We are giddy first-time homeowners at the Boyle Street Community League.

Garbage cans are exciting, upholstery the subject of spirited debate, ovens a hot topic of conversation, and floor mats a pressing aesthetic issue. In short, we’re choosing the furnishing, fixtures, and equipment that will turn the empty shell of our community centre into a welcoming home away from home for all. The League office is awash in spreadsheets, catalogues, Post-it notes, flip charts, and scribblings. Our meetings are spirited and productive, fuelled by generous amounts of green tea and bao.

While we’re still imagining what everything will look like once it’s in place, we are sure that our new surroundings will be comfortable, stylish, and accessible to all.

But no matter how fashionable the space, a community league is nothing without people. So, it is time to watch your mailboxes and lamp posts with eagle eyes. News and information regarding memberships to the Boyle Street Community League will appear later this month. You may even see me, and my little dog too, at your next condo board meeting, or a public forum.

We want YOU! Therefore, there is no cost to you for a 2012/2013 membership. This card is your passport to all BSCL programs and events, as well as specific sessions offered in the space by our partner, the YMCA. There will even be a designated “Community Swim” at the new Commonwealth Leisure Centre. All are welcome!

This is an unprecedented opportunity for our artists to participate in a key community building block.

We’re reaching out to our artists as well. On December 12, we received an early Christmas present in the form of a Living Local grant from the Edmonton Heritage Council, Edmonton Arts Council, and Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues.

Thanks to this financial support, we can get started on assembling Illuminated Boyle Street. This digital media arts piece will unite photographs of our vanished historic buildings with the contemporary images and words of the literary and visual artists living in Boyle. The finished piece will be projected on our “Gallery Wall” which is open to the site through a glass curtain wall. Not only will this exciting work enliven the 95 Street streetscape, but also will illuminate the community centre green space after dark.

This is an unprecedented opportunity for our artists to participate in a key community building block. “Illuminated Boyle Street” is a living work of art – thanks to the fluidity of digital media, we’ll be able to update, change, and adapt thematically to changes in Boyle Street. And, most importantly, this work will spark many conversations, story exchanges, and community connections as the many generations and cultures living in Boyle view it

If you are an area artist, please email evamarie@heartofboylestreet.ca or call (780) 422-5857 for more information. A formal request for proposals will be issued later in February.

As always, we’re looking for your ideas and input. Unfortunately, due to a close encounter between my leg and a minivan just after the New Year, I won’t be able to keep regular office hours for a while, but am always reachable via phone and email.

That’s all for now from this corner of Boyle Street. Happy Valentine’s Day, and share the love!

Eva Marie Clarke is the Boyle Street Community Animateur. She is accompanied by a spunky Pomeranian named Lily.