Europeans are very sensitive to style. In each city, there is a department responsible for reviewing development projects and making sure that new buildings match the style of the surrounding architecture. This seems to make sense. You don’t want the old city districts with old Cathedrals, castles, and other historically significant buildings to be mixed with modern glass and aluminum sky-scrapers. This would not be a good preservation of heritage. This would not be serious. This would be plain ugly.
We all know and used to appreciate the beautiful Victorian train station located in the heart of the Dundas Valley Conservation Area. Somebody has put a lot of thought and effort to make it look authentic and complete, with the natural surroundings, the railway and the train. The view of this extraordinary site was breath-taking. It was.
Following, please find an open letter addressed to Chris Firth-Eagland, the new Chief Administrative Officer of the Hamilton Conservation Authority.
“A human being is part of a whole, called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest… a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.
Craig Campbell, a staff writer with the 
We have reached a point at which a comprehensive examination of our goals, our findings, and our conclusions seems necessary. There also is a need for a thorough assessment of our actions and strategies, to date. It’s time to provide clarity by presenting the whole picture in one compact and cohesive summary.
After the seriousness of last week’s reporting, we finally had a good laugh this morning. Twenty two hours after the meeting with Mr. Propedo had ended, the sharp eye of the Dundas Valley Deer Association (DVDA) spotted what can only be seen as an evidence that the “security light” is doing its job. We did not have this often in the past, when the light was not installed yet. Maybe the darkness was effectively deterring the trouble makers. This is what they call a “catch 22”.
Today, we participated in a meeting with Mr. Tennessee Propedo, Manager for Parks with the City of Hamilton. Mr. Propedo’s responsibilities include looking after the outdoor ice rink programs throughout the City. He issues the permits. We truly appreciated his willingness to meet with me this morning.
The new lights are “spilling” into the surrounding area. They create a problem that Shari Faulkenham, the Ecologist with the Dundas Valley Conservation Authority, called a “light pollution.” Here is what she wrote in her email addressed to us and to the City officials:
Shari Faulkenham, the Ecologist with the Dundas Valley Conservation Authority, recently took part in the discussion concerning the outdoor ice rink in the Sanctuary Park. In her email, she wrote:
(Last night) – Deer in large numbers are beginning to feed along the Pleasant Avenue, between Skyline Drive and Green Meadow Way.
During the last week, we have made a conscious effort to regularly check on the Sanctuary Park at night. Some nights, we were there two times. We were also checking the animal tracks around the park in early morning hours.
My Dundas Valley 