Our second community movie night will feature Mr Peabody & Sherman. Our first event (The Lego Movie) saw about 60 parents and kids enjoying popcorn, shenanigans and the movie.

Date: Friday, April 10
Time: 6:30 pm
Location: Bonnie Doon Hall, 9240 93 Street

A donation of $5/person, $20/family is encouraged. All proceeds will support a new Bonnie Doon Community League rink. If you can help Stephanie set up the projector, manage the treats and that sort of thing, please email her. To volunteer and for more information, contact Stephanie at [email protected].

Each spring residents of Bonnie Doon and other communities that border on Mill Creek Ravine pitch in to remove a year's worth of detritus from that beautiful, natural area. That effort is part of the City's Capital City Cleanup. Ben Henderson sent this article to us, pointing out the scope of our spring cleanup efforts can be larger than the ravine...

I know it might not feel like it, but spring is around the corner, and with it the resulting spring melt. When all that snow melts it can reveal a lot of litter which has built up over the long winter months.

The City uses many tools as part of our Capital City Clean Up program but there are many things you can do to help. One of the most helpful is reporting litter and graffiti. The easiest and most effective way to report litter or graffiti is to use Edmonton’s 311 service. You can call 311, email [email protected] or you can use Edmonton’s 311 app on your smartphone. With the City’s new “311 Explorer” you can see the status of your complaint and see other complaints in your area. 

There are also lots of different programs the City has so you can help out. You can “Adopt a Block” where you volunteer to pick up litter on your favourite block, park or trail. You can do it on your own, as a family or as part of your weekly walk with friends. It's a great way to exercise. If you see something dangerous, like a used needle, please contact 311. The City offers free graffiti clean-up kits, though please check with the property owner before using them. 

While we all want to do our part, but EPCOR transformers require special paint and treatment to remove graffiti. Painting over them with regular paint can require the entire station to be re-surfaced. If you see graffiti on an EPCOR station report it 311. 

As a community group, you can apply for a grant for a bin to get rid of large, bulky items in your neighbourhood. Communities can also organize a community mural as a non-profit group and apply for a matching grant. Community murals are a great way to discourage graffiti and to provide beautiful public art. 

You can find more information on the Capital City Clean Up at the city's website.

Please feel free to contact me anytime at [email protected] or at 780.496.8146. Follow me on Twitter @ben_hen.

The community league is pleased to announce the relaunch of the Abundant Communities Initiative (ACI). The program, which began as a pilot project in Highlands, has quickly grown to include several other neighbourhoods in Edmonton, including Bonnie Doon. At its core is the idea that when neigbours unite our communities becomes stronger, safer and more vibrant places to live.

It all begins with Block Connectors having conversations with the families on their block about their interests, gifts and abilities and what they feel would make Bonnie Doon a better place to live. The information gathered is then used in several ways, including:

• Forming associations within the neighbourhood, including common interest and discussion groups
  
• Connecting people with particular skills to those who can benefit from their knowledge and abilities
  
• Shaping the neighbourhood according what matters most to residents.
  

If you would like more information on ACI or are interested in becoming a Block Connector, please contact Marie­Danielle Lemm at [email protected] or visit bonniedoon.ca/abundant.

If you've read this far and the rest of your family is nearby, this TedX talk may the best 20 minutes you spend together this week.

We're planning to produce a printed, quarterly newsletter to be delivered to all the homes in Bonnie Doon. The content will be similar to our monthly news emails (back issues; subscribe), that is: word about what's happening in our neighbourhood. We're looking for an editor to pull each issue together. Carol, our Communications Chair, is an experienced communications professional and will guide the editor.

Interested? Write to Carol at [email protected]. You must be fluent in English and if you are also fluent en français, that would be fantastic.

May the luck of the Irish be with all those who come to our St. Patrick's Day tea.

When: Sunday, March 15, 2015
Time: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Bonnie Doon Hall, 9240 93 Street
Cost: $5.00 (children under 6 free)

We will serve tea and other goodies. The tea will have an Irish theme, with shamrocks and maybe even a leprechaun or two!

For more information please contact Margaret at[email protected] or 780-469-1179.

All Bonnie Doon Community League members are invited to our 2015 Annual General Meeting.

When: Thursday, April 23, 2015, 7:30 pm
Where: Bonnie Doon Hall, 9240 93 Street
Who: League members in good standing

We plan to change our bylaws, shrinking our board from 14 positions to 7. In recent years we have worked to change from being an Operating Board to becoming a Governing Board (backgrounder). A byproduct of this change has been the realization that working on the board's governance does not require 14 people! We were asking the busy volunteers who organize soccer, run casinos, write newsletters, etc, to needlessly sacrifice yet another evening in their month's busy schedule. Here are the original 14 positions:

1. President
   
2. Vice-president
   
3. Treasurer
   
4. Secretary
   
5. Civics
   
6. Communications (drop)
   
7. Facilities (drop)
   
8. Fundraising (drop)
   
9. Membership (drop)
   
10. Nominating (drop)
    
11. Programs
    
12. Rink (drop)
    
13. Social
    
14. Sports (drop)
    

At our 2014 AGM we announced that for the forthcoming year the board would operate with the proposed 7 remaining positions, by way of a "test". We've operated since September, 2014 with the reduced board positions and things have gone well. Chairs like Fundraising and Communications have welcomed the time freed up by not having to attend every board meeting, yet have attended when the agenda included significant work related to their portfolios.

Thus, we plan to make it official by submitting a Special Resolution to this year's AGM, dropping half of the positions. The chairs that are no longer on the board will report to the remaining positions:

• Communications will report to the President
  
• Facilities's responsibilities will be absorbed by the Vice-president
  
• Fundraising will report to the Treasurer
  
• Membership will report to the Treasurer
  
• Nominating will be absorbed by the President
  
• Rink will be absorbed by the Vice-president
  
• Sports has reported to the Programs Chair for the past year.
  

Check out Bonnie Doon Community League's skating rink. We have a lovely rink next to the league hall.

Rink Times
This season we have increased the number of times reserved for Family Skates (no sticks and pucks). Sticks and pucks are allowed during Open Ice times.

Monday to Friday:
Family Skate 5:30-6:30
Open Ice: 6:30-8:30

Saturday/Sunday:
Family Skate: 1:30-3:30
Open Ice: 3:30-7:30

Family Rink Parties
We have just one more rink party left for the winter. Skating games, a bonfire, hot chocolate, hot dogs ($1) are all part of the fun.

Date: March 8
Time: 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm 
Location: Bonnie Doon Park

For more information on the Family Rink Parties please contact Christiane (780-461-6590) or Margaret (780-469-1179). They can always use a hand to make the hot chocolate, tend the bonfire, etc.

You must have a league membership to use the rink. Membership details are here.

Now that we are all settled into 2015, it's time for our next games night: Sunday, February 22. Get your games fix this month as there will be no community league games night in March.

Here's how it all works.

TABLE 1
7:30 p.m.:    7 Wonders
9:30 p.m.:    Game of choice (e.g. Werewolf, Dominion, Settlers of Catan)
TABLE 2
7:30 p.m.:    Heavy strategy game of choice (e.g. Puerto Rico, Power Grid, Agricola)

Come for part of the evening or all.  If there's time in between on Table 1, we'll sneak in a quick game of either One Night Werewolf or Ricochet Robots.  We can also end the evening with the longer version of Werewolf, if folks are up to it. The night is for all gamer types - strategists, wordsmiths, card sharks etc. so if you have something you want to play, please bring it. There's a place for everyone, our evening isn't set in stone. If you want to come to socialize or just to check it out, that's cool too.

Please bring your own snacks and bevvies.  It's an adult evening out, so leave the kiddies at home (it is a school night after all). 

Please let Suzi, [email protected], know if you are coming and whether you prefer Table 1, Table 2, or have no preference.

GAME ON!

The City of Edmonton begins neighbourhood reconstruction in Bonnie Doon this spring. Construction will take place over the three years, starting with area between 88 Avenue and 92 Avenue. There have been some significant changes to the staging of work (when neighbourhood reconstruction will take place in various parts of Bonnie Doon). You can review detailed plans of the work here. 

Neighbourhood Renewal includes:

• Reconstruction/resurfacing of roads
• Replacement of streetlights
• Reconstruction of sidewalks, curbs, gutters

Representatives from the City of Edmonton provided details of the final neighbourhood design at an open house on February 10. Great to see so many of you at the meeting. If you have any questions or concerns about Neighbourhood Renewal, contact [email protected]

A local mom with an eight-month-old son wrote to us today:

He will be 9 months old on the 14th.  I'm writing to you in hopes that someone can find some programs for us that do not interfere with his nap times.  I'm finding every free program are always during nap times.  For example:  All the preschool programs offered at the Bonnie Doon library are all at 10:30am, 2pm and 7pm.  The Stars and Strollers program is at 1pm.  The community play groups are at 9:30-11:30am.  These are just a few programs that I am not able to attend.  My son wakes at about 7am and goes down for his first nap around 9:15-11pm. His second nap will than be about two hrs later, between 1:00-1:30pm. I've talked to many Moms and they too do not understand how the program times were determined.  It's definitely harder to get out and meet new people if the only place we can go at this time seems to be the mall.  I'm finding myself getting the baby blues because of this...

This is not the first time we've heard this question recently. Please tell us, what is the best time in the morning and the best time in the afternoon to schedule events if we want to avoid your child's nap time. Write to [email protected].

On a related note, next week we will meet with our neighbouring community leagues to discuss coordinating our programs (ex: preschool playgroup) so that they are not all on Tuesday morning(!).