SEE VIDEO http://www.ottawasun.com/2011/12/15/heron-gate-getting-cleaned-up-residents
Mavis Finnamore finally has a working fridge and the long-time Heron Gate resident says things are looking better for residents in her south Ottawa housing complex.
Four months ago, trash was piled up everywhere but now TransGlobe, which owns the property, has been ensuring dumpsters are emptied regularly.
“They have definitely stepped up the cleaning of the garbage, so I definitely have to commend them for that,” said Finnamore.
But it wasn’t until Mayor Jim Watson intervened, at the request of protesting residents, that things started to happen.
Residents are meeting with management once a month.
“The City believes we’re making solid progress,” said Alta Vista Coun. Peter Hume.
But general maintenance of the property, Finnamore said, still needs work.
On Wednesday, the Sun spotted two crumbling masonry pillars with reinforcing rods sticking out — in the exact spot where children were getting off the schoolbus.
At least one dozen kids walked past the pillars, which residents say have been left uncovered for at least one month.
Residents have issues ranging from leaky faucets to rodents to crumbling roofs.
The city’s bylaw department has responded to 48 service requests at Heron Gate from Aug. 8 to Dec. 14.
Hume says a senior bylaw officer has been assigned to Heron Gate permanently to ensure things are fixed within a “reasonable timeframe.”
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