All things considered: I am not sure that an attempt at a demonstration
at this time is the right course of action. First and foremost, I do not
see a large number of people committing themselves to it. I count 7, of
whom, 2 may not even be in town on the date. Even if all of the remaining 5
were to show up, one has to admit that it is not much of a showing. I think
that a poor showing is worse than not doing it at all from a public
relations standpoint.
I also think that there is a lot of baggage being attached to this
issue. Many of the people in this neighbourhood and on this mailing list
have spent the last 30 or so years trying to exercise their democratic
right to effective input at city hall. In fact, in those 30 or so years we
have not only suffered repeated failures in our attempts to participate, we
have seen the erosion of our ability to participate at all. In my opinion,
in a general sense, the enormous outrage that we are feeling relative to
dangerous and unsightly premises at the Bloomfield site is partially an
expression of our growing realization of and concern about that loss of
democracy.
In a particular sense, the Bloomfield site resonates with us. It
borders our community. Neighbours involved in the Imagine Bloomfield
initiative worked for years to establish a development on the site that
would have provided affordable housing as well as other real amenities.
They would also have had some claim to participation “by the people”. It
was torpedoed by all levels of government. Now the continued lack of proper
maintenance at the site is particularly galling.
All of this baggage is different from “Dangerous and Unsightly
Premises” which was the starting point of all of this. It has been noted
that the city (or someone) seems to have started at least a partial cleanup
at the site. This alone would give them ammunition in the countering of any
claims we might make to the media. In the meanwhile, we might follow Ron’s
example: head up to the site, notice the things that have not been dealt
with, call 311 and register a complaint. Some people have already done so.
I complained on November 18. That reference number is 7750214. The items in
my complaint were: broken windows, graffiti, garbage, lack of proper
fencing and poorly maintained, overgrown green spaces. At least 3 other
people have written letters to Lindell and staff. If you call to complain,
have the civic numbers on hand because the complaints are registered under
the civic numbers.
In the meanwhile, I haven’t seen any extra names being added to the 7
people who initially said they would participate.
Pete
I can walk up to CTV on Agricola Street and ask how we could get news coverage when we decide on a date. Is that O.K. with everyone? Any other suggestions ? Ken ,Black Street
Dear Everyone,
There have been problems with BNRANews as managed through Chebucto
Community Net. Their mail management system runs 50% of the time at best. I
think most of the time the stuff sent in gets to the listserve, however my
access to it and ability to post it fluctuates. In the short run, i am
trying to run BNRANews in parallel through my personal gmail account. I am
using a truncated list that i gleaned from the list for BNRANews on the CCN
system. There will be duplication as i will send stuff out on the old
system (CCN) during the times it is working. For the next little while,
please send comments to both bnranews(a)chebucto.ns.ca and plavell(a)gmail.com
.
Thanks,
Pete
Dear Neighbours,
Time is not on our side! We will have to work quickly on the protest ! If it snows the city will say Too Bad So Sad, we'll deal with it in the spring. If it was one of our properties they would say, get it done now or we will.The city likes to close historical buildings for a few years,and then say that they are too far gone to save! The developers are taking this beautiful city and making it to a glass and concrete jungle with city council giving them the green light. I'm not an old geezer against development,but there should be a process where all affected people are involved!
At this point there seems to be at least 8 people willing to protest. If we all bring a few more ,there should be plenty to make our frustrations known.If the media asks about history of the building we have at least 2 people who could write a book about the building! Ron and Susanne.
We all know what has happened over the years with this structure.
So lets get out cardboard and markers and let the rest of the city and council know what we have been up against! In European cities you can't tear down an historic outhouse without council and public approvable. I'm not an expert in how we get the media involved, but I'm sure someone in the hood does. I think that we should ask Councillor Smith to be there! I won't hold my breath. Sorry, I tend to ramble. It's the teacher in me, Take care, Ken P.S. If there is any spelling or grammar mistakes...I was an Art teacher.
While out this morning, I noticed two police vehicles, two officers, and
possible a third person walking the site.
Finally some action..
Shari-Lynn Hiltz
Bloomfield St
Dear Neighbours,
This Bloomfield mess is a disgrace and insult to our community! Does anyone feel a good old fashioned demonstration might work? We could invite the media. One thing the city doesn't like is when the media gets involved ! Trying to do this in a reasonable , political way doesn't seem to be working. What do you think? Ken Malay, Black Street
Dear Neighbours,
Time is not on our side. We will have to work quickly on this protest! If it snows the city will say TOO BAD ,TOO SAD , we'll deal with this in the spring. If it was one of us they would give you a notice that it has to be done immediately, or they would! The city likes to take historical structures,close them for a few years and then say," We would have loved to have saved the building but it it is too much disrepair ." The developers are taking this beautiful historic city and making it into a glass and cement
eyesore. Sincerely,, I'm sure people will say that old geezer is against change. There is nothing wrong with a development strategy, if all the stakeholders are on board with it.
There are at least 8 people so far that want to do this protest.If everyone brought a few people, I don't think the numbers would not be a problem. If we keep focused on the dangers of the sight and how the city caters to development ,we could get this across to the media.If there were any questions on the history of the building and city inaction ,we have at least two people who could write a book on the subject. Ron and Suzanne are experts on the building . Plus, most of us know what went on over the years! So lets get out our cardboard and markers and make some signs! We'll choose a date and do this. I'm not an expert in media involvement but I am sure there are people in the neighbourhood who do know the process.In European cities you can't tear done an outhouse if it has historical significance. I think the Councillor should be invited.We could make a bit of money on a neighbourhood lottery
The winners could be the ones that said he showed up! Yay. I do tend to ramble. It's the teacher in me. Take care, Ken
?
Hello Valerie and Lindell,
We have been following the dialogue about the condition of the neglected Bloomfield School site.
Seeing the photos of the vandalism and the neglect, and watching as the city does nothing speaks to me of apathy and disrespect on the part of the City, and of privilege on the part of the developer.
And, we wonder why the City’s communications with the Bloomfield site's owner are confidential when there are ByLaw notices posted at 2382 Creighton that lists the owner and the fact that, (1) the property is unsightly due to, “a lack of maintenance to the landscaping resulting in overgrown grass….”. This notice gives the owner 7 days to remedy the overgrown grass! And, at the same address: (2) “removing accumulation of debris including scrap wood, scrap metal, shopping cart, branches and other scattered debris and litter…”. Why don’t we see that same information about the unsightly and dangerous situation at Bloomfield? Why is the developer not held to account?
Please stand up and demand that the site be secured and responsibility be taken, as per city regulations.
(And… add this to a long list in this neighbourhood, including the condition of the pathetic so-called pocket playground on Creighton (north of Buddy Daye) and the condition of the exterior of Joseph Howe School (in particular the play area). These neglected sites also say: ‘apathy and disrespect’, and we wonder what unconscious messages we instill in the children who live within this neglect.)
Thank you in advance for hearing what I have to say,
Jane Finlay-Young
Jim Williams
2701 Fuller Terrace
Someone who called 311 to report the unsightly premises was told they need a street address for Bloomfield Schools! The addresses are 2748, 2786 and 2788 Agricola. Ron
Hi Valerie,
As per this pic, I thought bylaw always posted a notice of dangerous and unsightly premises at the location indicating issues and the time frame to address the issues. Where can I find that notice at Bloomfield?
Ron
[cid:54127390-87A2-4E17-9C3B-A62CB481A531-L0-001]
Sent from my iPhone
On Nov 15, 2021, at 10:09 AM, Rodger, Valerie <rodgerv(a)halifax.ca> wrote:
?
Hi Ron
As I stated, I cannot release specific details regarding communications with the property owners. I have an open case, which means that actions are ongoing.
As for what happens during the winter, we do not expect property owners to do things that would be considered unreasonable given the weather. I cannot give you specific details regarding an individual case.
Valerie
From: Ron Skibbens <skibbenr7(a)hotmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2021 2:36 PM
To: Rodger, Valerie <rodgerv(a)halifax.ca>; Smith, Lindell <smithli(a)halifax.ca>; BNRA <bnranews(a)chebucto.ns.ca>
Subject: [External Email] Re: [Bnranews] Dangerous and unsightly bloomfield
Hi Valerie and Lindell,
Again thanks for your replies.
1. First, Lindell, I appreciate that this dangerous and unsightly premises is now the concern of ByLaw Enforcement. However, I’d appreciate hearing from you about whether the city put any timing constraints on site remediation and/or development as a condition of sale this time. As you’ll remember, the city got burned in that regard when It sold the site to Housing NS and endured 3 years of continued dereliction. Was there a lesson learned from that multi-year debacle?
2. And Valerie, I live in the area and so walk by the site routinely. I sure wish the owner and bylaw enforcement would also since it is so obviously dangerous and unsightly. And although I trust that some debris has been removed, it still appears that hypodermic needles, broken window glass, broken pallets, broken furniture, scattered garbage, broken asphalt and loose bricks litter the site. The lack of exterior maintenance and graffiti is obvious from all sides of the property. In short, it appears that it meets both conditions for ‘dangerous’ as well as nearly all of the conditions for unsightly, as per HRM’s website. As I understand, these are the basic requirements for all land owners:
[cid:image003.png@01D7DA08.CAFE5CA0]
3. Through past experience, it appears that when By Law Enforcement receives a complaint it gives the owner a time limit for addressing the complaint. Please advise what that time limit is for this complaint so that we can continue our dialog as appropriate at the end of that time.
4. Also, I understand that By Law Enforcement suspends some of their monitoring over the winter. Please advise if that pertains to this site, and if so when it stops and starts again.
Thank you both for your continued monitoring of this matter.
Ron
