[cl812]

Construction record about to topple
Published Wednesday December 29th, 2010
City | A number of big projects to wrap up next year and in 2012
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

When the last day of 2010 rings in, Fredericton will have surpassed its construction record set in 2008.

City development committee chairman Coun. Stephen Chase said the year-end projection for Fredericton is $168 million, about $11 million more than the 2008 record of $157 million.

"This is very good news, but it should be tempered by noting that we don't expect this trend to continue," Chase said.

That's not to say the city won't continue to enjoy steady growth, Chase said, but many of the municipal, institutional and government infrastructure projects that have fuelled construction over the past year are winding down.

The city's Grant*Harvey complex is expected to be finished in March 2012, but the University of New Brunswick's Currie center is almost done.

The New Brunswick Community College on the UNB campus is also under construction.

The city's $78-million downtown convention centre, eastend parking garage and government office building are to open in 2011.

As the federal and provincial governments struggle to wrestle down their deficits, Chase expects that the federal funding tap for public facilities is going to be turned off.

"Some development prospects are on the horizon, such as Costco, but we expect these types of projects to be few compared with recent years.''

Costco has done its site preparation at the Corbett Centre on Regent Street, but the bulk wholesale grocery and household merchandising chain has yet to announce a date to start building its store.

"They're keeping that pretty close," Chase said.

The company has said it plans to be open next summer.

The development committee chairman said he has high hopes for the future of the former railway lands between York and Regent streets in the downtown.

Chase said installation of underground services has been taking place that will make the property ripe for growth.

"There are encouraging signs of development on the railway lands," he said.

"For the future, the prediction is for much more conservative growth in the $100-million range. The bread and butter of residential development will continue to chug along," he said. "Anything that comes along on top of that will be well-received."

Fredericton's 2011 budget is predicting a taming of red-hot construction levels.

The city's 2011 tax base - the value of all taxable property in the city both new buildings and reassessed properties - rose 4.88 per cent.

New buildings made up 2.5 per cent of the growth. The remainder was the increase in properties that had higher assessments.

The province government has said it will cap property assessments at three per cent this year and in 2012.

The city is predicting that tax base growth in 2012 will be at 4.25 per cent with new construction making up 2.25 per cent of that.

In 2013, the city is estimating that there will be two per cent growth in New Brunswick, 1.75 per cent in 2014 and 1.50 per cent in 2015.

Its prediction is that assessment increases will level off at two per cent growth between 2012 and 2015.

[cl812]

It's finally official.

Fredericton's long-awaited Costco store will be built in 2011 with a tentative opening date of August.

Ron Damiani, spokesman for Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd., confirmed the company's construction plans for the capital city in a telephone interview.

It will be the third location in New Brunswick for the members-only wholesale grocery and household goods chain. Moncton had the first Costco store in the province. Saint John's opened last year as the largest in the province and Fredericton's store will rival the Saint John location.

The store will be between 12,600 square metres and 13,500 square metres (140,000-150,000 square feet).

"It's very similar to Saint John's (store)," Damiani said.

"We'll have the full gamut of services there is no doubt. There's going to be a bakery, meats, a photo and optical area and a pharmacy," Damiani said.

The store has approval to construct a gasoline bar as part of the project. A final decision has yet to be made on that part of the project, he said.

Final design of the building is to be determined, although the store will follow Costco's typical model of having an angled main entryway.

Some Frederictonians are big fans of the wholesale grocery outlet, with many travelling to Moncton and Saint John to shop. There's even a Facebook page, supported by fans of the outlets called Are They Ever Gonna Open a Costco in Fredericton?

Damiani said typically eight to 12 weeks ahead of a Costco store opening, there will be a membership drive both to sign up business customers and individual members.

"We start canvassing for memberships. We visit small businesses because they're a really important part of our base. We have a lot of small business members that shop at Costco and leverage our buying power to enhance their profitability," he said.

There will likely be a portable on-site office set up to sell memberships. Shoppers can also buy a membership from the Moncton or Saint John stores just prior to the Fredericton store's opening.

Costco members can shop anywhere in the world with their membership, Damiani said.

Memberships costs $55 per individual, $50 for a business and $100 for an executive membership.

"It's 100 per cent guaranteed. If after 364 days you're not happy, we're going to give you the entire money back. We have an absolutely great return policy and member satisfaction policy," he said.

Costco has 582 warehouses, including 425 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 80 in Canada, 22 in the United Kingdom, seven in Korea, six in Taiwan, nine in Japan, one in Australia and 32 in Mexico.

http://nbbusinessjournal.canadaeast.com/gleaner/article/1365357

Good to see an official announcement from Costco on the rough opening date. Hopefully they go ahead with the gas bar.

[Freddypop]

Good to see an official announcement from Costco on the rough opening date. Hopefully they go ahead with the gas bar.

Yep.....

The official word from Costco was all that was missing to this date. Takes 4 months to construct so figure an April construction startup. Easy to do now that site prep has been completed. Re the gas bar....Its not a question of if but when that component will go-ahead. I suspect that they will move forward and have it open in 2011 as well but if not it will follow at some later date.

[cl812]

Yep.....

The official word from Costco was all that was missing to this date. Takes 4 months to construct so figure an April construction startup. Easy to do now that site prep has been completed. Re the gas bar....Its not a question of if but when that component will go-ahead. I suspect that they will move forward and have it open in 2011 as well but if not it will follow at some later date.

Yeah I was kinda thinking the same thing, especially since it was in the plans from the beginning.

[cl812]

Editorial on development from Yesterdays Gleaner:

Fredericton is a growing municipality
Published Thursday December 30th, 2010
C6

It's been another great year for development in Fredericton.

Recent figures released by the city indicate the municipality in 2010 will surpass a construction record set in 2008. The year-end projection for Fredericton is $168 million, about $11 million more than the 2008 record of $157 million.

The figures illustrate a city on the move, a city spreading its wings and becoming more attractive to investors.

The numbers also show that the long and short-term planning by the city's elected and paid officials is paying off - literally.

To echo the words of city development committee chairman Coun. Stephen Chase, the figures represent "very good news."

But, as Coun. Chase also points out, the success of the past year should be tempered by noting the city doesn't expect this trend to continue.

That's not to say the city won't continue to enjoy steady growth, Chase said, but many of the municipal, institutional and government infrastructure projects that have fuelled construction over the past year are winding down.

The city's Grant*Harvey complex is expected to be completed in March 2012, but the University of New Brunswick's Currie Center is almost finished.

The New Brunswick Community College on the UNB campus is also under construction.

The city's $78-million downtown convention centre, eastend parking garage and government office building are to open in 2011.

As Coun. Chase also pointed out, funding for infrastructure projects is expected to be turned off as provincial and federal governments struggle to wrestle down their deficits.

That will make a difference.

"Some development prospects are on the horizon, such as Costco, but we expect these types of projects to be few compared with recent years," Coun. Chase said.

While Costco has completed its site preparation at the Corbett Centre on Regent Street, the bulk wholesale grocery and household merchandising chain has yet to announce a date to start building its store. But they have told us it's expected to open in August.

"For the future, the prediction is for much more conservative growth in the $100-million range," Coun. Chase said. "The bread and butter of residential development will continue to chug along. Anything that comes along on top of that will be well-received."

The true good news associated with this year's record construction rate is that as the city continues to expand, so does its tax base.

The city's 2011 tax base - the value of all taxable property in the city both new buildings and reassessed properties - rose 4.88 per cent.

New buildings made up 2.5 per cent of the growth. The remainder was the increase in properties that had higher assessments.

That means more revenue coming in for the city and, hopefully, it will translate into an ability to sustain, if not expand some services as we move through this difficult financial period we now find ourselves in.

We congratulate the city on its record setting year and look forward to sharing in the celebration of similar successes in the future.

Never discourage anyone...who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.

Plato (427 BC - 347 BC)

http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/opinion/article/1366069

[cl812]

Will convention centre deadline be met?
Published Monday January 3rd, 2011
Downtown | '101 things' to do as project races to finish before Jan. 13 gala
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Will it be ready in time?

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=656667&size=500x0
Above is the ballroom of the convention centre, as officials race to have the centre ready by Jan. 13.

That's the big question for city hall as construction on the $78-million downtown convention centre moves to the finish line.

Painting and flooring have to be completed as the city looks to have the building ready for a $10,000 gala opening Jan. 13.

That's when Mayor Brad Woodside will talk about the state of the city and host a reception and tours of the facility for invited guests.

The Fredericton Chamber of Commerce is co-hosting the evening.

The doors of the convention centre will be thrown open to the general public for tours the following Friday and Saturday.

"We're still pushing like crazy here," said Greg Cook, the city's director of special capital projects. "We're still pushing for the date here (Jan. 13), but we're going to soon have to make up our minds.

"It's the same as any job: When you get to the end, there's just 101 things that need to be done and everybody needs to do their little bit. There's nothing major. You've got to put the flooring down to finish off the base. You've got to paint the walls. Everything is sequenced."

Base-coat priming and one coat of paint has been done, but it's preferable to do the final coat at the end of the project.

Cook said the city hasn't lost sub-tradespeople to floor repair work in the private sector, so that's not an issue. It's just all about finishing work, he said.

During December's heavy rains, the parking garage took on water which had to be pumped out, but Cook said that's because pumps weren't installed to cope with water. The garage has been constructed with the ability to cope with annual spring flooding.

There was no damage to the convention centre parking garage due to recent flooding, Cook said.

The convention centre has a 1,125-square-metre (12,500-square-foot) ballroom and 666 square metres (7,400 square feet) of additional meeting space for smaller sessions, executive board meetings and special events.

The building will have a high-definition video conference room and media room, and it offers complimentary wireless Internet.

The convention centre will open into The Playhouse theatre building, where the 700-seat main stage can be used for additional meeting space.

The convention centre is part of a complex that includes a new multimillion-dollar provincial government office building that will open in the late spring or early summer, and a parking garage.

[cl812]

North side to get new sports field
Published Wednesday January 5th, 2011
Willie O'Ree Place | Mayor to announce more details Jan. 13
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside has been trying to keep the lid on a major new sports initiative for the capital city.

The Daily Gleaner has learned that Woodside will announce a new northside soccer field Jan. 13 when he delivers his assessment of the state of the city at the gala opening of the convention centre.

The event, which is hosted by the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, will mark the opening of the $78-million downtown eastend complex.

Woodside will be announcing the name of a benefactor who will co-fund the sports field to be located alongside Willie O'Ree Place on Fredericton's north side.

"Having sports fields at both Grant*Harvey and Willie O'Ree Place has been a goal of the city's recreational master plan. There's no secret in that," the mayor said.

"It's something we've been looking at for quite some time.

"We've been working on putting this package together for a year and without a major partner, it couldn't be done.''

Beyond that, Woodside won't confirm the name of the city's partner on the project, nor would he give additional details.

"You'll have to wait until Jan. 13th," he said.

However, The Daily Gleaner has located the budget line item for Fredericton's contribution of $840,000 to the project.

Fredericton city councillors voted behind closed doors to tuck away the city's portion of the sports field funding under the nondescript header of a capital investment reserve.

The money is part of the city's $97.9-million, 2011 city general fund and capital budget.

Although city council decided to debate the majority of its budget in the public eye unless the discussion was going to involve cuts to personnel, there was no public talk about the proposed sports field at an open budget meeting.

Only three of the city's 11 budget meetings were closed to the public and media on that basis.

Woodside said he expects large projects in the future will involve partnerships.

In the meantime, Woodside said he's been advised that the convention centre will be ready for the special evening Jan. 13.

A reassessment of the status of last-minute construction on the building this week indicates the city can open the convention centre on time.

"I've been told it's going to be ready for the state of the city address and the ribbon cutting on the 13th," Woodside said.

Any project goes through last-minute fixes, he said.

"There may be some stuff in the building that may not be finished, but as far as our needs are concerned for Jan. 13, I've been told it will be ready."

The provincial government office building under construction as part of the development isn't slated to be finished for about three months.

[cl812]

Convention centre event set for Jan. 12
Published Thursday January 6th, 2011
A4
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held Jan. 12 at 2 p.m. to officially open the Fredericton Convention Centre at 670 Queen St.

Federal, provincial and municipal officials will attend, as well as invited guests.

The public is welcome to attend.

Activities will continue Jan. 13 with the Mayor's Gala and 2010 State of the City Address, sponsored by the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce. Activities begin at 6 p.m., with a reception, followed by dinner and the mayor's address.

A ticket is needed to attend and can be purchased by calling the chamber office at 458-8006.

It will be the first official event in the facility.

Public open houses and self-guided tours will be held later this winter to celebrate the opening of the multi-use meeting facility designed to host major conventions and events, said city hall spokesman Wayne Knorr.

He said further details will be announced later.

The convention centre has a 1,125-square-metre (12,500-square-foot) ballroom and 666 square metres (7,400 square feet) of additional meeting space.

[Freddypop]

Published Saturday January 8th, 2011

A1 By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN

llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton's unemployment rate fell 0.2 percentage points to 5.5 per cent in December, according to the latest data from Statistics Canada released Friday.

That's down from 5.7 per cent in November but up from 4.7 per cent in December 2009.

Fredericton's unemployment rate trended upward through the first half of 2009 until it peaked in August at 5.9 per cent.

Then it fell to 5.7 per cent in September and stayed there for October and November.

Coun. Stephen Chase, chairman of Fredericton's development committee, said Friday the December result is welcome news.

"Clearly, the employment situation is improving and perhaps that is reflective of the solid growth pattern the city and region has demonstrated," he said.

"I think we still have some work to do in concert with the province in making sure that we are able to attract good talent to the city and be able to retain the talent pool that we do have."

He said he has some concerns about 2011 as the province talks about deficit reduction, which might translate into cuts to the capital's civil service.

"Salary represents the biggest chunk of their expenditures," Chase said about the province.

"That has to be a concern to the city of Fredericton."

He said civil servants are still an important part of the city's economy.

"When you put employees on edge, they stop spending," said Chase.

Fredericton continues to have the lowest unemployment rate amongst the province's three main centres.

Moncton's unemployment rate in December was 7.3 per cent, up from seven per cent in November.

Moncton's unemployment rate in December 2009 was 5.5 per cent.

Saint John's unemployment rate in December was 6.3 per cent, down from seven per cent in November.

The port city's unemployment rate in December 2009 was 6.7 per cent.

Susan Holt, CEO of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, said the drop in the Fredericton unemployment rate is great news as long as it doesn't go too low.

"If it means more Frederictonians are working, that is absolutely what we want," she said Friday.

"The flip side is that it means the available labour pool is getting tighter and that is challenging for our growing businesses."

Holt said she doesn't expect the unemployment rate to go much lower in 2011.

"This slight decrease in unemployment is probably not going to be continued," she said.

"If anything, I expect to see a leveling off or stabilization through the first half of 2011 and then maybe some change as we get into the mid year."

New Brunswick's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 9.4 per cent in December, down from 10.3 per cent in November and 9.8 per cent in October.

The province's unemployment rate in December 2009 was 8.9 per cent.

"We continue to be concerned about these numbers," said Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Martine Coulombe in a media release Friday.

"The provincial government will continue to work towards creating an environment that will help to create jobs and to ensure our workforce is well educated and meets the demands of the labour market," said Coulombe.

[cl812]

sorry, just realized I posted the same article.

[cl812]

The final details
Published Wednesday January 12th, 2011
A1

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=658846&size=500x0

A construction worker, top left, installs one of the last panels on the front of the Fredericton Convention Centre on Tuesday as employees of Capital Window Cleaners clean the glass. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held today at 2 p.m. to officially open the facility, located at 670 Queen St. Federal, provincial and municipal officials will attend, as well as invited guests. The public is also welcome.

[cl812]

Roll out the red carpet
Published Thursday January 13th, 2011
Convention centre | Mayor says he's proud to see building almost finished
A1
By ADAM BOWIE
bowie.adam@dailygleaner.com

The curtains have parted on the Fredericton Convention Centre, giving a large contingent of community leaders, federal and provincial government representatives and the public their first opportunity to check out the nearly finished $28-million facility.

The crowd gathered to tour the spacious ballroom, test the facility's escalators and to hear remarks from dignitaries such as Premier David Alward, Canada's Minister of National Revenue and Fredericton MP Keith Ashfield, Mayor Brad Woodside and Hollis Cole, the president and CEO of ADI Group Inc. - the company behind the facility's construction.

The convention centre, which will host conferences, meetings and concerts, is outfitted with state-of-the-art teleconferencing equipment and multimedia facilities.

It has obtained a silver LEED Canada certification - a designation that's given to facilities that incorporate environmentally friendly technologies into the building.

Woodside said he was proud to be able to attend the official opening of the 66,000-square-foot (6,131-square-metre) facility, which will be able to accommodate 1,000 seated patrons and 1,500 visitors for stand-up style concert events.

"This, without a doubt, in my tenure as mayor and on Fredericton city council is one of the most exciting things that has ever happened," he said.

The mayor said he's not worried about the naysayers who have raised questions about the need for the facility, the timing of its construction or its location.

"There will be some that will say, 'You're building this, it's crazy, you're spending...,'" he said, allowing his words to trail off.

"That's to be expected, but you know it's the right thing to do."

He said he expects the facility to become a major piece of the downtown landscape, contributing valuable revenue for hotels, restaurants, bars and other local businesses.

"I think the majority of people in this city appreciate that we've taken this initiative and they'll understand and appreciate the benefits."

Work is still underway on a number of meeting rooms and in the section of the building that will provide space for the premier's office and house much of the staff working in the Centennial Building.

Construction crews still have to close off several open areas in the building's exterior. But Woodside said those issues won't have any bearing on tonight's state of the city address.

"The building will be completely finished in about a month. We've got 14 rooms down here, they're working on that," he said. "They've done an incredible job getting this ready for (the) chamber of commerce event. This part of (the facility) is ready.

"The reception and the ballroom area is ready. That's the most important part. It'll be open as soon as they can possibly get it open.

"The parking garage is going to be available (tonight) for the state of the city address free of charge ... And then we're going to close it again, get all the proper signage, and put the electronics in and things like that. Probably another three weeks (for the garage to be ready)."

More than 50 events have been booked for the convention centre so far.

General manager Cathy Pugh said about 65-75 per cent of the events already scheduled involve organizations that will come here from other jurisdictions.

She said she expects booking activity to rise now that the facility is closer to completion and as events begin to happen at the site.

"People can be apprehensive about making or confirming a booking in a convention centre that is not complete. And you can't blame them," she said. "With the booking pace that we have right now, we have no complaints."

Pugh said there will also be local and provincial meetings at the centre in the coming months.

"There will be a provincial meeting, a corporate meeting, maybe a smaller gathering - less than 50 people, sometimes as few as 10 people - as well as an international booking that's coming in June.

"We're anticipating 350 delegates to that one. In the fall, we have a provincial meeting for 500 delegates and then we also do intimate dinners and banquets," she said.

"We have the mayor's gala (happening this evening) as well as the premier's state of the province at the end of the month, which is about 800 people. And we're also working with the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival to see what they might like to do and how we can accommodate them in September.''

She said the convention centre will make the capital region a viable option for a number of major events.

"There have been Canadian associations that have had to bypass Fredericton before because we didn't have the facility to accommodate them. We may have lost business to Saint John, Halifax, St. John's," she said.

"We've actually been promoting this convention centre for over two years and we've been able to advise them this is coming."

The construction of the Fredericton Convention Centre was made possible by $19.9 million in funding from the City of Fredericton and through a joint funding partnership by the governments of Canada and New Brunswick, who contributed a total of $8 million towards the cost.

[cl812]

noticed the other day they have begun erecting the steel for the fifth knowledge park building.

Also, saw some more about the renos to the Aitken Centre in the Gleaner the other day. They will be installing two 9 x 13 foot video screens at the west end of the building (on either side of the Colter Room), corporate boxes will also be constructed and the press boxes will be expanded.

[Taeolas]

Loved how the radio station this morning kept going on about the convention centre's escalator.

So with Target finally officially buying up Zellers (http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2011/01/13/target-zelles-takeover.html), will we keep 2 Zellers in this city? They're going to be selling off about 70 of the stores (out of 220 they're buying up). Considering we're keeping 2 WalMart's easily afloat in the city, I doubt we'd lose either of them.

Hopefully they will do a full Target Conversion to those stores though; the Target stores in the states are so nice compared to the grunginess of the Zellers stores.

[Freddypop]

Loved how the radio station this morning kept going on about the convention centre's escalator.

So with Target finally officially buying up Zellers (http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2011/01/13/target-zelles-takeover.html), will we keep 2 Zellers in this city? They're going to be selling off about 70 of the stores (out of 220 they're buying up). Considering we're keeping 2 WalMart's easily afloat in the city, I doubt we'd lose either of them.

Hopefully they will do a full Target Conversion to those stores though; the Target stores in the states are so nice compared to the grunginess of the Zellers stores.

I figure they will do a full conversion. Its all about branding and the Zellers brand has run its course. As for keeping both...not sure. They may decide to relocate to Two Nations crossing just to be in close proximity to their major competitor.

[Taeolas]

Hmm yeah I could see one popping up in Two Nations. That would kill the zombie that is Brookside Mall though. On the other hand, Target does seem to like Stand alone boxes. Uptown should be standalone enough to survive, but Brookside would be a tough call. Maybe with an expansion that could be swung.

[cl812]

I could definately see them moving the Prospect St. Store in the future, maybe near the Corbett Centre on Knowledge Park drive or Bishop drive. The location at the Fredericton mall is not great, there just inst enough parking there, but that store has been recently renovated and expanded (in the last 10 years or so atleast). Hard to say with Brookside, I could see them closing that store or moving to a new location. If they both change to Targetts brand then I could see them competing better with Walmart.

[Freddypop]

According to various news reports Rio Can is the lead management group in partnership with Target. One could then assume that Rio Can would want to have a Target store on their property at the Brookside Mall and a stand-alone at their other major property in town...The Corbett Centre. I could see a Marshall's going into the current Zellers property at the Uptown Centre

[cl812]

'Banking' on development
Published Friday January 14th, 2011
Partnerships | $1.5M for Fredericton sports facilities
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Scotiabank has made a $1.5-million donation to the City of Fredericton's sports facilities.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=659470&size=500x0
The Fredericton Convention Centre was all lit up Thursday evening for the state of the city address, which was its first official function.

Mayor Brad Woodside and bank representatives jointly announced the funding Thursday night at the state of the city address.

It's the largest contribution Scotiabank has made in Atlantic Canada, Woodside said.

"That is partnership, my friends. That is partnership," Woodside said.

Peter Bessey, senior vice-president, Atlantic Region Scotiabank, joined Woodside on stage to announce the bank's contribution to Scotiabank Park North and Scotiabank Park South.

The bank's contribution will support a new artificial turf sports field next to Willie O'Ree Place. Both the northside arena and the soon-to-be-built Grant*Harvey facility have auxiliary sport and recreation facilities adjoining them.

The mayor said he'll be meeting today with Tennis Canada representatives to talk about the proposed six-court indoor tennis facility to be integrated with the Grant*Harvey centre, sharing its geothermal heating system.

"Both the north and southside clusters will have the critical mass of things that people can do to feel better and come to wellness, which is so important to the well-being and quality of life," he said.

"Scotiabank for many years has been very actively involved in recreational pursuits," Bessey said. "One of our key mottoes is being caring community bankers ... There's no question that recreation is top of mind from a health perspective and from an enjoyment perspective. It's great for children and it's great for families and that's where we want to be.

"I know that the people of Fredericton will be able to enjoy these facilities for many years to come," Bessey said. "It's a natural fit for us to support these important sports and recreational hubs - which include tremendous public access - that's very important for us."

The city's most pressing need is for a new soccer field. Fredericton set aside $840,000 toward that project in its 2011 budget.

Woodside said when he was asked last year at a Christmas function by a senior Scotiabank representative about the city's needs and how the bank could help, he was quick to head to Toronto with a wish list for a second soccer field for the city.

It's a sport that encourages children at little cost to enjoy the sport and get exercise, Woodside said.

A new artificial turf field has already been completed close to the Grant*Harvey site.

"The City of Fredericton is truly blessed to have great partners," Woodside said.

"When we do something, everybody is at the table, everybody appreciates how important it is. Everybody gets it. That's something that's special about this community that we never, ever want to lose."

Woodside said partnerships with government and the private sector will be the way to move forward in the city.

Woodside also announced a couple of other firsts at the event.

Fredericton has hit a record-breaking year with $168 million in construction and redevelopment.

This is the fifth straight year the city has experienced more than $100 million in construction and renovation of building stock.

The city has also achieved a so-called Milestone 5 for its work to reduce corporate greenhouse gas emissions. That makes the capital city only the fourth municipality in Canada and the first east of British Columbia to achieve the highest certification possible for its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas levels.

The city's efforts are measured under the partners for climate protection program administered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

Woodside said the city will also be engaging the community in the coming months with a new sustainability by design initiative.

Woodside said with the Hilton Hotel moving closer toward construction, it's time for the city to look to its downtown west end and find ways to tie it into the mix with redevelopment.

The first banquet at the Fredericton Convention Centre, hosted by the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, attracted 518 business and community leaders eager for their first glimpse of how their tax dollars were spent.

While there's still finishing work to be done, the entrance and staircase to the second floor convention centre ballroom were completed, giving the capital city its first twinned escalators since the former Levine's department store closed and Zellers relocated from the downtown to a one-level store on Prospect Street.

"As mayor, for a long, long time, I get calls from all over the country, all over the world from people interested in coming to this beautiful city to do business. So they have some basic questions.

"I've never been able to say this. It's not about the fresh air, the beautiful river, it's not about the walking trails. They always ask about the escalators.

"You have no idea how tough it has been to promote this city and call ourselves a smart city when I have to go out and tell people we don't have an escalator," Woodside said.

The mayor thanked federal-provincial partners, convention centre project manager Greg Cook, ADI Ltd., which was the general contractor and project designer, for their contributions to the convention centre project.

Scotiabank has 42 branches in New Brunswick. Four of them are in Fredericton. It's been in business for 128 years in the province.

[OliverD]

So with Target finally officially buying up Zellers (http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2011/01/13/target-zelles-takeover.html), will we keep 2 Zellers in this city? They're going to be selling off about 70 of the stores (out of 220 they're buying up). Considering we're keeping 2 WalMart's easily afloat in the city, I doubt we'd lose either of them.

Hopefully they will do a full Target Conversion to those stores though; the Target stores in the states are so nice compared to the grunginess of the Zellers stores.

FWIW, Target isn't buying Zellers. They are just buying their leases to secure sites for their own stores.

I can't really see a Target going into the Brookside Mall. Like others have mentioned, Two Nations makes more sense.

Only Target I've been in is the one in South Portland, Maine. Seems like a nicer Walmart.

[OliverD]

noticed the other day they have begun erecting the steel for the fifth knowledge park building.

Damn, I didn't notice that, and I work in KP.

[OliverD]

Just heard that there is a Pita Pit with a drivethrough coming to Brookside Drive, across from the mall. :tup:

Edit: Apparently it opens tomorrow.

[cl812]

Just heard that there is a Pita Pit with a drivethrough coming to Brookside Drive, across from the mall. :tup:

Edit: Apparently it opens tomorrow.

Yeah I heard that on the radio today also, and they said it is the first pita pit with a drive through in Canada.

[Freddypop]

Just heard that there is a Pita Pit with a drivethrough coming to Brookside Drive, across from the mall. :tup:

Edit: Apparently it opens tomorrow.

Yep...Its at West Hills Village. Opens tomorrow complete with drive-thru. Is located next to the Needs convenience store (currently under construction) and the Sobeys Fast Fuel gas bar (also currently under construction).

[Freddypop]

Details on 2010-11 construction in Freddy can be found on the city's website here:

http://www.fredericton.ca/en/ecodev/NR2011Jan18DevStats.asp

[cl812]

It's up, up and away at local airport
Published Wednesday January 19th, 2011
Strong year | 10,000 more passengers used Fredericton airport
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

The Fredericton International Airport had 273,968 passengers pass through its doors in 2010, an increase of more than 10,000 from 2009.

"We are pleased with the results of 2010," said David Innes, president and CEO of the Fredericton International Airport Authority.

"It is good to see that the airport continues to move ahead."

Scheduled air services showed growth last year. Air Canada added more capacity in the summer months over a longer period than in previous years, and charters to the Caribbean had a good year with more than 4,000 seats filled.

The airport had six regional jet flights in and out of the capital city on a daily basis for an extended period.

The size of aircraft on some routes has changed.

"You get a little bit of additional capacity with a Dash-8 300 with 50 seats being used rather than a 100 with 37 seats, so we've had a general increase in the number of seats that are available as well as a little bit more frequency," Innes said.

An increase of 10,000 passengers is another 25-30 people per day flying from the facility.

The Fredericton airport weathered the economic downturn better than other New Brunswick airports, holding its passenger counts relatively stable over the past three or four years.

It has seen an increase of more than 20 per cent in passenger traffic since 2005.

"This real growth over the last few years is a good sign of the airport's future and the future of the community," Innes said. "We've had a very good 2010."

Fredericton airport has daily flights to Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Halifax and seasonal flights to the Dominican Republic and Cuba.

Innes said the airport authority remains in talks with air carriers about service expansions. He said he remains optimistic that with a strengthened economy, expansion might be on the horizon.

"Hopefully, there will be some new services this year.''

Moncton International Airport, meantime, continues to gobble up better than half of all plane traffic in the province.

New Brunswick had 810,800 air travellers through its doors in 2010, with 553,000 of those flying into the Greater Moncton International Airport.

The Moncton airport authority is predicting it will put 590,000 passengers through its gates in 2011.

With files from Canadaeast News Service

[cl812]

Developer sues province over wetland rules
Published Wednesday January 19th, 2011
North side | Heron Heights subdivision was started and then halted
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

A Fredericton developer is taking the provincial government to court over its efforts to restrict expansion of his housing development on the north side because of wetland restrictions.

Arnold Chippin of Chippin's Ltd. and Heron Heights Ltd. filed their notice of action and statement of claim with Court of Queen's Bench on Jan. 10.

Arnold Chippin, his sister and business partner Ruth Chippin and their business partner Mitch Clarke have been developing the Heron Heights subdivision off Brookside Drive and have extensive land there to continue growth.

In September 2007, the developers took copies of their subdivision plan to a meeting with the Environment Department to clarify issues related to wetland constraints on the property prior to installing additional water and sewer lines, storm sewers and roads.

The meeting held Sept. 18, 2007, included then attorney general T.J. Burke, development company representatives and three officials from the Environment Department.

"Following the said meeting the (province) advised (the developers) that it had been determined that there were no wetland constraints on the phases of the development, which were then planned, and an email was received which specifically stated that there were no wetland constraints on the property," Chippin's Ltd. said in its statement of claim filed with the court.

As a result, permits were obtained and construction commenced in the spring of 2009. After the second phase of Heron Heights was approved by the city in the fall of 2009, an issue arose about the construction of a bridge and roadway across a brook.

During discussions regarding the bridge, International Consultants (Canada) Ltd. (Opus) - a consultant working for the developer - was informed by the Environment Department that the site had been flagged for wetland issues.

Chippin's Ltd. said it invested a lot of money in the project on the basis of the 2007 meeting.

The developer said it has suffered $510,000 in losses excluding HST, and loss of profits because the lands are now blocked from development.

Chippin's Ltd. is seeking damages and other relief as the court considers just.

The issue of how the Environment Department is determining wetlands and its policy on land use within those areas is causing concern in New Brunswick.

Coun. Stephen Chase, the city's development committee chairman, said Tuesday there's significant concern about the provincial wetlands policy at the municipal level.

"Right now with the release of new (provincial) wetlands maps, there's a clear problem for the City of Fredericton and other municipalities in New Brunswick," Chase said.

"I don't think anybody is suggesting that we should forego environmental rules and concern for the environment, but it is very much a question of balance."

Coun. Bruce Grandy said development in the Brookside Drive area could be impaired by the provincial wetlands designations.

"I'm concerned about what those particular designations mean to development and the sustainability of the city," Grandy said.

"My understanding of the way that this is being applied is by not even inspection of the lands but just by a general overview mapping system that looks at whether there has been any wet property there at all."

Wetlands should be respected, but a generic approach is of concern, Grandy said.

"It has to be properly undertaken.''

The Ward 2 (Nashwaaksis area) councillor said the province also needs to make sure it applies development rules fairly both inside and outside the city.

"I have a concern on that issue as well," he said.

The development committee was told Tuesday that city council will be receiving a report on the issue.

Grandy said new development is critical to generating the tax revenue needed by governments to sustain their budgets. While the province is cutting its budget, there's still a need for governments to source new revenue opportunities.

[cl812]

Worrisome number behind record construction year
Published Wednesday January 19th, 2011
A5
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

While the City of Fredericton enjoyed a $168-million, record-breaking construction year in 2010, it also had its worst year in a decade in terms of capturing its share of the regional housing market.

Only 29 per cent of all homes built in the greater Fredericton area were built within city limits.

Alex Forbes, assistant director of development with the city, said it's a figure that city hall expects to discuss with home builders as it tries to elicit causes for the downturn.

"The challenge is trying to determine if people have moved to a different market because more people want single-family dwellings and see it as cost-prohibitive inside the city," he said.

The average cost to build a single detached home in 2010 was $175,000. Land cost would be on top of that figure, Forbes said.

While single-family housing used to be the primary market for home buyers, that could be changing as the city's housing stock changes, Forbes said.

"There's been quite a bit of diversification in housing ... There's more mixed use on the residential front," he said.

Forbes said there are likely multiple reasons for changes in the single-family housing market.

The number of single detached homes built in the city in 2010 dropped to 123, well below the record of 226 set in 2004 and down from 169 in 2009.

Unlike rural areas, however, Fredericton is offering homeowners multiple housing choices, from condominium ownership to townhouse and duplex construction.

Multiple-unit starts, including apartments, townhouses and duplexes, totalled 329, down from 337 in 2009. The total number of new dwelling units in 2010 stood at 452 compared to 506 in 2009.

The value of all that residential construction was $55.8 million last year, down from the record-breaking residential year of $61 million in 2009. Even at $55.8 million, it was still the fourth best residential building year.

Fredericton's development boom in 2010 was largely driven by commercial, industrial and government construction projects.

"We broke the previous record of $157 million set in 2008 by $11 million and topped the $100-million mark for the fifth straight year," said Coun. Stephen Chase, chairman of the city's development committee.

"While we have lots to look forward to this year in the commercial and residential sectors, the record-breaking trend is not expected to continue in light of the winding down of government and institutional construction and stimulus funding."

Recent federal announcements about tighter rules on mortgage financing, designed to curb rising household debt, could also dampen traditional single-family home buying, Chase said.

"It will be a little more difficult, but that was motivated toward keeping people out of debt, which is a good thing, but it won't help us," Chase said of federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's mortgage announcement this week.

Chase said he hopes the city can send a stronger message about the value of building single-family housing in the city.

"We have a very low tax rate and very low debt service ratio compared to other cities in New Brunswick," he said.

The following are some of the highlights of the year.

* Commercial development came in at $42.8 million, topping the previous record of $42.6 million in 2007.

The major commercial projects that led development in 2010 were: renovations to the Brookside and Regent malls; work on buildings four and five in Knowledge Park; conversion of York Street train station into an NB Liquor outlet; construction of Carstar Quality Collision Service Centre on Alison Boulevard; renovations to the Smythe Street Superstore; an expansion of the Best Western Hotel on Bishop Drive; and renovations to a new Canadian Tire gas bar on Prospect Street. Building permits were issued for construction taking place this year on the new Costco Building and gas bar at Corbett Centre.

* Government and Institutional construction was worth $37.9 million in 2010, topping 2009's $30.1 million. The banner year was led by the start of construction on the dual ice-pad Grant*Harvey Centre. The $21.6-million, multi-use sports and leisure complex will be the cornerstone of a 18-hectare (45-acre) recreational hub on Knowledge Park Drive.

Other major projects included: a 68-unit senior's complex on Harold Doherty Court; Phase 2 and 3 of the New Brunswick Community College building on the University of New Brunswick campus; a new City of Fredericton transit garage on St. Mary's Street; construction of a YMCA facility on Albert Street; renovations to the Officers Barracks in the historic Garrison District; renovations to Head Hall auditorium and electrical upgrades to tunnels and buildings on the University of New Brunswick campus.

* Major residential projects in 2010 included: the Skigin-Elnoog Housing Corp.'s 14-unit apartment building at 600 Forest Hill Road; a 15-unit townhouse development by Colpitts Development on Huntingdon Circle; two eight-unit apartment buildings on Sunny Brae Drive; a 40-unit apartment building and eight-unit townhouse on Valcour Drive; a 24 unit apartment building on Trailside Lane; a 36-unit apartment building at 287 Brookside Dr.; a 41-unit townhouse development on Terrance Street; and a 44-unit apartment building at 362 Victoria St.

[Taeolas]

It's up, up and away at local airport
Published Wednesday January 19th, 2011
Strong year | 10,000 more passengers used Fredericton airport
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

The Fredericton International Airport had 273,968 passengers pass through its doors in 2010, an increase of more than 10,000 from 2009.

New Brunswick had 810,800 air travellers through its doors in 2010, with 553,000 of those flying into the Greater Moncton International Airport.



Nice news, but the math doesn't work out.

553,000 + 273,968 = 826968 which is more than the 810800 travellers listed for the entire year.

[cl812]

Nice news, but the math doesn't work out.

553,000 + 273,968 = 826968 which is more than the 810800 travellers listed for the entire year.

Not to mention those numbers are for Moncton and Fredericton only and do not include Saint John. Which if I remember correctly in past years are slightly less than Fredericton. Something definately doesnt add up there.

[Freddypop]

Nice news, but the math doesn't work out.

553,000 + 273,968 = 826968 which is more than the 810800 travellers listed for the entire year.

Yep....They need to add in the numbers from Saint John and Bathurst. Just guessing in my part but Saint John would be another 250,000 and Bathurst might add another 50K?

[kwajo]

Yep....They need to add in the numbers from Saint John and Bathurst. Just guessing in my part but Saint John would be another 250,000 and Bathurst might add another 50K?
SJ is about 225,000 this year

[theshark]

41k, which is good considering its bit lower than last year but last year the numbers where boosted with the acadian congress by 5400.

[theshark]

Double post

[Freddypop]

Published Thursday January 20th, 2011

A5 By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN

mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

The University of New Brunswick is setting its sights on a hotel for the next stage of its commercial development on Knowledge Park Drive.

ADI Ltd. presented the university's application to expand commercial opportunities on 6.6 hectares (16.5 acres) of land at 75 Knowledge Park Dr. to the city's planning advisory committee Wednesday.

The committee will recommend that the city and university enter into development agreements to permit highway commercial type uses on the land and to subdivide eight building lots on the land. Council has final say over the development application.

The property is located across from the Grant * Harvey Centre construction site.

The university engaged Genivar consultants to create design guidelines for its retail and business park development to ensure similarities in building design and facades.

Within the highway commercial zoning on the land, the university could seek to lease land for all kinds of retail and business services, from retail stores to restaurants, to a bank, medical office, drug store or a bar.

Richard Smith, ADI's manager of water and wastewater services, said the first stage is to get through all the planning requirements and get city council approvals for development in place.

He said the next step would be for the university to find a developer.

"It could be as early as next year or it could be a couple of years," he said.

ADI said UNB's proposed development wouldn't be within an area requiring more work to delineate specific wetland zones.

Mark D'Arcy of the Friends of the UNB Woodlot said the university should have sent representatives to the meeting to answer questions about its wetland inventory, ecologically sensitive areas and buffer areas.

[OliverD]

A hotel would make sense there, so close to the Grant•Harvey Centre.

I thought that some of the land was supposed to be developed as affordable residential. I wonder when that will happen. I would assume that type of development would be between the Corbett Centre and the Grant•Harvey Centre.

Also, I noticed yesterday that the old structures on the Diamond Construction land have come down and they are cleaning up the site. Hopefully that means construction will start in the spring.

[Freddypop]

A hotel would make sense there, so close to the Grant•Harvey Centre.

I thought that some of the land was supposed to be developed as affordable residential. I wonder when that will happen. I would assume that type of development would be between the Corbett Centre and the Grant•Harvey Centre.

Also, I noticed yesterday that the old structures on the Diamond Construction land have come down and they are cleaning up the site. Hopefully that means construction will start in the spring.

Where is the Diamond Construction land located?

[OliverD]

Here: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Fredericton,+York+County,+New+Brunswick,+Canada&ll=45.959593,-66.621732&spn=0.002182,0.005681&t=h&z=18

Colpitts is developing it with duplexes, townhouses, and two condo buildings.

[corda]

Courtesy of foxrocks.ca

Proposed apartment complex raises concerns
1/20/2011
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fredericton's Planning Advisory Committee is moving along a large apartment development on the corner of Regent and Beaverbrook Streets. Goguen White Architects Limited is proposing a 32 unit, four story apartment building with underground parking and 28 parking stalls to go on land located beside Harvey's Restaurant, but some people living in the area have concerns about safety, the size of the development and an increase in traffic. Linda Crewdson is one of the worried neighbors.
Crewdson says, over a four-year span there were 26 collisions resulting in 12 injures and one death. The application goes to city council for final approval.

[OliverD]

That's a very high traffic already. Any traffic increase will be negligible.

[cl812]

Article from todays Gleaner:

Proposed apartment building draws fire
Published Friday January 21st, 2011
A3
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Residents who live near a proposed 38-unit apartment building development downtown say the project is too big and will cause more traffic headaches at the hectic Regent and Beaverbrook streets intersection.

Fredericton's planning advisory committee has green-lighted the project and it will go to city council for final approval. A public hearing of objections will be part of the council approval process.

Developers George and Stephen Thompson are planning to purchase two properties next door to their eight-unit apartment building at 476 Regent St. and redevelop the site. The city is selling property it has left over from work done to improve the Regent and Beaverbrook streets intersection. The second property to be included in the redevelopment plan is a two-unit dwelling at 629 Beaverbrook St. That structure will be torn down.

The Thompsons will ask city council to upgrade the R-7 residential zone to an R-9A zone, which will permit two apartment buildings on the same piece of land.

The Thompsons want to change the eight-unit brick building on the site to six units and construct a second building on the property containing 32 units. The new building will be four storeys and have underground parking for 28 vehicles.

Beaverbrook Court resident Linda Crewdson, speaking on behalf of herself and four of her neighbours, said she's concerned about the extra traffic the apartment building will generate.

"I have had several near accidents at that corner," Crewdson said. "We've had some close calls there."

From 2007-10, the Beaverbrook-Regent streets intersection has seen 26 collisions, 12 injuries and one fatality, Crewdson said.

A traffic study should be conducted, she said.

Sean Lee, manager of engineering services, said the city's traffic engineer has studied the proposed development, but determined a full study wasn't warranted, although traffic control measures will be implemented.

The city's engineering department wants traffic around the development restricted by creating a right-in, right-out only access to the development and a barrier would be erected to ensure that drivers can't try to make left turns into the development from Regent Street. Another barrier would be contemplated on Beaverbrook Street to restrict left turning movements, said Lee.

The scale of the building is just too much for that corner, Crewdson said.

"This building is massive. You can't see around it," Crewdson said. "None of us would have been concerned if it was three storeys, maybe 10 or 15 apartments, but this is 32 apartments with all the extra vehicles."

Beaverbrook Court resident Chuck Moreland said the city has well-thought-out development rules, but the apartment proposal deviates significantly from those standards.

"If you read this (planning report), you will find that all the variances are more than 50 per cent of the minimum requirements," Moreland said.

For instance, the R-9A zones requires a maximum lot coverage of 30 per cent of the lot area. The proposed building would take up 48 per cent of the lot area, a variance of 18 per cent.

The proposed development lacks sufficient parking. Fifty-nine spaces would be required for the number of proposed apartment units. The site will have only 49 parking spots. The site will also be deficient on green space. The developers propose 557 square metres of landscaping around the building. Under the R-9A zone, the minimum landscaped open space provision is 1,368 square metres.

"These are not variances; they're a complete aberration of standard practices, as I read it," Moreland said.

City planners said in their report to the planning advisory committee that the parking and landscaping deficiencies aren't significant given that the building is located in the downtown. Tenants have access to city parks and walking trails, the report said. The parking shortfall means that the apartment complex will tend to attract residents who are less dependent upon vehicles because they have access to public transit or are within walking distance of amenities.

Architect Ed Goguen said his clients were approached by the city to see if they'd like to propose an infill development there.

Goguen, who's designing the new structure for the Thompsons, said the smaller apartment building will have a redesigned roof to better match the new apartment building. The red-brick of the existing apartment will be mimicked in features on the new structure.

Planning advisory committee member Alan Rayner said he has concerns about how close that building is to that corner.

"We did take a look at that and that was not an issue either," Lee said.

[cl812]

Airport seeks more marketing muscle
Published Friday January 21st, 2011
D1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

The Fredericton International Airport is seeking its first director of marketing and business development.

David Innes, president and CEO of the airport, said the time is right for the new position because the world is coming out of a major recession and there's new confidence in the air transportation industry.

"It's a rethink of the business expansion aspect of the airport authority," he said Thursday.

"It is a major senior position at the director level."

Innes said the airport and aviation industry is becoming more stable and there seems to be a lot of opportunity.

"Since we've been an airport authority, which is coming up to 10 years this May, there has not been a lot of optimism in the industry," he said.

"We seem to be coming out of that right now.

"Profits are up and airlines are making money. There seems to be better times ahead."

Innes said the airport wants to strengthen itself in the area of marketing and business development to make sure it can get all the opportunities possible.

Earlier this week the airport reported it had 273,968 passengers in 2010, an increase of more than 10,000 from 2009.

The airport has six regional jet flights in and out of the capital city on a daily basis plus seasonal charter holiday flights.

"We have been through a couple of decades of a lot of instability in the airline industry and I think we're coming out of that," he said.

"When we are going to conferences, we are seeing a lot of optimism now that we haven't seen for the last 10 years."

The airport has hired an executive search company and began advertising in The Globe and Mail newspaper last week, said Innes.

The ad calls for a progressive marketing and sales business leader with a proven track record of uncovering a business's potential.

It calls for a systematic approach to understanding marketplace needs and how to service it better and exceptional communication skills.

"It is a little bit of a new area for us," said Innes.

"It's an unusual position and we are looking nationwide."

The consultant is receiving applications, he said.

Innes said the position isn't primarily targeting the airport's plans for a new aerospace and defence business park.

He said the promotion of that project is being done with Enterprise Fredericton.

Innes said the airport hopes to have the position filled by March 1.

Susan Holt, CEO of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, said the position is a good idea.

"The Fredericton Chamber of Commerce and members of the Fredericton business community really place a lot of reliance on our airport in order to reach our customers, export our products and do business," she said Thursday.

"Any step the airport can take to help them grow and attract new services by building partnerships and better marketing their facilities we fully support."

Holt said the chamber is encouraging members of the Fredericton business community who are qualified to consider the role.

One of the key skills for such a position is strategic thinking to leverage relationships to the mutual benefit of the airport and its partners to grow services, she said.

"Like most jobs, you need to have a multitude of skills," said Holt.

[cl812]

Developers keen to get building
Published Friday January 21st, 2011
D1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

More home construction is on the horizon for Fredericton.

City council will be handed a number of development proposals for final approval in February.

James Realty Ltd. is planning to continue adding houses on 30 hectares of vacant land at Neill Street, Sunny Brae Drive and Hillcrest Drive. The property is part of the Neill farm property, which is being redeveloped for housing.

Thirty-three residential building lots will be built as part of the next phase of the property's development. Within an R-5 zone, additional townhouse development will be created along the east side of Neill Street extension.

James Realty Ltd. spokesman Jim Martin said an extension of Neill Street through to Irvine Street is still a few years away. He said 2013 is an optimistic time line for that roadway extension.

Ross Anderson Development Ltd. plans to build 30 townhouse units at 41 Sunny Brae Dr. That subdivision plan, along with front, side and rear yard variances, has been approved by the city's planning advisory committee.

J.D. Irving Ltd. will go to city council for final approval of its application for a zoning change at 14 Avonlea Court off Bishop Drive. The company is proposing to market the land to a buyer who wants to set up an automotive sales and services business.

Cummings Builders and Investments Ltd. is proposing a 43-unit townhouse development for Lian Street between Bishop and Valcour drives.

Northrup Holdings Ltd. is planning a 16-lot single family development for Brookside Drive area.

[OliverD]

J.D. Irving Ltd. will go to city council for final approval of its application for a zoning change at 14 Avonlea Court off Bishop Drive. The company is proposing to market the land to a buyer who wants to set up an automotive sales and services business.

Huh? That's where Fredericton Volkswagen is.

[cl812]

Huh? That's where Fredericton Volkswagen is.

must be a typo, pretty common in the Gleaner.

[Freddypop]

Huh? That's where Fredericton Volkswagen is.

Thought I heard that Fredericton Volkswagon was moving to a new facility? Can't remember where though...

M

[cl812]

Thought I heard that Fredericton Volkswagon was moving to a new facility? Can't remember where though...

M

now that you mention it I think I heard something similar.

[OliverD]

Thought I heard that Fredericton Volkswagon was moving to a new facility? Can't remember where though...

M

Even so, I doubt the current property would need a zoning change. Unless the Gleaner meant the new address for Fredericton Volkswagen.

Would be nice to see them add Audi sales to a new facility but I'm not holding my breath for that.

[LeBouthillier]

Has anyone heard what the plans are for the NBCC building on Smythe St once the college moves to the campus? That might be a good location for a new condo project. That area will be see quite a bit of change without the YMCA and NBCC.

[cl812]

Transit garage almost done
Published Monday January 24th, 2011
A3
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Construction is wrapping up on the city's new $5.4-million transit garage on St. Mary's Street.

The boilers were fired up last week and the building has passed its sprinkler system test.

The building's new bus wash system has also been commissioned. Dryers are part of the new system that will help to keep buses free of ice when they emerge from the wash bay.

Council awarded Pomerleau Inc. the contract to build the new operations centre on the north side.

Transit manager Sandy MacNeill told a city transportation committee meeting recently that administrative offices will remain in the old transit centre for now.

To prevent cost-overruns, the office area of the new centre has been roughed in, but not completed. MacNeill said it will be finished as financing allows.

The garage will allow all of the city's bus fleet to be stored under cover and with natural-gas fired radiant floor heating, it will allow transit buses to properly shed ice buildup on the underside of the vehicles, MacNeill said.

The garage was also built with windows on both sides of the building up to the roof line, allowing natural light to illuminate the interior of the building.

Coun. Eric Megarity said the city has a big stake in the movement of people and the construction of the garage bodes well for the future of the transit service.

Transportation committee chairman Coun. Bruce Grandy is asking for a refresher on the city's transit master plan so his committee can take a look at remaining recommendations in the report.

[Taeolas]

Was in Swiss Chalet for dinner yesterday, and they've got a TV up there showing the reno plans. They're closing the restaurant in February, and either gutting the place or tearing it down and rebuilding it for a new opening in a few months.

If I recall correctly that's probably the first major reno they've done there since Harveys was in the second dining room.

[cl812]

Drive-thrus give council pause
Published Tuesday January 25th, 2011
A4
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

When the University of New Brunswick goes courting for a Tim Hortons coffee shop alongside a proposed southside hotel on Knowledge Park Drive, the city wants to stop and think ahead about traffic.

Mayor Brad Woodside is calling for a staff report on drive-thrus to be prepared prior to approvals for eight highway commercial lots proposed on UNB-owned land across from the Grant * Harvey Centre.

"Many years ago, when permission was granted for a drive-thru, I don't think anybody then would have ever realized exactly the kinds of issues that we're dealing with today, and I think it really has to have a hard look by our traffic people and there has to be resolution because it just keeps getting worse and worse and we get a lot of complaints from people who are not able to get into lanes and that's on both sides of the river," Woodside said Monday night.

While he didn't name Tim Hortons, the popularity of that coffee shop chain has its patrons spilling off their properties and out into streets. On both sides of the St. John River, customers end up lining up out onto public streets to grab a cup of java.

"I think it's time the matter is addressed and I think it's a good time to do it," Woodside said.

UNB could put a coffee shop with a drive-thru lane in the highway commercial zone it's seeking on Knowledge Park Drive, but the university hasn't finalized deals.

It may be hard for the city legally to undo what's already been done, but Woodside wants a look at what was originally approved on those projects.

"Maybe there was permission to allow 20 cars a day and there's 250 cars a day. I'm not sure what the permission was. Yes, you can have a drive-thru, but I don't think your drive-thru can obstruct traffic and change the whole patterns of traffic in areas on the north and south sides," he said. "Nobody really anticipated this or the success of a coffee shop."

Woodside said he still remembers he questioned someone spending so much money to build the Union Street Tim Hortons location.

"Little did I know. If we would have known then what we know today, things would have been a little bit different," he said. "I don't have the solution. That's why I've asked staff to come back with something. Hopefully they'll meet with the owners. Something has to be done. It's gotten way out of hand in terms of traffic and in terms of complaints from people who can't get where they're going at rush hour in the morning."

Ward 12 Coun. David Kelly, who has repeatedly raised the drive-thru issue seeking solutions or better enforcement, said the problem on Regent and Prospect streets persists.

"I want to make sure that ... the traffic issues we've been going through over the last several years are going to be looked into, and we're not going to have the same problems (with the UNB property)," Kelly said.

Kelly said the local Tim Hortons shops are a victim of their success, but it's causing traffic woes for the city.

The city will hold a public hearing of objections on the UNB proposal Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m. The application for a rezoning from UNB endowment development zone to highway commercial drew objections from the Friends of the UNB Woodlot when it was vetted recently by the planning advisory committee. That advisory body is recommending to city council that it approve the university's application.

[Pugsley]

Drive-thrus give council pause
When the University of New Brunswick goes courting for a Tim Hortons coffee shop alongside a proposed southside hotel on Knowledge Park Drive, the city wants to stop and think ahead about traffic.

Does anyone know what the proposed southside hotel on Knowledge Park Drive is? Did I miss this in the threads? Interesting.

[cl812]

Does anyone know what the proposed southside hotel on Knowledge Park Drive is? Did I miss this in the threads? Interesting.

From what I have heard, it sounds like they have hotel in mind but havent specifically mentioned any names. I did hear that it would likely be developed within the next 2-5 years. I Wonder what the hotel market is like here right now? with the new Hilton Garden Inn likely going ahead this spring/summer and the recent addition to the Best Western, I would think that there must be a need for more hotel rooms, but at the same time it seems as though a new hotel and large expansion to another in town would meet the demand.

[OliverD]

Would be nice to see a Hampton Inns and Suites in Fredericton.

[Freddypop]

Would be nice to see a Hampton Inns and Suites in Fredericton.

I've heard from a reliable source that it is indeed Hampton Inns and that an announcement will be made later this summer complete with plans.:cool:

[cl812]

New college in final stretch
Published Thursday January 27th, 2011
Moving | Old campus on Smythe Street to become headquarters for NBCC
A1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

The construction of the $13.5-million Fredericton community college on the University of New Brunswick campus is on schedule and on budget, says Heather Hathaway, principal of NBCC Fredericton.

"The completion date is the end of March," she said Wednesday.

"Our plan is to move in at the end of June. We're very excited. It is 151 days until we move."

The Fredericton community college campus is housed in a former school building on Smythe Street.

When the facility opens, the Smythe Street location will become the provincial headquarters of the New Brunswick Community College system, which is an independent Crown corporation.

"It's a wonderful old building," said Hathaway.

"It has a great history with respect to education and we are very pleased that it will be the home of our new president."

Hathaway said the old building doesn't require a lot of renovations.

"We will be starting on the windows shortly.''

Hathaway said there were no problems encountered during the construction of the building, despite it being an environmentally friendly "lead silver" building.

"We are very excited that we are able to have a lot of new systems in the building that are reducing our carbon footprint," she said

"We had a fairly easy winter last year, which allowed them to structurally get the building up.

"Now they are working inside so even despite this cold weather things are going ahead."

The campus will have room for 400 students, compared to 170 students at Smythe Street.

She said the Fredericton community college is waiting for the Conservative government's budget to find out how many extra courses will be offered.

"Our programs are subsidized by government," said Hathaway.

"Programs that we currently offer here at Smythe Street will be offered at the new location.

"They are already open for enrolment now."

Those courses include: practical nursing and personal support worker, medical office administration, bilingual office administration and early childhood education and human services.

"We've released previously that we are looking in the area of information technology as well as engineering technology," she said about potential new programs.

If the new programs are approved, she said, the community college will require additional instructors.

"We will be expanding (if the funding is approved) and we are working on that recruitment plan currently.

"Those positions will be advertised, probably in the next few months,'' she said.

There will be a media tour of the campus next week and Hathaway said there will be an open house for the public later in the year when all the construction work is done.

"We will be very happy to have the community come in and have a walk through," she said.

[jimtriscuit]

Finally! after months of waiting for my registration to be approved I finally got an email in my box today, I signed up in November wow!

Has the been any talk lately of the following 3 Areas.

-The Potential Traffic Circle, for the Princess Margaret Bridge on the Northside, to try and flow the traffic better, between Riverside Drive, Pepper creek and to access the bridge? Im not sure if a traffic circle can work, but this area is a nightmare in the mornings

-Ramps off the ringroad, so southside bound drivers can easily access Two Nations crossing from the ring road, and also drivers coming from two nations crossing can acess the ringroad southbound towards downtown, instead of using St Marys and Cliff Street

-An overpass from Smythe Street to Bishop Drive, to cut back on traffic on Regent and Hanwell:banana:

[OliverD]

Supposedly, the Smythe Street overpass is the city's "highest priority." That's what I was told by a city councillor on Twitter a few months ago.

[OliverD]

Oops, double post.

[Taeolas]

I'm a bit torn. Part of me would love to see the Smythe street bridge, since that would have made walking to Regent mall from the apartments near Smythe so much easier.

But now I'm moving to the North Side, and I'm equally wanting badly for the Two Nations Crossing overpass so you can get in there from the south lanes.

Plus I really would like to see the Two Nations bus route back again. It doesn't seem right that it's easier for Transit users on the North side to go to Regent WalMart and Smythe Street Canadian Tire, than to the ones on the actual North Side. :/

[OliverD]

I'm a northsider as well, but I think the Smythe Street overpass is more important because it has the potential to divert a significant amount of traffic away from the Regent and Prospect intersection which is a nightmare. We don't have that problem on the northside...yet.

[Taeolas]

If they do do the Smythe street bridge, I hope they realign the Regent Mall entrance to Bishop Drive. The current entrance is *just* offset from the road entrance meaning you have to swerve to cross the ramp and get onto Bishop.

[Bill TGH]

What traffic study suggest the volume of cars traveling on the old highway between Prospect & Bishop demands an overpass/bridge instead of a simple set of lights ?

Simply extending Smythe St across a 90Km/h stretch of divided road can't be all that different from Maple or Brookside crossing the ring road (which carries a heck of a lot more vehicles based on my un-scientific observations:shrug: )

[Taeolas]

Is the Ring Road a controlled access highway? IIRC, Highway 2 is still designated as such up to the PMB. For whatever reasons, the plans probably want to keep that designation (no clue why; if they build a 4-lane to the Miramichi, I doubt they'd twin the PMB). That may cause issues for the pedestrian side of the equation too, to set up crosswalks and so forth.

There may be jurisdictional reasons too; I think Smythe street is a city street, so if the city builds a bridge, they don't have to go to the province for as much since they wouldn't be affecting the provincial highway. If they went with a level crossing, they would have to work with the province. (which shouldn't be that difficult but who knows how those dealings work?).

Of course it could be that the plan's have been forwarded virtually unchanged through the years to the point that people accept that a bridge is needed and don't consider that the situation has changed now and a level crossing may work now. (Having 2 traffic lights so close in a row might be messy, but they could always be synched up)

[OliverD]

I would imagine it would actually be three traffic lights very close together. You would have three interesections inside of 250 M of roadway. That could become very dangerous, especially if someone blocks the intersection with the highway. I think it would be best to make an overpass there to avoid that. No need to make the highway less convenient to use if we don't have too, either.

[cj6286]

I think I can speak for anyone that lives on the Northside, that transit is simply terrible! If I miss the bus, I have to wait an hour, and depending on the time of day- TWO hours. This is simply ridiculous! In my spare time, I thought up of some plans that could possibly fix this problem and even ease some congestion on the Westmorland Bridge. Wouldn't it make sense for each side to have it's own routes, then have a single bus that ran continuously from King's Place to another gathering spot on the north side? Or even a simple LRT (Light Rail Transit) system that would take route across the old Carleton Street Bridge? There is a vacant lot at the corner of Devonshire and Union Street, which would be perfect to have a station for an LRT and a spot for the buses to meet up like they do at King's Place. I would assume they would relocate the walking bridge. Make the LRT an underground section once approaching the southside (which I realise would be difficult with the flooding), street level (similar to Toronto's street cars) or an el train (similar to the sky train in Vancouver) above Carleton Street. These are just some ideas that I thought I should share. Though, I suppose any kind of train is highly unlikely...

The red is the LRT route and yellow is idea where to relocate the walking bridge.
http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x329/cj6286/LRT.png

[mylesmalley]

Welcome to the boards, cj6286!

I like the idea of hubs on either side of the river with continuous connecting busses between them. That'd be the most cost effective solution as well, as it would probably not require any infrastructure on the south side, and only the need for a parking lot somewhere central on the north side.

While the idea of LRT is neat, you're talking about millions and millions of dollars. While the piers are still there, they're probably in no condition to be used anymore, so your'e basically suggesting an entirely new bridge. Add to that the cost of rail infrastructure, demolishing and expropriating enough space on both sides, and even rolling stock, and you'd probably be pushing 100M. That said, it would be really neat.

I lived in Fredericton for four years. I'm well aware of how bad the traffic can get at times, but this isnt' Manhattan we're talking about. Most of Fredericton's traffic woes could be solved by a few simple fixes to existing infrastructure - such as building a full interchange at Smythe to lessen the pressure on Regent, improving bus transit citywide, improving access from Regent to Rt 7, and connecting Westmoreland St to York.

[cj6286]

I lived in Fredericton for four years. I'm well aware of how bad the traffic can get at times, but this isnt' Manhattan we're talking about. Most of Fredericton's traffic woes could be solved by a few simple fixes to existing infrastructure - such as building a full interchange at Smythe to lessen the pressure on Regent, improving bus transit citywide, improving access from Regent to Rt 7, and connecting Westmoreland St to York.

Yes, I totally agree with an interchange at the bottom of the intersection of Smythe (Smythe/Brunswick/King/Woodstock). I've heard somewhere last summer that they wanted to build a round-a-bout there? The one in Brookside West works wonderfully! The only perk about it, is that 70% of drivers do not know how to use it! I've seen drivers hit the centre of it, because they thought it was a throughway. It is sad, considering it's an extremely well marked round-a-bout. I can only imagine what would happen if or when they build the one at the bottom of Smythe.
Another traffic nightmare is the interchange at Forest Hill/Waterloo Row. I understand there used to be trains that ran through the middle, but now it is easily workable. When I first moved here, I was so confused on how to use this! I can only imagine how tourists feel. This should've been a round-a-bout from the start.
http://lamespotting.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/tf-spag.png

[mylesmalley]

Sad thing about that intersection is that I've looked at photos of it a dozen times, and it always makes sense to me. When I'm actually going through it though, I don't know what the hell I'm doing!

More often than not, I'd just follow Waterloo for a block, turn left and get onto Beaverbrook from University.

[Taeolas]

I've long said that Fredericton's transit needs work, and the badness of it is about the only concern I have for moving to the Northside soon (fingers crossed). Sending practically ALL of the routes across the river just doesn't really make any sense.

IMO, they should buy/rent the old Canadian Tire location, and use that as a new North Side Hub. Have 1 bus that runs between the Hubs every 30 minutes or so, (buy a minibus/van for the off-peak hours but keep the 30 minute time schedule while the buses are active), and have the north side routes (including one to Two Nations Crossing) going back and forth. All the routes should be minimum hourly any day they run, with more runs during the weekdays and peak times.

I'd almost be tempted to have one "express" route that goes from Brookside to Kings Place past Uptown to the Regent Mall and back (but back via Two Nations Crossing, until a south side entrance from Ring road is made). If it could hit the North Side Hub all the better.

FT should have 2 main hubs, Kings Place and something northside, and 1 or 2 subhubs, at Regent and Killarny Lake or Brookside Mall area, and routes should go between any two hubs, route lengths set up to make transfers easy at any hub.

We should also start planning to make it "Greater Fredericton Transit", and open things up so it can expand to Lincoln and Oromocto and other communities that are practically part of Freddy now.

[cl812]

Objections to university's development plan to beheard Feb. 28 at city hall
Published Friday January 28th, 2011
A4
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

A public hearing of objections has been set for Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. at city hall to consider the University of New Brunswick's application to carve out eight pieces of land near the intersection of Alison Boulevard and Knowledge Park Drive for highway commercial development.

The university wants to attract a hotel and possibly a Tim Hortons outlet, among other businesses, on a 7.6-hectare parcel. The land is a stone's throw from the Grant * Harvey Centre, an ice hockey arena and sports complex expected to open in the spring of 2012.

The UNB property sits in a holding zone created for the university in the city's zoning bylaw called UNB Development Zone.

The university has been developing and leasing property atop Regent Street to generate revenue. So far it has worked with Trinity Developments to create the Corbett Centre shopping complex at Regent Street and Knowledge Park Drive. That will also be the site for a Costco store expected to open by August.

An environmental group called the Friends of the UNB Woodlot objected to the Corbett Centre project and opposes the proposed eight-lot subdivision and rezoning coming to city council.

The group said the property has wetlands that the university should protect for the public good.

In 2004, UNB went through an extensive process of sorting through its vast wooded landholdings to decide what should be held for conservation and what could be leased for development.

The property designated for development doesn't fall within areas designated under new provincial wetlands policy in the province of New Brunswick according to ADI Ltd., which is piloting the university's application through city council's approval process.

[cl812]

Fredericton has lowest office vacancy rate in Maritimes - survey
Published Friday January 28th, 2011
D1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton has the lowest office vacancy rate in the Maritimes and the second lowest in Atlantic Canada behind St. John's, N.L.

A survey by Halifax-based real estate consultants Turner Drake and Partners Ltd. shows Fredericton's office vacancy rate was 6.07 per cent in 2010.

That's up from 5.3 per cent last year, said Ashley Urquhart, business development consultant with Turner Drake.

"It's good in that landlords are trying to maximize as much profits as possible," she said.

Turner Drake said it did one of the most comprehensive surveys conducted in Fredericton and looked at 58 office and industrial building.

Fredericton has 2.3 million square feet of rentable space and Urquhart said 15,690 square feet was added last year.

"The fact that was added and it is still the lowest vacancy rate in the Maritimes, that is showing there is quite a bit of demand there," she said.

Urquhart said St. John's has a 3.8 per cent office vacancy rate, the lowest in Atlantic Canada.

"They are really facing the crisis right now," she said.

Fredericton's office vacancy rate is projected to rise to 8.33 per cent over the next five years, said Turner Drake.

"I have three buildings that are coming to the rental pool: the convention complex on King and Queen streets; the Fredericton Square on 99 Westmorland St.; and then the fourth Knowledge Park Building," said Urquhart.

"Our projected vacancy rates will include that.

"If these new projects weren't coming to the table, it might be more difficult for new business startups to acquire space."

Fredericton's net rent sits at $12.96 per square foot, up from $12.81 per square foot in 2009, said the survey.

Turner Drake said the increase came from a 4.56 per cent increase in net rental rates in C class office space from 2009 to 2010.

"Compared to the rest of the Maritimes, it is kind of right in the middle of the pack," said Urquhart, about the office rental rate.

Rental costs in St. John's, Halifax and Charlottetown are a little bit higher, but Fredericton is close to Saint John and Moncton, she said.

Fredericton's industrial vacancy rate fell in 2010 to 13.11 per cent from 13.26 per cent in 2009, said Turner Drake. The falling vacancy rate can be attributed to the conversion of warehouse space to owner occupation and lack of new space being built, said the survey.

Industrial net rents dropped from $6.47 per square foot to $6.33 per square foot.

Turner Drake said while that rate is falling, it is still the highest in New Brunswick.

Frank Flanagan, Fredericton's director of development services, said the capital's office vacancy rate is both good and bad news.

"It's good that we're robust enough that we can fill office space," he said.

But it's not good when an out-of-city company is searching for space and can't find any, said Flanagan.

"That has been an issue we've had for many, many years," he said.

"Anyone coming to Fredericton looking for more than 30,000 square feet and they wanted to move in in the next few months ... we have not been able to accommodate."

Flanagan said there's a catch 22 situation in development. Banks won't loan money for a project until the developer can show guaranteed tenants and the tenants want to see the space before signing a lease.

"We can't seem to come up with a solution," he said.

"You can't build on the basis of speculation.

"It is just too expensive."

There are two buildings coming to the Knowledge Park this summer but most of that space is spoken for, said Flanagan.

The closure of Meritus University in the Knowledge Park will free up 10,000 square feet, but space in the park has certain criteria, he said.

The new downtown office building opposite the Centennial Building will have 180,000 square feet of space, said Flanagan.

The provincial government is planning to occupy that and renovate the 240,000-square-foot Centennial Building.

When the province consolidates provincial departments across the city into the renovated Centennial Building, that should free up some office space, he said.

[OliverD]

The office space issue is interesting. Realistically though, what kind of companies are coming to Fredericton and looking for 30,000 sq ft right off the bat? I don't see that happening much, if at all.

Regarding roundabouts, I really don't get why people find them so difficult. The concept is extremely simple. The Brookside Drive one is well marked and seems to work efficiently.

[OliverD]

I think I can speak for anyone that lives on the Northside, that transit is simply terrible! If I miss the bus, I have to wait an hour, and depending on the time of day- TWO hours. This is simply ridiculous! In my spare time, I thought up of some plans that could possibly fix this problem and even ease some congestion on the Westmorland Bridge. Wouldn't it make sense for each side to have it's own routes, then have a single bus that ran continuously from King's Place to another gathering spot on the north side? Or even a simple LRT (Light Rail Transit) system that would take route across the old Carleton Street Bridge? There is a vacant lot at the corner of Devonshire and Union Street, which would be perfect to have a station for an LRT and a spot for the buses to meet up like they do at King's Place. I would assume they would relocate the walking bridge. Make the LRT an underground section once approaching the southside (which I realise would be difficult with the flooding), street level (similar to Toronto's street cars) or an el train (similar to the sky train in Vancouver) above Carleton Street. These are just some ideas that I thought I should share. Though, I suppose any kind of train is highly unlikely...

I dunno, I've long given up on any hope that small cities in North America can have transit systems good enough for me to actually use them.

As cool as an LRT system across the river would be, I think it would make more sense to use the old bridge piers to create a second walking bridge. It would open up access downtown to more people on the northside. Walking/biking across the Westmorland Street bridge is awkward and very noisy.

[KnoxfordGuy]

So I just signed on to the forum...even though i've been looking at the pages for a long time lol. I'm from Fredericton. The city seems to be going along pretty smooth. :)

[mylesmalley]

Welcome, KnoxfordGuy!

I think just about everyone on here lurked for at least a few months before taking the plunge and joining.

[cj6286]

Of course with my little free time, I planned a solution for the terrible junction at Forest Hill/Waterloo junctions. A simple round-a-bout would fix the problems here. Of course, my drawings are most likely not to code, but you get the main idea of how it works.
The gray is evidently the road, the cream colour is the sidewalks and the black is the NB Trail re-alignment. My thoughts are, they would build the bridge for the NB Trail over the round-a-bout so there is no risk of pedestrians getting hurt. In my views, the reconstruction of this traffic nightmare would be relatively simple, yet also cut down dramatically on the amount and severity of accidents that happen at this site.
Any thoughts?
http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x329/cj6286/spaghettijunctioncopy.png

[OliverD]

Here's a link to your image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/topher92/5399636949/

I think that would work well.

[mylesmalley]

Looking at it that way, they could actually convert that into a traditional + intersection with lights. It'd be at a pretty gnarly angle though. Traffic from Beaverbrook would go straight onto Lincoln Road. Forest Hill Road traffic would go onto Waterloo Row to downtown instead.

Just a thought.

[cl812]

City selling land on Regent Street to developers
Published Monday January 31st, 2011
A5
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

The City of Fredericton is selling land to two local developers so they can build a 32-unit building alongside their eight-unit brick apartment building at the corner of Beaverbrook and Regent streets.

City council recently approved the deal which will see George and Stephen Thompson buy about 700 square metres of city-owned land for $100,800.

As part of the land transaction, the city will acquire about 74 square metres at the high-traffic intersection at 629 Beaverbrook St.

The city had purchased property at the intersection when it undertook street improvements several years ago, but because it had to buy more land than it needed at the time in order to upgrade the intersection, it has been looking to shed the surplus property.

The city initiated talks with the Thompson brothers to buy its land in order to redevelop their eight-unit property at that corner.

The Thompsons plan to keep their older brick building, renovate it into six units and redesign the roof in order to blend it in with their proposed 32-unit building. The new apartment building will have underground parking.

The application for a rezoning to R-9A from R-7 has been approved by the city's planning advisory committee, but it has yet to complete city council's approval process. That will start Feb. 14 with the public presentation of the proposed bylaw. At that meeting, a date will be set for a public hearing of objections followed by dates for three bylaw readings which results in final approval.

The zoning change to R-9A from R-7 is needed in order to permit two apartment buildings to occupy the same piece of land.

A band of neighbours who live near the busy downtown intersection have already protested the scale of the development to the city's planning advisory committee.

Alan and Judy Irvine and Malcolm MacAfee had added their voices to those of Beaverbrook Court residents Linda Crewdson and Chuck Moreland, along with four or five other neighbours.

"I have a great concern over the proposed project directly related to traffic on the street. I have lived on Beaverbrook Street more than 50 years and have seen dramatic changes during that time," MacAfee said in a letter to city council.

"The street is tied up with traffic for almost two hours a day and is in gridlock from 4:30 p.m. until 5:15 p.m. each day."

MacAfee said the structure is mammoth and doesn't fit the rest of the neighbourhood, which is mostly single-family homes.

Crewdson and Moreland raised similar issues when they appeared before the planning advisory committee, suggesting the building is too big for that corner, too close to the street, requires too many variances and will generate too much traffic.

Ed Goguen, the architect designing the apartment building, said safety will be improved at the intersection with the development.

"The sidewalk can be moved back from the corner and the street can be widened even there," Goguen said. "So it's not as close (to the street) as they think it is ... We're doing up a plan that will show that, where the sidewalk is and what is being given back to the city."

[cl812]

Plan for school a hit
Published Tuesday February 1st, 2011
Investment | Carr says the province is spending more than $15M this year
A1
By ALEXANDRA DAVIS
For The Daily Gleaner

Members of the public and government officials say they're impressed with the plans for a new northside elementary school that were unveiled Monday night.

Parents, students and other members of the community attended an open house at Alexander Gibson Memorial Elementary School.

District 18 Supt. Alex Dingwall said that while plans for the school have been in the works for some time, it was the public's first opportunity to see what the building will look like.

The school will replace South Devon Elementary and Alexander Gibson Memorial Elementary in Marysville. It will be located just off Cliffe Street.

Dingwall said the district is thrilled about the school, which he said will hopefully be finished by September 2012.

"This will be a state-of-the-art facility," he said.

"This school will house over 500 students. Some of the highlights of the facility, in addition to the classroom space we'll have, will include a First Nations facility room, two gymnasiums, a black box theatre, and we have community rooms for groups that want to come in and use the facility."

Isaac Porter, 7, said he'll be attending the new school in 2012 and he's looking forward to it. His brother Seth Porter, 9, will just miss it. Seth said he was still interested in attending the open house and looking at the design.

"I'll just be missing it by a year," Seth said. "We're looking at the plans and it looks pretty cool. I think it's going to be nice."

Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Jody Carr said the government will spend more than $15 million on the school this year.

"It's been a large commitment by the government," he said. "It's going to allow to have a much better school ... and replace two existing, aging schools. I think people are quite excited."

He said he's pleased with the design, which is energy efficient and includes spacious grounds.

Carr said he's confident the school will be finished by September 2012.

"It's very doable," he said. "There's a lot of work that needs to be done, but we specifically put the dollars that were needed - over $15 million - to have it completed over this year and next year.

"It's ambitious, but it's important to have done, to allow the students to have a real exciting place to learn."

Fredericton Fort-Nashwaak MLA Pam Lynch said she campaigned hard for the new school, and she's thrilled that it will soon become a reality.

"We need a new school. They've needed a new school for a long time," she said. "I'm just elated that the day is finally here that we're going to get it.

"I think the students and teachers both will be happy with the plans for the new school."

[cl812]

No sign yet of convention centre traffic problems
Published Tuesday February 1st, 2011
Real test | City engineer says he's waiting for an event during the day to draw a conclusion
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

There hasn't been a multi-day event at the city's new convention centre, nor is the city's new convention centre parking garage open to the public full time, but so far two major evening events at the facility haven't resulted in traffic mayhem.

Downtown Fredericton Inc., the business improvement area association that represents the bulk of city centre merchants, asked the city to halt a major reconfiguration of traffic in the downtown east end until there's a better sense of how the convention centre and a hotel to be built over the next couple of years will function.

The city had proposed turning Queen Street into a two-way street between Regent and St. John streets, stripping parking on King and Queen streets and creating a transit lay-by to accommodate traffic in and out of the convention centre. As a result of merchant protests, much of the parking remains and Queen Street is still one-way as part of a modified city traffic scheme.

Two Fredericton Chamber of Commerce-sponsored events in January - the state of the city and the state of the province dinners - attracted more than 500 people for one and almost 900 for the second. The events didn't result in major delays or traffic confusion for attendees.

"We're still of the mind that the changes that were made, particularly in front of the Beaverbrook Hotel (Crowne Plaza Hotel), the traffic lights at Queen and St. John streets and allowing the parking to remain on Queen, we've seen no great problems," said Bruce McCormack, general manager of Downtown Fredericton Inc.

McCormack admitted it's early in the process, but the businesses feel the city's traffic design is functioning well and a lot of parking has been retained.

"Of course, we'll see how the process rolls out," McCormack said. "We're encouraged by the way it's been working."

Darren Charters, traffic engineer with the city's engineering and public works department, said he's pleased with the way the traffic setup is working thus far.

"The events were in the evening. They missed the morning and afternoon (traffic) peak. I think the true test will be when the parking garage opens, when there's a major shift from other parking lots to that area. That's the one that concerns me," Charters said. "Up until this point, we've been pretty happy with the way things have gone.

"St. John and Queen streets has been working fairly well."

It's still an adjustment for drivers who might be feeling frustrated when they're sitting at the new signalized intersection with just one or two cars coming through, but that's the nature of new signals where you didn't have to stop before, he said.

"I haven't heard of any major issues with that intersection. We like to keep an eye on those just to make sure the timings are correct and they're working as intended," Charters said.

Greg Cook, the city's director of special capital projects, said the parking garage won't be fully open to parking until the end of February. The only vehicles in and out of the building have been for special events.

When the garage opens, the city will be charging for parking 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

[cl812]

Pulling back the blanket
Published Tuesday February 1st, 2011
B9

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=662615&size=500x0
Recent cold, snowy weather stopped the renovation of the York Street train station and construction of the NB Liquor store. Above, a worker clears snow off the new roof on the train station.

http://nbbusinessjournal.canadaeast.com/gleaner/article/1375842

[Freddypop]

Published Wednesday February 2nd, 2011

Development | Tenants look for new premises

A5 By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN

mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

The proponent of a new, 126-room Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Fredericton should be back before the city's planning advisory committee this winter asking for zoning changes on two additional properties needed for the hotel development.

It looks like the building housing Asia Beef Noodles and other businesses may be removed to make room for the proposed 126-room Hilton Garden Inn. D.P. Murphy Inc. of Prince Edward Island has been in negotiations with the owner of two Queen Street properties, and a tentative deal has been struck that would allow the company to acquire more downtown land for the hotel project by the end of February.

The land deal would see Asia Beef Noodles restaurant looking for a new home.

Other businesses looking for another location would include Clay Cafe, located in the building next door, as is CDS Financial Group.

Upper floors of the Clay Cafe-CDS building are leased to Family Enrichment and Counselling Service Fredericton Inc.

"The hotel developer, Murphy group, has signed an offer to purchase the building that the Asia Noodles (restaurant) is in, plus the one next door to it," said Greg Cook, the city's director of special capital projects and the man who has been overseeing the multimillion-dollar downtown eastend construction projects.

Johnny Le, spokesman for the family-owned Asia Beef Noodles, said its lease doesn't end until January 2012, but he's looking for possible places to relocate the business.

He's looked at a couple of possibilities, but nothing is firmed up, Le said.

Velvet Dore, office manager at CDS Financial Group, said it was notified by its landlord Lincoln Thompson that talks were ongoing for a possible sale of the building, but it hasn't been notified yet about when it'll have to find new digs.

Thompson couldn't be reached for comment.

Last August, Martie Murphy, co-owner of D.P. Murphy Inc., said due to issues with soil in the downtown area, the hotel foundation had to be redesigned for what will be an 11-storey building with a 60-seat restaurant and 30-seat lounge.

Murphy couldn't be reached for comment, but she has said that it will take almost a year to build the hotel once approvals and planning are finished.

The city has already opened its new convention centre as the first component of its $78-million downtown eastend redevelopment venture.

The opening of a downtown parking garage has been delayed awaiting installation of its elevator and some finishing work.

The garage should be ready by the end of February, Cook said.

Later this spring, a $42-million provincial government office building will replace King Street's Centennial Building.

That will see provincial civil servants and the premier's office moved into the city downtown complex.

The province will repay the city for the total cost of the building through a 20-year lease payment plan.

The province hasn't yet announced what it will do with the 1967-era Centennial Building, which requires an extensive retrofit.

[cl812]

Girder guide
Published Wednesday February 2nd, 2011
B12

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=662868&size=500x0

The steel frame for the fifth building at the Fredericton Knowledge Park is coming along. Above, two steelworkers fasten a beam into place as it's lowered by a crane recently.

http://nbbusinessjournal.canadaeast.com/gleaner/article/1376346

[cl812]

NBCC president impressedwith work on new campus
Published Wednesday February 2nd, 2011
College | Building slated for completion in MarchSynopsis Lede
A8
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Marilyn Luscombe, the newly appointed president and CEO of the New Brunswick Community College, had her first tour of the new Fredericton community college campus under construction, and she liked what she saw.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=662875&size=500x0
Above, Heather Hathaway, principal of NBCC Fredericton, left, and Marilyn Luscombe, NBCC CEO, tour the new Fredericton campus, slated for completion in March.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=662876&size=0x400
Officials opened the doors to media of at the NBCC Fredericton campus building, under construction. Above, work progresses in the student commons area.

"This is my first opportunity to see the inner workings of our new site, and it's quite exciting," she said Tuesday.

"It is going to be a great learning environment for students, both in terms of attention to detail ... (and) consolidating services that are important to students so they don't have to go all over the campus ... It is very student-centred."

Luscombe was joined on her hard-hat tour by several members of the media and other community college officials.

The $15-million NBCC building is located on the University of New Brunswick campus beside the Wu Conference Centre.

There's still a lot of work to do on the community college before it's finished in March and students start arriving this fall.

The main hallway is full of workmen, many on step ladders or work platforms, finishing drywall and installing wiring. Exposed light bulbs provide light.

The building has an energy-efficient design, and aluminum window shades, many still in their protective shipping cardboard, are stacked just inside the back door until they can be installed over south-facing windows.

Giant temporary fabric heating ducts fill what will be the main entryway, bringing warm air into the building from a large heater so the workmen aren't slowed down by the cold weather.

Most of the almost-finished classrooms have glass walls along the main corridors so that natural light from the many skylights in the roof can reach studying students.

Some classrooms have skylights to let in natural light and reduce energy use for lighting.

Fredericton community college principal Heather Hathaway said the building is a teaching campus, so parts of the infrastructure - such as pipes and support beams - are left exposed to show engineering students how the building works.

For example, in another hall a large window frame is cut into the wall to show some duct work. Eventually, that frame will be filled with glass.

The two nursing labs for the practical nursing program are starting to take shape.

Eventually, they will look like hospital wards, complete with sinks to teach proper hand washing, although manikins will play the role of patients in the hospital beds, said Nancy Gilliland, NBCC director of administration.

There's an 80-seat, tiered teaching theatre with state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment and a smart board, and the student commons in the main hallway will have a multilevel, curved, cloud-like ceiling, said construction supervisor Scott Sellick.

He graduated from the NBCC Moncton campus in 2009 after studying civil engineering. He now works for Simpson Building Contractors.

NBCC reported in 2009 that a survey found that 95 per cent of NBCC graduates found work. Last year, 150 students in Fredericton graduated from NBCC in nine different programs.

NBCC has just become an independent Crown corporation, and the new Fredericton campus is one of four builds in the province.

"At this time, when we are getting independence, autonomy from government to make our own decisions and create our own way and our own brand, this type of endeavour also helps to heighten excitement and energy," said Luscombe.

"Of course, success also breeds excitement, and the fact that we have grown enrolments this year 7.6 per cent and have the largest enrolment ever in NBCC's long history is an exciting point."

There were 2,806 students enrolled in first-year programs at the NBCC in 2010-11.

Luscombe said that shows the growing need for a college education in New Brunswick.

There are 187 students enrolled in Fredericton.Student parking won't be a problem for the new $15-million Fredericton community college facility, which is located on the University of New Brunswick campus near the Aitken University Centre, says college principal Heather Hathaway.

"We have created additional parking spaces on the campus and certainly we are open to additional discussions as time goes on," she said Tuesday.

That includes a newly cleared section of the Aitken University Centre parking lot, located just behind the community college.

"And there is another area that had been a mud field that we have paved," said Hathaway.

"In the spring you will notice the additional spaces ... Right now they are pretty well hidden."

The community college campus has the capacity for up to 400 students when it opens this fall.

But the final population at the community college will depend on provincial funding in the new budget this winter, said Hathaway.

[OliverD]

Are there any renderings available of the new school?

[cl812]

Are there any renderings available of the new school?

I haven't seen any, but there might be some on the gov'nt website.

[cj6286]

Anyone else notice this, this morning? It doesn't look like a squad car :S
http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x329/cj6286/Picture5.png

[cl812]

Are there any renderings available of the new school?

http://www.district18.nbed.nb.ca/other/note/new-fredericton-north-school-plans

heres a couple from the district site:

http://www.district18.nbed.nb.ca/sites/district18.nbed.nb.ca/files/imagecache/gallery_big/galleries/other/1737/2010/Dec/1740/sample1.jpg

http://www.district18.nbed.nb.ca/sites/district18.nbed.nb.ca/files/imagecache/gallery_big/galleries/other/1737/2010/Dec/1740/sample5.jpg

http://www.district18.nbed.nb.ca/sites/district18.nbed.nb.ca/files/imagecache/gallery_big/galleries/other/1737/2010/Dec/1740/sample3.jpg


http://www.district18.nbed.nb.ca/other/gallery/new-school-renderings

[OliverD]

Nice, that site has the floorplan and siteplan as well.

I wonder if this will spur some further development in the area. I believe there's only one two empty lots left in Cotton Mill Creek.

[cl812]

Nice, that site has the floorplan and siteplan as well.

I wonder if this will spur some further development in the area. I believe there's only one two empty lots left in Cotton Mill Creek.

Im sure it will, it would be good to see more development on that side of cliff street.

[cl812]

Local economy continues to lead the way
Published Saturday February 5th, 2011
Unemployment | Cityrate remains far belowprovincial, national levels
A1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton's unemployment rate crept up slightly in January to 5.7 per cent from a revised figure of 5.6 per cent in December, according to new data released by Statistics Canada on Friday.

The capital's unemployment rate is still well below the provincial rate of 9.1 per cent and the national unemployment rate of 7.8 per cent.

"At 5.7 per cent unemployment, that is still a fairly full employment figure," said Susan Holt, CEO of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber never likes to see any increase in the unemployment rate, she said, but this increase is small.

"Really, it suggests a bit of stability to me, December to January," said Holt.

"There is seasonality that I think we are going to face as we come into the remainder of the winter months."

Fredericton's unemployment rate in November was 5.7 per cent and the January 2010 unemployment rate in the capital was 5.5 per cent.

Trina MacDonald, executive director of Business Fredericton North, said she isn't hearing a lot from her members about unemployment.

"It's been a non-issue for the most part ... We haven't heard of a large number of layoffs in any way," she said.

"Things have remained static and consistent, which is good from our perspective."

MacDonald said there was concern on the north side when a call centre closed in 2010, but those jobs were replaced by a provincial government office in the same location.

"In that case we did have a little blip ... but the impact was not as devastating as it could have been," she said.

"There hasn't been any big decrease in employment on the north side that we are aware of, and that's an important factor for us and our members."

MacDonald also said she isn't hearing any complaints about member businesses having trouble finding employees.

"Our concern is more when university is out and the numbers are higher in people looking for employment," she said.

"That is when we may see some bigger increases."

Statistics Canada notes that geographical boundaries in Moncton and Saint John for their monthly labour surveys have changed, so month-to-month changes should be viewed with caution.

Moncton's January unemployment rate was reported to be eight per cent, up from 7.3 per cent, and Saint John's unemployment rate was 5.7 per cent, up from a revised December figure of 5.3 per cent.

Moncton's unemployment rate for the same month last year was 6.4 per cent, and Saint John's unemployment rate for January 2010 was 7.9 per cent.

New Brunswick's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 9.1 per cent in January, down from 9.4 per cent in December and unchanged from the same month last year.

"We will continue to monitor the situation," Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Martine Coulombe said in a news release.

"It takes time to reverse trends such as these, but our government will continue to work to encourage business growth and investment in our province."

New Brunswick's labour force, which measures those working or actively seeking work, stood at 388,400 in January, down 2,600 compared to December and down 5,200 compared to the same month last year.

Canada's unemployment rate in January was 7.8 per cent compared to 7.6 per cent in December.

The country had 69,000 more jobs in January, but the number of people looking for work also rose.

[cl812]

City hall needs $1.5M in repairs
Published Tuesday February 8th, 2011
Masonry | Council to apply to federal program for help
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton city councillors are looking at a repair bill of $1.5 million to restore the masonry at the historic city hall.

P.J. Materials Consultants Ltd. delivered its condition assessment report on the building Monday night at a council-in-committee meeting.

Ontario consultant Paul Jeffs said the scope of the work goes beyond just repointing or filling gaps in the mortar surrounding brick.

Some of it entails reinforcing areas that are suffering stress fractures - for instance around window frames - and the foundation wall of the building requires stabilization.

The 135-year-old brick and sandstone structure was declared a national historic site in 1984. Because of that designation, the city is applying to the federal government for $500,000 to undertake repairs, said Mayor Brad Woodside.

"City hall is an icon," Woodside said. "We have done a comprehensive review of what needs to be done to repair damage caused by many years of wind and rain and snow, and we have a sensible and sustainable plan we are following to get the work done.

"The longer you leave it, the worse it gets," Woodside said. "I think it's very important that it be maintained. We expect to issue tenders for the next major phase of the work in the spring.''

If the city can receive funding from Parks Canada's national historic sites cost-sharing program, it hopes to complete the restoration in three years instead of four. A decision on the city's application is expected in April.

The city is preparing work documents that will allow contractors who specialize in historic masonry work to bid on the large project.

The city is contemplating a restoration and renovation of Phoenix Square, the fountain and the concourse area around city hall once the building is finished.

The city has already spent $86,252 on the back side of the building, hiring Jones Masonry Ltd. to address deterioration problems.

As with any historic building, age is taking its toll on the structure.

Jeffs recommended that the foundation wall and below grade waterproofing of the building be carried out as the next phase.

Part of the problem with the exterior masonry along the upper portions of the building is caused by city hall's metal roof.

The roof doesn't extend far enough beyond the edge of the building and that's allowing water to cascade down and get into joints. When those joints freeze and thaw, cracks become an issue, Jeffs said.

Coun. Jordan Graham wanted Jeffs to separate the essential infrastructure work from more aesthetic concerns.

Jeffs said he would be hard-pressed to find frills in the scope of the work, which is intended to address structural deficiencies.

"We're trying to restore a building. Anything that's done has to be sensitive to the historical nature," he said.

There are some areas of the masonry where previous repairs aren't holding and it does pose a safety risk, he said.

If water creeps in behind the masonry, then it can undermine the structural integrity of the brick and block, Jeffs said.

Postponing repairs will increase costs and as time marches on, it becomes more difficult to find trades with the expertise to undertake repairs to historic structures.

[cl812]

Windsor Foundation gives $165,000 to new YMCA in city
Published Monday February 7th, 2011
Big project | Construction to be finished this year
B9
By The Daily Gleaner

J.W. (Bud) Bird and Karina LeBlanc, co-chairs of the Your New Y Campaign to build a new Y, are pleased to announce that the Windsor Foundation has contributed $165,000 to the construction of the Y's aquatic centre.

The new aquatic centre will include a 25-metre, four-lane pool with a fully accessible concrete ramp and an 870-square-foot warm water therapeutic pool with a movable floor.

The therapeutic pool is one of the most significant features in the new YMCA building and one of the most versatile.

Its adaptive technology will enable the Y's aquatic program to expand and accommodate children, adults and seniors with a wide range of disabilities and conditions that prevent them from taking advantage of the benefits of aquatic therapy in regular pools.

The floor can be adjusted to a six-foot depth for activities such as deep-water rehabilitation for adults down to two feet in depth for a preschool learn-to-swim program.

The therapeutic pool will be a major community resource and the YMCA will explore partnerships with rehabilitation professionals from organizations such as the Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation and the Horizon Health Network.

"Considering our recent change in focus following our anniversary, the Fredericton Y's new pool project, which will benefit disadvantaged and challenged youth and seniors in the community, was a great fit for us,"said Paul Dyer, secretary-treasurer of the Windsor Foundation and regional vice-president of Scotiatrust.

The Windsor Foundation recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.

It has established two new key areas of interest to support programs, projects and initiatives in the community that provide services to or benefits for disadvantaged or vulnerable youth, seniors and the physically/mentally challenged and to support innovative higher education programs and initiatives in universities and community colleges.

In addition, foundation grants will be directed to programs, projects or initiatives based in the Maritime provinces.

"The Windsor Foundation's contribution means that more community members will gain swimming skills at the new Y's aquatic centre. In addition to families, proficient swimmers, adult exercisers, and other members of the public, every child in a YMCA childcare program will acquire developmental skills in swimming,'' said Kathy Russell, YMCA CEO.

"Aqua-aerobics classes are in high demand and the therapy pool will provide a much utilized addition to the spectrum of aquatic services available to the community.''

The YMCA is being built at the corner of Albert and York Street and construction is on target for completion by late summer.

[cl812]

Golf course the priority - Hill Bros.
Published Wednesday February 9th, 2011
A3
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

A meeting is being held for West Hills residents to talk about the completion of Rebel Ridge Golf Course.

The session has been set for 7 p.m. at Killarney Lake Lodge on Feb. 23. Homeowners will be able to ask questions about the plan to develop the course this spring and about additional plans for a condominium-style building on property between the golf course and Brookside Drive.

Hill Bros. has sent a written notice to all residents of West Hills that title to the golf course lands has been reclaimed from the Business Development Bank of Canada which foreclosed on the property and purchased it for $1 million in April.

Hill Bros. is a local real estate development, apartment rental, home building and commercial leasing firm. It developed the West Hills housing project off Brookside Drive with the intention of having a signature 18-hole golf course available to residents.

As the subdivision progressed, the golf course design and construction ran into roadblocks. The course was supposed to be finished in 2007, but only part of the greens were completed and a clubhouse was never built. Fairways Design and Holdings Inc. and Rebel Ridge Golf Club Ltd., and its principal David Loten, ran into financial difficulty with the project prompting the foreclosure.

Darren Hill, vice-president of Hill Bros., said a group of investors led by Chippins Ltd., Heron Heights Ltd. and Hill Bros. has now been formed with the intention of completing the golf course. A couple of additional investors may be folded into the group.

West Hills Development will own the shares of West Hills Golf in order to complete the 18-hole course.

Hill said in order to raise the capital needed to finish the public golf course, it will be necessary to develop condominiums.

"We identified some surplus land which is adjacent to our existing Hill Bros. land on Brookside, so we combined it and that's what we're proposing. So we want the residents' input because some of it is going to be high density and we don't want to surprise people. We want to get their input."

Residents of single-family housing will be buffered from the proposed apartment-style condos. Between their homes and Brookside Drive, the developer will introduce low-density, garden-style homes with medium-density development bordering Brookside Drive.

Hill said current and future residents of West Hills are welcome. Golfers are also invited to attend the building as the company gathers opinion through informal and open discussions.

[cl812]

Grant*Harvey Centre delayed until March 2012
Published Thursday February 10th, 2011
B2
By BILL HUNT
hunt.bill@dailygleaner.com

Construction delays have pushed the scheduled completion date for the new Grant*Harvey Centre back to March 2012, said director of community services Wayne Tallon on Wednesday.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=664544&size=500x0
This is an artist's conception of the front of the Grant*Harvey Centre, which is scheduled to open in March 2012.

"We just lost two weeks due to the cold weather," he said. "We're going to try to make that up, but, obviously, you've got to tack it on to the schedule. The schedule is still flexible. We're hoping to get it open as soon as we can."

It's unlikely the arena's anchor tenant, the St. Thomas Tommies, will play in the new facility next year.

The Atlantic University Sport regular season runs from October to mid-February. In men's play, the playoff rounds are completed by late February. The Tommies men's team has missed the playoffs in each of the past three seasons.

The women's hockey schedule wraps up at the end of February, with a tournament format used to decide the Atlantic champion in early March.

St. Thomas University is investing "a million plus" for 6,000 square feet of space in the new $21.6 million facility, said Tallon, including dressing rooms and shower areas to accommodate 26 players, and coaches offices for each program, first aid and skate sharpening rooms, a lounge including microwave, fridge and television, and a common 600-square-foot fitness area.

The building will also be the site for the St. Thomas Sports Wall of Fame, with the portraits to be displayed either inside the main lobby or in the building's community room.

Tallon said configuration of the lobby is similar to Willie O'Ree Place but "it's curvatures instead of straight angles," he said. A ticket window/box office is on one side of the lobby and a canteen on the other.

There will be a corridor between the two ice surfaces, one an Olympic-sized 200 x 100 foot surface which will accommodate the Fredericton Speed Skating Club with bench style seating for 500, and the other, the 200 x 85 foot traditional size surface, with 1,465 theatre style seats which will be home to the Tommies and Fredericton High School Black Kats. Parking around the arena will accommodate 709 vehicles.

The floor on the larger surface will be reinforced to handle equipment for trade shows, such as mini homes, boats or vehicles. Tallon estimates the facility will host "three or four" trade shows per year. A full loading dock, with hydraulic lift, "is a nice feature Willie O'Ree doesn't have," he said.

The track around the NHL surface will be three lanes, the inside lane for running, and an enclosed press box with eight locations.

"This is a different building," said Tallon. "Even though the configurations are similar, it's just a different building as far as functionality is concerned, because of the home shows, trade shows, because of St. Thomas..."

The building will be fully licensed. The community rooms will be configured in such a way that a "beer garden" atmosphere can be created, or can be used as a meeting area. The common area between the two facilities, a popular feature at Willie O'Ree, will remain.

Tallon said the southside rink "was always meant to be the regional facility, host to big events. Willie O'Ree was always meant to be the community facility."

The original plan called for the Grant*Harvey arena to have 2,500 seats, but was cut back to 1,500 to trim costs. With standing room, the new rink will accommodate 2,750.

Tallon said at one point, very early in the process, the idea of building a 5,000-seat building was briefly broached.

"But it was an extra $10-$15 million for 5,000 seats," said Tony Hay, the assistant director. "It's not just seats, it's the infrastructure around it,,,washrooms and parking and stuff."

"It changes the whole dynamic," said Tallon.

The Grant*Harvey facility is the centrepiece of a development which includes a lighted field turf soccer/football field called Scotiabank South, the Capital Region Tennis Association bubble and a two-acre dog park. City officials are referring to the area as Scotiabank Park South, a concession to the major sponsor, who has purchased naming rights for 10 years for $1.5 million.

Similarly, the tract of land including Willie O'Ree Place, a new field turf surface slated to be completed Aug. 1, and beach volleyball courts, is being called Scotiabank Park North.

The Lady Beaverbrook Rink, the current home of the Tommies and Black Kats, "will be mostly served with ringette, minor hockey, figure skating and public skating," said Tallon.

The York Arena will remain in operation "right up until September of 2012 or until further notice from council," said Tallon.

[cj6286]

I see the city has added a new webcam for the Grand*Harvey Centre, but what happened to the train station cam? :shrug:

http://www.fredericton.ca/en/GrantHarveyWebcam.asp

[Freddypop]

Noticed in this mornings Gleaner an ad in the employment section soliciting applications for a Pharmacy Manager and Pharmacists for the COSTCO Freddy location. Looks like all on track for a Fall opening