villagevibeFebruary 2008 : News and views from the heart of Fernwood

>> by Aaron Ellingsen

One day, a vacant lot.

The next, a hole and a new beginning.

Aff ordable housing is on the rise in

Fernwood. On January 2nd, Fernwood

NRG broke ground at 1222 Yukon

Street, commencing construction of Park Place, the

Society’s six-unit market-based aff ordable rental

housing project overlooking Haegert Park.

Fernwood NRG Executive Director Roberta

Martell, explained how the groundbreaking played

a role in determining the process to follow. “We

didn’t know what to expect when we dug down,”

she said. “Th ey said we might hit bedrock and have

to blast. Th ey said we might hit loose sand and have

to do a bunch of tamping or trucking material in.

No blasting was required, and the removed fi ll was

so clean that other area building projects took what

we would otherwise have had to pay to landfi ll …

Only in Fernwood,” Martell pointed out, “would

we fi nd a way to recycle fi ll.”

Contractor Garde Collins says what they did

fi nd was compact and well-drained glacial sand.

He’s pleased, adding that they might also

have encountered clay, which could have made

for beginning the project in slurry of collected

rainwater.

NRG Board of Directors Vice-Chair Trish

Richards, described her feelings as she watched the

excavator break ground. “We’ve been talking and

planning for so long – to actually see the excavator

made it so real. And the operator was an artist!”

Richards compared this beginning to that of

Fernwood NRG’s Cornerstone project during the

summer of 2005. “Th e speed of activity with Park

Place is amazing,” she noted. “By the end of the

day you could see where the building was going in.

Th e Cornerstone reconstruction was an incredible

experience, working every Saturday for months

as a team of neighbours. And at the same time, of

necessity, change came relatively slowly. To be able

to watch the transformation in one day this time, it

was mind-boggling.” She adds with a twinkle in her

eye, “You should have seen Roberta dance!”

At press time, with a little help from a Vic

High trades student, the framing crew from the

Queen Charlotte Islands was putting the fi nishing

touches on forms for footings and foundation walls.

If all goes well, the entire foundation should be

poured on Friday, January 18th and the walls will be

going up by the beginning of February. Collins says

things are looking good for project completion on

schedule toward the end of June.

Park Place’s six three-bedroom market-

based aff ordable housing units will be available

for families with children. Prospective tenants

for the building’s six suites, including one

wheelchair-accessible unit, should check at the

Fernwood Community Centre or online at www.

fernwoodneighbourhood.ca for information on the

application process and submission deadlines.

Fernwood NRG breaks ground at Park Place

New fun at Franklin Green Park>> by Tania Wegwitz

Thanks to the work of North Park Neighbourhood

Association (NPNA) volunteers and folks at

the City, Fernwood kids now have another

rejuvenated space to play.

Th e new Franklin Green playground opened in mid-

December. Since then it has been attracting an increasing

stream of young fans despite the unpredictable winter

weather.

Th e park (also known as Mason Street Park) is located

on Mason Street near the corner of Cook Street. Most

Fernwoodians know it as the green space behind Wellburn’s

Market. NPNA Chair Kristin Atwood says that it’s

understandable if some people didn’t realize that this space

is a park. “It almost felt more like an urban space or empty

lot. Now it’s more recognizable as a park, as a place that’s part

of a community where families live and where people are

growing memories.”

in this issueFire hits Fernwood home Page 3

Feature: Collective Creativity: Fernwood artists Page 4

Fernwood’s zigloo domestique Page 7

– continued on page 6

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We are committed to creating a socially,

environmentally, and economically

sustainable neighbourhood;

We are committed to ensuring

neighbourhood control or ownership of

neighbourhood institutions and assets;

We are committed to using our

resources prudently and to becoming

fi nancially self-reliant;

We are committed to the creation and

support of neighbourhood employment;

We are committed to engaging the

dreams, resources, and talents of our

neighbours and to fostering new links

between them;

We are committed to taking action in

response to neighbourhood issues,

ideas, and initiatives;

We are committed to governing

our organization and serving our

neighbourhood democratically with a

maximum of openness, inclusivity and

kindness;

We are committed to developing

the skills, capacity, self-worth, and

excellence of our neighbours and

ourselves;

We are committed to focusing on

the future while preserving our

neighbourhood’s heritage and diversity;

We are committed to creating

neighbourhood places that are vibrant,

beautiful, healthy, and alive;

and, most of all,

We are committed to having fun!

declaration of principles and values

The board and senior staff of Fernwood

NRG recently spent the weekend in a strategic planning

session. We do this every year: gather, regroup, bring new

board members into the loop, refl ect, celebrate, and plan

for Fernwood’s continuing neighbourhood evolution.

Yet, what is a neighbourhood (r)evolution? Can it

be planned? What does it take to bring about change?

One board member described having grown up in

a small place: “Th e smaller the size of the community

the more obvious the diff erences between people are …

but the diff erences come to matter less, a type of social

responsibility grows. You have to be aware that people

can see what you’re doing. My desire is to bring together

people who inhabit diff erent worlds; this

fosters creativity, growth.”

Making place-based change requires connections

between people, an optimal number of connections

wherein there is both a degree of freedom and a degree

of support for everyone.

Another board member talked about emergence:

“Th e principles of emergence capture what I know

to be true, that 1+1+1=8.” Emergence happens

when the outcome can’t be predicted by looking at

the constituent parts. It refers to the ways in which

complex systems arise – and the ways in which great

change can be brought about – by a multiplicity of

simple interactions. A hello to a neighbour, cooking

together at a community kitchen, sharing gardens,

gathering in the Cornerstone Café for a night of

placemaking are all simple actions that create

immense change.

Finally, a board member talked about her time

as an alternative health practitioner: “I worked with

people’s individual energy and now I realize it’s

possible to shift the energy on a community basis.

Th ere is an ownership, a pride in community …

People are Fernwoodians now.”

Seems we’re ready for another great year.

editorial : What it takes

>> Billy Metcalfe

Fernwood was twice an orchard. Fruit- and

nut-bearing trees and people have been helping each other

prosper here for thousands of years, and remnants of both the

managed oak forest and the recent newcomers still off er us

food. Oaks spread their pollen on the wind. But a crucial part

of taking care of fruit trees is understanding their ancient and

profound interdependence with their pollinators.

A blossom will not turn into a cherry or an apple or

anything else you can eat unless something delivers to it

pollen of the same species. So a fruit tree needs to attract

fl ying creatures that prefer its species so that they will be

carrying the right pollen. With a lack of suitable insects or

birds, many urban fruit trees bear no fruit at all.

Th e pollinators, be they bees, beetles, hummingbirds,

moths, fl ies, wasps, or butterfl ies, are rewarded with sweet

nectar. But unless a particular species of pollinator is precisely

in tune with a particular tree, they will need other nectar

sources before and aft er bloom time, and the tree will need

other pollinators. Th e most resilient situation is to have

species diversity in both insects and plants.

European honeybees have adapted themselves to huge

mechanized monocultures; as a result, as a species they

have become a monoculture. By ranging far and wide, and

being driven around the continent in trucks, they have a

long collection season from short windows of simultaneous

blossom. Th ey don’t pollinate as well as locally adapted

species, and they deplete those species, by “high-grading” the

richest energy sources. So that when they falter, as they are

faltering now, there is less to fall back on.

Another constraint on fertility is that many modern fruit

trees are hybrids, which need to breed with a diff erent hybrid

or else an open-pollinated throwback (such as the medlar “ur-

apple” tree in Spring Ridge Commons).

What you can do to create the ultimate pollination

environment for your fruit and nut trees and to enhance

Fernwood’s food security:

> Place nesting boxes for a range of native pollinators

– mason bees, bumblebees, leafcutter bees, hummingbirds,

butterfl ies

> Plant stopgap nectar sources, such as Piers Japonica

> Plant complementary-fertile fruit species

> Map what you plant in order to see if the necessary

elements coincide in space and time

Contact foodsecurity@fernwoodneighbourhood.ca,

to help make these things happen! Watch for a mason bee

workshop early in 2008!

Trees as neighbours

Page 2 | News and views from the heart of Fernwood | February 2008 VillageVibe

the Fernwood buzzFernwoodians gathered at the Cornerstone

Café to “make place” again on Wednesday, January 16th. It

was an evening of review with a twist as the group considered

a Mind Map of all of their previous inspirations.

Created by Fernwoodian Don Olison, the map allowed

placemakers to more clearly view the wide range of possible

actions and to more easily prioritize those that were both

doable and would make a signifi cant contribution to the

revitalization of Fernwood’s Village core.

Th e meeting generated so much excitement around the

possibility of a Mandala event for the Fernwood-Gladstone

intersection that a Mandala group was constituted to meet

the following week. A second group took on the task of

keeping the neighbourhood informed about Placemaking

activities through the creation of the Action Alcove at the

Cornerstone.

Ian Dakers, founder of The Fernwood Commons,

unveiled this new online forum to all present. Th e Forum

could become a great way to promote neighbourhood-wide

discussion of ideas for transforming Fernwood’s public spaces

into places. At the moment it contains a video of Portland

Oregon’s Intersection Repair Project and the beginnings of a

discussion on potential activity at the Fernwood-Gladstone

intersection. Check it out and add your thoughts at www.

fernwoodcommons.ca.

Th e Space to Place troupe meets regularly the third

Monday of each month at 7:00 pm in the Cornerstone Café.

Please join us on Monday, February 18th as we continue our

inspirational and hugely fun Mind Mapping exploration.

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>> Amy Crook

Ever wondered when and how to prune your

fruit trees? Have your trees been producing less fruit lately?

What’s the best way to control common pests and ensure a

healthy long life for your fruit trees?

All of these questions and lots more will be answered in

a Fruit Tree Pruning workshop presented by Michael Cowan

of Edibella Organics and hosted by the LifeCycles Fruit

Tree Project on Saturday, February 9th 9:30-11:30am at the

Blanchard Community Centre, 901 Kings Road, cost $15.

Fruit tree pruning

– continued on page 4

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VillageVibe February 2008 | www.fernwoodneighbourhood.ca | Page 3

views from the street : What do you think of this initiative and the quality of art?

What a great initiative! I’m sure it defi nitely gives the

students a sense of belonging to the community! It is great

that they get the chance to showcase their work in a space

outside of school!

Th e art looks great! Th ey are defi nitely very talented and

I am happy that they are able to show their pieces here!

Students are defi nitely a part of the life at the Cornerstone,

and so it is great that they get the chance to show their

works of art in this space. Th e quality of the pieces is

a clear indication of the talent of the next generation

of artists. It is also coming at a great time: just as the

Fernwood Artists’ Studio Tour is about to begin, and the

Arts Collective is about to open.

Fire hits Fernwood home

Matt Robert Yemima

>> Bill McKechnie

In October’s Village Vibe we ran a story on Bill

McKechnie’s plans to create co-housing in Fernwood

(see October page 3). On Saturday, November 17th,

fire swept through Bill’s 1802 Chambers St. heritage

property, dashing his hopes of co-housing … for now.

Bill describes that evening: I smelled smoke

and thought it was an illegal trash fi re. Th en I saw it

streaming from the eaves of my home and my mind went

onto autopilot –I dialed 911: “MY HOUSE IS ON

FIRE!”

I could hear the crackling of the fi re, glass breaking,

loud pops and the bang of a door slamming in a draft . In

the basement I saw huge sparks falling on the concrete

fl oor. Th e front hall and stairway were an inferno. Th en I

realized: where was my cat, Caper?

Minutes before, I’d been in the shower getting ready

to go to a concert. I was to pick up Joanne at 6pm. Now I

was fumbling around the smoky yard looking for my cat.

Th e last memory I had of Caper was of her curled up on a

sweater on my bed.

I don’t recall sirens, but I remember fl ashes of

refl ected red light and realizing a crowd had gathered.

Among them, fi remen laid out hoses. I watched as fl ames

melted the lead in the beautiful Edwardian stained glass

over the stairwell. A mass of fl ames curled up to the roof.

A woman approached and asked if there were any

people upstairs. “No, just my cat is missing.” Dark smoke

billowed from the top fl oor windows like the smokestack

of a steam train. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and Robert

directed me back to the Emergency Management Agency

van. “My cat is inside,” I said again. Amazingly, he

reassured me that a fi refi ghter had gone in to fi nd Caper.

Hoses poured water through the second fl oor windows as

smoke billowed out. I was losing hope.

All of a sudden I remembered Joanne! I found my

cell and rang through. She answered. “My place is on

fi re!” “What?” “My place is on fi re!” A short pause and

she said, “I’ll be right there.”

“Would you like a blanket?” Robert explained that

people burned out of their homes oft en get chilled from

shock. “Not me,” I said to myself. “I’m not in shock.”

Joanne arrived ... big tight hug. “Caper may be

inside,” I said. We watched the house and the fi remen on

ladders. It was unreal.

Robert returned to say the fi re was under control.

Just then we heard someone call: “Th ey got the cat!”

I saw a yellow-suited fi reman cradling my smoky and

frightened ginger cat. Taking charge, Robert placed

Caper in a carrier in the back of the van. “She can stay

here quietly for a while. Are you sure you don’t want

a blanket?” I began to appreciate the value of this

emergency service.

Th ings calmed a bit. People off ered reassurance. Th e

orange glow in the windows faded. I began to feel chilled

and somewhat sheepishly asked Robert for a blanket.

“Tea?” he asked. “Yes,” I said, “Th at would be nice.”

Epilogue: Fire inspectors found the fi re started at

either a faulty space heater or one of the fans being used

to dry the main hall fl oor aft er a water leak.

Th e building is undergoing evaluation for structural

damage, and has been cleaned and stripped of all the

charred furniture and debris. Cost studies for repairs and

renovation are underway.

Bill is living in a B&B and seeking an apartment in

Fernwood. He hopes to continue with plans to develop a

co-housing project on the property.

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Bill is living in a B&B and seeking an apartment in Fernwood.

The art that is now showing at Cornerstone Café has been produced by Vic High students.

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Fernwood’s Autumn Glow Society gathers every Friday at

the Fernwood Community Centre at 1240 Gladstone for

a home-cooked lunch, gentle exercise, and a monthly guest

speaker. All Fernwoodians 55 years and older are welcome.

Gathering begins at 11:00am and the cost is $5.50 for

lunch. The fun is free.

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Page 4 | News and views from the heart of Fernwood | February 2008 VillageVibe

There’s something more brewing in the Cornerstone Building;

change is afoot again. Recently, signs have gone up in one of the

suites announcing the opening of a new gallery, Collective Works.

It began not long ago when Fernwood artist Deryk Houston put up a fl yer

at the Cornerstone Café seeking like-minded artists to organize a Fernwood

studio tour (watch for it in the spring). Interest grew, and a group came

together to promote the tour. In anticipation of the tour, the idea emerged

to have a preview show, which took place at the end of September at the

Fernwood Inn as well as at the Cornerstone Café.

As Anne Hoban, one of the founding members of Collective Works says,

as they prepared for the preview show, some artists “looked at 1311 Gladstone

thinking it would be a great place for a gallery.” Soon, the wheels were turning,

and these same artists took the leap and formed a new non-profi t society. Th e

Collective Works Artists’ Association was born. Collective Works operates

with a board of directors of fi ve. Founding members are also the Board of

Directors: Sean Newton, Al Williams, Pete Rockwell, Miriam Mulhall, and

Anne Hoban. Th e Collective off ers a variety of diff erent membership types.

Full members, of whom there are twelve, pay $100 a month. Th ese members

will have solo as well as group shows. Th ese core members will also have a

portion of the gallery where they can take up a permanent presence.

In addition, they will fulfi ll a service requirement to the gallery, whereby

they will help in its operation.

Th e gallery will also have 50 associate members (there are only 14 spots

left !) who will pay a fee of $100 per year for the privilege of participating in

fi ve group shows. Associate Members will be entitled to submit between one

to fi ve pieces for each group show, and a curator will decide which pieces will

work best for the show. “We have a lot of artists from Fernwood,” says Anne.

Th ere are also several artists from Vancouver who want to bring a presence

to the island as well as lend their support to the newly formed group. Th e

Collective Work artists work in a variety of media; there are painters,

photographers, print makers, animators, mixed media artists, videographers,

collage artists, stone carvers, model makers, and manga anime artists. Unlike

other galleries, which might rely somewhat on the marketability of the art,

Collective Works will be self-sustaining, based on its memberships. In this

way, the collective will be able to experiment with more alternative art forms,

such as video art, which can not be purchased and put on display in the

conventional way.

Shows will be themed with the hope that they “hang as an entity,” says

Anne. She explains that the intention is that the theme will provide “a thread

to pull the whole show together and draw people in,” while giving the public

feature : Collective creativity: Artists

In this way, the collective will be able to experiment with more alternative art forms, such as video art...

Michael Cowan is an ISA Certifi ed Arborist and

owns and operates Edibella Organic Landscapes www.

edibella.com a local business that focuses on edible

landscaping and strives to bring citywide gardens to their

fullest potential. Michael will talk about the fundamentals

of caring for fruit trees, how to maximize production,

dormant pruning, and proper pruning tools and their

maintenance.

Th e Fruit Tree Project, a project of LifeCycles,

harvests fruit from private trees that would otherwise go

to waste. Established in 1998, the educational project

works with fruit tree owners to minimize wasted fruit

by harvesting and redistributing fruit throughout the

community. Th e project also seeks to educate fruit tree

owners about the importance of local food production,

as well as techniques for increasing fruit yields from their

trees. Each year the harvest is divided between volunteers

and homeowners, and food banks, community kitchens

and other organizations.

Th e Fernwood NRG Food Security Collective

started Fernwood’s own neighbourhood branch of the

Fruit Tree Project last year and, together with LifeCycles

FTP, harvested 4000 lbs of fruit in the Fernwood

neighbourhood.

Contact fruittree@lifecyclesproject.ca or 721-1184.

Pruning | fr om page 2

Rob Fleming, MLAVictoria - Hillside

1020 Hillside Avenue

250 360.2023 rob.fleming.mla@leg.bc.ca

Serving Our Communityconstituency office:970 Blanshard StreetVictoria, BC V8W 2H3

telephone: 363-3600e-mail: Savoie.d@parl.gc.caon the web: www.denisesavoie.ca

Denise SavoieMember of Parliament for Victoria

Your voice in OttawaYour voice in OttawaCarole James, MLAVictoria - Beacon Hill

Our Office is Open to Serve YouCommunity Office1084 Fort Street, VictoriaP: (250) 952-4211F: (250) 952-4214carole.james.mla@leg.bc.cawww.opposition.bc.ca

VillageVibe February 2008 | www.fernwoodneighbourhood.ca | Page 5

a chance to interpret the art. Anne speaks to the question of whether it is

constraining to give the artist a theme. She says that the artists that have been

consulted say it can be helpful, the seed of an idea.

As we discuss the theme of the fi rst show to open the gallery in February, the

artist’s questioning mind is revealed. Th e show is entitled “Stilled” and will be

open to all members. Th e idea for the show emerged out of a discussion of still

life as subject matter, of the traditional variety of, say, a bowl of pears, and what

constitutes a contemporary still life. Is a soup can by Andy Warhol a still life?

From there, the discussion moved to the idea of “still” as in something stopped,

and then to “memento mori,” that which is not still, and the transience of life.

Interesting subject matter, and a sign of the way the gallery’s audience can expect

to be challenged. Th e show will run for three weeks from February 15th to

March 7th.

One of the objectives of Collective Works is to make the arts as inclusive and

accessible as possible for the community. With that in mind, the gallery will off er

workshops to the public. Plans are in the making for workshops on puppetry,

printmaking and collage, with the intention to keep classes as aff ordable as

possible. Th e gallery also hopes to feature spoken word, fi lm and video art, as well

as artists’ talks and demonstrations. Th ere are also plans to host events that are

free or by donation and open to the public.

In addition to full members and associate members, Collective Works has

a third category of membership for supporting members. Th is group includes

anybody who wants to support the collective, either as a patron, or an artist

who does not wish to show. With their $100 per year membership, supporting

members will receive a quarterly newsletter and discounts for workshops

presented by Collective Works.

As one of its fi rst projects, in January, members of Collective Works formed

a connection with Vic High students. Th is led to an exhibit of student works

of portraiture at the Cornerstone Café with a second exhibit to follow in June.

Anne explains that it was important for Collective Works to support the Vic

High students. Aft er all, the mission statement of Collective Works, she says, is

to “support and challenge artists, both new and maturing.” Th e response to this

new connection from art teacher Sonia Olsen and participating students has

been positive. Frieda-Raye Green and Jillian Kendrick-Cook said that having the

student shows at the café contributes to a sense of belonging in the community.

For the Vic High students and teachers, showing students’ work makes sense

and allows the community, the café, and the school to play off of each other,

especially considering the strong arts orientation of Vic High. Th is is a positive

for Fernwood NRG too, as it is a goal of the organization, and a particular

objective Fernwood NRG has for the café, to increase community connections.

Collective Works artists also hope to develop a mentoring program for Vic High

students whereby they can gain valuable experience as interns at the gallery, learn

to act as attendants, learn to hang a show, observe portfolio evaluations and

address work. Essentially students will have an opportunity to be in the milieu of

art, with artists. Collective Works promises to bring a new nexus of connection

to our neighbourhood, both in terms of ideas and of people.

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come together in Fernwood >> by Susan Salvati

Make the arts as inclusive and accessible as possible

Page 6 | News and views from the heart of Fernwood | February 2008 VillageVibe

>> by Margaret Hantiuk

If you are looking at native plants for

your garden, ferns are a good choice; they must have been

growing here when the colonists settled ‘Fernwood’!

Using ferns in your garden helps to create that lovely

‘woodsy’ look that is relaxed and beautifully natural.

Ferns are a primitive plant form that don’t fl ower

but have wonderful leaves (fronds). While some are

deciduous, many are evergreen in our climate. We think

of them as only green, but they actually range extensively

in colour. Sometimes it is the fronds that are a lovely

burnished bronze or amber yellow, some have black or red

stems, and yet others have a painted or silvery look. Some

ferns colour more in the spring when their amazing new

fronds uncurl, and others colour up in the fall. Th ere are

an amazing variety of frond shapes and colors if you look

at them closely in the nursery or in nature.

Th ere is also a wide range in size of ferns: from small

types that are good in the rockery or pots and baskets,

to larger ones that add to the border. Th en there are the

bold, dazzling ones that can be focal points. Try planting

a few in a cluster or nestling them into little nooks here

and there. Some varieties have glossy fronds that refl ect

light – all seem to be luminescent in low light and so are

superb for darker corners, north sides and under trees. If

you are planting them under conifers or dense deciduous

trees, they do best placed in between the canopies or at

the drip line where they can get some moisture.

When planted and sited well, ferns are easy to grow.

Th eir requirements are for shade from at least the midday

sun and shelter from harsh winds. Most prefer a rich

and well-drained soil. Th ey will tolerate clay soil because

it stays moist longer. Most love moist soil but moisture

requirements do vary, so do your research, read the tag at

the nursery carefully or talk to someone who knows, as

there are some varieties that will even survive dry shade.

(Th e sword fern is a good example.)

Adding compost or sea soil while planting and

then as a mulch is recommended. Watering well for the

fi rst couple of summers and during droughts is a must,

otherwise it depends on your soil, the weather and the

particular variety. To avoid rot it’s best to water the roots,

not the crown, when hand-watering. It is also important

to make sure that you give them enough room (read your

books or tags for mature size) so that their delicate fronds

are not always torn and tattered by passing traffi c. Ferns

are well behaved and colonize slowly. Th ey have few pests

and are long lived when in the right spot.

Th e only pruning needed is for the old fronds to be

cut back just before the new ones emerge in late winter.

Th ey look wonderful when grown with other woodsy

plants having similar requirements: cyclamen, trillium,

Erythronium (dog’s tooth violet), woodland lilies (the

toad and Martagon), snowdrops and, where there is

enough room, hellebores and hostas. In damper spots

they can be planted with primulas and gunnera, and

in sunnier spots they can be planted with lewisia and

saxifrages. Th ey work well with shade tolerant woodsy

perennials (cranesbills for example) and ornamental

grasses as well. With their wonderfully fi ne texture, ferns

look great planted amongst ‘stumpery’ (large branches

and stumps). Th ey are like jewels beside rocks, bricks and

pavers, as well as in pots and baskets. Creating textures in

your garden can be as visually exciting as fl owering plants.

Th ese exquisite plants can be used in so many

diffi cult places in your yard to add some magic and

beauty. Th ey are durable and hardy with few demands.

What a truly suitable plant to have our neighbourhood

named aft er!

gleanings : Ferns for Fernwood: like jewels

According to Atwood, a spruce up of Franklin Green has

been part of the NPNA’s wish list for quite some time.

Th e process began to move closer to reality when City

of Victoria Parks staff held a community consultation

in May 2007 to learn about the neighbourhood’s desires

for the park. To further bring attention to the space and

allow for public input on the revitalized park plans, the

NPNA held their community festival in Franklin Green

last summer.

Th e revitalized Franklin Green features a new

playground with a rubberized play surface similar to

that used on the Stevenson Park playground. Swings are

available for tots and older kids and the playground itself

has slides, monkey bars, and other climbing areas geared

to diff erent ages and skill levels. Th e original bench swing

– which Atwood says area residents were keen to keep

– and the community mosaic still remain.

Other improvements include a levelled grass

surface, a sprinkler system, benches, and pathway.

New lights (similar to those in Haegert and Central

Parks) are on their way. A new power box installed at

the neighbourhood’s request provides for even more

exciting possibilities. “We wanted the power box so that

we can now have a sound system for neighbourhood

performances and events,” says Atwood.

A sound system might soon get a lot of use. Beside

the annual North Park community festival this summer,

word has it that the NPNA is also exploring the idea of

hosting a series of concerts in the park featuring local

musicians.

Th e months ahead will bring even more amenities for

young and old alike. Deborah Bate, Landscape Technician

for the City’s Parks Department, says that phase two

of the Franklin Green rejuvenation is planned for the

spring. Th is will bring a picnic table, an additional path to

explore the park, and a bocce ball space. Th ere’ll also be a

pickleball court. “I hadn’t heard of pickleball myself,” said

Bate, “but one of the neighbourhood residents were really

keen on it and it’s supposed to be a lot of fun.”

Whether as part of a pickleball or bocce ball

showdown or as a space for kids to run around in on the

way home from town or the grocery store, the new face of

Franklin Green Park is a welcome one. Many thanks to all

of the neighbourhood volunteers and City staff who made

it happen.

New fun | fr om page 1

A part of a community where families live and where people are growing memories

VillageVibe February 2008 | www.fernwoodneighbourhood.ca | Page 7

faces : Fernwood’s zigloo domestique

>> by Aaron Ellingsen

What the heck is a Zigloo Domestique? Before

we sat down to chat over tea, Fernwood resident and

architectural designer Keith Dewey showed me around his

unique Zigloo home. It turns out a Zigloo is a conceptual

take-off from that archetypal Canadian home, the igloo.

Built out of seven re-purposed shipping containers

– that’s seven of the six million decommissioned globally

every year!! – the Zigloo is tucked teasingly off of both

Fernwood Road and Pembroke Street – I’ve been watching

his project develop for a while, so I was excited to speak

with Keith and have a close-up look.

I asked about his fascination for “cargotecture,” a term

for designing and building with re-used industrial shipping

containers. “It sort of came out of the blue for me,” he says.

“It was an Australian design magazine I picked up one

summer, and right on the cover there was a picture of a 20-

foot container sitting in the outback. It was a freestanding,

off -the-grid system that could be picked up and moved from

the docklands of Queensland into the outback. It was very

inspiring. It didn’t take much looking beyond that to run

into things like Container City and other container ideas.”

Shipping containers, though, are only part of his story.

Keith completed three years at Ryerson’s architectural

school in Toronto before his growing interests in aesthetics

and form and function took him to the Ontario College

of Art and Design, where he completed a four-year design

program. “Th e two programs,” he explains, “allowed me

to get a really well-grounded education – one that had a

lot of practical engineering skills and provided a very good

understanding of aesthetics and the functionality of space.”

It was a pioneering instinct that brought Keith out

from Toronto to Victoria to begin his design career in 1994,

and he says it was a leap of faith that brought him from

Fairfi eld into Fernwood. In November of 2006 Keith, with

his wife, their daughter and their cockatoo, moved into the

Zigloo during a snowstorm.

Working on his home, Keith found himself part of a

buzz of activity in the neighbourhood. “Seeing all the work

going on here – it’s just so inspiring. I’m now seeing lots

of amazing interest going on in the Square…. It’s such a

great family neighbourhood,” he says, “Th ere are characters

all over the place, and it certainly is a neighbourly part

of town.” Although he misses Fairfi eld’s proximity to the

beach, Dewey is pleased with their new home.

Th e Zigloo Domestique is a luxuriously fi nished 2,000 ft 2

modern open-concept home built on a usable lot space of

approximately 40 feet square. Th e building incorporates

seven 40-foot shipping containers as well as such green

design touches as dual-fl ush toilets, low-voltage lighting, in-

fl oor heat, energy effi cient appliances, bamboo fl ooring and

cabinetry and a by-demand hot water system.

“What I think we’ve been able to prove here,” he says,

“is that for the approx $150/ft 2 cost of the kind of spec-

appointed development housing that’s going up out in

Langford and beyond we can take a panhandle/infi ll lot,

with all the challenges that surround that, and build a really

nice designer-quality space.” While the Zigloo Domestique

has come in a little over budget, at around $175/ft 2, Keith

points out that unexpected costs resulted from engineering

that need not be repeated. He’s confi dent he can provide

luxury-appointed designer urban living for roughly the

same cost as a new suburban home.

Keith has also recently started working with

Edmonton’s A-just Housing Corporation who, he says,

“are combining the expertise of engineers, plastic mold

fabricators, painters, designers and container companies

in an eff ort to design a fully self-contained 319 ft 2 single-

container modular home at a base cost – including property

to place it on – of $50,000.”

Base units and upgrades would be interchangeable and

mass-produced to keep costs down – “kind of a ‘plug-and-

play’ idea, like in computers,” he suggests. At that price

level, such housing could be radically aff ordable, but project

success rests on the eff ective application of technology and

creative design to resolve space limitation issues.

From his vantage point in the Zigloo Domestique,

Keith sees bright and varied possibilities for building with

containers, but he also sees a major hurdle in overcoming

the stigma associating containers with the dockyards, the

shipping industry and backyard junk collecting. Where

Keith has found Victoria open to his designs, some other

jurisdictions are not. Colwood, for one, has banned

containers on residential lots.

I look forward to chatting with Keith again – perhaps

over fi sh and chips at Victoria’s new waterfront container-

based restaurant Red Fish, Blue Fish – to hear about life,

progress and all things container-based.

For information on Keith Dewey’s designs and projects,

and a link to A-just Housing Corp., please check out

www.zigloo.ca

A Zigloo is a conceptual take-off from that archetypal Canadian home, the igloo.

Mirror Lake

light lingers towards solstice today

still three weeks away

9pm orange tinges the cloud bottoms

and green fades to grey

Mirror Lake trek at avalanche break

beyond Lake Louise.

“There’s been some bear activity in the area,”

warns the woman at the welcome centre

as she makes highlighter circles on my map.

“Watch for fresh,” she says

coding their shit politely.

Warned of bears and avalanches I proceed

wondering whether and what if

bears circled maps and said,

“There’s been some human activity in the area,”

their maps would be covered in squiggles.

Mirror Lake frozen still

and drift covered,

it’s the shores that refl ect the shadows.

Sped ahead of German tourists

I’ve stolen and moment and sit

sandwich munching, reveling,

Fresh fallen snow

outlines mirror perfect

the still bare trees.

Turn back now don’t venture

where avalanche awaits and quietly

too quietly for there

on the trail ahead is a bear.

Instinct make noise.

I pull out C harmonica

and blow the shrillest note I can muster.

The bear, as it were, begins to grin,

so I move down the octave

to a lower throaty register

and draw out a mournful tune

she swoons, then dances

swaying as I play both unafraid.

I look up and she’s gone instead

a burned out stump

that imagination wild and circles on a map

might conjure to life.

local poets : Poems for lakes by lisa helps

Poem for a Lake in the North

You hold me gently

As the late August sun

fades into nothingness, to night

Loon bellies glide and ripple your smooth surface skin

They call

And I splash amidst the echoes

grateful relief from the heat of day

from the trailer hot kitchen

where I work to renew the forests

Your freshwater body different than home

the salty pacifi c

briny beast, blesséd friend

We meet here

You and I

Skin to skin borderland

You wash over me

Inside me

And I remember in these moments

To hold myself

Page 8 | News and views from the heart of Fernwood | February 2008 VillageVibe

what’s on in Fernwood

Arts, Theatre, andEntertainmentBohemian Open Mic and Spotlight at the Cornerstone Café.Saturdays. Open Mic: 8pm. Spotlight: 10pm (Feb 2> JOHN DISCOVERY. Feb 9> CHELSEA RICH. Looking ahead: Mar 15> Edmonton’s JAMES MURDOCH). 1301 Gladstone Ave. Hosted by James Kasper. Everyone welcome! FREE!Belfry Theatre.THE TURN OF THE SCREW by Henry James, adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher. Jan 15-Feb 17. 1291 Gladstone Ave. For info contact Belfry Box Offi ce at 385-6815 or www.belfry.bc.caBluegrass Wednesdays.Wednesdays. 7:30-10pm. Cornerstone Café. 1301 Gladstone Ave. FREE!Call for Fernwood Artists.Seeking Artists with studios in Fernwood for the 1st annual FERNWOOD ART STUDIO TOUR. (planning for June 2008). For info contact Deryk Houston dhouston@coastnet.com or Anne Hoban ahoban@shaw.ca.Intrepid Theatre at the Metro Studio.MY DAD, MY DOG by Boca del Lupo. Feb 13-16. 8pm. 1411 Quadra St. For info www.intrepidtheatre.comLive Music at Fernwood Inn.Open Mic Thursdays. 8:30-11:30pm. 1302 Gladstone Ave. FREE!Live Music at Logan’s Pub.1821 Cook St. For listings: www.loganspub.comVictoria Bluegrass Association Jam.Tuesdays. 7:30-10:30pm. Orange Hall. 1620 Fernwood Rd. $2 to play. FREE to listen. For info see victoriabluegrass.caVictoria Folk Music Society.Sundays. 7:30pm Open Stage. 9pm Feature Performer. 1110 Hillside Ave. $5 feature performer nights/$3 all open stage night. For info see www.victoriafolkmusic.ca

Kids and FamiliesCommunity Family Day.Family-directed and facilitated programming. Mondays 9:30-11:30am. Fernwood Community Centre Gym. FREE!Parent and Tot Playgroup.Snacks/Crafts/Circle Time. Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30-11:30am. Fernwood Community Centre Gym. $1 per family.Rhythm Circle Time.Tuesdays 3-4pm. Fernwood Community Centre MPR. Drop in. FREE!

Mother Goose.Songs, rhymes and stories. Tuesdays 1-2:30pm, Fernwood Community Centre MPR. 10 weeks per session. To register call 381-1552 ext 22. FREE! ($2 for songbook).

Youth, Adults and SeniorsNEW! Youth Floor Hockey.Drop-in Co-ed. Ages 9-18 (Group 1/ages 9-13. Group 2/ages 14-18). Sundays 3:30-5pm, Fernwood Community Centre Gym. $3.**NEW! Volleyball.Drop-in Co-ed. Adult (18+). Saturdays 1-2:30pm. Fernwood Community Centre Gym. $3.**NEW! Youth Video Gaming Night.Drop-in Co-ed. Fridays 7-9:30pm. Fernwood Community Centre Gym. By donation. Concession open.NEW! Cornerstone Records Presents: Musicians Networking, Promotion, Workshops and Song Circle.Sunday afternoons (times change weekly). FREE! Email james@fernwoodneighbourhood.ca for info.Ear Acupuncture.Treatments 15-20 min. Feb 7 and 21. 2:30-4:30pm. Fernwood Community Centre MPR. By donation.Falun Gong.Peaceful meditation practice. All welcome! Wednesdays 5-7pm. Fernwood Community Centre MPR. FREE!Fernwood Autumn Glow.55+. Gentle exercise, lunch and activities. Monthly special guest speaker. Fridays 11am. Fernwood Community Centre MPR. $5.50 for lunch.Floor Hockey.Drop-in Co-ed. Adult (18+). Tuesdays and Thursdays 7-9:30pm. Saturdays 2-4:30pm. Fernwood Community Centre Gym. $4, or get a punchcard: $40/11 sessions.**Indoor Soccer.Drop-in Co-ed. Adult (18+). Mondays 8:45-10:45pm. Fernwood Community Centre Gym. $3.**Internet and Computer Access.Complete your one-time registration and then get online through the Community Access Program. Monday to Friday 9:30am-5pm. Fernwood Community Centre Community Room. FREE!

Seniors Wanted!Seeking three or four seniors (55+) interested in exploring rhythm, drum and voice on Wednesdays. For info call Gillian in Fernwood: 592-2848.

**We accept Sports Trader Bucks and Canadian Tire Money at face value!

Special EventsSpring Ridge Commons Workparty.Come and get your hands dirty at the Spring Ridge Commons! Chambers and Gladstone. Sat, Feb 2. 11am-3pm.Fernwood Business Network.Inaugural meeting! Mon, Feb 4. 10am-noon. Please rsvp Bruce and Ryan Rutley at ryan@rutleyventures.caFernwood’s Outrageous Recycling Day.Bring your CLEAN plastics, styrofoam packing and food trays, electronics and foil-lined coffee bags. Feb 9 (2nd Sat every month). 10am-1pm. Back of Fernwood Community Centre. By donation.Fernwood NRG Food Security Collective.All welcome! Tues, Feb 12. 7-9pm Fernwood Community Centre MPR.Green Drinks.An inclusive gathering of the sustainability minded for refreshments and conversation. Wed, Feb 12. 5-7pm. The Canoe Brewpub, Marina and Restaurant, 450 Swift St. For info see www.greendrinksvictoria.caNorth Park Neighbourhood Association Placemaking Workshop.Free event and great way to participate in building your community. Anyone with an interest in the neighbourhood or urban planning welcome. Bring your walking shoes. Sat, Feb 16. 10am-4pm (lunch provided). St. Andrew’s Elementary School Gymnasium. 1002 Pandora. Contact Thomas Guerrero at 382-7959 or at npna@npna.caFernwood NRG Spaces to Place.All Welcome! Now the third Monday of every month! Bring your placemaking ideas for Fernwood square and the neighbourhood. Mon, Feb 18. 7:00pm. Cornerstone Café.Seed Starting Workshop.Sat, Feb 23. foodsecurity@fernwoodneighbourhood.ca to register.Calling all Oak and Fern Healing Practitioners.Healing practitioners living or working in Fernwood or Oaklands who would

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Feb 2008

Published by Fernwood NRG (Fernwood

Neighbourhood Resource Group)

1240 Gladstone Street

Victoria, BC V8T 1G6

T 250.381.1552

F 250.381.1509

villagevibe@fernwood neighbourhood.ca

www.fernwoodneighbourhood.ca

Editor: Lisa Helps

Assistant Editors: Aaron Ellingsen,

Trish Richards

Photographers: Pete Rockwell,

Veronique da Silva

Contributors:

Amy Crook

Margaret Hantiuk

Bill McKechnie

Billy Metcalfe

Susan Salvati

Tania Wegwitz

The views expressed in the Village Vibe

do not necessarily refl ect the views of

the Fernwood NRG.

villagevibe

like to meet village colleagues or be in an Oak and Fern Healing Practitioners Directory, please drop in: Feb 24. 4-6pm. KOFFI (1441 Haultain St. between Asquith St. and Belmont Ave.). For info contact Rainey Hopewell at 380-5055.Fernwood Community Kitchen.Cook nutritious, creative meals with your neighbours! For info contact Tracy at tveldhuis@gmail.comFernwood Pocket Market.Local organic produce and baked goods. Tuesdays 2-6pm. Cornerstone Café.Fernwood Sharing Gardens.Have a garden but no time? Time but no garden? Contact Rainey at 380-5055 or sharinggardens@gmail.com.

If you have a workshop or special event idea for the Fernwood Community Centre or the Cornerstone Café email james@fernwoodneighbourhood.ca

Under new ownership!

Open For Lunch!

From 11:30 Daily

Check out our new

Lunch Specials

1302 Gladstone 412-2001