bring:

• Gardening gloves
• Comfortable shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty
• Clothing you don’t mind getting dirty

Note:

• You may be recorded and photographed for pollinator pathways website and media
• Masks are required at all times

Register on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/seed-cleaning-and-sowing-workshop-tickets-293507307257

If you have any questions, please reach out to pollinatorpathwaysproject@gmail.com

In the spring we will be having an AGM and looking to elect new board members! Here are some useful skills and experience for candidates to have, especially for the director-at-large positions. If you have one or more of these skills or are looking to develop them, please contact secretary@oevca.ca for more information about getting involved and making a difference in your community.

• Experience working with city hall, developers, public organizations and/or the not-for-profit sector
• Experience planning social events
• Experience handling social media for an organization
• Leadership skills
• Photography skills
• Writing and editing skills
• Experience with bookkeeping

Hello Members and Friends of the OEVCA,

While the pandemic has limited the opportunities for us to get together personally from time to time to conduct our business, your Association has not been idle since our last AGM.

Representatives of the OEVCA have been busy in the redevelopment of Lorne Ave Park as we try to make this park an integral and useful public space for the enjoyment of our fellow residents. We will remain involved as we move forward to the next phase(s) of this long-term plan.

The Association also supported residents along English Street as they successfully worked with the city to balance the need for on-street parking with the creation of a bike lane during the recent reconstruction of the street.

We’re also collaborating with the City and representatives of our sister neighbourhoods – Woodfield and Picadilly – as well as with the Clay Arts Centre, on the public art component of the pending Adelaide Street Underpass, scheduled to begin this year.

Our indefatigable Secretary has also undertaken a full rewrite of the Association website at oevca.ca

Speaking of the Adelaide Street Underpass, the Association will be in consultation with the City in order to get a fuller understanding of potential traffic impacts to the neighbourhood, and ways in which these impacts might be mitigated during the two-and-a-half year construction period.

Queen’s Ave is scheduled for a “shave and pave” in 2022. The City will be taking this opportunity to reconfigure the westbound Cycle Link route running along Queen’s Ave. Once we see the design proposal, we will keep you informed and provide opportunities for your input.

Should you have any questions, we would be glad to answer them at president@oevca.ca

Hello Neighbours,

It has been a while since we checked in with you. With the holidays fast approaching, we wanted to wish all the best to you and yours for a safe, happy and joyous holiday season. As we begin to (hopefully!) head out of these pandemic times, your Association finds itself at something of a crossroad. Much of the work that we do relies on us being able to come together in groups large and small – to nurture the connections we have with one another; to identify matters of common concern to residents; and, to prioritize and strategize how we do our work to build a safe, respectful, equitable and convivial neighbourhood.

The past two years have made it difficult for us to come together in these ways. This is not to say we’ve been inactive. Even in the small group remaining, we’ve stayed involved in a number of matters important to the present and future of Old East. We’ve spent lots of time in videoconferences, on email and on the telephone with City staff and others.

But the Association needs to be reactivated if we wish to keep a hand in managing change here in the neighbourhood. To do this, we need to reconnect with you, our membership and friends, first and foremost.

We are planning our first AGM since the beginning of the pandemic. This meeting will be held this spring, and we hope that you can find the time to attend. Details will be available on our website www.oevca.ca in the near future. We will also be in touch with you about the AGM as we get closer to the date.

And, of course, if you wish to be even more actively engaged in nurturing this terrific neighbourhood we call home, we’re in desperate need of folks to join our board. It’s your opportunity to bring new ideas and fresh perspectives to the work we do. Feel free to reach out to me at president@oevca.ca if you want to chat about coming aboard.

With best regards,
Greg Thompson, President (pro tem) of the Association

The Old East Community Association is back after some brief covid-related downtime. Come join us in Lorne Ave Park on September 28 at 6:00pm to meet your neighbours and enjoy some refreshments on us. Please wear a mask!

Have you thought that you would like to take a more active role in managing change in the neighbourhood and connecting neighbours with one another? The Old East Village Community Association is looking for residents who want to get involved in the Association to step forward and take a seat at the Board table.

Ask us about how you can participate in any of the following programs:

1. Organizing the Old East Village Block Party, the Old East Village Community Yard Sale, Green Day compost and plant sale, and other events that highlight the OEV.
2. Welcoming new members and new volunteers year-round
3. Taking a lead role in shaping and growing the neighbourhood including taking up Village issues at City Hall.
4. Organizing neighbourhood Clean and Green litter pickups.
5. Representing the Old East Village in the Urban League of London.
6. Maintaining a community calendar
7. Kicking off the Village’s “ghosting” tradition in the run-up to Halloween every year.
8. Greeting new residents with baskets of gift certificates and information about the Village.
9. Holding general meetings to inform the membership and the community of its activities.
10. Maintaining a presence on social media to stay in touch with the community – follow us on Twitter, on Facebook, and on Instagram
11. Consulting with other stakeholders in the city planning district to publicize coming events
12. Partnering with other neighbourhood organizations to improve the neighbourhood

The upcoming term of the Association will see a significant turnover of directors and officers. If you want to get involved, consider sending an email to jen.sadler@oevca.ca for more information. We’d love to have your participation, your energy, and your ideas.

On November 10,2020 ,City Of London Staff will be hosting a Zoom meeting for neighbourhoods adjacent to the proposed Adelaide Underpass.This will be your opportunity to see and provide comment on the latest designs for the underpass including the urban designs and finishes that are being considered.

Please note that this is a targeted consultation with people who live , work or own properties in neighbourhoods adjacent to the underpass. Please refer to the attached letter (pdf below) for information about how you can attend the meeting as well as ways to provide your input over a two week period. We hope that you will be available attend,the meeting and/or use the other ways provided to give us your input.

Requests for face-to-face meetings can be made to Peter Kavcic (Tel: 519-661-2489 x4581, Email: pkavcic@london.ca)

Thank you, Adelaide Underpass Steering Committee.

The Old East Village Block Party is a community tradition. This year we are going to be celebrating a little differently. Please join us for the following events the weekend of September 19, 2020!

1. Facebook Live Concert: The Pairs will be playing live on the Old East Village Community Association Facebook page Tomorrow at 3:00 (September 20)

2. Sidewalk Chalk Contest: Submit your best chalk art piece to jared.dalton@oevca.ca by noon tomorrow (September 20th). Look for a poll late Sunday afternoon on our Old East Village Community Association Facebook Page.

We would like to bring your attention to this notice of work from the city of london about constrution being done on Adelaide St:

Date: June 4, 2020

To: Business owner, resident and/or property owner

The City of London and our partners at WSPare planning to reconstruct Adelaide Street from Central Avenue to McMahen Street, including an underpass beneath the CP Rail tracks and nearby intersection improvements. The new street design will enhance the pedestrian and biking environment, improve safety, reduce traffic back-ups due to trains and improve access to transit.

This letter provides you with information about some necessary advance construction work to begin mid June in order to accommodate the Adelaide Street Underpass construction scheduled in 2021.

Covid-19 Update: Construction was considered an essential service by the Government of Ontario on March 24, 2020. As a result, the City of London will proceed with planned work in partnership with our consultants and contractors. During this time, we will all be committed to closely monitoring construction site conditions to ensure projects are compliant with COVID-19 measures recommended by local, provincial and federal health officials. If you have questions or concerns, please do not approach the contractor. We recommend reaching out to your City Project Manager by email or phone in order to minimize direct contact with our project team as much as possible. All aspects of our projects may be subject to change based on further COVID-19 developments.

Construction Work to be Completed:

Building Demolition: The gas station at 595 Adelaide Street has been purchased by the City and a tender has been prepared for the demolition. It is anticipated that demolition will begin in mid-June and be completed by the end of July.

Utility Relocations: Enbridge (Union Gas) was originally expected to be on site in McMahen Park installing underground pipe in June 2020; however, this work has been rescheduled for July 2020. Our goal is to keep McMahen Park as operational as possible throughout these advance utility works.We expect that other utility companies will also begin work August/September 2020, including: London Hydro, Bell Canada, and Rogers Communications.

CP Rail Track Work: Additionally, CP rail will be realigning its mostnortherly track, planned for September which will result in some temporary vehicle lane closures or sidewalk closures. Further updates will be made available as we become more certain around their schedule.

Project Updates:

Visit theproject web page(london.ca/AdelaideStreet) to learn more about your construction project, find links to notices and other related content.

Contact Information:

The City is committed to keeping you connected and informed during construction. Please reach out to your City Project Manager at any time.

Name: Jiten Patel

Title: Construction Project Manager

Organization: City of London

Phone: 519-661-2489x 5013

Email: jpatel@london.ca

Right now, protests for social justice for people of color are happening all over the world. This includes a protest in London Ontario on Saturday June 6 at 3:00pm in Victoria Park. This protest is being organized by the London Ontario chapter of Black Lives Matter. More information about these protests can be found can be found on the Black Lives Matter London’s Instagram or Black Lives Matter – London Ontario’s Facebook

A Facebook post describes the roots of the organization: “We are a local group of 5 young black women who came together following the BLM protest in Toronto. Being inspired by this, we wanted to bring one to our city here in London, Ontario.”

According to CTV News, Mayor Ed Holder has said that the city of London is “working collaboratively with the organizers of the march”. The Middlesex Health Unit is going to have a presence to help ensure that there are supports in place to reduce the risk of spreading Covid19 during the protest. Steve Williams, London’s Chief of Police, has said “We are there to listen, and a lot of our officers are supporting these protests as well.”

These protests highlight the need to amplify the voices of people of color who are frequently not heard or ignored.