North of McKnight Community Connection » Top Stories

Accident on the Circle

Dave Brown — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 06:54:05 +0000

Last August I received a call from a resident of Saddle Ridge with a concern about a lamp standard on Saddletowne Circle that had been struck in an accident. On September 16th, 2007 yet another call regarding the electrical box located directly behind Shoppers Drug Mart–that impacted the entire neighbourhood knocking out power to 1000’s of residents.

I received a call on May 10th about yet another accident on Saddletowne Circle. This time the fence behind Shoppers. This time, as you can see from the photos, they managed to go right through to the storage shed.

Last year I wrote to Alderman Larocque and the City responded to our request about barriers on Saddletowne Circle.

The results of the calculation indicate that a guardrail is not warranted at this location.

That was their reply. The guard rail came as a suggestion from the Saddle Ridge Land Use Committee meeting due to increased cost to residents having to maintain the fence, and of course the safety of children playing in yards and walking on side walks. Today I have written a quick note to our current alderman.

Alderman Stevenson,

Are we still waiting for someone to get killed on Saddletowne Circle before the City of Calgary bureaucrats decide that something will be done. They didn’t listen to the community the last time, nor did they listen to the Alderman. I hope that now they will listen before someone has to die.

Unfortunately all we can do is wait, however please note that the posted speed limit is 50 KPH on Saddletowne Circle and it is a one-way road flowing in a counter-clockwise direction. Speeding on the road will eventually result in tragedy or perhaps even a fatality. For the safety of everyone, including yourself, please slow down. Many children will soon be out of school for the summer and with the nice weather ahead, pedestrian traffic will only increase. Help keep our neighbourhood safe and slow down. CC

Martindale donates over $200,000 to NECCS

Carol Steiner — Sun, 11 May 2008 00:08:45 +0000

In March, Martindale Community Association donated
$216,472 to NECCS. With this donation, Martindale has exceeded its commitment to match some of the funds received from the province and we are most appreciative of their continuing support of this project.
In late March, there was also a major corporate fund-raising event held by our funding partner, Genesis Land Development. On the night of the event itself, over $130,000 was raised and Genesis will follow up with many of their partners to increase this total significantly in the coming months. As always, we would like to thank Genesis and our fund development committee for all their hard work in bringing us ever closer to our $15M fund-raising goal for our Genesis Centre of Community Wellness.
In late April, NECCS held its AGM, and elected its board of directors and executive for the coming two years. Results were not available when this article was due to be submitted, but we will update you next month.
Don’t forget our upcoming 2nd annual golf tournament which will be held on July 30th. If you would like to register or help out in some way, please call Khalil at (403) 617-5246. Our first tournament was a huge success and we are looking forward to another great event this year.

NECCS
Fund Campaign Office:
Unit 145A, 4851 Westwinds Drive NE
Calgary, AB T3J 4L4
(403) 590-2833

Saddle Ridge donates $125,000 to NECCS

Carol Steiner — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 08:00:52 +0000

Our fund-raising continues! In February, Saddle Ridge Community Association donated $125,000 to NECCS as its commitment to match some of the funds received by the province. We hope to receive an additional $375,000 of matching funds within the next month and we will keep you posted as they are received. In late March, there will be a major corporate fund-raising event held by our funding partner, Genesis Land Development. We will provide an update on that event in next month’s article. Special thanks to Genesis and our fund development committee for all their hard work in bringing us ever closer to our $15M fund-raising goal for our Genesis Centre of Community Wellness.

For those of you, who would like to donate to our new centre, please note that there are three ways to do so:

Online: Go to our website at www.mygenesiscentre.ca and click on the donate tab, and then on the “Donate Now” button.
By Mail: Mail your cheque, made payable to NECCS, to our office at the address below (please do not send cash through the mail)
In Person: Drop off your donation in person at our office at the address below (the office is currently staffed part-time, so call first to make sure we are open).

If you donate to NECCS in one of the above ways; you will receive a tax receipt for your contribution. The advantage of getting a tax receipt is that you can receive a tax credit of up to 39% of the value of your donation. That means if you donate $100, you could get up to $39 back in tax credits!

Another exciting event coming up is our 2nd annual golf tournament. It will be held on July 30th, and if you would like to register or help out in some way, please call Khalil at (403) 617 5246. Our first tournament was a huge success and we are looking forward to another great event this year.

Genesis/NECCS Partnership Announced

Carol Steiner — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 04:35:08 +0000

On February 5 the NECC Society (NECCS) held a news conference to announce a partnership agreement with Genesis Land Development Corporation for the new social/recreational/leisure centre being planned for NE Calgary. Genesis has committed $5M under a 15-year naming agreement for the centre, which will henceforth be known as the Genesis Centre of Community Wellness.

This donation represents the largest naming sponsorship to date for a facility of this kind. It represents a substantial commitment on the part of Genesis, and makes them a real partner with us in this enterprise. We are extremely pleased to have Genesis on board, as they share our vision and are committed to this centre which will help make the northeast a wonderful place to live and raise a family. Their support of this project means that when Genesis builds here in the northeast, they are not just building houses; they are helping to build a true community.

This announcement is the first big public event to kick off our “completing the dream together” campaign. The NECCS fund-raising target is $15M, which means Genesis has contributed one-third of our goal! Along with other donations, we are now at the half-way mark. We will be embarking on the public phase of our campaign soon, and have opened a campaign office in the Westwinds commercial district. It is staffed part-time for now, and we welcome you to stop by whenever the office is open. We have also set up a website at www.mygenesiscentre.ca where you can find out how the project is progressing, keep tabs on our fund-raising efforts, find out about the facility and the people behind it, sign up for our email news updates, and volunteer your time. You can also donate to the project online by clicking on the donate tab, and then on the “Donate Now” button; you will receive a tax receipt for your contribution.

I would like to close by saying “thank you” to Genesis Land Development Corporation, and CEO, Mr. Gobi Singh. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial partnership, and the community looks forward to enjoying the Genesis Centre of Community Wellness when it opens in 2011.

Fund Campaign Office:
Unit 145A, 4851 Westwinds Drive NE
Calgary, AB T3J 4L4
590-2833

Bait-un-Nur :: Canada’s Largest Mosque

Prof. M. A. Shaique — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 04:29:18 +0000

Bait-un-Nur (the House of Light) Mosque, which is being built by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Calgary, will emerge very soon as a glorious Islamic icon of Calgary, illustrating the cultural diversity of Canada. The community is spending sixteen million dollars on this mosque which covers an approximate 48,000 square foot area. The entire funding has been contributed by the members of the Community of Canada. What a great sacrifice this Community is making to build this House of Allah.

The complex will be an Islamic center featuring separate prayer halls for both men and women. In addition, there will be a library, class rooms, gym, kitchen, dining and administrative area. It will provide equal facilities for men and women. The 98 foot tall white minaret with a dome, which will be visible from a distance, will add an extraordinary beauty to this spiritual icon.

Manu Architects of Calgary act as the local architect, while Chaudhry Naseer Ahmad, the Chief Architect of the Community supervises the entire construction project. EllisDon, one of the largest construction comapnies in Canada, are the construction managers of the complex.

On its completion, the Spiritual Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih-V (may he live long) will Inshallah inaugurate the mosque. It is hopt that many civilian and important political personalities will grace this historic occasion.

A Message from Ward 3 Alderman Jim Stevenson

Ald. Jim Stevenson — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:00:03 +0000

Congratulations to the North of McKnight Community Connection team on the launch of this publication. As many of you know, about half of Ward 3 lies within the communities north of McKnight and east of the Deerfoot. Having one newsletter that covers all of these six communities is going to be a big help for Ward 5 Alderman Jones and myself in getting out the news that would be of interest to these residents. This newsletter will be a great vehicle to update you all on many matters of interest, including development plans, road construction projects and growth strategies.

I have lived north of McKnight for over 15 years and, like many of you, have watched this area go through tremendous change but the growth and development planned for the next 15 years is simply mind-boggling. This is going to be a great challenge to monitor and manage and I will be calling on Community Associations and area residents in the next three years to provide their input.

Airport
One big issue that is taking up a lot of my time ight now is the proposed Airport Trail tunnel nder the new north/south runway for the algary International Airport, which is currently in the planning stages. My letter to Mr. Atkinson, resident & CEO of the Calgary International Airport, copied on Page 20, gives you an idea
about my concerns. I may need the help of the community Association Boards and interested residents. I will keep you posted.

Ward 3 Website
I am also having a Ward 3 website built that will be updated every week with information on Ward 3 and City issues. We should be launching it by early March.

LRT & Developments
The LRT to Westwinds Station was opened in December and the planning for the next leg to Saddle Ridge is underway. Planning for a new development north of Saddle Ridge, Skyview Ranch, is underway and there are a number of smaller residential, commercial and industrial projects in the approval process.

I’ll be providing regular newsletter updates to keep you posted on news and issues in Ward 3. In the meantime, if you have concerns or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact my office.

Full speed ahead for NECC facility

Carol Steiner — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 23:31:21 +0000

Now that major funding has been received from the City, the NE Centre of Community will be going full speed ahead. And that means we need volunteers. Are you willing to be part of this exciting project? Here are some ways you can help:

NECCS is looking to expand its board early in the new year. We are looking for people with skills in any of the following areas: accounting, bookkeeping, building construction, building design, engineering, legal, communication, fund raising, and human resources.

We are also looking for volunteers to act as resources to the design committee. We need people with expertise in architecture, construction, engineering or design, and who would be willing to share that expertise with our design committee when needed.

Our golf committee is gearing up for our second annual golf tournament to be held in the summer. We need people to help out in many different ways—to help organize, obtain and pick up prizes, and to help out on the day itself. We are looking for people with a few hours to spare, and we can use your help, even if you aren’t a golfer! More details will be available in the next newsletter.

If you would like to be a part of this exciting project, please call 285-2621 and leave your name and number, and how you would like to help.

A long time coming

Dave Brown — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 23:01:17 +0000

Thursday, December 13th marked a milestone for Saddle Ridge. We finally got our grocery store. Members of the Saddle Ridge Community Association and Taradale Community Association joined Alderman Jim Stevenson, and MLA Shiraz Shariff for a first hand look of the new store. The three communities of Saddle Ridge, Martindale and Taradale have worked over the past six years trying very hard to get this store opened in Saddletowne Circle. There are times when we thought the day would never come. Three Alderman have now been involved in the new Saddle Ridge Safeway–John Schmal, Helene Larocque and our new Alderman, Jim Stevenson. It was a long hard task but in the end we believe what will continue to come to Saddletowne Circle below the Safeway site will really make our community come alive. The Gas bar won’t likely open for another year, however the liquor store is open. The other tenants we don’t know as yet.
The store is the 146th to be built in the new style for Safeway. The store itsself is about 50,000 square feet complete, with Starbucks. You may just find one of your neighbors working at the new Safeway as they have hired over two hundred people to work. We were impressed by the design and the layout, now it will be up to you to decide whether or not you want to shop there. Just remember that as you exit the parking lot, you always have to turn left, no matter what exit you take. So remember if you are going to short cut across the circle you have to turn left onto that one way road. Safeway also has our name right “SADDLE RIDGE” That is two words, not one, just like it’s Mount Royal. Again, congratulations to Safeway on a job well done and some of that job is still likely under construction. So remember the rest of the development will still take some time to complete and you will have to dodge a few construction vehicles for a while yet.