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The Village in Niagara-on-the-Lake
The Detailed History

RESIDENTS BAND TOGETHER

 

The Village Community Association

 

The community aspect of The Village has been kept alive by volunteers from The Village Community Association (VCA). Originally simply a group of like-minded individuals who bonded over shared social gatherings, it has grown into a formal organization with the purpose of supporting the interests of all residents and liaising with the rest of the NOTL community to ensure the values of The Village are retained.

 

During the early years, it was not unusual to see residents wheeling their BBQs over to the parkette at the corner of Samuel Street and Garrison Village Drive for community cookouts and the convivial consumption of wine under the stars. At Christmas time, Santa would deliver gifts to the dozen or so children who lived in The Village at the time. By 2002, it was clear that this informal friendship needed to be formalized by the creation of the VCA. A committee was formed and a president selected to lead the group.

 

One of the early events that acted as a catalyst to bring residents together, during the time when the legal battles had brought construction to a standstill, was the fact that green spaces in the area had not kept pace with individual landscaping around homes. Jeanne Graham, then President of the VCA, told the local newspaper: “We all bought in to this new urbanism concept. Now we feel like the forgotten victims.” To regain their enthusiasm and pride in what was supposed to be a showcase, the little parkette on Garrison Village Drive at Elizabeth Street became their focus. Originally designated under the Master Plan as a device to prevent the road becoming a speedway, the jog in the street created the greenspace. But until then it had been ignored. Some of the green spaces had even become dumping grounds for construction waste.

 

“The first step,” said Adam Wilkie, one of the original gardeners, “was to get water to the site.” Funds were raised to install a sprinkler system, sod and plants. In the summer of 2005, 70 volunteers, both residents and civic workers, came together in a work party to create the landscaping. The town agreed to maintain the park, but volunteers still enhance the plantings regularly.

 

Later, another park was created nearby to honour the former Lord Mayor Mike Dietsch, where a large evergreen is transformed into an illuminated spectacle at Christmas time. Indeed, the Holiday Lighting Committee and 12 dedicated volunteer teams add magical touches to The Village during the winter, illuminating 80 trees, almost 30 lampposts and a couple of presents-filled Santa’s sleighs.

 

The displays along the periphery are admired by all who drive down Niagara Stone Road. A one-night candle lighting event was recognized with an award of excellence in the Niagara Biennial Design Awards. “The elegantly simple gesture of paper luminaries and light installations brought the community and visitors together,” said the citation.

 

The Gardening Committee continues to plant colourful annuals during the spring and summer, helps maintain the flower beds in green spaces and around community mailboxes, and keeps the neighbourhood beautiful. Their efforts were instrumental in helping NOTL win a Communities in Bloom Award.

 

Another committee greets new residents in the community with information packages, discount vouchers to local merchants and a small gift. Social and Membership committees keep the VCA running with a regular online newsletter that is sent to all residents, not just the members of the VCA. The VCA website has been completely revamped and made more informative and interactive.

 

The VCA has had many achievements since its formation, advocating with a strong voice in the community. Some of these include lobbying for the four-way stop at the intersection of Perez and Jordan with Garrison Village Drive and allowing overnight parking on streets. They have established and expanded a Loyalty Partner program which offers discounts to residents who shop locally.

 

Two Little Libraries were approved by council and constructed and installed with the help of residents at the community mailbox sites. These allow residents to ‘leave a book and take a book’ and expand on the concept originally developed in 2009 in Wisconsin, which created the notion of making the boxes look like one room schoolhouses. The design and colour of these two houses conforms to the architectural code. The libraries have also been endorsed by the nearby Public Library as they serve to “promote literacy.”

 

(This article was written by Nigel Napier-Andrews, with input kindly provided by Shirley Rock Sally Harmer, Adam and Eleanor Wilkie and Warren and Luba Fraser. Additional material was provided by Bill Smelser, John Hawley and Phil Loforti, as well as current VCA President Ardeth Staz and VCA VP Carol Perrin.)

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