Click to see the Buy A Brick Virtual Brick Wall of Supporters

25 May 2008
RAYS inaugurates first neighbourhood-wide yard sale May 31; fundraiser for Wabash/Sorauren

Join the neighbourhood-wide yard sale! May 31, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., rain or shine. The organizers are asking participants to donate 10% of sales to the Wabash Community Centre campaign. More information at raysmay312008.blogspot.com.




13 March 2008
Fieldhouse open house April 19, ribbon cutting with Mayor on May 5

Mark these dates in your calendar… on Saturday, April 19, you'll have a chance to tour the new Sorauren Park Fieldhouse from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. during an open house. Then on Monday, May 5 at 6:30 p.m., join Mayor Miller and other luminaries as the Fieldhouse is officially opened with ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The April 19 open house coincides with Ward 14 Environment Day on Wabash Avenue. Bring your hazardous materials and old electronics for proper disposal by the City. May 5, meanwhile, marks the first day of the 2008 children's sports season at the park.

Learn more at the new information web site for Sorauren Park, www.SoraurenPark.com.


10 February 2008
Fieldhouse opening day coming; new Sorauren Park web site launched

Phase 1 construction of the Fieldhouse is virtually complete. Watch for exciting news of an official opening and public tour in April... date to be confirmed. Also stay tuned for news about a community planting event for the grounds around the Fieldhouse.

In other news, the Wabash Building Society has launched a new information web site for Sorauren Park, to coincide with the opening of the Fieldhouse. This "operational" site, www.SoraurenPark.com, contains information about all park activities and links to user groups; think of it as the electronic bulletin board for the Park and the new Fieldhouse.

The BuildWabashNow.org site will remain open as the advocacy site for the Wabash Building Society and its continuing mission to complete the redevelopment of the Wabash industrial property for community use.


13 January 2008
Fieldhouse “phase 1” almost complete


Lighting contractors apply the new exterior and interior lights. Scroll down for more pictures from inside the building.

The excitement is mounting! If you've walked or driven by Sorauren Park lately, you'll notice that contractors have made great progress on the new Fieldhouse at 50 Wabash Avenue. Phase 1 is almost complete, meaning the Fieldhouse will be ready for community use soon!

Even as we get ready to celebrate this milestone, the Fieldhouse will remain very much a “blank canvas.” The shoestring budget provided washrooms, new mechanicals and windows, wall finishings, and lighting, but not much more.

The main floor has meeting space, the washrooms, and roughed-in plumbing for a kitchen still to come. The top floor is a wide open room with wonderful lighting and views of the park. The basement has some storage space.

In the months ahead, the Wabash Building Society, the City, and other community groups will be preparing plans for an open house and all the remaining finishing touches, including landscaping. Watch also for the launch of a new web site devoted to the park and Fieldhouse.

How would you like to see the Fieldhouse developed? What sort of programming should be put in place? How would you like to see it made an important hub of community life? Now is the time to start making concrete plans as the Fieldhouse is a new community asset “owned” by us all.

Send your thoughts to WBS chair Doug Bennet at dbennet-at-sympatico.ca, or contact Ward 14 Councillor Gord Perks. Watch for notices of an opening event, meetings and more as we get ready to welcome the Fieldhouse to the neighbourhood.


The view north over the park from the bright, big second floor


Top floor, looking north-west over the park and the glass-block "grand" stairway

Main floor, looking towards the main entrance (west side)


Main floor, looking north towards the park.


Washrooms! One of two, boys and girls, with access from the park and also from inside the Fieldhouse.

3 October 2007
Fieldhouse construction begins!


A dumpster at the site and removal of the old windows a sign of things to come!

After a delay this summer, construction of the Sorauren Park Fieldhouse began this week! "I got woken up this morning by the sound of loud hammering and normally I'd be pretty peeved but when I realized work was starting on the Fieldhouse I was overjoyed," writes one neighbour and supporter.

Construction will take a few months but the first phase of the Fieldhouse will be completed before the start of the 2008 kids' sports season, meaning we'll have real washrooms and meeting space.

The Wabash Building Society continues to work with the City on operational plans and invites feedback from the community. At this point it's envisioned the washrooms will be open during regular programming at the park. For other uses of the Fieldhouse, models being looked at include the Swansea Town Hall and the Dufferin Grove club house.

Congratulations to the community for achieving the Buy A Brick fundraising goal of $20,000! We reached the target at the Roncesvalles Polish Festival… but the campaign continues as we are on a shoestring budget… and if you haven't sent in your pledged funds, please do so soon. Check out the impressive virtual brick wall.

Thanks again to our partners at the City, both in Councillor Perks's office and at Parks, Forestry and Recreation, for their dedication to this project.


26 June 2007
City issues construction tender, work scheduled to start August

The construction tender for renovating 50 Wabash Avenue into the new Sorauren Park Fieldhouse has been issued by the City. You can see the reference on this page; scroll down to find Sorauren Fieldhouse:

The closing date is July 3. If all goes according to plan, construction will begin in August, with a December completion date for Phase 1 (bringing the building up to code for occupancy and providing the washrooms).

The Wabash Building Society continues to meet to discuss fundraising events (this is a shoe-string budget, folks) and operating plans for the new facility. As you know we have also received a $10,000 grant from the Wal-mart/Evergreen Green Grant program for landscaping purposes.

We're thrilled by the latest development and want to thank our partners at the City, both in Councillor Perks's office and at Parks, Forestry and Recreation, for their dedication to this project.

Also thanks to everyone who has bought a brick in the Buy a Brick campaign, including Maia Lazarus's 7th birthday party friends (among the latest donations). It has made a huge difference. Check out the impressive virtual brick wall.

Keep your eyes on the park, and stay tuned for more developments.

26 May 2007
Fieldhouse receives $10,000 Evergreen grant for landscaping

The Wabash Building Society has been awarded a $10,000 Wal-Mart Evergreen Green Grant for the Sorauren Park Fieldhouse Landscape Project.

The grant will be used to fund landscaping activities in 2007 and 2008, related to the development of the Fieldhouse on the Wabash property at Sorauren Park.

"The overall quality of applications was very high which made the selection process difficult," writes Evergreen's Stewart Chisolm in announcing the WBS's grant. "The large number of applications submitted clearly indicates that this grant program is helping to fufill an important need."

Evergreen is a national charity dedicated to creating and sustaining healthy, dynamic outdoor spaces - in schools, communities and homes. It believes local stewardship creates vibrant neighbourhoods, a healthy natural environment and a sustainable society for all.

Special thanks to WBS directors Kathy Allan and Susan Vandendam for working on the successful grant application. Let's get planting!

21 April 2007
Donations and pledges reach $18,000 with Environment Day success

Environment Day on Wabash Avenue was a great success for the environment… and the Sorauren Park Fieldhouse Buy A Brick campaign. Residents pledged or donated another $1,500 at the Wabash Building Society booth, bringing the campaign to $18,000 so far (scroll down for the Chimney Fund-o-meter and the Buy a Brick pledge form).

Thanks to all the volunteers and the families and individuals who donated to the campaign. If you've paid up, make sure to see your name on the Virtual Brick Wall. If you haven't paid yet, send your cheque today to get your names on the wall.

23 March 2007
Fieldhouse construction can begin!


Long-term vision, courtesy Oleson Worland_Taylor Smyth Architects

Good news! Here’s the latest update from Ward 14 Councillor Gord Perks, as posted on his web site:

"I am pleased to announce, as your Councillor, that The Wabash Community Fieldhouse which will serve Sorauren Park can now go forward. With passage of the City’s Capital Budget, construction of the fieldhouse, a long-term dream of local residents, can begin this year. With assistance from Mayor Miller & Parks staff sufficient City funds have been found to start the project this year despite the financial challenges facing our city. As a Budget Committee member, I can assure you that the City’s financial challenges are real.

"City funds will now be added to community donations collected by the Wabash Building Society, and monies secured from residential development in the area, to permit renovation of 50 Wabash Avenue. This modest two storey-building will serve as a fieldhouse for activities at Sorauren Park, providing a meeting space for the community and support for the many recreational activities at Sorauren Park. For the first time, when the building is complete, the park will have washrooms!

"Once again, thanks to the dedicated volunteers from the non-profit Wabash Building Society, and previous elected officials, without whom nothing would have been possible."

The Wabash Building Society would like to thank Councillor Perks, Mayor Miller, our previous councillors Sylvia Watson and Chris Korwin-Kuczynski, MPP Cheri DiNovo and MP Peggy Nash, staffers at Parks, Forestry and Recreation, local businesses and residents who have made this possible. Watch for more updates.



Makes a great birthday present! Buy a brick as a gift to a loved one. Download the Donation Form (pdf)

Download, print out, and mail in your donation today! Buy a Brick, get a charitable tax receipt, and help the Wabash Building Society and the City of Toronto build the Sorauren Park Fieldhouse for the summer of 2007! See stories below for full details.

See the "Buy a Brick" virtual brick wall


3 February 2007

Fieldhouse designs under way; City urged to commit adequate funding; rink instead of a pool?
Community members got their first view at preliminary plans for the new Sorauren Park Fieldhouse at the special RMRA meeting on Jan. 30 focused on the Wabash site.

Architect David Oleson, retained by the City's Park, Forestry and Recreation department to prepare the architectural plans, unveiled designs that would create a modest Fieldhouse with accessible washrooms, a meeting space, a small kitchen, and storage in the renovated building at 50 Wabash Avenue (the small "pink" building on the site).

Richard Decter, assistant to new councillor Gord Perks, and Diane Stevenson of PFR also provided an update on available funding for the project.

The Wabash Building Society has asked for additional City funds to ensure the Fieldhouse project is not "stillborn" and can be completed this summer. Councillor Perks and his staff is working to secure this funding during this budget cycle. But nothing is guaranteed, and the community is urged to write Mayor Miller (a Fieldhouse supporter), Councillor Perks and Parks, Forestry and Recreation general manager Brenda Librecz to ensure funding is secured.

MPP Cheri DiNovo also attended the RMRA meeting and pledged to seek any provincial support that might be available.

Wabash Building Society president Doug Bennet also updated the community on concepts for 40 Wabash Avenue, the larger abandoned building on the site that has been targeted for redevelopment into the new community centre. He reported the WBS has reluctantly concluded an indoor pool on the site in not likely to happen anytime soon because of the enormous cost ($8 - $10 million) and the fact there are nearby facilities such as Parkdale and McCormick pools.

Instead, the WBS has turned its thoughts to outdoor skating pads (hockey and pleasure) to occupy the currently empty and fenced-off space between the two buildings. City research has shown there is a shortage of rinks in the old City of Toronto, demand is high, and outdoor artificial rinks are much less expensive than indoor pools. Outdoor rinks can also be used in the summer for skateboarding, ball hockey, tennis and other uses. As well, the WBS is exploring new technology that could pump heat out of the ground to freeze the ice and into a new arts, culture and recreation facility in 40 Wabash.

Bennet referred to the success of Rennie Rink in Swansea, which is the second-most popular rink in the entire City after Nathan Phillips Square. He also presented some possible rink layouts at Wabash; click here to have a look. In the 2005 community survey of residents' desires for the new community centres, "rink" was the top write-in request.

The February 27 RMRA meeting will focus on Sorauren Park as a year-round centre of activity. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at Fern Avenue Public School.

4 November 2006

Ryerson students, community imagine new pedestrian bridge over railway tracks

The Wabash Building Society is working with fourth-year urban planning students at Ryerson University on a "visioning" project for a pedestrian bridge that would cross the railway tracks at Sorauren Park/Wabash Community Centre, linking ward 14 and ward 18 and also connecting to the future Railpath recreation trail.






Ryerson urban planning students and community members make plans for a new pedestrian bridge at Sorauren Park/Wabash Community Centre

The Ryerson student team hosted a small group of WBS volunteers for a brainstorming session at the High Park Library on Nov. 4. Over the course of an energized, animated two hours, the group pored over maps of the area. It's a complicated precinct, with the park, railway tracks, Lansdowne underpass, No Frills property and Railpath proposal to consider.

However, the project is driven by a conviction that better and safer pedestrian and bike access to the park will maximize the investment in the community centre and serve to bring the two wards — severed by the railway and the Lansdowne underpass — closer together. It will also make the Wabash Community Centre an "oasis" on the Railpath line.

The Ryerson students will be assessing the results of the brainstorming session and putting them into their own final presentation to be made to their professors and also the community at large. Stay tuned for presentation dates.

26 October 2006

We won! Sorauren/Wabash wins prestigious urban development award

The development of Sorauren Park and the future Wabash Community Centre on old industrial land has been recognized with an award from the Canadian Urban Institute.

The Sorauren/Wabash development won a prestigious Brownie Award this evening at the CUI’s annual Brownie Awards Program, recognizing leadership, innovation and environmental sustainability in brownfields redevelopment across Canada. Working with key industry and professional organizations, the Canadian Urban Institute presents its awards at its Brownfields conference, held in October each year.


Canadian Urban Institute president David Crombie

Sorauren Park/Wabash Community Centre won top prize in the Communications, Marketing and Public Engagement Category. Our entry edged out two other finalists, programs run by the City of Kitchener and the City of Kingston. The award was presented at a gala dinner attended by 360 developers, architects, and urban planners. Former Toronto mayor David Crombie is president of the Canadian Urban Institute, and was beaming as he handed the trophy to community members.

Awards host Todd Latham, publisher of ReNew Canada magazine, told the story of how community members have worked with the City of Toronto to develop the park and the adjacent site of the abandoned linseed oil factory. On the screen beside him were pictures of neighbourhood kids at City Hall lobbying for the Wabash project, and pictures of the Fathers Day Brunch Bash fundraising event. Also cited were this web site, the Wabash kiosk set up at various community events, surveys and petitions undertaken by the community to move the project forward, and the efforts of the City of Toronto in buying the site and undertaking an environmental clean-up.


Our entry being announced the winner

Winning the award will help raise the project’s profile as the Wabash Building Society works towards completion.

Brownfield development — or bringing old industrial land back to life with innovative projects to enhance the urban experience — is picking up steam across Canada. The Canadian Urban Institute endorses the efforts of the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy to remove barriers to brownfields redevelopment across Canada and is committed to promoting awareness and an improved understanding of opportunities to regenerate urban sites and neighbourhoods.

Click here for more information on the Brownie Awards. You can also read an article about the Brownies, listing all the winners, on the ReNew Canada web site.

Special thanks to Wabash Building Society volunteers Clarence Seunarine, David Oleson and Rob Smyth for putting together the award entry materials.

The Brownie Trophy awarded to Sorauren Park/Wabash Community Centre; City of Toronto/Wabash Building Society

12 October 2006

Buy A Brick Campaign half-way there; Sorauren Park/Wabash finalist for prestigious CUI Brownie Award

As the Buy A Brick fundraising campaign for the Sorauren Park Field House reaches the half-way mark, the project has been given a boost by being named a finalist in a prestigious urban development competition.

The Canadian Urban Institute, headed by former Toronto mayor David Crombie, has named the Sorauren Park/Wabash Community Centre development a finalist in its annual Brownfield Development Awards, known as the Brownie Awards. The nomination comes in the Communications, Marketing and Public Engagement category.

"This nomination recognizes the incredible work of community members and the City of Toronto in developing Sorauren Park in the 1990s from an old TTC works yard, with the vision to 'finish the job' by completing the Wabash Community Centre on the same slice of land," says Doug Bennet, president of the non-profit Wabash Building Society.

Our neighbourhood project is up against two projects by the City of Kitchener. The winners will be announced Oct. 26.

Meanwhile, the Buy A Brick campaign continues full-steam ahead. If you've made a pledge but haven't sent your donation, please do so soon…and get your name on the "virtual" brick wall already set up. If you haven't pledged yet, help us reach our goal! Thanks to all who have already donated.


12 September 2006

Mayor Miller expresses strong support for new Field House at Sorauren Park appearance

Mayor David Miller has thrown his support behind the new Sorauren Park Field House project that's currently the subject of a fundraising campaign by the Wabash Building Society.

The Mayor was speaking at a special appearance at the park, where he showed up last Sunday to officially open the annual Sorauren FUNtastic Tourney, played by the kids' soccer and baseball leagues at the park.

The Mayor said he supported the Field House project, which is planned to open next summer and would provide washrooms, a meeting space/gallery, a small kitchen and storage space in the renovated building at 50 Wabash Ave. His announcement was greeted with applause by a large crowd of families and supporters, who showed up under a beautiful blue sky for a day of fun at the park.

The Field House fundraising project also got underway at the tournament, and on the first weekend raised more than $3,000. Wabash Building Society fundraisers will also be at the park the next two weekends of the tournament, and this weekend at the Polish Festival on Roncesvalles as well.


6 August 2006

Wabash Building Society Steps Up the Challenge with Launch of "Buy a Brick" Fundraising Campaign

Toronto, August 6, 2006: The newly incorporated Wabash Building Society is asking the community to stand up for the Wabash Community Centre development in its first major fundraising campaign.

Beginning in September residents will be able to "buy a brick" towards the Society’s Baby Steps program, which will see the immediate development of a desperately needed smaller facility housing washrooms, along with a meeting room/gallery, kitchen, office and storage area.

This facility will be located in the house-sized, soon-to-be-renovated existing building at 50 Wabash Avenue, adjacent to Sorauren Park in Ward 14. The renovated building will be called the Sorauren Park Field House. The development also means more of the park will extend into the currently derelict site of the future community centre.

Baby Steps is meant to be exactly that; a step towards the end goal of a new community facility at 40 Wabash Avenue in Sorauren Park. Due to the lengthy process involved in negotiating with the three levels of government, obtaining funding and operational planning, the Society wants to show the community that it means business. So in the meantime the Sorauren Park Field House, occupying the unused "pink" building at 50 Wabash, will house much-needed amenities. It will also serve as the "headquarters" and gallery for the campaign to build the full community centre. The Field House will be available for use by community groups.

In partnership with the City of Toronto, The Wabash Building Society is seeking donations from area residents to help pay for these renovations, specifically the public washrooms, which are anticipated to be complete by summer 2007. A $100 tax-deductible charitable donation will buy an honorary brick; however, any donation will represent a commitment from residents to show support for this incredibly worthy cause. Local businesses can also buy an honorary brick for $250, and receive a charitable tax receipt. Larger corporations can buy a brick for $1,000. This support will also aid the Society in leveraging further funding from various government grant programs and corporate sponsors towards the ultimate goal: the full community centre.

Starting in September community members will be encouraged to offer donations through the Build Wabash Now website where they will view the Wabash Chimney Stack Thermometer tracking the progress of the Field House campaign. In addition there will be a donation centre in Sorauren Park during the "Funtastic Tourney" soccer and baseball tournament being held the weekends of September 9/10, 16/17 & 23/24.

Cheques should be made out to the Wabash Building Society, with the notation in the memo field, "Wabash Community Centre Reserve Fund." All donations will be forwarded to the City’s charitable Wabash Reserve Fund. All donors will receive an acknowledgement letter from the Wabash Building Society and a charitable tax receipt from the City of Toronto. Cheques can be mailed to:
Wabash Building Society
c/o 101 Fermanagh Ave.
Toronto ON M6R 1M1

More than $1,000 has already been pledged to the campaign.


18 June 2006

WBS incorporated, focus on 50 Wabash

It's official: the Wabash Building Society has received its incorporation papers and is now registered as a non-profit corporation in the Province of Ontario. This new community-based corporation, made up of volunteers from the neighbourhood, will be an important vehicle for spearheading the development of the Wabash site.

The immediate focus is 50 Wabash Avenue, which is the smaller of the two abandoned buildings on the site. The Wabash Building Society, working with the City of Toronto and Councillor Watson, are moving ahead quickly on plans to bring the building back to life to serve immediate needs, including:

• washrooms for Sorauren Park
• meeting space and office for community groups
• office and storage for City Parks, Forestry and Recreation staff responsible for Sorauren Park
• small kitchen and patio or deck for events
• water service closer to the park for the natural ice rink
• a small gallery featuring the exhibit of plans for the full community centre at 40 Wabash

Funding for the "clubhouse" is expected to come from development levies contributed by the Robert Watson Loft development on Sorauren, and also the new Ritchie Lofts on Ritchie Avenue. The Watson Loft group has agreed to contribute $200,000 (in stages) and the Ritchie Loft group has just agreed to contribute $50,000 (in stages). Thanks to Councillor Watson and the developers for working together to help build the community.

But other funding will be required, including neighbourhood fundraising. Watch for details soon.

Meanwhile, work continues to develop the full community centre which would incorporate the abandoned linseed oil plant at 40 Wabash. Among other things, the Wabash Building Society is working with the City to seek funding from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities for an extensive study on the environmental and "green" building opportunities for re-developing the site. The WBS wants to make the new community centre a model of environmental sustainability and brownfields redevelopment that can be copied by other communities. This approach also has the potential to open up new avenues of funding.

The 2003 Feasibility Study on the Wabash site continues to receive recognition in architectural circles. An exhibit of the Wabash study (and others) has been extended to the end of June at the Art Square Gallery at 334 Dundas Street West across from the AGO. Make sure to see it!

The Wabash Working Group, a core group of volunteer supporters, has been meeting monthly since the beginning of the year to push the Wabash project forward. If you are interested in joining the Working Group, please use the Contact Us form and indicate how you'd like to help. You can learn more about the working group by clicking here.

The directors of the new Wabash Building Society are:

Kathy Allan
Doug Bennet (president)
Chander Chaddah
Kevin Currie
Brenda Shillington
Susan Vandendam (secretary)


30 April 2006

Building it ourselves

The wheels are in motion for community members to spearhead the development the Wabash Community Centre through the community’s own non-profit corporation.

Papers have been filed with the provincial government to incorporate the Wabash Building Society as the vehicle for raising funds to build the community centre on the City-owned site at 40-50 Wabash Avenue.

The "build it ourselves" approach is the outcome of meetings following the Jan. 31, 2006 meeting of the Roncesvalles-Macdonell Residents’ Association, at which Councillor Sylvia Watson reported on the failure of the last process to develop the site. That would have seen a private developer build the community centre in return for other considerations on the site. (See the below for the full story.)

Motivated by the agonizingly slow process to develop the centre—in the works since the early 1990s—community members decided to jump into the development business themselves.

The advantage of a non-profit corporation is that it can raise funds and enter into partnerships with a wide variety of groups: all levels of government, other community organizations, governmental and non-governmental agencies, private foundations, corporations, and residents. It is not dependent on 100% funding from the City of Toronto. Indeed, this approach can "leverage" funds from different sources, including the City. This is how the new $30 million Dragon Boat course on the Parkdale waterfront and the soccer stadium at Exhibition Place have come about. At the same time, the Wabash Building Society can enter into agreements with the City to have the Parks and Recreation department run programs.

In addition to incorporation, a lot has been happening regarding Wabash:

• The Wabash Working Group (some of whose members will form the board of directors of the new non-profit corporation) is working quickly with the City on a "baby steps" plan to see if the smaller of the two existing buildings on the site (50 Wabash) can be renovated this year. It would provide washrooms, meeting space, a small kitchen, and storage for Sorauren Park. It would serve as the headquarters for the larger development of the community centre. The Working Group hopes to renovate the building with the support of the City and also with "sweat equity" from community members and donations of building supplies from local businesses. (Think of the High Park Adventure Playground.)

• The City has agreed to properly secure the larger building on the site (40 Wabash) from both weather and people, to prevent further deterioration and ensure safety. As envisioned in the 2003 feasibility study, the new community centre would re-use that building (40,000 square feet), with the addition of a new aquatics building (pool).

• Wabash Working Group members have begun an extensive outreach program, meeting with Councillor Watson and senior Parks, Forestry and Recreation officials; with the non-profit Artscape group; and importantly with members of the Tibetan Canadian Association, which has expressed its interest in a shared-used cultural centre in the Parkdale area. Other groups supporting the process include the RMRA, Sorauren Park Association, the Sorauren K9 Community, and the Roncesvalles Business Improvement Association. The outreach program will extend to many other community groups and sectors; new MP Peggy Nash has also been asked to work on Wabash’s behalf at the federal level.

• Councillor Watson and City staff organized a site visit in April for working group members. Both buildings were toured. While obviously in need of extensive renovations, some of the spaces in 40 Wabash are spectacular, with terrific views of the park and surrounding community. The buzz after the tour was palpable!

• The plans drawn up for the Wabash Community Centre as part of the 2003 Feasibility Study have received acclaim in architectural circles and have been widely exhibited. The next exhibit will be at the Art Square Gallery starting May 29 until June 12. You are invited to see the exhibit sponsored by the Friends of Sustainable Architecture at the Toronto Society of Architects. The opening reception is Tuesday, May 30 at 7 p.m. Art Square is at 334 Dundas Street West (across from the AGO).

Our immediate need for volunteers includes:

• Funding: We are identifying funding partners and fundraising opportunities. If you have expertise, knowledge, connections or an interest in this area, please contact us!

• Baby Steps: If you have construction/renovation expertise, or can donate building supplies for the renovation of the small building at 50 Wabash (drywall, lumber, paint, bathroom and kitchen fixtures, flooring, etc.), we’d like to hear from you! Contact us.

• Sustainable Development: From the very beginning, the Wabash Community Centre has been envisioned as an energy-efficient building employing the best "green construction" building practices. If you have expertise in energy efficiency, energy generation (wind, solar), green construction, and connections to groups that support or fund the development of energy-efficient/green construction buildings, we want to hear from you! Contact us.

• If you simply want to keep in touch with what’s happening at Wabash, sign up for our alerts using the "join our campaign" form. Every expression of support moves us closer to opening day!

"Make no little plans."
-Daniel Burnham, 1846-1912, visionary Chicago architect and urban planner

"Design is people."
-Jane Jacobs, 1916-2006, Toronto urban guru

2 February 2006

Next steps for Wabash:
A lively meeting explores new options
and renews community commitment

Build it ourselves? Push harder on the political front to have city council approve Wabash? Create ways to leverage money from different sources (e.g. provincial and federal government, Trillium Foundation) to fund the community centre? Settle for a scaled-down "clubhouse" facility, perhaps using a modern and relatively inexpensive prefabricated building?

These were among these options discussed at a lively community meeting held Jan. 31 to consider "next steps" for Wabash following the failure of the RFP process (see articles below).

A full house at the monthly RMRA meeting listened as Councillor Sylvia Watson and City staff reported on "lessons learned" from the RFP process. Watson said a public-private partnership for building the community centre would probably require a 15-storey building to satisfy the needs of private interests. Or more of Sorauren Park would need to be given up to private interests. Neither of these options were palatable, she said. Nor was City-owned land available elsewhere in the city that could be traded to a private interest in return for the Wabash project.

Another option would be to simply wait at least another seven years for the Wabash community centre to work its way up the priority list for capital projects. In the City’s most recent Parks and Rec capital report, Wabash (Parkdale) is listed as No. 7. (One mother in the room pointed out she's been involved in the Wabash campaign since she was pregnant with her daughter. That daughter is now 14.)

Then Watson and City staff members Diane Stevenson and Susan Korrick presented another option they investigated on behalf of the community: the idea of using a modern prefabricated building to "fast-forward" a clubhouse-style facility. It would not be a full community centre, nor would it involve the renovation of the existing large building on the site. (And prefab buildings have evolved considerably from the old days of school portables.) But it could provide a facility along the lines of Dufferin Grove Park’s clubhouse. A 5,000 sq. ft. building might cost $700,000 to perhaps $1.5 million, compared to the $13 million to $20 million required for a community centre.

Watson said the Wabash fund established by the City already has about $450,000. It comes from $250,000 left over from the environmental clean-up done on the site in 2004, and $200,000 provided by the Robert Watson loft developers on Sorauren Avenue under the City’s "Section 37" process that gets private developers to cough up cash for community projects in return for development approvals.

Watson suggested that if the prefab clubhouse option was chosen, the balance of funding could be made up by fundraising, finding suitable tenants for the building (e.g. childcare), donations from local businesses, and "sweat equity" from the community. (Earlier in the meeting, Tony Cauch of the Roncesvalles Business Improvement Association expressed his group’s support for the Wabash project and the community’s efforts.)

Following Watson’s report, Doug Bennet, a long-time member of the Build Wabash Now committee, addressed the group with his thoughts (and frustrations) following yet another setback for the Wabash project. He pointed out the City has funded many other multi-million-dollar projects in recent years, such as the new soccer stadium at Exhibition Place and the Dragon Boat course on the waterfront, that appeared on the scene long after the Wabash project. They were never part of any City capital plan, and were usually approved quickly by City Council because of political pressure brought to bear by other interests. City council seems to respond to "projects that have international prestige, that can bring in tourist dollars," he said.

He also noted the massive property tax increases borne by this neighbourhood over the last nine years, and the fact no additional city services have been provided to the community during the same time. In fact, some services have been cut back, or new user-fees instituted (e.g. for Parks and Rec programs that used to be free).

He urged Mayor Miller and City Council to approve the Wabash community centre for the sake of Ward 14’s kids and as a concrete measure to help counter youth violence that plagues Toronto.

Watson responded by saying the City truly faces a fiscal crisis, due largely to downloading by the provincial government that requires the City to pay hundreds of millions of dollars for services formerly covered by provincial coffers – but without the revenue mechanisms to fund them.

She also said it’s true City Council will approve capital projects if the project "leverages" money from other levels of government or private interests, which was the case with the soccer stadium (which Watson voted against) and the $30 million dragon boat course.

Also, the City does not consider Parkdale one of the higher-needs areas when it comes to combating gun violence. (Bennet had pointed out there were four gun murders within biking distance of the Wabash centre in 2005.)

The meeting then heard from community members who expressed a range of views, including:
• if we settle for a clubhouse, we’ll never get a community centre
• political pressure, at the end of the day, is what’s necessary. How can we lobby to get the votes from other councillors?
• massive community presence at key City Council meetings is what works (especially if there are lots of kids present)
• we should build the community centre ourselves; it might cost as little as 25 cents per household per day to raise the necessary funds
• what have other communities done around the country to get their community centres built?
• Existing Sorauren Park programs for kids end at age 14, leaving older kids with nothing to do in the neighbourhood

The meeting ended with a commitment to establish another Wabash working group to consider all these options and continue the campaign with renewed energy. The Build Wabash Now committee will convene a meeting shortly. Among other things, it will work with Councillor Watson to arrange a site visit for community members to tour the old linseed oil factory on Wabash Avenue. Feasibility plans conducted in 2003 showed the old building could be renovated into a community centre, and the community has generally supported re-using the building and employing environmentally friendly construction methods.

If you are interested in joining the new working group, please use the "join the campaign" button at the top of this page to sign up! We’ll be in touch.


4 January 2006

Proposal for Wabash site fails to meet City RFP criteria; it's back to the drawing board, folks

The one proposal received by the City for the Wabash community centre site under the RFP process (see stories below) has failed to meet the City's criteria and will not proceed, Councillor Sylvia Watson has informed the Build Wabash Now committee.

In a letter, Watson writes: "Unfortunately, the proposal did not meet the RFP requirements for the following reasons:

• The financial impact on the City was excessive;

• The recreation centre could not be built without the City making a higher capital investment in the project than was contemplated by the RFP."

Watson says she will be meeting with City staff to explore other options and will hold another community meeting in January to discuss "our next course of action."

The Roncesvalles-Macdonnel Residents' Association will be devoting its Jan. 31 meeting to the Wabash centre. The meeting will be held at Fern Avenue Public School.

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