Waiting for report on proposed recreation complex (column)

London Community News

Although the weather threatened a bit, our Argyle Family Day was a lot of fun for the nearly 100 or so people who enjoyed a few hours of meeting and greeting their neighbours and representatives from the city, as well as provincial and federal governments. London’s political duo, Bill and Teresa Armstrong fielded a lot of questions, as did Irene Mathyssen. Thanks for spending some valuable time with your constituents. London Police Services Const. Ferreira visited as well and as always there was no doubt about his passion to serve and protect all of us, wherever we live. We have heard arrests have been made after a wave of vandalism and break-ins in Argyle. Since those arrests, reported cases have dropped from 60 to three. Way to go! Thanks also to ReForest London for the donation of tree seedlings. Those lovely little plants will grow to beautify our neighbourhoods. 3M’s Anniversary Park is a truly wonderful facility; it was the perfect venue for this event. Welcome to all you new members who joined the Argyle Community Association, every one of you indicated you are willing to become an ACA volunteer. All of us in Argyle are thrilled to see the final coat of asphalt being applied to Wavell Street. It looks wonderful. Still, about 100 streets in the same area need to be upgraded. Just a scant few have seen any type of improvement in the past four or five decades with no firm plan in sight for change. If the Rethink London initiative is for real, the very first item on their agenda must be a commitment by current and future civic administrations to treat every neighbourhood in London fairly. For those of you who read this, that is why the Argyle Community Association exists, to ensure Argyle, London’s largest neighbourhood, gets a fair shake. As was mentioned in our May column, we’ll be watching and listening when the long-overdue report about a proposed recreation/community complex will be tabled “sometime” in June. Hopefully city council is aware that another task force, Age Friendly London, will be recommending very strongly that community/recreational complexes should be considered as a premier tool to give neighbourhoods a heart and soul by providing space and a place to meet, greet, share and care, learn and play, etc. Seniors living in Argyle are particularly underserved when it comes to recreational facilities. Were it not for the valiant efforts of several caring citizen groups we would have nothing to offer to this neglected group of our population. A final word about supporting your local businesses: Buy it locally is not just a catchy slogan. The Argyle business community needs us and we need them, it’s that simple. Try to spend your money at home. Nick Sauter, membership chair of the Argyle Community Association, can be reached at 519-451-0658 or by email at nsauter@londonaca.com.