A Statement of Support for the St. Pat’s Alexandra Community

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For Immediate Release

January 12, 2012

Imagine Bloomfield Urges HRM to Follow Community Based Process

The recent controversy surrounding the Halifax Regional Municipality’s abandonment of fair process concerning the St. Pat’s Alexandra School site highlights the need for the various North End communities to learn from experience and work together to ensure that community consultation continues to build the community we all believe will make Halifax the best city it can be.

Halifax’s North End is poised for unprecedented growth. The need for appropriate planning and consideration of community needs has never been greater.

In 2004, HRM began a review of the repurposed Bloomfield School, which housed 54 tenants, many of which provided front line services for HRM residents.

“At that time, the purpose of the review, from the community and tenant’s perspective was to close the centre and put the property up for sale, ” says Susanna Fuller, Co-Chair of Imagine Bloomfield and neighbourhood resident. “Tenants and community members got together to come up with an alternative plan.”

Schools are often the basis of community, and indeed the place where children first learn about creating community and a sense of belonging, outside the environment created by immediate family.

“HRM clearly made a mistake in not following a community based process in the sale of St. Pat’s School,” says Ron Skibbens of Imagine Bloomfield and neighbourhood resident. “We hoped that all the work we have put in to come up with an alternative to a ‘traditional’ sale for development would have created a precedent that HRM could follow in dealing with similar situations.

“To do anything less than meaningfully consult the community about the future of St. Pat’s Alexandra School greatly undermines the essential work and capacity these organizations offer the North End, “ says Fuller.

After eight years of community advocacy and HRM processes, the Bloomfield School site is scheduled to go to RFP by the end of April.

Imagine Bloomfield is hiring!

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Imagine Bloomfield is hiring a Community Outreach Facilitator. This contract position is an exciting opportunity to play an important role in the Bloomfield redevelopment process.

More information can be found here.

Bloomfield Centre Re-development: Update

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In December 2010, the second stage of the Bloomfield Masterplan Implementation was completed through a report detailing best practices for multi-partner creative developments as well as recommendations for next steps. Part of the recommendations of the consultants was that a Bloomfield Development Partnership be created. We were pleased to see that one of the partners suggested was Imagine Bloomfield. Since that time we have been working with HRM on what that partnership might look like as well as been involved in the selection of the next consultant who will develop a process for a Request for Proposals for partners and tenants of the redevelopment. This process was to have begun in the spring, however interest in the site from the Halifax Regional Schoolboard causes a delay over the summer. We are please to announce that the RFP stage will commence this fall and we look forward to working with HRM in the coming year as we get closer to realizing some of the results of our work over the past 8 years.

Bloomfield Community Greenhouse Membership Lottery

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We are proud to introduce the Community Greenhouse located at the Bloomfield Community Centre in the North End of Halifax. The greenhouse is now open to membership applications from residents in the North End of Halifax. These applications will be entered into a draw happening on September 6th, 2 p.m. on the Ecology Action Centre back deck (in case of rain, it will be inside).

About the Community Greenhouse

The greenhouse is collaborative project of the Ecology Action Centre and Imagine Bloomfield. The building is a passive solar design that will function 10-12 months of the year. It is an exciting opportunity for North End residents to extend the growing season, growing greens throughout the winter months, propagate transplants in the spring, and grow warmer weather crops in the summer months.

This project is a prototype for future greenhouses, as this is the first season, we’ll be learning as we go. Our vision is many small scale, sustainable, community operated greenhouses across HRM. To do this we are looking for a small handful of intrigued and committed members who would like to build their skills in greenhouse operation, work and learn collectively, and share this knowledge and resource with the public.

Becoming a Member

Being a member means you will have a space to grow in the ground of the greenhouse (a bed that is approx. 2’x4’), as well as a shelf to start seedlings. It also means that you are committed to working with the other members of the greenhouse to set up the space, manage the building operations, and build up collective skills and resources, with the support of a staff coordinator.

Membership Details

Annual Membership running September 2011- September 2012

Membership Fee is $20 annually. If cost is a barrier please just let us know.

Membership applications are open to residents in the North End of Halifax.

Membership Responsibilities

Members should be prepared to spend a minimum of 5 hours a week in the greenhouse. This time includes tending to your own plants, doing collective greenhouse management, sharing your learnings, and attending monthly membership meetings.

There will also be the opportunity for members to attend workshops such as organic greenhouse management and native plant propagation throughout the year for those new to organic or collective greenhouse management to build new skills.

We also hope to work together to grow extra transplants to share with community gardens in HRM.

Lottery Application

As the scale of the greenhouse is quite small, and there is a large demand for plots, we have decided to run a membership lottery.  The draw will happen on September 6th, all are welcome to attend the draw. Winners will be notified and able to confirm their application at that time.

To enter into the lottery please email us giving your name, phone number, email, and address. Please also write a line letting us know what excites you the most about our new community greenhouse. You can send your email to Garity Chapman at:  garity@ecologyaction.ca

Lottery closes midnight September 5th, 2011. Draw will take place September 6th at 2 p.m. at the Ecology Action Centre, all are welcome to attend.

Annual General Meeting

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Once again it’s time for an update and the annual general meeting.  Join us on Wednesday, June 22 from 7-9pm at the Bloomfield Centre in Room 108 to hear about progress in the past year, to make your voice heard and to get involved (note:  volunteers and new board members are welcomed!).  In addition to our reports, we’ve also invited HRM to report on the various activities on the site.

Here’s some of the things we’ll be talking about in detail:

Bloomfield Development Partnership
We were excited to see the recent HRM consultants’ report on best practices for community development and a workplan for moving ahead. The report recommends that a development partnership be formed with Imagine Bloomfield, HRM, a developer and a community organization.   We are all very excited about this, and hope that this development model provides a new way of doing things with public space.   HRM  has just hired a second consultant who will focus on getting proposals from developers and organizations interested in being part of the development partnership and in being at the Centre itself. We look forward to working with this consultant to ensure that all groups who responded to our needs assessment are aware of the process and respond to the RFP.

PR and FUNdraising
Our Uncork Spring event held on March 31st was a great success, with lots of new faces and over $1200.00 raised for the work of Imagine Bloomfield. These events make the world of difference to us! Thank you to all those who attended.

Bloomfield Community Greenhouse
In partnership with HRM’s Sustainable Environment Management Office, the Ecology Action Centre, and with support from the Nova Scotia Department of Environment, Councilors Jerry Blumenthal and Jennifer Watts, we will be building a community greenhouse on at the Bloomfield Centre in the coming months. The greenhouse will be near the Bloomfield Community Garden, and will be available to community residents and organizations to join as members. This is a really exciting project, that has been a couple of years in the making. We envision local food and green building to be key elements in the development of the Bloomfied Centre. Come by the corner of Almon and Agricola to check on the progress and help out! If you are interested in getting involved, please contact  Garity Chapman at garity@ecologyaction.ca.

Board Members
We are seeking new board members! If you are interested in being involved we’d love to hear from you. We are particularly seeking people with expertise in green building and architecture, facilitation and non-profit management, fundraising and event organizing. Please send a one paragraph biography with a brief statement of why you are interested in joining the board. Please email imaginebloomfield@gmail.com with Board Member in the subject heading.

All the best and looking forward to seeing many of you on June 22 from 7-9pm at the Bloomfield Centre in room 108.

Update: Bloomfield Masterplan Implementation

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Bloomfield Development Partnership
First, thank you for your support over the past year. We are excited to see the Bloomfield Centre redevelopment process progress, with the completion of the David Harrison and Anne Mueke’s report on best practices for community development and a workplan for the next stages. The report recommends that a Bloomfield Development Partnership be formed, and that Imagine Bloomfield, HRM as well as two other development partners be the key partners.  Imagine Bloomfield completed its own needs assessment in Spring 2010 and found that 65 organizations and arts and culture groups are in need of space and want to be at Bloomfield.Imagine Bloomfield and HRM are in the process of developing Terms of Reference so that we can work together efficiently and effectively. We are all very excited about this, and hope that this development model provides a new way of doing things with public space in HRM.
RFP & REOI Process
HRM is now in the midst of hiring a second consultant to conduct a Request for Expression of Interest and Request for Proposals for developers and organizations interested in being part of the development partnership and in being at the Centre itself. We look forward to working with this consultant to ensure that all groups who responded to our needs assessment are aware of the process and able to respond to the RFP.

Naked Table Project!

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We are very pleased to announce the Naked Table Project to be held on May 21st at the Bloomfield Community Centre!

The website is up and we are accepting registrations! Visit the event page for more information.

There are only 13 spots left and we expect them to fill up, so register soon!