Mill-Courtland Neighbourhood Association
Greetings! Welcome to the WRX Property Group website and blog. For today, we’ll be turning our eyes once more to the neighbourhoods that make up Kitchener-Waterloo. Specifically, we’ll be looking at the Mill-Courtland neighbourhood.
Even more specifically, we’ll be looking at the Mill-Courtland Neighbourhood Association that operates there. Here we go!
Where It’s Located
Let’s get oriented: Mill-Courtland is one of the several neighbourhoods that make up the greater Downtown Kitchener. In the middle lies the downtown core (essentially centred around the King Street / Queen Street intersection), and several more residential neighbourhoods surround it.
Mill-Courtland is the furthest south, and one of the largest by area.
The intersection of Courtland Avenue East and Stirling Avenue South is near the centre of Mill-Courtland, and the neighbourhood stretches just past Ottawa Street in the southeast, to Highland Road East in the southwest, Queen Street South in the northwest, and King Street East in the northeast.
The Mill-Courtland Neighbourhood Association
The Mill-Courtland Neighbourhood Association operates (appropriately) out of the Mill Courtland Community Centre, located at 216 Mill Street. With a distinctively arched façade composed of light brown bricks, the community centre itself has quite a bit to offer neighbourhood residents – like an outdoor skating rink during the winter!
Among the services offered in the Mill Courtland Community Centre are public access to a computer and free WIFI; the Library Links program (in partnership with Kiwanis and the Kitchener Public Library) and a Little Library (read all about the Little Library phenomenon in Kitchener-Waterloo here); printing, scanning, and laminating; a clothing room with clothes for men, women, and children (also accepting donations); a family outreach worker; and more.
Before we get into the particulars of what the Mill-Courtland Neighbourhood Association does, there’s one final thing to make note of. The first is that the Highland-Stirling Community Group and the Cedar Hills Community Group also run out of the Mill Courtland Community, and these groups offer a variety of resources and opportunities aimed at their particular neighbourhoods.
Let’s hear it in their own words first: the Mill-Courtland Neighbourhood Association is “comprised of dedicated volunteers who work very hard to provide a variety of resources, programs, experiences and opportunities to people within their community” (MCNA-HSCG).
It strives to make the Mill-Courtland Neighbourhood Association a great place to live by building connections between residents, offering “affordable recreational, educational and social programs, activities, and special events,” and endeavouring to make it a safe and caring community.
Events
In addition to their ability to advocate on behalf of the neighbourhood (and its residents) in municipal matters, and their inherent capacity to promote connections between community members, one of the best parts of Neighbourhood Associations is the events they hold throughout the year.
The Mill-Courtland Neighbourhood Association hosts quite a few – even more when you include those events organized by the affiliated Highland-Stirling Community Group and the Cedar Hills Community Group.
You can check their Special Events page to see if anything big is coming up, or alternatively, you can navigate to the ‘Events’ subheading on the official City of Kitchener page for the Mill-Courtland Neighbourhood Association: click here to go there.
As a sample of what to expect, the events listed for March includes multi-day March Break programs for kids (crafts and games for younger kids, and more sports-oriented for older kids).
Registration is required for these sorts of events; you can find out everything you need to know on the registration page.
Programs
Seasonal events are great, but some residents might be interested in more long-running opportunities. The Mill-Courtland Neighbourhood Association certainly does not disappoint in this regard: they offer an array of programs that can only be described as impressive and comprehensive.
They’ve got something for everyone, with opportunities for community members in age groups ranging from babies to 80+.
Most of their programs are broken down into different age brackets (Adult Fitness, Adult Leisure, Childrenand Youth Dance, and Parent/Caregiver and Child are just a few examples), which is a great way to narrow down your search to find the perfect program for you.
It’s worth reiterating: the Mill-Courtland Neighbourhood Association has a fantastic assortment of programs! Here are but a few highlights: Irish dance, Lego club, Power Pilates,
Retirement Workshop, and Game Development.
You can view the Programs page here, but the best way to get a sense of what the Mill-Courtland Neighbourhood Association is offering is via their newsletter (here’s the Spring 2019 edition).
Towards the bottom of the newsletter are descriptions of the various programs, with more detailed scheduling and pricing information at the bottom (some programs are free, others are not).
Neighbourhood Market
Another exciting opportunity coordinated and run by the Mill-Courtland Neighbourhood Association is the Neighbourhood Market. With the help of volunteers and Mill Courtland Community Centre staff, fresh products grown by local farmers are put up for sale in market stalls.
A variety of vendors provides the community with a great way to get delicious, nutritious produce close to home! The Neighbourhood Market is run every Wednesday, starting in mid-June. Find out more here.
Keep Up to Date
Perhaps the best way to keep up with everything that’s going on with the Mill-Courtland Neighbourhood Association is to sign up for their emailed Newsletter (click here to find the subscription sign-up). You can also find their most recent newsletter through that link, viewable as a .pdf.
In addition to outlining the special events, ongoing and upcoming programs, and important dates and reminders, the newsletters can also serve as both a neighbourhood discussion-started and celebration. For example, the Spring Newsletter highlighted the talents of local artist Lisa McKay.
One great aspect of the Mill-Courtland Neighbourhood Alliance is that it’s run by the neighbourhood, for the neighbourhood. If you’re interested in volunteering, there are plenty of ways to do so: from helping out at special events to becoming an instructor for one of their programs.
Check out their volunteer page here!
Finally, if you’d like to contact the Mill-Courtland Neighbourhood Association, just follow this link.
Downtown Neighbourhoods
If you’d like to know about other nearby neighbourhoods, we have articles on the adjacent members of the Downtown Neighbourhood Alliance: Victoria Park and Cedar Hill. We also have articles on the Victoria Park Neighbourhood Association and the King East Neighbourhood Association.
If you’re looking for a diverse, welcoming community, Downtown Kitchener truly is a great option!
Conclusion
And with that, we wrap up another foray into the Neighbourhood Associations and Community Associations of Kitchener-Waterloo! The Mill-Courtland Neighbourhood Association is doing a great job in making their community active, supportive, and welcoming – all important characteristics for a place you might call home!
If you’d like any assistance in finding your perfect home, please don’t hesitate to contact us; we’re always happy to help.
Written by Will Kummer