Michelle Whitten

Due to warm weather, we must cancel our DRCA Community Skating Party planned for Sunday, January 28. Stay tuned for a new date. We’re hoping for colder weather as it is winter after all.

With the approval of The City of Calgary’s Housing Strategy, Council directed Administration to take bold actions to address the housing crisis. One of these actions is to rezone low-density residential properties to allow for more forms of housing (including single-detached, semi-detached, rowhouse, and townhouses) throughout all communities. As mailouts about rezoning reach Calgarians this week, public interest on the topic is expected.

The City’s Rezoning for Housing website includes information on upcoming webinars and open houses, FAQs, timelines, resources, and a link to an Engage page for Calgarians to provide their questions and comments. The site also provides an interactive address map to see which land parcels will be affected by citywide rezoning.

The dates/times/locations of the upcoming webinars and open houses as well as the opportunity to sign up to receive project updates can also be found at engage.calgary.ca/rezoningforhousing,

The DRCA recreation facility’s leisure ice rink is ready to go, so please enjoy safely! The hockey rink is still closed as the ice isn’t yet ready due to the unseasonably warm temperatures we were having.

Did you know the rinks are 100% volunteer run, both for ice making and maintenance? The pool of volunteers assisting this year has been limited, so more help is always needed and welcomed. If you are able to assist or can pass the message along to someone who might be willing to help, we would appreciate it. Contact us at volunteer@discoveryridge.com.

Stay tuned for news about the opening of the hockey rink.

The City of Calgary has advised the DRCA that it has been monitoring the area of Discovery Ridge Blvd directly below the storm pond rock fall on the north side of Discovery Ridge Blvd and the entrance to Griffith Woods Park on the south side of Discovery Ridge Blvd. The City has indicated a proper crossing area is needed and is proceeding with planning for one. We will provide additional information as it is received.

The DRCA Board is an elected board of volunteers. Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on February 26th, via Zoom, during which elections for 2024 will be held. We have positions to fill!

Please consider getting involved with the DRCA as a board member. The DRCA bylaws allow for up to 20 active board members. If this is something you’d be willing to consider, please reach out to us to join us for our January regular board meeting so you can get a feel for the group and what goes on prior to making any commitments. As the saying goes, more hands make for lighter work!

We are fortunate to have so many pathways and sidewalks throughout our special community, but when colder temperatures arrive they can become icy and treacherous on occasion. Did you know our partners at the New Discovery Homeowners’ Association (NDHA) oversee green spaces, snow removal, and holiday lights for our community pathways? However, the NDHA does not clear snow on the sidewalks adjacent to roads. This explains why some areas are so well cared for and others have very different conditions. The City of Calgary is directly responsible for the sidewalks along Discovery Ridge Boulevard and Discovery Ridge Hill in addition to a few smaller areas. It is also important to note that while the NDHA continues to use ULS to maintain our community pathways, the City no longer uses ULS for the walks they are responsible for. If these city-controlled sidewalks are not maintained to a reasonable, safe standard similar to those the NDHA oversees, these spots must be reported to 311 to ensure they are addressed. Using the 311 app is fast and efficient, and photos of icy or neglected areas can be included. It should also be noted that all property owners are responsible for clearing city sidewalks adjacent to their property.

We encourage everyone to refer to this map which shows the areas ULS maintains under its NDHA contract (highlighted in red). Additional information can be found on the NDHA website in the FAQ section (see question 22).

The city also has an online map that shows all city-owned pathways and sidewalks that get cleared and who is responsible for clearing them: If you go to the Layers section and cancel the Snow Clearing By Other Agencies eye, it does become very clear where the city has responsibility. Unfortunately, this map doesn’t show any of the pathways owned by NDHA nor the paths behind Discovery Ridge Manor/Park/Mount (special circumstances), so the map’s usefulness is a bit limited.

The warm weather has not permitted the making of ice thus far for our community rinks, but the goal remains to have rinks this winter. Unfortunately, our rink’s concrete pad doesn’t have a built-in cooler and, with all the exposure to direct sunlight, the ice will not form properly until it is colder. Stay tuned!

Despite the unseasonal weather, the winter holiday is here! It’s a moment for reflection, enjoyment, and anticipation for the upcoming new year. Amidst a busy 2023, we eagerly look forward to new initiatives and exciting events in 2024. The DRCA Board extends warm holiday wishes to all of our dedicated volunteers and DRCA members.

We are looking for additional volunteers to create and maintain the ice surface on our outdoor rinks at the Recreation Facility. If you would like to help us out, please email volunteer@discoveryridge.com and type Rink into the subject line.