Aberdeen group sets aside Ajax issue in search of ‘sense of strong community’

Residents in Aberdeen are being invited to a forum Saturday to relaunch a community association that will be broadly based with a focus on strengthening neighbourhood ties and moving beyond “hot-button” issues.

As part of the “re-launch,” a continental breakfast will be held in the community room of Aberdeen Elementary School Saturday from 10 to noon. Facilitator Randy Diehl will lead participants through a process of discovering ways to enhance a sense of community in Aberdeen and a plan to work toward a new vision for the neighbourhood.

During the process of developing the Aberdeen Community Plan that resulted in the redevelopment of the golf course into housing and city park, the Aberdeen Community Association was involved and active but membership dropped off and some of the executive moved away.

During the time that the Association had been active, as part of its function as a place for airing the concerns of Aberdeen residents, the association held some meetings to facilitate discussion on “the pros and cons” of the proposed AJAX mine project.

“Unfortunately, this resulted in some confusion regarding the position of the Aberdeen Community Association regarding the proposed mine,” said a press release from the group organizing Saturday’s session.

While the Aberdeen Community Association supports the democratic process for citizens to express their concerns on any issues affecting the future of our neighbourhood, the Association has never issued a formal stance on the mining issue and has chosen to set that aside and let that be the work of other advocacy groups.

New association spokesperson, Helen Newmarch, said there’s a desire for a strong sense of “neighbourhood” by saying, “We need a strong voice in the community to let the city know what the residents of Aberdeen want for their quality of life.

“As neighbours, if we’re clear about our core values and have a strong vision for our neighbourhood, together we can make decisions about anything that comes our way.”

She said possible redevelopment of the Aberdeen Golf Course clubhouse into a community centre for the neighbourhood is one of the issues of interest to the group.

“We are hoping for a strong turn-out of people bringing ideas and input for building the foundation of a new and re-vitalised Aberdeen Neighbourhood Association,” said Newmarch.