Wellington Heights

Sep 19 -- Letter of thanks to Peter Angelo, Public Works

2010-10-05T13:43:00.000-07:00

Peter Angelo, P.Eng.
Director of Engineering
Municipality of Port Hope

Re: Public Works Recommendation for an All-Way STOP at Wellington & Rosevear
It was with a great deal of both pleasure and relief that I read Public Works' recommendation in this matter.

The change you have recommended will make crossing at Wellington & Rosevear easier for the young people I know who just don't understand the subtleties of COURTESY CROSS-WALK usage, as they were described in this week's newspaper.

In addition, notwithstanding the current industry wisdom concerning the effectiveness of All Way STOPs for "traffic-calming" and speed control, the change at Wellington & ROsevear will also have the salutary effect of discouraging through-traffic on Wellington Street. Some southbound drivers choose a Phillips Road -- Wellington Street route to avoid a left turn at the corner of Roseglen Road and Ontario Street. This choice is dangerous for the many people walking in our neighbourhood. The change at Wellington & Rosevear will reduce that danger both by reducing the number of drivers who drive-thru our neighbourhood and by reducing the speed of those who continue to do so.

Your responses to my suggestions and concerns on this and on other issues have always been forthright and helpful, for which I am grateful and am happy to offer you my thanks.

Sep 17/10 -- Recommendation to Council from Public Works

2010-10-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

Responding to our request regarding the stop conditions at Wellington Street and Rosevear Boulevard, on September 21, Public Works presented the following recommendation to Council concerning the intersection at Wellington Street and Rosevear Boulevard:

[It] is proposed that an all way stop be placed at Wellington Street at Rosevear Boulevard.... [The] inclusion of additional stop conditions at ... Wellington Street may effect improvements to noted safety concerns.

Council accepted this recommendation--THANK YOU.

Sep 13/10 -- Letter to the Town about the STOP at Wellington & Rosevear

2010-09-13T11:28:00.000-07:00

Peter Angelo, P. Eng.
Director of Engineering Services
Municipality of Port Hope

At the suggestion of Mayor Thompson, I am writing to you expressing my concern with the removal of a STOP and its replacement with a COURTESY X-WALK on Wellington Street at the Rosevear intersection.

Recently, as reported in one of the local newspapers, you remarked on the importance of maintaining a balance throughout the roadside environment. Your remarks were part of a discussion about the COURTESY X-WALK on Walton Street in downtown Port Hope. I understand the point of your remarks, I appreciate the complexity of decisions relating to crosswalks, and I applaud the efforts that you are making to achieve the balance of which you spoke.

Here, in a nutshell, is my concern: the balance for a crosswalk on Walton Street must be struck in a very different place from the balance for a crosswalk on Wellington Street. Consider the nature of Walton Street:

Walton Street is the Main Street of Port Hope and the centre of the downtown area
Walton Street has shops and curbs and parking and sidewalks on both sides
Walton Street is a thoroughfare for people moving east/west within the Town
Walton Street is a County highway for vehicular traffic moving through the Town

Wellington Street, on the other hand, is none of the above:

Wellington is a quiet neighbourhood street
Wellington has one small plaza at the north end to which many, many people walk every day
Wellington is a route for many students walking to Beatrice Strong School
Wellington has no curbs and has sidewalks and parking on one side only

Wellington Street must, I feel, be preserved as a street for use by cars and pedestrians moving within the neighbourhood. It must not be transformed into a thoroughfare for vehicles moving north/south through the neighbourhood. Yet, I fear, that such a transformation is a potential outcome of the replacement of a STOP with a COURTESY X-WALK at Wellington and Rosevear.

Further, the Wellington/Rosevear intersection is critical because, as you know, the sidewalk changes at Rosevear from the one side of Wellington to the other. A STOP at that intersection provides a means to cross Wellington with security and safety. The removal of the STOP encourages pedestrians to walk in the road on the west side of Wellington north of Rosevear and in the road on the east side of Wellington south of Rosevear. This is not behaviour that we want to encourage.

Please, Mr. Angelo, in the interests both of preserving Wellington as a neighbourhood street and also of ensuring safety for the many pedestrians who daily walk up and down Wellington, consider returning the STOP on Wellington at the Rosevear intersection. Retaining the current STOP on Rosevear would, in effect, make the intersection an ALL-WAY STOP, which is, I feel, the appropriate balance that you spoke of in your remarks and that our neighbourhood needs for pedestrians and vehicles.

Sep 04/10 -- Message to Neighbours and Friends about the Port Hope election this fall

2010-09-04T08:21:00.000-07:00

Neighbours and Friends,

Our neighbourhood, which I call Wellington Heights, is home to a very large number of people, young and old. But it has not received the attention and support from the Town that it needs to be a great place to live for so many people. For example, our streets and parking areas, our sidewalks and crosswalks are not good enough to ensure the health and safety of all of us who live here.

Dorset Street West, on the other side of the river, is home to 70-some odd residents. A recent story in the Northumberland News told about the discussions that the Town had with the residents when revamping that street. The Town consulted with them during both the planning and the reconstruction of their street.

A few years ago, some maintenance was done to the south end of Wellington Street. This past spring, the STOP at Rosevear was removed and replaced by a COURTESY X-WALK. The Town had no discussions with any of the many hundreds of us who live here before doing any of this work. We need to be involved in all such changes.

It seems to me that we need to say two things to the Town:

1. Ask us what we think of changes you want to make
2. Listen to what changes we think you ought to make

The previous post in this blog (Message to candidates for Mayor and Council) is a message I am sending to all candidates for Mayor or Council of Port Hope. In my message, I ask candidates running in the election to do for us what they did for the people living on Dorset Street West: talk with us about changes to our neighbourhood that affect our health and safety. This seems reasonable to me. If you agree, please send your own message to the people running in the election. Names and email addresses for candidates are shown below.

Regards,

Bill Hayes

Mayor Linda Thompson mayor@porthope.ca
Candidate John Floyd johnfloyd@sympatico.ca
Candidate Bob Chatten
Candidate William Spotton wspotton@eagle.ca
Candidate Davidson Tate davidsont@sympatico.ca

Deputy Mayor Jeff Lees jefflees@sympatico.ca
Councillor Cal Morgan cmorgan@porthope.ca
Councillor Karen O’Hara kohara@porthope.ca
Councillor David Turck dturck@porthope.ca
Councillor Ted Watts twatts@porthope.ca
Candidate Rick Austin

Sep 04/10 -- Message to candidates for Mayor and Council

2010-09-04T07:51:00.000-07:00

Dear Candidate:

During the forthcoming municipal election campaign, I will be a one-issue voter and that one issue will be my neighbourhood of Wellington Heights:

• Phillips Road south to Croft Street
• Ontario Street east to Rose Glen Road.

Wellington Street is the backbone of our neighbourhood.

A friend of mine, recently visiting me from across the river on Brown Street, remarked that the area she saw walking up Wellington Street looked like what must be the slum of Port Hope. “There is nothing like it on our side of the River,” she said. Compared with other neighbourhoods in Port Hope, Wellington Heights seemed to her to have been overlooked and underserved. I agree.

For example, the Town recent undertook a “traffic calming” revamp of Dorset Street West. During both planning and construction of that project, discussions were held between the municipality and representatives of the “70-some odd” Dorset Street residents.

In contrast, the removal of the STOP at the Wellington/Rosevear intersection and its replacement with a COURTESY X-WALK involved no such discussions with representatives of the many hundreds of Wellington Heights residents. Yet, if there is one street in Port Hope that needs “traffic calming” because it must not be allowed to turn into a racetrack, it is Wellington Street.

The many people who daily walk up and down Wellington Street, so many of whom are children, need their health and safety to be important to you. As a start, they need a commitment from you that the consultation model used for the Dorset Street revamp will be extended to changes that affect the health and safety of the residents of Wellington Heights.

Regards and good luck in the campaign,

William Hayes

Feb 16/10 -- New BUS STOP at Wellington Street & Phillips Road

2010-02-16T11:49:00.000-08:00

When new bus routes were introduced last year, a bus stop with a bench was located at the north driveway entrance of the Rose Glen Gardens retirement home--see the photo below.

Bus Stop with bench on Wellington Street just north of Rose Glen Gardens.

Some weeks later, another bus stop was located at the south driveway entrance to Rose Glen Gardens. This 2nd bus stop, which has a shelter, is convenient both for the seniors in the retirement home and for the people in nearby apartment buildings at 50 and 49 Wellington--see photo below.

Bus stop with shelter on Wellington Street near the Courtesy X Walk at Rose Glen Gardens.

With two stops so close together, it seemed a good idea to move the original bus stop with its bench further up Wellington Street, perhaps all the way to the corner of Phillips Road. At that location, it would better serve the many residents of the two apartment buildings at 99 and 101 Phillips Road.

On Saturday, February 6, I sent a message to Peter Angelo, Director of Works and Engineering for Port Hope. I suggested that the original bus stop be moved further up Wellington to the corner of Phillips Road. At this new location the bus stop would improve service to bus riders without adding any cost to bus operation.

GOOD NEWS! On Monday, February 8, Town Staff installed a new bus stop at the corner of Wellington Street and Phillips Road. The next day they installed a freshly painted bench at the stop--see photo below.

New Bus Stop with bench on Wellington Street at the corner of Phillips Road.

Many thanks to Mr. Angelo and his staff.

Anyone who has a suggestion for improving bus service in Port Hope can contact Mr. Angelo at his office:

Peter A. Angelo, P.Eng.
Director, Works and Engineering
Municipality of Port Hope
56 Queen Street, PO Box 117
Port Hope, ON
L1A 3V9
tel: (905) 885-2431 ext. 203
fax: (905) 885-0507
e:mail pangelo@porthope.ca

Jan 24/10 -- New Bus Stop @ 45 Wellington Street

2010-02-06T12:34:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Karen Polley, one of many people who live in our Wellington Heights neighorhood.

We all know that there is no sidewalk on the east side of Wellington Street south of Rosevear Boulevard. As a result, the bus stop used by people living at 45 Wellington Street and in nearby apartments required people using the Town Bus to stand on the road itself when getting on and getting off. This is a problem, winter and summer, both for seniors living at 45 Wellington Street, and for young parents living in nearby apartments who have small children in hand or in strollers.

Karen Polley is a regular user of the Town Bus. She wondered whether the bus stop could be moved a bit farther up Wellington Street. She thought that a better place for the stop was at the short paved walkway leading from the street to the building at 45 Wellington.

Karen called the Mayor's office to explain the problem and make her suggestion. She was given another town number to call with her suggestion. She called the 2nd number, explained the problem, and asked that the bus stop be moved.

Very shortly after (Guess What?) the bus stop was moved. The photo below shows a young bus rider waiting at the new bus stop:

Thanks to Town Staff, who realized Karen's suggestion was a good one and moved the stop.

And thanks to Karen for thinking of the suggestion and for making it, too.

Nov 20/09 - Lights Repaired at Wellington and Rosevear

2009-11-24T06:59:00.000-08:00

Last summer, the light pole at the top of Rosevear was damaged by an automobile, after which the entire street was without lights for more than a week.

When some residents complained to Public Works about the situation, the Town called its contractor for electrical work, B. G. Roberts Electric. The following day power was restored to the undamaged poles on Rosevear, but the intersection of Wellington and Rosevear remained without lights.

On Friday, November 20, workers from B. G. Roberts Electric replaced the damaged but still standing pole. Below is a photo showing workers using a giant auger to open a hole for the replacement light pole, watched by two curious grandchildren.

The intersection of Wellington and Rosevear is important for residents of Wellington Heights. North of Rosevear, there is a sidewalk on the east side of Wellington only. South of Rosevear, the sidewalk continues on the west side of Wellington. As a result, pedestrians must cross Wellington at the Rosevear intersection.

The Town has recognized the importance of this intersection for the safety of pedestrians:
• by painting a crosswalk from one side of Wellington to the other
• by installing Courtesy Cross-Walk signs at this crosswalk

For the safety of pedestrians, many of whom are parents walking with young children, it is essential that this intersection and its crosswalk be well lit at night. The absence of working lights for about three months was a hazard to their safety.

Residents of Wellington Heights are grateful that lights have been restored to the Wellington and Rosevear intersection.

Sep 23/09 from Dept of Public Works

2009-09-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

Summary of a telephone call from Tara in the Department of Public Works:

(1) She acknowledged receipt of my concerns by the Department of Public Works, which must have been forwarded to DPW by the Council, since my most recent message of August 14 was not sent to DPW at all, but only to the Mayor and Councillors;

(2) She said that DPW has been contacting Wellington Street apartment building superintendents and area snow removal contractors to make them aware of the problem on Wellington Street sidewalks and to remind them of their obligations not to block sidewalks with ploughed snow;

(3) She said that DPW is considering the possibility of adding Wellington Street sidewalks to the roster of sidewalks that the Town itself ploughs—wouldn’t that be nice!

I was pleased and excited to receive this call. I am hopeful that the coming winter will be easier underfoot for the many folk who tread the sidewalks of Wellington Heights.

In addition, I believe that efforts to solve this Wellington Street snowy sidewalk problem will benefit the entire Wellington Heights neighbourhood, in which so many of us have a stake.

Aug 14/09 to Mayor & Council

2009-08-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

Mayor Linda Thompson and Councillors
Municipality of Port Hope

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Re: Winter safety issues arising from inadequate snow clearing on Wellington Street sidewalks

The time to fix the roof, they say, is when the sun is shining. Now is the time to address a winter safety issue that affects the residents of Wellington Heights, which is my neighborhood in Port Hope.

Last winter, in several messages (two sent to Councillor David Turck and two sent to Director Peter Angelo, with copies to Councillor Turck) I highlighted conditions and suggested remedies to a problem affecting the safety of people who use the sidewalks of Wellington Street. A copy of my final message to Mr. Angelo, complete with photographs of Wellington Street sidewalks, is shown below. For an understanding of the matter, I ask that you either read this message or view the entire correspondence, which I posted online to my Wellington Heights blog.

In that message, I summarized my suggested remedy to Mr. Angelo as follows:

1) that your staff use whatever methods necessary to remove the piles of snow currently blocking the Wellington Street sidewalk at these locations;
2) that you work with the owners and managers of Wellington Street apartment buildings to ensure that sidewalks remain unblocked for the rest of this winter.

Last winter was difficult for people attempting to keep their sidewalks clear of snow. It was difficult for the residents of Rosevear Boulevard, where I was living at the time. It was difficult for the owners and managers of apartment buildings on Wellington Street. In one of his messages to me, Mr. Angelo expressed his determination to meet and work with the managers and owners of Wellington Street apartment buildings to resolve the problems. Those problems weren't successfully resolved last winter; I am hoping that some proactive efforts now will prevent them from recurring during the winter to come.

Thank you for considering my request about this public safety issue.

Feb 04/09 Photos of Snowy Sidewalks

2009-08-14T08:44:00.001-07:00

These photographs were attached to a message sent Feb 04/09 to Peter Angelo in support of concerns for the safety of people using sidewlks on Wellington Street.

Sidewalk at 48 Wellington Street

48 Wellington Street - 1
48 Wellington Street - 2
48 Wellington Street - 3
48 Wellington Street - 4

Sidewalk at 50 Wellington Street

50 Wellington Street - 1

50 Wellington Street - 2

50 Wellington Street - 3

50 Wellington Street - 4

Feb 04/09 to Peter Angelo

2009-08-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

Mr. Peter Angelo, P.Eng.
Director of Engineering Services
Municipality of Port Hope

Re: Snow Clearing -- Wellington Street Sidewalks

Good afternoon Mr. Angelo:

This has been quite a winter. You and your staff have been taxed to the limit and beyond by the very snowy weather. Even so, I am doing as you suggested in your timely response to my previous message and restating my concerns for public safety with respect to the sidewalks on Wellington Street.

Below is a summary of the concerns that I stated in my message, sent January 18, 2009

The process of plowing driveways at apartment buildings along the west side of Wellington Street results in the piling of snow directly on the sidewalk. As of Sunday morning, January 18, this was the situation:

- apartment at 50 Wellington: sidewalk completely blocked by a snow pile at the end of the driveway;
- apartment just south of 50: sidewalk in front of the building partially or completely covered by a snow pile;
- apartment at 16/18 Wellington: sidewalk completely blocked by a snow pile at the end of the driveway.

The snow piles at these locations are high and hard packed and iced. They need to be removed, but that removal appears to require mechanical equipment.

I want to report to you the situation as it was about noon today:

- apartment at 50 Wellington: the sidewalk remains completely blocked by snow piled at the end of the driveway;
- apartment at 48 Wellington: the sidewalk in front of the building is completely covered by a snow pile.

These two problems, both of which have existed since mid-December, have gotten worse with each snowfall and each snow plowing. Attached are 8 photographs, taken early this afternoon, that show the extent to which the sidewalks at 48 and 50 Wellington Street are covered and blocked. [NB. photographs are shown in a separate post to the Wellington Heights blog.]

In my previous message I requested of you, in the interest of public safety, these two things:

1) that your staff use whatever methods necessary to remove the piles of snow currently blocking the Wellington Street sidewalk at these locations;
2) that you work with the owners and managers of Wellington Street apartment buildings to ensure that sidewalks remain unblocked for the rest of this winter.

Obviously, you and your staff have not been able to deal with this matter:

1) They have not removed the piles of snow that have been blocking the sidewalks for many weeks at 48 and 50 Wellington Street;
2) You have not been successful in convincing the owners and managers of these two apartment buildings to keep their sidewalks unblocked.

I had thought that you were prevented from dealing with these problems by the necessity of attending to the great amount of snow that has fallen in December and January. However, this morning I received a letter from Tara Archambault, which stated the following:

The areas of concern noted in your correspondence have been investigated by staff and appropriate recourse has been implemented to ensure that By Law 52/97 is complied with.

Is Ms. Archambault trying to tell me, in some strange, coded language, that you have no authority to act as I have requested on behalf of the safety of the dozens of families and the many dozens of children who daily must walk in the street to circumvent the snow dumped on Wellington Street sidewalks? If not that, then what exactly is Ms. Archambault saying?

Regards for a snow-free February,

Jan 19/09 from Peter Angelo

2009-08-14T08:29:00.001-07:00

Thank you William. I have asked my staff to investigate the matter and to resolve with the adjacent owners as appropriate.

Please do not hesitate to call me should you have any questions or concerns.

Jan 18/09 to Peter Angelo

2009-08-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

Mr. Peter Angelo, P.Eng.
Director of Engineering Services
Municipality of Port Hope

Re: Snow Clearing -- Wellington Street Sidewalks

Thank you for your commitment, in the interest of public safety, to work with HBIA members to ensure that sidewalks in the downtown area are cleared of ice and snow. Councillor David Turck said that I might contact you directly with concerns about having snow cleared from sidewalks in my own neighborhood, which I call Wellington Heights.

The backbone of my neighborhood is Wellington Street itself, which has a sidewalk on only one side of the street. My concern is with respect to the sidewalk on the west side of Wellington from my own street, Rosevear Boulevard, south to the Medical Centre.

For the most part, residents and property managers do a good job of clearing this sidewalk. The work is tiresome, but necessary, because this stretch of Wellington Street is home to many families, many of which have children. I myself spend time helping with the effort to keep this sidewalk clear.

However, the process of plowing driveways at apartment buildings along this stretch of Wellington Street results in the piling of snow directly on the sidewalk. As of Sunday morning, January 18, this was the situation:

- apartment at 50 Wellington: sidewalk completely blocked by a snow pile at the end of the driveway;
- apartment just south of 50: sidewalk in front of the building partially or completely covered by a snow pile;
- apartment at 16/18 Wellington: sidewalk completely blocked by a snow pile at the end of the driveway.

The snow piles at these locations are high and hard packed and iced. They need to be removed, but that removal appears to require mechanical equipment.

I am writing to request, in the interest of public safety, two things:

1) that your staff use whatever methods necessary to remove the piles of snow currently blocking the Wellington Street sidewalk at these locations;
2) that you work with the owners and managers of Wellington Street apartment buildings to ensure that sidewalks remain unblocked for the rest of this winter.

Thank you for your help with this concern. Because of his own interest in this matter, I am sending a copy of this message to Councillor Turck.

Jan 14/09 to Coun. David Turck

2009-08-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

David Turck, Councillor
Municipality of Port Hope

Re: Snowy Sidewalks

Thank you, Mr. Turck, for responding to my message. I appreciate that you and your colleagues on Council and that Peter Angelo and his staff are busy every day, all day with duties essential to the proper working of the municipality.

Allow me to express this one thought:

- the enactment of a bylaw respecting snow clearing is not new this year;
- the discussion of its application at Council is not new this year;
- the discussion of the problem in letters to the local gazette is not new this year;
- all of these matters are years old;
- it is, therefore, long past the time when what is needed sending letters to business or building owners.

With respect, Councillor Turck, it seems to me that what is needed is for the Council and/or the Mayor to direct Mr. Angelo, clearly and distinctly, to do whatever is necessary to "make it happen." As a last resort, it is not you who needs to get a shovel and clear the sidewalk, but Mr. Angelo.

As a final thought, it seems to me that if other sidewalks on Walton Street are cleaned on or about 9 AM in the morning, then the sidewalks in front of the former Walton Hotel and the former Plummer's Drugstore ought to be cleaned on or about the same time.

Thank you so very much for your help with and attention to this matter.

Best regards to you in the new year,

Jan 13/09 from David Turck

2009-08-14T08:22:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your email and I was in a meeting with mr. Angelo yesterday and passed it on for his attention. Mr. Angelo department as per our cow meeting last week will be issuing letters to the vacant storefront building owners advising them as per the bylaw they have now received their warning and if their sidewalks are not cleared as per the bylaw the municipality will clear them and charge their tax bills.
Households have 48 hrs. And then you can contact mr. Angelo dept. To report and start the process.

David turck

Jan 12/09 - to Councillor David Turck

2009-08-14T08:18:00.000-07:00

David Turck, Councillor
Municipality of Port Hope

Thank you for expressing support for cleaner, safer sidewalks in Port Hope.

I must say, the response of Director Peter Angelo to your recent complaint about snow-covered sidewalks, at it was reported in the Northumberland News, leaves me shaking my head. Really, is there nothing to be done but send letters to HBIA business owners?

A neighbor on Rosevear Boulevard was told that town staff discontinued sanding slippery downtown sidewalks because of complaints by HBIA business owners, who objected to having sand carried into their stores on the shoes of pedestrians. Apparently the HBIA insisted that it would see that the sidewalks were adequately cleared. That obviously is not happening.

Clearly, Mr. Angelo's staff are not up to the job of ensuring compliance with the snow-clearing bylaw. Something more effective needs to be done, not only downtown, but throughout Ward 1 of the Municipality. However, if Council cannot ensure compliance in the downtown shopping area, there is not any hope for compliance elsewhere.

Please continue your efforts to ensure public safety on our sidewalks this winter.