Mayor Ann Lawlor's July 2024 Message

HALTON HILLS, ON – Originally published in Halton Hills Today.

More cheers to volunteers for their contributions to Halton Hills residents in this July edition of My View!

Firstly, thanks to Georgetown Slo-Pitch League which has been operating in the Town of Halton Hills for over 30 years as a non-profit organization and has generously donated to many Town projects during that time. Projects that have benefitted from their contributions include:  construction of the first ball diamond at Trafalgar Sports Park, lighting for that ball diamond, dugout covers for diamonds at Gellert Community Park, and donations for general ball diamond improvements at various locations.

In 2023, the Georgetown Slopitch League donated $50,000 for the second phase of the Field of Dreams Project, which is the main multi-purpose building. Members of the Georgetown Slopitch League executive were at Town Council on Monday with an additional donation of $10,000 to be donated towards the building project.

A second group of volunteer organizations are assisting our town through the Town Climate Change Investment Fund which supports community projects in Halton Hills that encourage community engagement, connect residents with nature, enhance natural assets, and promote opportunities to bring people together for a common environmental goal. The fund provides modest micro-grants (up to $2,500 per project) to volunteer driven projects and covers expenses such as plants/trees, signage, supplies, educational materials and honoraria for guest speakers.

Here's a run-down of the projects that received Town grants:

• Acton Seniors Centre - creating a pollinator garden outside of the Acton Seniors Centre. 

• Bird-Friendly Halton Hills - creating a songbird-friendly garden, soil for native flowering plant giveaway, educational videos, and other promotional materials for educational outreach.

• Bird-Friendly Halton Hills – a series of community and educational activities designed to raise awareness of indigenous and environmental stewardship.

• Friends of the Old Seed House Garden – to purchase native plants, trees and shrubs to enhance the Old Seed House Garden.

• Halton Environmental Network – workshop materials (plants, vermicomposting, compost, soil, tools) and promotional materials for the Acton Community Garden (garden storybooks, printing posters).

• Halton Hills Eco-Film Fest - 5+ educational environmental film screenings with guest speakers, educational displays, and other resources.

• Trees for Halton Hills - planting 180 native trees on property adjacent to Town Hall.

• Trees for Halton Hills and Pickleball Association – Emmerson Park planting caliper trees and shrubs to provide relief from the wind and to provide shade.

Thanks to all of these groups who developed projects to enhance our natural environment!

And finally, a warning about unauthorized parking in our residential neighbourhoods. Council has approved a new system to deter illegal off-street parking. Tickets are issued for various infractions and I particularly want to alert residents that parking on a residential front or side lawn (off the driveway) could result in a $100 fine. We want our residential neighbourhood streetscapes to be attractive – landscaped homes, not parking lots.

Enjoy the summer and stay cool and hydrated!