From around 2013 to 2015, community planning teams within Hamilton seemed to be at their pinnacle. They were thriving as a result of great leadership, a plethora of eager volunteers, and were supported by countless community groups including partnerships with the Neighbhourhood Action Strategy (now Neighbourhood Development – a partnership between the Hamilton Community Foundation and the City of Hamilton), and the Social Planning and Research Council (SPRC).
Community planning teams still exist of course, but their level of activity eleven years after their inception in 2010 varies. For Crown Point – if the planning team website is correct, the last public meeting was held August 21st, 2017. Either way, it’s been some time since an official Crown Point meeting was held but in the background, at least three sub-committees of the planning team are still active in some capacity.
For starters, The Point Community News is still going although the last printed edition hit doorsteps in January of 2019. The two other active sub-committees are the Pipeline Trail, and the Crown Point Garden Club.
Over the next few days, we will be releasing a two-part series focusing on the Pipeline Trail. In late June, the community said goodbye to her guardian these past eight years, Elizabeth Seidl, as she and her family returned to Elizabeth’s roots in St. Catharines, Ontario.
We will start the series off with a piece from a new Crown Point resident and The Point author, Peggy Goddard, as she looks at the past and into our future as a newcomer to our neighbourhood.
To close things out, as a lifelong Hamiltonian and long-time Crown Point resident, I will discuss what Elizabeth’s passion for our city has meant as I share some our discussion as we travelled along the Pipeline Trail before she left, to learn about her journey in Hamilton these past eight years and the path forward for our beloved trail.
“Through studying the history of the Pipeline Trail, listening to Elizabeth and getting to know her better virtually over Facebook, I see that this community has changed a lot. My advice to other new residents like myself is to get involved. Learn to take care of this trail. Love it and bring new life to it. This is our home now.”
Peggy Goddard
In the meantime, you can look back on some of Elizabeth’s writing and involvement in our community over the years by browsing our Google Sheet database. I have set all the filters to articles by Elizabeth or about the Pipeline Trail.
