Fall 2007

Old East Village News

O l d E a s t V i l l a g e C o m m u n i t y A s s oc i a t i o n

OEVCA Executive Members

President: OEVCA President’s Message
Annecke Somann
chair@oevca.ca Annecke Somann, President OEVCA OEVCA OPEN MEMBERSHIP
Vice-President: MEETINGS
Frank Filice A BIG CHANGE! The executive members of the OEVCA Board have
Treasurer: It’s a combined newsletter that had previously been recently passed an amendment to conduct all our
Christina Breen published independently by the OEVBIA and the Membership (formerly Board) meetings in an open
Secretary:
OEVCA from the Old East Village. Both organiza- manner.
Heather Philips
admin@oevca.ca tions noticed an overlap with quite a few articles in Our Vision is to aid and empower residents of our
Directors at Large: the past and that the issues came out at about the neighbourhood through advocacy, education and
Greg Anthony same time. The time has come to combine our community involvement in order to establish a
Donna Currie resources to offer all who live or work in the Old positive and healthy relationship with each other
Ted Town East, a single newsletter that provides information and greater London.
Past President: about events happening in both the residential and
Greg Thompson the commercial areas within the Old East Village. Our Purpose is to promote, facilitate, co-ordinate,
Look for more changes in the Old East Village support or undertake activities that will enhance
Subcommittee Chairs News formatting as we respond to comments/sug- the quality of life of the Old East Village.
Garden Club: Donna Currie gestions from our readers and our partnership To this end, we cordially invite any current-paid-
Newsletter: Sonia Wolf up OEVCA member:
develops in producing this newsletter. Thanks are
Tree Nursery:
Laura Macnamara extended to Larry Osborn and Sonia Wolf on their continued on back page...
Web Maven: hard work in getting this done.
Heather Philips

OEVCA Annual General Meeting

admin@oevca.ca

When: Tuesday, April 15th, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.

Check out
our website:
www.oevca.ca
Graphic Design: Sonia Wolf,
English Street Graphics
We invite your comments,
Suggestions and submissions.
Please contact Annecke Somann,
OEVCA President at chair@oevca.ca
Where: Details To Be Announced Early Spring 2008 on our website: www.oevca.ca
Who: All residents of the OEVCA area * may attend;
Members of the OEVCA may vote**
Agenda Items: Update on past year’s OEVCA activities
On-going OEVCA activities
OEVCA Board Elections
** Elections: Four executive positions will be decided:
President
Treasurer/Membership
Two Members-at-Large
Nominations will be accepted from the floor. Only members of the OEVCA are
eligible to run, and vote in these elections. Memberships will be available at the
door ($10 per family).
* The Old East Village Community Association takes in the area bounded by:
North: Railroad tracks just north of Central Ave./Elias St.
East: Railroad tracks next to the Kellogg plant
South: Railroad tracks just south of Florence St./Western Fair/York St.
West: Adelaide St.
 Old East Village Heritage Conservation District News
It has been a busy year and a half since
Council approved the by-law creating Old
East Village as London’s third, and largest,
heritage conservation district. Judging from
the number of calls and messages received it
is heartening to see the extent to which the
community is supportive of this initiative.
One needs only to wander through the
neighbourhood to see evidence of a renewed
awareness of the heritage character so
strongly expressed in many of the buildings
there. Equally encouraging is the awareness
of residents of the small grant program
available through the London Community
Foundation for owners of designated prop-
erties who have projects aimed at conserv-
ing or restoring heritage elements of those
properties. Almost half the grants awarded
in the 2007 allocation process went to
homes in Old East Village for such things
as restoration and repainting of Victorian
woodwork detail, repairs to existing porch-
es, conservation of stain glass windows and
masonry repairs and restorations. Property
owners should keep this program in mind
when applications are available in January
for the 2008 budget allocation. Just remem-
ber that grants must be for work related to
heritage conservation and can not be award-
ed for work that has already been carried
out. There is no guarantee of receiving a
grant as the allocation committee must be
mindful of the amount of funds generated
by the endowment fund and the number of
applications received in determining which
applications might be the most appropriate
to receive funding in 2008 following the
application deadline of April 1. Information
about this program is available on line on
the London Community Foundation web-
site.
Heritage Guidelines
A number of questions have been asked
about when a heritage alteration application
"As I've walked and cycled through the neighbourhood this year I noticed numerous properties being restored, renovated or otherwise
improved. This certainly adds to the pleasure of a leisurely meander through the streets of Old East. Here are some examples!"
and approval is necessary. Residents did
receive a brochure outlining this at the time
of the District’s creation. If you are new to
the area, or have mislaid this, a copy can be
obtained from the Heritage Planner’s office
or by looking online. Normally, an altera-
tion application is needed for changes to an
existing front exterior façade, whether this
involves a porch alteration, window replace-
ment, cladding removal or replacement,
and removal or restoration of decorative
woodwork. Interior changes, additions to
the rear or side if they are not too large in
relation to the rest of the original structure,
exterior repairs using similar materials do
not require an alteration permit. If in
doubt, contact the heritage planner’s office
in advance of any work being done. Keep in
mind that, if an alteration application is
needed, because it must be approved by the
LACH and Planning Committee and
Council, there often is a 4-6 week approval
period before a permit can be granted.
Depending on the consultant’s original clas-
sification of each building in terms of its
authentic heritage details some approvals
may be given immediately by the heritage
planner.
Conservation Tips
Need some advice as to how to restore or
whether to restore an element that may
have some heritage importance? Start by
accessing the Conservation Guidelines that
were produced as part of the creation of the
Heritage Conservation District. This is
available at the library, the Old East B.I.A
office, and, most accessibly for many on-
line on the City’s website. These can pro-
vide some general ideas as to what would be
preferable in terms of renovations to the
exterior. For specific projects the heritage
planner may have additional information
that can be shared. Occasionally workshops
are arranged by groups such as the Heritage
London Foundation and the Architectural
Conservancy. Such workshops may focus
on a particular theme such as replacing
heritage windows.
Possibly by the time this newsletter is dis-
tributed, the City’s electronic e-maps will
show its new heritage website. While the
website identifies buildings that are listed as
Priority properties on the City’s Inventory
of Heritage Resources or designated under
Part IV or Part V of the Ontario Heritage
Act, it also allows viewers to access conser-
vation plans and guidelines for each of
London’s three heritage conservation dis-
tricts.
If you want to know what the Inventory
says about a particular building enter the
address once you call up the heritage map.
If you want to find a link to the Ontario
Ministry of Culture, or even the provisions
of the Ontario Heritage Act check out the
London City Heritage Map at www.lon-
don.ca when it is available. Also available
there will be the initial report by the con-
sultants for the proposed West Woodfield
Heritage Conservation District.
Old East Village Street Signs
Coming soon Old East Village can antici-
pate having its own distinctive street sig-
nage recognizing the distinct character of
the district. For more than a year, represen-
tatives from the Old East Community
Association have been consulting with the
City to revise the City’s policy with respect
to distinct signage, and, more recently, to
select a sign which responds to the com-
munity’s identity. While this process has
taken longer than originally thought, it is
hoped that new signs will be erected within
a few months. Thanks are extended to
Annecke Somann, Donna Currie and
Frank Filice for their diligence in pursuing
this matter.
by Don Menard
by Frank Felice
Heritage House Signs - A Social History of the Old East Village
by Greg Thompson, OEVCA Past-President
A few years ago, Susan and I were driving through Fergus, Ontario
and noticed that many of the homes in the core had signs indicat-
ing the year the home was built and the name and occupation of
the original occupant(s). Having never been shy about using other
people's ideas, we thought this might be an interesting project for
this neighbourhood.
Judging from the number of calls that we receive on these signs,
people are noticing that these signs are proliferating. It's an inter-
esting way for us to brand our neighbourhood and to draw atten-
tion to the occupations of our first residents.
We have arranged a bulk price for these signs with Print Studio a
very good printing shop located at the corner of Dundas and
Dorinda Streets here in Old East Village. (1050 Dundas Street
East, 519-951-9595, print@printstudio.ca ) They have a template
in place and they are charging $20 per sign. The signs are vinyl
lettering on sign-grade aluminum. We've had ours up for nearly
two years now and have had next to no deterioration. In our expe-
rience the best and safest method of installation is with closed
S-hooks hanging from eyelet screws (pry open the S-hooks to
attach the sign and the eyelet and then close them again, it's very
difficult for someone to then remove). Chris Reid at the Old East
Village Hardware Store on Dundas (at English) has the hardware in
stock.
Now for the harder part; researching the history of your home.
Susan and I have now done about 40 homes in the 'hood and it is
quite easy (if a little hard on the eyes).
The Central Branch of the London Public Library has the original
City Directories on microfiche. These are located in the London
Room (3rd floor) and the reference librarians are eager to help get
you set up. The directories begin around 1885. Each year, there are
usually 5 years worth on each microfiche reel. The city directory
contains two major parts. First there is a Street Directory, in alpha-
betical order. From the street directory, you will get the year of the
home and the name of the first occupant. Pick a year around where
you think your home was built and look for the address in the street
directory section. If the number is not there, move forward to the
next year, and so on until the address first shows up. If it is there
reverse the process; go back until the first year in which the address
does not appear and then move forward one year to the first cita-
tion. This will be the year in which the first occupant moved in.
Once you have located the year in which your street address is first
cited, proceed to the second section in that year's directory, which
is the Name Directory, again listed in alphabetical order. This will
give you the occupation of the first resident and, perhaps, the
employer. (Hint: several times we located year and first occupant
from the street directory but there was no mention in the name
directory of an occupation and/or employer. If this happens to you,
check the name directory for the following year(s), you might get
lucky).
A few caveats are in order:
In almost every home history we
have done, the year in which the
address first showed up in the city
directory is later than the year
given obtained by lawyers on the
Title Search. The reason, I think,
is that most of the homes in
Old East were built on spec
by property developers
between 1885 and 1910.
Consequently, the title search
will reveal the date in which
the properties were severed
from the original land grants and sold to developers. But, of course,
homes were not built and resold to the first occupants until some
time after this.
Sometimes, you may run into problems with addresses that don't
seem to line up, though this is mainly a problem when you are
doing a block of homes. Interestingly enough, in a few locations, it
appears that smaller homes were torn down at the turn of the 20th
century to allow for the construction of the homes we now have. In
a few of these cases, we seemed to have dropped some addresses
with the bigger lot sizes put in place. When you are out walking
around, these sites are quite easy to locate. Look for jumps in street
addresses; like from 810 Lorne Avenue to 814 Lorne Avenue. Two
homes now sit where three used to.
The last caveat pertains to accuracy. Mistakes will be made in the
history search. My opinion is that this is relatively unimportant.
The aim of the project is to capture a snapshot of the neighbour-
hood as it first existed; the age of the buildings, the people who first
lived here and their occupations. It's an exercise in social history not
title searching.
Okay So I live in the East end, So what!
When my family and I decided to move to the Old East Village
there were many different options expressed by our friends and
family.
Some wondered if raising a child in the village was a safe environ-
ment, some felt that the investment was not a sound one, and some
( mostly friends of our age and ilk) said cool! At least nobody will
complain if you hang your laundry outside( unlike some of the
more desirable suburban areas) Well we ve been here for 6 years
now and those opinions have changed.
Now our friends ask us if there are any good houses for sale! They
want to move here too! Our family oohs and ahhs over the heritage
homes in the area. People are envious of our garden club, commu-
nity association, events at our school, and the atmosphere of the
neighbourhood.
We made this happen by bringing a community together, so get
involved. Lets make this neighbourhood the envy of our friends and
family, so when people ask where you live, we can proudly say, The
Old East Village!
by Susan Pederson
 Hello everyone!
My name is Brittany Moore-Shirley. I’d like
to tell you about my community from my
view.
I know I am very lucky to live in the East
London Community.
It’s not just the beautiful homes and curbside
gardens, but the caring people that live here.
There is always something to do.
I was very excited last year to be part of the
“Investing in Children Art Project” in May,
and the “Fire and Frost Festival” in November,
that created the banners hung on the light
posts between Elizabeth and Adelaide Streets

Tree Planting at Lorne Ave School

during the festival.
In June, I and other Lorne Avenue students
and other community members performed at
On October 22, 2007, with the support of the Lorne Ave School Council and the Old East
“Aeolian Hall Performing Arts Centre”. I
Garden Club, ReForest London planted 4 trees and 12 shrubs in the school yard. All the
look forward to doing again this year, bring-
students at the school helped dig holes, plant trees and shrubs, mulch, fertilize and stake the
ing our community together and to help raise
trees. It was a beautiful fall day, and the kids were very enthusiastic workers. They learned
money for our music program at Lorne
about some of the things trees give us, and what we need to give trees to help them survive.
Avenue P.S. In October many of us enjoyed a
We planted a Sycamore, Sugar Maple, Red Maple, and Hackberry, and four varieties of
Hallowe’en Party at Boyle Community
native shrubs. These trees will provide shade, beauty, and learning opportunities for genera-
Centre, There is always something great hap-
tions.
pening in Old East.
Julie Ryan, Reforest London
In the future, when your thinking of invest-
ing in children like me, remember you’re
Garden Club Update investing in adults like you.
So investing in Our Community, keeps us all
involved for many years. You never know, in
The Old East Garden Club had a very productive spring compost/green day sale. The money
the year 2022 your mayor could be from Old
raised at the compost day this past May will be used for community events such as the news-
East, and it could be Me!
letter. The garden club and OEVCA donated another two hundred dollars from the pro-
ceeds of the sale to Lorne Avenue Public school in the Old East Village to put towards the Thank-you!
trees that were planted. The garden club members also joined in and did planting in the (Brittany spoke these words at the AGM of the Old
garden beds on the south side of the driveway for communities in blooms. The plants were East Village BIA on February, 28, 2007 at the
donated by the city of London and looked absolutely gorgeous for a month or so. Aeolian Hall. Deb Mathews, MPP London North
The Old East Garden Club enjoyed two very successful garden crawls in the neighborhood Centre heard this speech that night and had invited
this summer. An afternoon crawl, ending in a bar-b-que as well as an evening crawl which Brittany to Queens Park in Toronto.)
ended with dessert and great company! The garden crawls as well as being social, educa-
tional, are a great way to enjoy the fruits of all the gardeners hard labour over the summer. continued from page 1...
We also hosted a plant cull this September. The turnout was low but the plants for those -to attend our OEVCA Membership
who participated were plentiful and fabulous. Meetings; and
We are hoping to host a couple of garden tours that could also be used as fund raisers in the -to have the opportunity to incorporate
old east village for 2008. We would love to hear from residents in the area that would be membership input, ideas and energy to build
proud to show off their fabulous gardens, front yards or back yards to the rest of London. a stronger, friendlier neighbourhood.
There are some truly marvelous unique and very creative yards in the old east village!
These meetings generally occur once a month
The Garden Club has established the second Monday of each month as our night for get during a weekday evening usually starting at
together meetings. The 2008 garden club plans are already in progress. The wine and seed 7:00 p.m. and ending by 9:00 p.m. Go to
night is hosted in February for a plant seed exchange, compost sale in May, there will be at our website www.oevca.ca to find the sched-
least one private garden club members only plant exchange, and hopefully at least one garden uled meeting times and proposed meeting
tour as a fund raiser. agendas.
If you would like to become a member, or have ideas and suggestions or would like to be a Contact Christina Breen, OEVCA
guest speaker at one of our meetings we would love to hear from you!!! During the school Membership Chair, on how you can become
year the meetings will be held in the community room of the Lorne Avenue Public School, a member by email: ckp6@hotmail.com or
on Lorne Avenue at English. Look for our meeting schedule at www.oevca.ca. by phone: 519-858-2687. Membership
contact Donna Currie, 439-7120 forms are also available on our website at
www.oevca.ca.
 Carson Public Library
465 Quebec Street, (519) 438-4287

Carson Library Hours

Tuesday 1-5 pm & 6-9 pm
Wednesday 9-noon & 1-5 pm
Thursday 1-5 pm & 6-9 pm
Friday 9-noon & 1-5 pm
Saturday 9-noon & 1-5 pm

Let’s Rock the Library!
– Carson’s Teen Annex L.O.U.D. Concert
7:00 - 8:30 pm Thursday December 6
London musician, Davita Guslits, is going to rock
the Carson library with her acoustic renditions of a
variety of musical favourites. Join us for an intimate
concert that is sure to please! Free!
The Carson Branch runs a limited number of pro-
grams, including yearly drop-in craft programs, March
Break programs and Summer Reading programs.
Wheelchair accessible.
What’s happening at Carson!
http://www.londonpubliclibrary.ca/node/2274

Holiday Story time with Susan Getchell Support your local library
(2-4 yrs with care giver)
10:15 – 11:00 am, Wednesday December 12 - Carson Public Library!
Join Susan for a morning of stories, songs and activi-
ties to help you get in the holiday spirit. Drop In. It’s • Visit Carson Library:
free. • borrow books, DVD’s, videos, compact discs
and audio cassettes
Drop-in Crafts (2-5 yrs with care giver) • use their computer
10:15 – 11:00 am, Wednesday Mornings • hold a meeting for your organization
Join us on Wednesday mornings for a fun drop-in
craft with a caregiver! • Sign a petition supporting the Carson Library at the
library or through the www.oevca.ca website

General Information • Send an email or a written letter to the London

On December 23, 1915, the first branch of the Lon-
don Public Library, the East Branch, was opened on
the corner of Dundas and Rectory Streets in the East
London Town Hall. It was moved in 1926 to the cor-
ner of Dufferin and Quebec Streets and named after
the Director of London Public Library who served
from 1906 to 1916. The present building was con-
structed in 1977.
The collection is varied and includes adult and chil-
dren’s books, DVDs, videos, compact discs, audio
cassettes, large print books and literacy kits.
The branch has five computers for public uses: one
job bank/email, one children’s cd-rom, and three
internet stations.
Public Library Board Chair, Svetlana MacDonald or to
any of their Board members
Mailing address: London Public Library – Central
251 Dundas St.
London, Ontario
N6A 6H9
info@lpl.london.on.ca
• Attend a public session of the London Public Library
Board which meets every 3rd Wednesday at 5:30 pm
at the Central Public Library, 251 Dundas St.
London
InterCommunity
Health Centre
659 Dundas St. (519) 660-0874
The London InterCommunity Health Centre offers health and
social services/programs to individuals, families, and communi-
ties. Currently, a number of programs are open to the commu-
nity, and we would welcome participation from neighbourhood
residents.
Youth Drop-In – Wed. 3:30-6:00pm
Chill with your friends (ages 13+) over games, cooking, music,
and more!
For more information, call Shelly at 519-660-0874 ext. 254.
Men’s Support Group:
Dealing with Anger and Other Feelings – Saturdays
9:30-11:30am
For more information, call John at 519-660-0874 ext. 227
Seniors’ Drop-In – Wed. 1:00-3:30pm
Tai Chi classes – Sat. 10:30-11:30am
For more information, call Elizabeth at 519-660-0874 ext. 275
Children’s Nutrition and Learning Project
Includes a variety of programs run out of Lorne Ave. Public
School, Monday – Friday. Volunteers are needed in our nutri-
tion programming; childcare is provided.
For more information, call Shelly at 519-660-0874 ext. 254.
SHAC Club after-school program
Snack, Homework, Activity, Crafts, and more for grades 3-8
Mon., Tues., Thurs. 3:30-6pm Boyle Community Centre
Wed. 3:30-6pm Lorne Ave. Public School kitchen
For more information, call Shelly at 519-660-0874 ext. 254.
Multicultural Women’s Support Groups
Offered in a number of languages and communities.
For more information, call Vindu at 519-660-0874 ext. 251.
Clinical Services
For information on clinical services, call Liz, our Intake
Worker, at 519-660-0874 ext.255.
Holiday Open House at London InterCommunity
Health Centre
Come join us for festive goodies,
and see who we are and what we
do!
Saturday, December 22, 10:30am-
12:00pm
Saturday, December 29, 10:30am-
12:00pm
Submitted by Shelly Happy, Community Worker,
519-660-0874 x254
Boyle Activity Council
The Boyle Activity Council formed in the summer of 2007
with the intent of enabling a group of community-minded indi-
viduals to come together to support the growth of recreation
and leisure opportunities provided at the Boyle Community
Centre. With the support of the City of London and the
London InterCommunity Health Centre, a number of interest-
ed neighbourhood residents have taken leadership in helping
design, plan, and implement community-led programming.
Currently, a number of new initiatives are open to the
community:
• Drop-In Sports – Wednesdays,
4-6pm, for 10-13 year olds
• Family Sports Drop-In –
Sundays, 2-4pm
• Parent/Caregiver & Tot Drop-In
– Thursdays, 9:30-11:30am
In addition, new Winter programs run-
ning mid-January to March are being
planned. Programs include Nerf Soccer,
Young Artists, Dance Mix, Floor Hockey,
and others. Registration runs Thursday,
December 13, 6-8pm and Saturday,
December 15, 10am-noon @ Boyle C.C.
If you are interested in joining BAC to help determine future
community programming for the neighbourhood, please
contact Shelly Happy, London InterCommunity Health Centre,
519-660-0874 x254; shappy@lihc.on.ca
For more information be sure to check out our new website
Submitted by Shelly Happy, Community Worker, LIHC,
519-660-0874 x254