Councillor Steve Desroches is pleased to report that City Council has approved the City’s one-third share of the Strandherd-Armstrong Bridge. The City is completing the design of the bridge and is planning to begin the tender process with construction scheduled to begin in the Spring of 2010.

“This is an important milestone and this project has come a long way out of the ashes following the short-sighted LRT cancellation,” said Desroches.

Both the Federal and Provincial Governments have committed to fund two-thirds of the project. The National Capital Commission has also approved the bridge design. Work is underway to widen Earl Armstrong Road thanks in part to Federal-Provincial funding under the stimulus program. In addition, the City of Ottawa has invested $35 million to extend Strandherd Drive to link the roadway with the bridge.

City planners are reviewing a zoning bylaw amendment proposal that would permit a future commercial area to be developed at 4051 Spratt Rd.

The site is at the southwest corner of Spratt Rd. and Limebank Rd. in Riverside South. The 6.57-acre property is located at the southwest corner of Spratt Rd. and Limebank Rd. in Riverside South.

Visit www.emcottawasouth.ca for the full article by Sheena Bolton.

Councillor Steve Desroches is pleased to report that the lights on Limebank Road will be activated in the first quarter of 2010, well ahead of schedule.

“I have asked the city engineers to activate the lights and they have been working closely with Hydro Ottawa officials to speed up the process,” said Desroches.

Although the light standards are in place, light activation usually occurs when infrastructure projects are complete and would have meant another year before the lighting of Limebank Road would have occurred.

Residents of Riverside South can be thankful for the efforts of a select group of volunteers who have been braving cold temperatures to lay down ice surfaces at three different community park locations; Mountain Meadows, Spratt and Four Seasons.  Conditions permitted the rinks to open for skating in late December, and despite a somewhat steady dose of flurries this past week, the surfaces have been improved by routine scraping and flooding. Our goal is to provide the greatest amount of outdoor ice time possible, as conditions and volunteer availability will permit.

Green Bin collection in the City of Ottawa began this week for some areas of the city, and will start on January 15 in Riverside South.

You can start filling your bin with all the organic products that you would normally put in your garbage, such as used tissues, soiled paper towels, food scraps (including meat), used cat litter (including feces), and so much more.  For a complete list of items, visit the green bin website at www.greenbinottawa.ca, consult the guide that was included in your bin, call 3-1-1, or download this handy PDF list .

Your new waste collection calendar will show you when to put your green bin at the curb.  If you did not receive your 2010 collection calendar, you can download the calendar from the City’s website at www.ottawa.ca, by clicking on the “2010 Collection Calendar” link on the home page.