Report from our AGM

This year's Annual General Meeting for the Birch Glen Residents' Association was held on Monday, November 22 at Owenwood Public School. Although the turnout was small, the discussion was lively and the presentations were great. We were fortunate to have Councillor Pat Mullin address the group, followed by representatives from Parks and Forestry. In a nutshell, this is what we learned:

1. The streets in our neighbourhood will be repaved in 2011, but the work will have to wait until the Region of Peel has completed work on watermains throughout the neighbourhood;
2. Watermain work has been completed on Silver Birch Trail and on Nesdale Court;
3. Watermain replacement is scheduled in 2011 on Kos Blvd. (east & west legs), Ithaca and Lefkas Courts, with cathodic protection added on Andros, Zante (crescent & court), and Johnson's Lane (from Lakeshore to Andros);
4. We will be getting leaf pickup starting in Fall 2011. That means that you will be able to push your leaves to the curb for vacuum removal on scheculed days (schedule to be announced next year);
5. A new developer has taken over the reins for the Clarkson Manor townhouse development on Lakeshore near Birchwood Park and Kentucky Hill. Details will be provided as the project proceeds;
6. The retirement home in front of Walden Spinney will proceed under a new developer.

Additional information will be provided on our website and in our print newsletter as it becomes available.

House Break-in Reported on Labour Day

On Monday, September 6 - the last day of the Labour Day long weekend - a home on Kos Blvd. in the neighbourhood was broken into and some valuable items were stolen. The homeowners were present and did see - and confront - the thief immediately outside the home, but were unaware at the time of the confrontation that the thief had already been inside their house and may have already taken items out of the house. Thus, they allowed the person to leave their property. It was only later that they realized they had been robbed and immediately contacted the police, who came out to investigate that evening. A police report has been filed and a description of the thief has been given to the police.
     At this time, we would appreciate hearing from residents both in the vicinity of the break-in and throughout the neighbourhood to find out if there were any other incidents of this sort that night or anytime over the Labour Day weekend. Also, if you know of similar incidents anywhere close to our neighbourhood around that timeframe, please let us know.
     Birch Glen is regarded as one of the safer neighbourhoods in Mississauga and we would like to keep it that way. We realize that break-ins and occurances of this type can happen anywhere and are usually a crime of convenience. That description, however, does not make those who are victims of such crime feel any better or any safer. That is why it is important for anyone with pertinent information to come forward.
     As reported, a description of the thief has been given to the police although he has not yet been identified. If anyone saw or heard anything in the vicinity of Kos Blvd. or the children's playground in Birch Glen Park, please get in touch with us either through this blog or by email (birchglenresidents@gmail.com) or through our website (http://www.birchglen.com/). Comments to the blog can be anonymous; emails will be kept confidential.

Taken: 1 set of summer tires!

Our neighbourhood is considered one of the safer neighbourhoods in Mississauga by Peel Regional Police but, sometimes, a resident experiences a break-in that makes them wonder how safe they are. Recently, a garage was broken into and the thief (or thieves) stole a set of summer tires -- nothing else, just the tires. This leaves us to scratch our heads and wonder what the thieves were up to. Did they notice the car parked outside the garage, see that it had winter tires on, and thnk "I need a set of summer tires for a car just like this, and this is as good a place to get them as any"? Boggles the mind, really.

So what can we do as a neighbourhood?

1. If anyone has any information about this, please respond to this post.
2. To protect our homes and possessions, make sure that you do have a lock on your garage door and lock it at all times. Don't leave the door open if you are not within sight -- it just takes a moment for a thief to enter, take what he wants, and leave, often without you knowing. People usually don't have an alarm attached to their garage doors, but it might be good if we did;
3. Also make sure that you lock your car doors at all times -- even if it is inside your garage. Thieves are attracted to GPS systems, radios, boom boxes, CD players, anything related to technology -- and it doesn't matter whether it is is permanently "installed" or not for them to attempt to take it. Modern cars sometimes have the capability to lock themselves automatically a short time after the engine has been turned off, but don't take that for granted. Get into the habit of locking it yourself when you exit the car.

This type of crime is simply one of opportunity and does not reflect on surroundings or personalities; it happens all the time all over the city and all the time. That doesn't make it acceptable, far from it! Unfortunately, it happened here within the past week and it is unnerving to the victims, and to the neighbourhood in general. Help us out if you can.

Is anyone out there?

With the start of both the new year and the new decade, we are hoping to have more dialogue with the residents of Birch Glen  - possibly through this blog. The question is, however, whether this blog is redundant, given the news postings on the website and any feedback through direct email. Does this blog fit with the website? Should we keep it? If we do, what should it's use be?