Official Fredericton, NB projects thread [Archive] - Page 25

Jstaleness

Feb 16, 2011, 2:19 AM

From cbc.ca/nb

Fredericton’s Regent Mall was evacuated Tuesday afternoon after a small section of its ceiling collapsed.
Fredericton firefighters responded to the Regent Mall after a small portion of the roof collapsed, where an old section of the mall meets a more recently constructed section. Fredericton firefighters responded to the Regent Mall after a small portion of the roof collapsed, where an old section of the mall meets a more recently constructed section. (CBC)

Shoppers and employees at Fredericton's largest shopping centre were told by a message over the mall's public address system early Tuesday afternoon to leave the facility as quickly as possible.

A small section of the ceiling in a hallway collapsed.

The area is where the old section of the Regent Mall meets a more recently constructed section.

Fredericton firefighters responded to the call.

No injuries have been reported.

"From what I gather, somebody heard a little bit of creaking noise and a ping and the ceiling tile inside by Black's, between Black's store and another store, has collapsed," said Platoon Capt. Ken Dickeson of the Fredericton Fire Department. "That's the problem right now, but there has to be a reason for that, so obviously we want to find out what that is."

Fire officials and engineers are checking to see how extensive the damage is.

As well, officials are checking to see if the collapse has anything to do with the heavy snow on the roof.

Taeolas

Feb 16, 2011, 2:49 AM

They declared it safe early this evening. WalMart opened around 7, and Empire ran their later shows. Everything else should open up tomorrow as usual.

josh_cat_eyes

Feb 16, 2011, 5:30 AM

From the Saint John thread:

I commented in that thread that for Fredericton, I could see Target eventually closing BOTH current Zellers stores once leases expire and building Box stores in Corbertt Centre and Two Nations Crossing. The feeling others have is that we just aren't big enough, and North Side isn't big enough to support a Target.

Other thoughts?

They did say that they would continue to have some Zellers in smaller markets run by HBC right? I think there is a lot of markets in Alantic Canada that would benefit that.

kirjtc2

Feb 16, 2011, 5:45 AM

Everyone's favourite local ADD-riddled sign-waving blogger put up some pics:

http://charlesotherpersonality.blogspot.com/2011/02/regent-mall-in-fredericton-collapsed.html

cl812

Feb 16, 2011, 1:16 PM

Wetlands policy goes too far - mayor
Published Wednesday February 16th, 2011
Blaney | Environment minister to seek input at public meeting next month
A5
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Almost half of all the vacant land in Fredericton would be deemed wetlands and unfit for development if the provincial Environment Department has its way, and that's completely unacceptable, says the capital's mayor.

The city's development committee took a look at the provincial government's proposed mapping at a meeting Tuesday, prompting Mayor Brad Woodside to call for Premier David Alward and Environment Minister Margaret-Ann Blaney to sit down with mayors and fix a policy that's broken and is going too far.

"I think the premier has to intercede with the minister of the environment ... It's time for the tail to stop wagging the dog. We have a provincial government of elected people that have to step up to the plate and restructure if it's necessary and retool that department," he said.

"The environment is important, but so are a lot of other things and there's got to be a balance ... Get it fixed and get it fixed now. If it means going in and cleaning the house, clean it."

Fredericton is committed to environmental protection and has demonstrated that in the past and will continue to do so in the future, but wetlands that clearly aren't wetlands are being included in the provincial mapping, the mayor said.

Woodside said the city sunk a lot of cash into coming up with a responsible plan to develop vacant land in the Doak Road area, protecting streams and waterways through the area, while allowing for densities that would allow for realistic expansion of water and sewer services to the area.

Under the provincial wetlands designation plan, those development objectives would be killed and the city couldn't afford to deliver water and sewer to the area because development would be so sparse due to wetlands designations.

"I believe the city has done a good job of stewardship with the environment," the mayor said.

"No one on this council and no one on this staff is against the protection of wetlands. We never have been and we never will be."

He said when the province brought in new wetlands rules in 2002, the government said it would affect about four per cent of land in the province.

"The province - with these new regulations and maps, and we haven't seen what the guidelines are yet - (is) going to discourage any development taking place in a province that needs it very badly," Woodside said.

"The mapping is going to scare prospective developers and land purchasers away, and if they try to go through the process to see if the property is on a wetland, it's onerous, it's time-consuming, it's costly."

Almost half of land within city limits would be constrained by the designation, Woodside said.

"They've (the province) really taken it from the mid-balance point where it should be way off in the wrong direction where it's basically turning most municipalities into undevelopable areas at a time when New Brunswick is time to encourage growth in population," Woodside said.

"We are in a severe situation and could possibly lose another development season. There are developers in this city who have been totally shut down pending the outcome of these regulations and it just doesn't make a whole lot of sense."

He said the issue needs to be addressed quickly because it's having a negative impact on Fredericton and other municipalities.

Woodside, who's meeting with mayors Thursday, said he wants Alward and Blaney to attend.

Blaney is out of the province on vacation, but a spokeswoman for her department said the minister has already announced that she will tour the province between Feb. 28 and March 10 to discuss wetlands policy with New Brunswickers.

Last Friday, the department sent almost 500 invitations to stakeholders and developers and invitations to all municipalities to participate in the public consultation process.

"The City of Fredericton is on the list. We hope and we believe that all stakeholders and municipalities will take the time to come to meet the minister during these public meetings and share their comments and together find solutions," said Environment Department communications director Vicky Deschenes.

A public meeting in Fredericton will be held from 10 a.m.-noon March 4 at Killarney Lake Lodge.

Frank Flanagan, Fredericton's development services director, said the provincial wetlands mapping will result in developers seeking tax-assessment reductions because the province has declared their lands unsuitable for building.

The provincial policy will scare off developers, drive down property values and reduce new construction, Flanagan said.

Fredericton developers Arnold and Ruth Chippin are taking the province to court over wetlands designations on the north side of the city that they've been developing for housing.

The developers say they moved ahead with an all-clear from the department, which the province has now reneged on, and they'll argue that case in court.

cj6286

Feb 16, 2011, 4:10 PM

I have just a few opinions about moving stores to Two Nations.
1. As a resident with no vehicle and have to rely on public transit, I have no way of getting to Two Nations and I do not want to spend 20$ on a taxi. At least 1/3 (or even more) of the people on the North Side rely on transit, thus they would lose business.
2. The Current Zellers location is prime land as the area around it is starting to get more dense.

On a side note, why do they keep building strip malls across the road from the Brookside Mall? There's more room then you think in that empty mall. As far as I am concerned, the strip malls are just a huge waste of valuable land to build apartments and other tall structures to encourage urban density.

As for the wetlands policy, I think this wetlands policy is a great idea. It's a wake up call for the city that urban sprawl is becoming a problem and hopefully it encourages more urban density downtown and also on the North Side. I realize there are hundreds of heritage protected housing, but there are alternatives. Look at the Knowledge Park buildings. Five, three story buildings? Really? The same amount of land for one building could have housed a 15 story building instead of destroying wetland that the "city is running out of". If you ask me, city planners need a slap in the face.

Taeolas

Feb 16, 2011, 4:21 PM

I agree with your comments. I'm a Transit user as well, so moving to Two Nations effectively removes those stores as locations for me to go to. It's rather sad that it will be easier for me (when I move) to go to Regent mall from spitting distance of Brookside, than it is to go to the Two Nations WalMart or Kent.

As for Brookside itself, the Mall does need a lot of help IMO, and if it were to lose Zellers it would probably effectively kill it. But at the same time, with the call centres in there and how chopped up it has become through the years, I don't know if it is salvageable. The land itself is prime retail space, and it should be considered as the North Side hub for transit if Freddy Transit would smarten up (imagine one route going through St Marys/Marysville to Brookside, another going along Main, and the third following 13's current route, all ending at Brookside and starting at Kings Place). But the building just isn't really suitable for retail any more. That's probably why minimalls are being built instead.

Add in the fact that, like WalMart, Target doesn't really like Mall-stores, I can forsee Brookside's Zeller's days are numbered. If there is enough space nearby to build a standalone Target near Brookside I might see it; but overall it seems that Two Nations has become the Big Box choice location on the north side.

OliverD

Feb 16, 2011, 5:12 PM

As Two Nations becomes more developed, I'm sure we will see improved transit there.

The Brookside mall is pretty hopeless. The general trend across North America seems to be that indoor malls, while perhaps not on their way to becoming completely obsolete, are losing out to formats like the Corbett Centre. I do think that the Brookside mall has improved a lot over the past couple years, at least the facade facing Brookside. It's more inline with the Uptown Centre now and offers convenient access to the important stores.

In the long term, it might make sense to keep the front of the mall - Sobeys, liquor store, Good Life, Lawton's, etc - and demolish the rear. Then you can turn that area into higher density residential.

The strip malls across from Brookside Mall don't really compete with it IMO. Most of the businesses are of the kind that wouldn't want to go into an enclosed mall anyways. With the addition of Need's, the gas bar, and more eating options, it is very convenient for thousands of people that now live north of the Ring Road.

Regarding density in Knowledge Park, I think there's a few issues working against larger (taller) buildings. First off, there is increased complexity in the foundation and structure the higher you go. Second, you can't expect to build a 150,000 square foot tower without preleasing a substantial amount, and that would never happen. Third, the smaller buildings give companies the option of using all or most of a building's space, and tailoring it to their own needs. They also can brand the buildings that way. I agree that taller structures would be nice there, and perhaps in the future that will happen.

cj6286

Feb 16, 2011, 5:37 PM

The Brookside mall is pretty hopeless. The general trend across North America seems to be that indoor malls, while perhaps not on their way to becoming completely obsolete, are losing out to formats like the Corbett Centre. I do think that the Brookside mall has improved a lot over the past couple years, at least the facade facing Brookside. It's more inline with the Uptown Centre now and offers convenient access to the important stores.

I only see one problem with strip malls. Yes they work in warm climates such as the southern USA. In Canada, it does not work! In the summer/fall months yes it works fine, but in the winter it is cold and people do not enjoy the hassle of bundling up or down when they shop. Not to mention, where the hell are you suppose to go to the bathroom in the strip mall on Prospect? (Rhetorical.) I only think strip malls work when they are restaurants.

As for the format of the Corbett Centre, it is a little strange. It's quite the little walk from one building to the next. I don't mind the walk, but for the elderly it takes a lot to get in and out of the car or walk a block or two. Maybe it's a government conspiracy to get people to exercise more :haha:

MonctonRad

Feb 16, 2011, 6:46 PM

where the hell are you suppose to go to the bathroom in the strip mall

That's all part of their evil plan........

Seriously, in a strip mall there is no need to maintain (or heat) interior corridors and there is no need to create of maintain shared infrastructure like washrooms. As such, leasing costs are a lot less.

I'm not saying I agree with it......that's just the way it is. :cool:

cl812

Feb 17, 2011, 12:38 PM

PAC supports new apartment building on city's north side
Published Thursday February 17th, 2011
Apartment | Some residents opposed to project
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

The former owner of Green Village nursery in Lower St. Mary's is resurfacing as a property developer.

Andy Buyting, representing Carle Ventures Inc., received planning advisory committee support Wednesday night for his application to redevelop land at 117 Friel St. and 343 Union St. into a 24-unit apartment complex.

The two properties, located on Main Street in the shadow of the Westmorland Street Bridge, are zoned residential Zone 4B and automobile station.

City council has to give its approval to the proposed rezoning to allow the properties to be rezoned to a high density residential Zone 8 to permit the building.

The apartment would be four-storeys high with 32 parking spaces on the south and west of the building.

In order to allow for 24 units, Buyting would need a 392-square-metre lot area variance, a 5.8-metre rear yard variance and a 1.5-metre side yard variance facing Friel Street.

The city has received three letters of concern from Union Street property owners, although none of the owners appeared Wednesday night to address the committee.

A 24-storey building won't enhance the residential area, said Clifton and Florence Gilbey.

"It would be much more acceptable if it were a two-storey building that blends in with our existing neighbourhood," the couple stated in a letter to the committee.

A similar letter was written by Dale and Maxine Gilbey, who live next door.

A third property owner on Union Street, Winnifred Rush, suggested a smaller apartment building that would complement the existing heritage homes in the neighbourhood would be a more acceptable use.

City planning department staff members in their report said the development would serve as a catalyst to help revitalize Union Street.

Buyting was on hand to answer questions but didn't elaborate on the apartment development plans nor did he respond to the letters of objection.

In an odd twist of circumstance, Buyting ended up on the same planning advisory committee agenda Wednesday night as PriceWaterhouseCoopers, the accounting firm that holds his former greenhouse outlet business in receivership.

Scott Fash, appearing before the committee on behalf of Genivar Inc., acting as a consultant to PriceWaterhouseCoopers, was applying for a rezoning to highway commercial on the vacant garden centre property in Lower St. Marys.

Green Village went into receivership after over-extending its business interests at a second location in Moncton.

When he couldn't strike a settlement deal with his bankers, he was forced into receivership, but so far PriceWaterhouseCoopers hasn't been able to sell the property.

Fash said a rezoning to highway commercial from the existing zoning might allow for more uses.

For instance, the garden centre could be sold as a restaurant, store, bank, motel-hotel site or something else.

But the city's planning advisory committee has put restrictions on the proposed zoning change, telling Fash it doesn't want a gasoline bar or auto-sales business or bar or beverage room given that the property is a gateway into the city and has residential neighbours.

While Fash suggested the city could consider those uses with terms and conditions, the ward councillor for the area, Marilyn Kerton, said she wouldn't support a gas bar.

Other committee members weren't supportive of a new or used car lot either.

"That's a game changer," Coun. Scott McConaghy said.

The rezoning change requested by PriceWaterhouseCoopers has to go to city council for final approval. In another irony, a garden centre is a permitted use within a highway commercial zone.

cl812

Feb 17, 2011, 12:39 PM

FREX produce stands get approval from city council
Published Thursday February 17th, 2011
Fruits & veggies | Steps taken to ensure no interference with Boyce Farmers Market
A5
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Fans of the 100-mile diet and its eat-local message are certain to applaud a move by the Fredericton Exhibition to establish five fresh fruit and vegetable stands that they can lease to local fruit and vegetable producers.

The city's planning advisory committee Wednesday night granted the exhibition a one-year temporary use variance to build five six-metre by two-metre (roughly 20 feet by eight feet) produce stands in front of either the Coliseum or the Capital Exhibit Centre.

The city's planning department said its only concern is the potential loss of produce availability at the Boyce Farmers Market, which runs Saturday mornings from 6 a.m.-1 p.m., so committee members imposed a ban on produce sales on the FREX grounds on Saturday mornings.

Farmers on the FREX grounds will be able to sell Sunday to Friday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturdays from 1-6 p.m.

"Thus far we've only talked to Hoyt's," said Kyle MacDonald, general manager of FREX.

The local apple grower last year set up a small stall from which to sell fresh apples and other farm produce - corn, potatoes, squash, tomatoes - on the FREX grounds.

"We just thought it would be in our best interest to hold a variance ourselves in the event that other farmers and local producers would want to do the same thing that he did," MacDonald said.

"I'd like to stress that we don't want to compete with the Boyce Farmers Market."

Hoyt's apple orchard is already a vendor at the farmers market on George Street and will continue to be both at the Saturday-morning venue and on the FREX grounds the rest of the week, MacDonald said.

The mandate of Agricultural Society 34 - which operates the FREX summer fair and exhibition - has always been about supporting agriculture and farmers, he said.

"This is another way for somebody to get their local produce who can't maybe make the market on Saturdays. They will have a seven day-a-week opportunity to buy local and to buy healthy food," he said.

Caroline Lubbe-D'Arcy of 104 Northumberland St. wrote a letter of support to the city's planning advisory body.

"This is exciting news. The more access to local food for Fredericton residences, the better," she said in her letter to the committee.

"It would be wonderful to have several daily fresh, local produce vendors out there in downtown Fredericton."

The planning advisory committee has authority to issue variances, so no further approval from city council is required to allow the plan to unfold this summer.

The committee asked the exhibition management to ensure that the produce stands are of a similar design and colour and that they not impede traffic.

The city owns the land and leases the property to Agricultural Society 34 under a long-term deal, while the society owns and maintains the buildings on the site.

cl812

Feb 17, 2011, 12:40 PM

New Maryland drainage easement might make subdivision possible
Published Thursday February 17th, 2011
A5
By ALEXANDRA DAVIS
For The Daily Gleaner

A motion passed by the Village of New Maryland's council could pave the way for a future subdivision in the area.

During Wednesday night's council meeting, councillors unanimously approved a motion to implement a drainage easement in the area behind Baker Brook Court.

The 10-metre-wide and 180-metre-long drain will run behind three houses on the north side of street.

Once the easement has been put in place, the land behind Baker Brook Court can be sold to a company that has expressed interest in eventually using the property to develop a new subdivision.

Coun. Paul LeBlanc, chairman of the village's water and wastewater committee, said that while there's a ditch that collects water behind the three properties, there were concerns it was inadequate.

He reiterated the issues expressed to council by an engineer who examined the area on behalf of the village.

"The engineer, when he was on site... noticed that during the last big rainstorm we had in December that there was an exorbitant amount of water that came off there," he said.

"Up until now the ditch back there seemed to be adequate, but it doesn't go all the way across. With the larger storm surges we're seeing now, the environment is changing, and we need a larger ditch to trap that water that's coming across and not let it cut through those properties and onto the street."

Deputy mayor Judy Wilson-Shee said that with the help of the engineer, the village looked at several options before choosing to go with a drainage easement.

She said the village will be responsible for developing the drain and also for maintaining it.

A couple of members of the public attended the meeting with questions about the necessity of a new drainage system but said they were satisfied with LeBlanc's explanation.

Wilson-Shee said that once the new drain is in place, the land will change owners, but New Maryland residents shouldn't expect to see work on the new subdivision begin any time soon.

"As far as development, I don't think that's going to take place in the near future," she said.

cl812

Feb 17, 2011, 12:41 PM

Provincial government to study westward expansion of city limit
Published Thursday February 17th, 2011
A5
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

The ball is back in the province's court.

City council has approved a request to the province to move forward on a westend annexation study.

Armed with the city's official approval to carry out the study, the Department of Local Government has to do the homework and then return to the city for another formal resolution.

The next one will request annexation.

Based on a positive reply from the city, the proposal moves to the provincial cabinet table for approval.

The city has already asked the province for annexation of lands owned by Silverwood Lands Ltd., a company owned by Colpitts Developments, located in Silverwood at the western end of Ward 12.

"They need that land in order to make a development economically viable. Currently, Phase 1 of that development would be within city limits. That would be 84 lots and annexation would allow an additional 80 lots to be developed," said Coun. Dan Keenan.

"Colpitts Developments met with the local service district of Hanwell on Dec. 16 to explain the request and subsequently the local service district of Hanwell sent a letter of support regarding the annexation to the province and now they're looking for the city to (formally) also give their support to look at a feasibility study for this annexation."

All of the land proposed for annexation is vacant and is owned by the Colpitts Development company.

The city's development services department has reviewed the request and given its support to the request.

"It is felt that the requested annexation would be a natural extension of the city from a land-use and servicing perspective," the department said in a report to city council.

As a result of the development plan, a small portion of the property would remain outside the city where three unserviced lots could be built fronting on Team Drive.

There's no word on how soon the city will hear back from the province.

The City of Fredericton and the developer have been trying to get the annexation plan approved since 2008.

Taeolas

Feb 21, 2011, 11:45 PM

Word went around my company today that Ashfield and some press will be on site tomorrow before noon for a tour of the company and a press conference. No clue what they'll be announcing for the Freddy area, but it will probably be tech related somehow.

*edit* I work at CARIS. (www.caris.com)

mylesmalley

Feb 21, 2011, 11:53 PM

Where do you work?

cl812

Feb 22, 2011, 2:49 PM

Fredericton airport runway lands upgrade
Published Tuesday February 22nd, 2011
Millions | Governments, airport authority announce project
A1
By MICHAEL STAPLES
staples.michael@dailygleaner.com

A busy secondary runway at the Fredericton International Airport is getting a much needed upgrade.

Improvements totalling $10.4 million were announced Monday by Fredericton MP Keith Ashfield and Premier David Alward.

Under the plan, which will see the federal government contribute $5.2 million with the remainder of the funding to be provided equally by the province and the airport authority, paving and lighting upgrades will be undertaken.

The improvements are designed to facilitate increased trade and traffic through the airport.

David Innes, president and CEO of the Fredericton International Airport Authority Inc., said the runway is key to aviation traffic at the airport.

"It's during specific wind conditions when we really need to use it," Innes said. "The flight schools and the other general aviation aircraft use that runway a lot, simply because there are (times that) wind conditions (are such) that they really have to use it.

"It's a very important runway to our viability."

Aircraft movement at the Fredericton International Airport has increased from between 25,000 and 35,000 in 2001 to 98,000 last year.

Innes said preliminary work on the upgrades has already started and everything should be completed by fall.

"We were just waiting for this announcement," Innes said. "Now that we've got the announcement, we'll be going at full steam ahead."

Alward said the upgrade will give the airport authority more flexibility and allow people to move better.

"This is the provincial capital, the centre of academic excellence and, especially, the IT and engineering sectors," Alward said. "That important connection with the rest or the world is vital to the future of Fredericton."

Oromocto MLA Jody Carr said the Fredericton improvements will increase access to markets and add economic opportunities by being more competitive as an airport.

Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside said it's good news when runways and lighting can be improved and safety increased.

"It bodes well to the increase in traffic that the Fredericton International Airport is seeing and we expect that will just continue to increase."

Doug Motty, president and CEO of Enterprise Fredericton, said continued growth at the airport is always a positive thing.

"We are seeing the federal and provincial governments co-operating and investing in the future of transportation in our communities," Motty said. "Certainly the safety factor is a big issue and it just gives you that flexibility, depending on weather conditions, maybe that flight doesn't need to get diverted to one of the other airports."

The Fredericton Chamber of Commerce also welcomed the news.

"The resurfacing of Runway 15/33 has been one of our key advocacy positions for some time" said Susan Holt, CEO of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce. "Our members ranked air service as one of their most important issues in our last member survey, so we're thrilled that this funding has been secured."

The Fredericton news, meanwhile, was just one of three transportation-related announcements made Monday by the two levels of government.

The Moncton International Airport is getting a runway extension valued at $24 million.

The federal government is committing up to $4 million to the project, with the province investing an equal amount. The remainder is being provided by the airport authority.

It was also announced that the port of Saint John Cruise Gateway Project will expand the berthing capacity of the port.

The $14-million project will see the federal government commit $4.5 million with the remainder to be provided equally by the port and the province.

Ashfield said the money for upgrades in Fredericton, Moncton and Saint John is good for the region, for the province and should stimulate and increase the province's economic capacity.

"These are great projects for New Brunswick and ones that are needed to continue our economic growth in this region," Ashfield said.

Alward said the three announcements are a reinforcement of the importance of the province's key public infrastructure.

"These projects will provide New Brunswick with an opportunity to enhance our transportation and sow the seeds of significant economic growth in the province."

cl812

Feb 22, 2011, 2:54 PM

Advocates say wetlands policy is the solution, not the problemPublished Monday February 21st, 2011
Environment | Maps could lead to better planning
A1
By ADAM HURAS
The Daily Gleaner

A newly enforced wetland designation is aimed at mitigating the millions of dollars in damage suffered to the flood-prone corners of New Brunswick each year, according to its developers.

With the turn of the calendar year, the province brought online a new wetlands mapping system.

Planning commissions from across the province have since contested that the wetlands policy is stalling development, costing developers thousands of dollars in study costs and preventing cities from creating long-term development plans.

But Paul Arp, a forestry and environment management professor at the University of New Brunswick, said the wetlands designation isn't anti-development.

Instead, he said, it pushes innovation to safeguard development from natural disasters.

"The developers are not aware of the advantage that this particular information presents to them," Arp said. "It is not anti-development at all; it is actually promoting innovation in terms of working with nature rather than against it."

Arp and several other University of New Brunswick researchers from its Forest Watershed Research Centre prepared a report on mapping wetlands for the Department of Natural Resources in 2007, while also providing the data which have led to the mapping tool.

The mapping program depicts two layers related to wetlands - the "provincially significant wetlands layer" and a new "wetlands predictive layer," or what the Department of Natural Resources has denoted as areas potentially susceptible to becoming a wetland.

The "predictive layer" designation means a wetlands study must be completed on the land before it's developed or sold to prove it isn't a wetland.

The study can only be done between June 1 and Sept. 30, when all the frost can be assumed to be out of the ground. The cost of the study has been estimated at $3,000 to $5,000 per parcel of land.

The mapping system shows that vast swaths of New Brunswick - including virtually all of Moncton, Saint John and Fredericton - have been denoted as potential wetlands.

"It's good to know the devil you know than the devil you don't," Arp said. "We are advocating education."

The tool's aim was to help real estate agents, land developers and potential buyers determine whether a prospective development is potentially within or close to a wetland or potential wetland.

"People may not realize that they may someday have a big problem," Arp said. "Even when they bought the land, they may not have realized what was bought.

"Usually when people buy things they are making an investment and have a certain faith that the money was well spent.

"Well, here is a cartographic tool that can educate you before making a commitment."

Arp pointed to the flood damage in the St. Stephen area in December which led to more than 1,100 New Brunswickers registering damage claims.

The New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization estimated the December floods caused up to $50 million in damage to private homes and businesses, and to public roads, parks and beaches.

"It's a societal cost," Arp said. "There is always an enormous cost to repair, and if you have a proper design to accommodate these risks they can be mitigated."

The controversial designation has spurred a provincewide consultation tour to be headed by Environment Minister Margaret-Ann Blaney later this month in attempts to find a solution.

The tour will begin Feb. 28 in Saint John and make nine stops, ending in the second week of March.

Although the policy for wetlands has been in place for years, the information wasn't available as to where the wetland areas were.

"If you were a developer and were musing about doing something, the mapping would now give you a first cut at whether or not you likely have something to worry about," said Jeff Ollerhead, Mount Allison University's dean of science and director of the Mount Allison Coastal Wetlands Institute.

"The issue with a lot of municipalities is that a lot of wetlands have been taken up or paved over, and so what that has done is led to an increased flooding problem."

The wetlands mapping system promotes the need to factor improved drainage and new sewer systems into development costs, according to Arp.

"People have to be on the same page and, rather than slinging mud at each other, one should say, 'let's find out how this works,' " he said.

cl812

Feb 24, 2011, 2:27 PM

Hockey tourney scores $100,000
Published Thursday February 24th, 2011
Nationals | UNB to host championships
A1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

A national university men's hockey tournament that's expected to inject more than $2 million into Fredericton's economy is getting $100,000 from Ottawa.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=667152&size=265x0
ACOA is providing $100,000 to the CIS Cavendish Farms University Cup hockey championships at the Aitken University Centre next month. From left are: UNB Varsity Reds men's hockey coach Gardiner MacDougall, ACOA minister Keith Ashfield, UNB president Eddy Campbell and UNB director of athletics Kevin Dickie.

Fredericton Conservative MP Keith Ashfield, who's also the minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, announced the money for the CIS Cavendish Farms University Cup at a media conference in Fredericton on Wednesday.

"By helping to promote the Fredericton region as a sport tourism destination, we are creating significant economic opportunities for the future for the entire region,'' said Ashfield.

The University Cup hockey championship, which features six teams from across Canada, begins March 24 at the Aitken University Centre.

The event will be televised nationally.

The federal money is coming from ACOA's Innovative Communities Fund and will go towards promotion and translation expenses.

The University of New Brunswick is holding the tournament for two consecutive years, which is a requirement of being host.

UNB president and vice-chancellor Eddy Campbell said the federal support is appreciated and shows how partnerships should work.

"Hockey is a team sport and thank you so much for joining our team," he said.

"Your recognition of this national tournament is helping to bring the focus of the whole nation on our wonderful city, this beautiful province and this terrific university."

Campbell said the UNB Varsity Reds men's hockey team is ranked No. 1 in the country, which is quite an achievement for a small province.

He also said the V-Reds have 10 academic all-Canadians.

The university tells parents and potential students that it's important team members excel in sports and in the classroom, said Campbell.

Kevin Dickie, director of athletics at UNB, said the federal funding is invaluable.

"As we continue to host national championships in all of our sports, we could not be more appreciative of their strong belief in UNB varsity athletics," he said. "There is a significant cost (to hosting the event.)"

"It is our responsibility to host the six teams that are coming in here."

The cost of hosting the tournament wasn't available Wednesday.

But Dickie said he expects the 3,500-seat arena to be sold out for the series and among the fans in the stands will be people who don't go to regular hockey games.

"This is the best hockey south of the NHL in terms of what you know you are going to see every night for 60 minutes," he said.

"We are going to have our regular diehard fans."

UNB leads the country in university hockey attendance, said Dickie.

"On top of that we are going to have people who are going to come out and see the best hockey that maybe they have ever seen in their lives," he said.

Those fans will create valuable economic spinoffs in Fredericton's hotels, restaurants and stores, he said.

"We can see the buy in from our community because our corporate partners have been absolutely outstanding," said Dickie.

cj6286

Feb 28, 2011, 12:28 AM

I see the new apartments on Brookside by the round-a-bout are just about finished the exterior, but judging by what I see, nothing is done on the inside? It will be nice when they're done and I think they will add 25-40 families into the area which will be great for business and transit. :cool:

cl812

Mar 1, 2011, 11:41 AM

Groups say stop new projects on woodlot
Published Tuesday March 1st, 2011
UNB | University seeks nod to develop more land
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

The Conservation Council of New Brunswick and the Friends of the UNB Woodlot urged city council to apply the brakes to any more development of the University of New Brunswick's woodlot.

But city council voted unanimously to support a proposal by UNB to subdivide and rezone eight highway-commercial building lots on university property at 75 Knowledge Park Dr.

Monday night's vote with nine councillors in attendance gave second reading to the zoning changes. Third and final reading of the bylaw comes in two weeks time.

The university hasn't signed leases with prospective developers yet, but the lots are intended for everything from restaurants to a hotel.

The university is asking for the zoning change to try to attract a variety of developers to the area across from the Grant*Harvey Centre.

Mark D'Arcy, speaking on behalf of the Friends of the UNB Woodlot, said the university should have sent representatives to the planning advisory committee and to Monday night's city council meeting to answer questions about why it needs to develop more land and the consequences of doing so.

"If UNB continues to develop as planned, we are going to see increased taxes, increased flood risk and decreased quality of life for our community and our children," D'Arcy told city council Monday night. "Our group's focus right now is on an intact UNB woodlot (and it's) our insurance policy against catastrophic rain events of climate change."

D'Arcy said southside Fredericton residents are protected by the forested wetlands atop Regent Street that are owned by the university.

Kevin Matthews, speaking on behalf of the conservation council, said his group opposes any further development of the UNB woodlot.

"To take any more of the capacity out of the UNB woodlot in terms of its retention of water will head us down the road to further disaster," he said.

For reasons of wildlife protection, biodiversity and public safety, there should be a halt to development, he said.

"We call upon the university to stand up and take its responsibilities as an institute of higher learning ... They've got a lot of people up there who should know better than to be developing those lands.

"And, in fact, I'm willing to bet if you polled the faculty up there, they will tell you that most of them object to what is going on. We would like the city to take a leadership role in developing something other than paving over the UNB woodlot. You could turn it into a community forest."

Ward 11 Coun. Jordan Graham wanted to know if UNB has undertaken a flood risk study of its property.

Richard Smith, a consultant with ADI Ltd., representing UNB, said the project is in its early stages.

"A flood risk analysis will be undertaken with the particular development only. It's not for the entire UNB woodlot. That question should be asked to the (UNB) administration," Smith said.

Sheldon Lee, the city's manager of engineering services, said the city has adopted guidelines that require no net peak increase in storm water generation. When development occurs, he said, the developer has to take steps to mitigate for displaced lands.

That's why the city is building a storm water attenuation pond to be jointly funded by taxpayers and by UNB to handle surface water collection in the vicinity of Grant*Harvey Centre.

"If a development goes in above stream of an existing development, the downstream properties cannot be adversely affected by that development," Lee said.

The city is planning a 20 per cent increase in pipe sizes as it develops storm water systems to compensate for global warming and changes in the weather that the city is seeing.

Major drains are intended to be able to handle one-in-100-year events, but as pipes are changed, they'll have an additional 20 per cent capacity for drainage built in, he said.

Not all of the city's street drainage pipes can handle huge flows. Some are designed for one-in-10-year floods.

Heavy rain in December also caused some city water drains to become overwhelmed as they experienced an unexpected one in 25-year-flood, Lee said.

cl812

Mar 5, 2011, 12:26 PM

Ont. IT company lands contract here, promises more local jobs
Published Saturday March 5th, 2011
A5
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

OnX Enterprise Solutions has just landed a major contract with Facilicorp NB which will lead to a doubling of the company's staff in New Brunswick from two to four, says the man who runs the Fredericton office.

Ryan Veino also said the information technology solutions provider plans to grow organically in the Atlantic region to 10 to 15 staff in three to five years.

"The message we want to get out is OnX is here to stay," he said Friday.

"Our focus is trying to bring Maritimers back home to work."

OnX Enterprise Solutions is a 27-year-old, privately owned company based in Ontario that opened an office in Fredericton last year.

Veino, whose official title is principal consultant of virtualization practice, said OnX now has four employees in Atlantic Canada including one each in Fredericton and Saint John and two in Halifax.

The contract with Facilicorp was awarded last month and names OnX as its value-added reseller of record for five years.

He said he couldn't release the value of the deal but it means OnX will provide the provincial health-care giant with a wide range of enterprise IT solutions.

"What that means is we are able to pass along significant savings to Facilicorp by leveraging our partnerships with the HPs and the IBMs and all of those big companies," said Veino.

"We certainly think it is going to increase the jobs in New Brunswick."

Facilicorp NB is the public-sector agency created in 2008 that manages shared non-medical services for the health-care system in this province.

Ann Dolan, executive director of strategic sourcing for Facilicorp NB, confirmed the contract with OnX on Friday.

"We follow an RFP process, which means we had a request for proposal that we sent to the market," she said.

"They actually bid along with some other suppliers and they came out No. 1."

Dolan said she couldn't place a dollar value on the contract because it depends on future funding but said that it's substantial.

"We have a fair amount of money that we will be procuring over the next five years with respect to hardware, laptops, desktops, monitors, printers, servers, those kinds of things," she said.

"That is the type of product that will be going through them ... One of the reasons we did this is to gain efficiencies and savings."

Dolan said previously the province had eight regional health authorities that all bought such equipment separately using many different companies.

OnX said it has $200 million a year in revenues and that revenues grew 40 per cent from 2009 to 2010 when the country was in recession.

The company declined to reveal any profit figures or what percentage of its sales are in Atlantic Canada.

Veino, who grew up in Nova Scotia before moving to Ontario to find work, said OnX is seeking customers in both the public and the private sectors.

"We very much focus around optimization of the data centre," he said.

"We do hardware and software solutions."

The company is also a cloud provider, which means it offers off-site software services and data storage on its two servers in Ontario.

Veino said that allows their clients to save capital expenses on computer hardware and support structures such as security and backup power sources and IT-maintenance staff.

"You are really only paying for what you use," he said.

"We are also payment-card industry compliant."

Veino said OnX is "agnostic," which means it doesn't try to sell a particular brand of computer service or equipment.

"We help the company determine what is best for them," he said.

"We carry all the top certifications."

He said OnX has also been named one of the top 100 companies to work for in Canada for two consecutive years and one of the top 50 best-managed companies in the country for three consecutive years.

That helps OnX hire qualified staff, said Veino.

"People want to work in a place that is fun to work in," he said.

"We have a great culture."

cl812

Mar 5, 2011, 12:27 PM

Environmental, commercial interests clash at meeting
Published Saturday March 5th, 2011
A3
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

The former executive director of Nature Trust in New Brunswick is urging Environment Minister Margaret-Ann Blaney not to scrap the government's wetlands policy.

Margo Sheppard, speaking at a public hearing Friday, told the minister that the policy should be left intact and that private gain shouldn't trump the public good.

"Keep the policy ... Its principles must be upheld," she said.

New Brunswick has had a policy to protect wetlands since 2002, but over the past two years, the Environment Department's fragmented approach to interpretation has been quietly angering municipalities, developers, and now farmers and woodlot owners.

When the province introduced maps in January that were intended to predict locations where wetlands could potentially exist, private homeowners and governments were suddenly struck with the full force of the potential to remove land from past and future uses.

While some environmentalists would like even more land protected as climate change becomes more pronounced and communities experience unusual rain and flood events, others argue the provincial policy will crimp growth in the province.

The 1,000-member New Brunswick Realtors called on Blaney to get rid of the controversial Internet wetlands-mapping tool.

Spokesman Mark LeBlanc said the government should have policies that support conservation and wise use of natural resources, but the predictive mapping in a short period of time has created confusion rather than reducing it.

The organization said when the predictive layer designation identifies a possible wetland on a property, it means a regional representative of the Department of Environment must be contacted by a landowner, buyer or seller before it's developed or sold to verify if it is or isn't a wetland.

The province may require a property owner to pay for his own wetland-designation study, but that's expensive and may or may not ultimately be accepted by wetlands specialists within the Environment Department, the organization said.

Delays in processing inquiries and applications is frequent due to the lack of government resources, the real-estate agents' group pointed out.

City of Fredericton spokesman Coun. Stephen Chase said when the government first adopted its wetlands policy in 2002, it was stated that four per cent of the province was wetland.

"Examing the predictive mapping, one can see that the figure has grown significantly and now a large percentage of this city and other cities are shown as wetland," Chase said at the public hearing.

In Fredericton, 47 per cent land is now classed as possible wetland.

"What makes this percentage even more of a concern is that even some of the non-wetland is rendered undevelopable because one can't just 'leapfrog' over the wetlands to get to the non-wetland areas," he said.

The wetlands policy cost Fredericton taxpayers $3 million and a year-and-a-half delay in the construction of the Grant*Harvey Centre.

"In our opinion, the cost and delay was avoidable and unnecessary because our consultant had already offered a very reasonable mitigation plan for any wetland features on that property," Chase said.

"I would like to state that it is not just a matter of getting rid of the predictive mapping. The main issue is that the wetland policy is too restrictive ... It is time to fix the problem," Chase said.

The system has to take into account that not all wetlands are of high value or high functioning and there has to be flexibility in those areas coupled with an effective compensation system.

The New Brunswick Federation of Woodlot Owners, which represents 40,000 woodlot owners who manage 30 per cent of the provincial land base, said the predictive model is a colossal error.

"The staff at our boards, foresters and forest technicians from the outside have identified a multitude of errors in the model. This model should have never been released in its current form," said general manager Ken Hardie.

"If I am planning a management activity on my woodlot, the model may identify a wetland. I know it is not a wetland, the board technician assisting me knows it is not a wetland, but my only option is to hire a delineator at a cost to confirm what we already know. This is wrong ... Why should anyone incur a cost based on the department's error?" Hardie said.

"The woodlot sector is at a critical point with the state of the forestry sector. We are seeing small indications of recovery. Please do not create an undue impediment to further recovery in our sector."

University of New Brunswick biology Prof. Charlene Mayes said human beings can't replicate nature's wetlands and lamented the loss of UNB land to big-box development atop Regent Street.

She urged the government to stick to its guns on wetland protection and said all planetary systems are under streets.

"We cannot afford to proceed with business as usual," she said.

Students and young people are concerned about the state of the planet, she said, and it's up to New Brunswickers today to protect wetlands for future generations.

cl812

Mar 5, 2011, 12:29 PM

Northside biz group urges locals to vote online for recreation project
Published Saturday March 5th, 2011
Grant | Proposed facility meets criteria for Pepsi Refresh funding
A5
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Business Fredericton North Inc. is counting on online voting to help it secure a $100,000 Pepsi Refresh grant.

The northside business improvement area organization submitted a proposal to the beverage company's grant program for help for its Nashwaaksis recreation project.

It has met the criteria for corporate funding, but Pepsi requires public online voting support before it can be considered for a grant.

The business organization wants to turn the former indoor arena site into an outdoor play area with hard surface courts for basketball and ball hockey, an outdoor skateboard park, gazebo, picnic area and a pedestrian trail.

For the late fall and winter, the group wants to create an outdoor community skating facility.

Plans for the site were developed in March 2009, but the business group needs to line up more cash to make the concept a go this year.

Until April 30, the public is encouraged to vote online for the Fredericton recreational project.

Business Fredericton North set up a voting link on its www.businessfrednorth.com website.

"We are encouraging all Frederictonians to go online and vote for this great community project where the old Nashwaaksis Rink used to stand," said general manager Trina MacDonald. "We hope people will vote and vote often. It is only by being one of the top vote getters that we can move onto the next round of this grant evaluation."

MacDonald said additional fundraising efforts will be launched this year.

New Brunswick's Regional Development Corp. has committed $500,000 for the construction of the facility, and the city is providing $201,000 in in-kind funding toward the project.

The city has also agreed to accept the costs of ongoing maintenance and staffing for the facility after construction. Business Fredericton North Inc. has committed $25,000 from its budget toward the construction cost of the project. Another $300,000 is needed.

Construction could begin in April and will be completed in July.

cl812

Mar 7, 2011, 1:01 PM

City hopes to hand over office building to province by May
Published Monday March 7th, 2011
East end | $42-M facility will replace aging Centennial Building
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

The big push is on to finish Fredericton's new $42-million provincial government office building on King Street.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=669170&size=500x0
Lots of work to do: Emelien Power, left, and Tommy Power install cement board panels along the King Street side of the new office building being built in downtown Fredericton.

The 17,000-square-metre building will be a replacement for the aging Centennial Building and will house the offices of Premier David Alward and key departments such as Business New Brunswick, Finance, executive council, Intergovernmental Affairs, Justice, Human Resources, the Attorney General and Communications New Brunswick.

City hall and the former Liberal government struck a deal in 2007 which would see the city finance the construction of the building and the province pay for it through a 20-year lease.

While city hall's decision to build the office building drew criticism from private developers - who felt the city shouldn't be competing with the private sector - the city saw the project as part of a total $78-million east-end redevelopment scheme that included its newly opened 6,500-square-metre conference centre and adjoining parking garage.

Greg Cook, the city's director of special capital projects, has been its lead in working with ADI Ltd. and an assembly of local sub-tradespeople to get the three structures finished.

Cook said he's hoping to have the keys to the province's new office building ready by May, which would allow the province to do its own finishing touches to the structure and relocate sometime over the summer.

"Most of the mechanical equipment is installed. The ventilation duct work is done and the sprinkler system is in. They're doing the drywall ceilings right now and they're crack-filling," Cook said in an interview.

"In another couple of months, you'll see the vast majority of the work done. Then we'll be turning it over to the province and they'll do their tenant improvements."

While the city will install the data lines for offices, it will be up to the province to make flooring choices and determine the colour scheme and office furniture it wants installed, Cook said.

"We'll have all the base building done before we turn it over to them. We left the carpeting out of it because they wanted to pick that as part of the colour scheme and furnishings, but that will go down fairly quickly," Cook said.

The building will have curtain wall glass on its front side and an off-white and brown cladding on its St. John Street side intended to draw on the colours in the departmental building across the street.

About 75 per cent of the exterior finishing is on, so the public can begin to get a sense of what the final structure will look like.

Sidewalks on King and St. John streets will have to be replaced, but that work won't happen until spring weight restrictions on roads are ended, usually by the end of May.

While the city's new convention centre opened in January, there were still bits and pieces of finishing work on that structure to complete. The city was able to finish the main ballroom in time for both for the mayor's state of the city address and for Alward's state of the province dinner.

Work is still ongoing to complete a link between The Playhouse and the convention centre lobby. Flooring, crack-filling and ceiling work is ongoing, Cook said.

Having a variety of odds and ends to tidy up isn't unusual in the completion stages of a development, Cook said.

"The last one per cent of a job takes more time than it should, but it does," he said.

cl812

Mar 8, 2011, 12:23 PM

More products will be available at store
Published Tuesday March 8th, 2011
Liquor | Superstore outlet set to close March 30
A1
By ADAM BOWIE
bowie.adam@dailygleaner.com

Officials with NB Liquor say their new outlet store in the York Street Train Station should be ready to open its doors April 1.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=669352&size=500x0
Rejean Thibodeau, project co-ordinator, right, and Nora Lacey, manager of communications for the NB Liquor Corp., look over plans for the York Street liquor store on Monday afternoon. The 11,400-square foot store is scheduled to open April 1.

J.D. Irving Ltd., which owns the historic property and is responsible for all aspects of the construction, gave NB Liquor the keys to that section of the building Feb. 15.

NB Liquor spokeswoman Nora Lacey said work has been underway since then to transform the renovated site into a sparkling new retail outlet - one that has been designed to give downtown customers a better selection and improved shopping experience.

"We've been outfitting it with the shelving, the refrigeration unit for the cold room, and the point-of-sale systems and other fixtures before the product arrives," she said.

"At this point, we're scheduled to open on Friday, April 1. The Smythe Street store will close on March 30. That gives us a one-day transition to move whatever fixtures are moving from Smythe over to the train station."

The only downtown southside liquor store is located in the Atlantic Superstore building.

The new train station facility will be about 11,200-square feet (1,040-square metres). That's more than double the size of the Smythe Street location.

The new store will also carry about 1,700 different products, giving customers a much greater selection than the 810 items on sale at the Smythe Street outlet.

Lacey said staff members working at the Superstore location will shift to the new site.

"And the store will have two product advisers on staff," she said.

"That's to provide customers with advice on product selection and some education."

NB Liquor is reviewing the concept for the section that will house the heritage portion of the train station site.

Lacey said J.D. Irving Ltd. is still working on that section.

"Initially the concept for that portion, which is only about 3,700-square feet (343-square metres), was a specialty boutique. So what we're doing now is revisiting that concept to ensure that it's still valid and that it's the best use of space," she said.

"The concept dates back to 2009, and we've had some changes to the economy and to the economic situation. And we want to make sure that is the right use of space."

So does that mean there's a possibility that section won't be used as a heritage site?

Lacey said that's definitely not the case, explaining that the section of the building is still committed as a heritage project, complete with specific guidelines for what kinds of renovations and construction projects can occur.

"We just want to revisit the concept for that space. It hasn't been turned over to us yet," she said.

"We don't have a date yet for when it will be turned over to us. But once it is, we'll certainly have a solid concept for it."

cl812

Mar 8, 2011, 12:26 PM

City council seeks public input
Published Tuesday March 8th, 2011
A5
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

City council has set the date for public hearings of objections on several planning applications it's considering.

Councillors will hear from the public Monday, March 14, on an application to rezone the former Green Village nursery at 686 Riverside Dr. to highway commercial from future development.

The defunct garden centre, now in the hands of a receiver, hasn't attracted any financial offers, and PriceWaterhouseCoopers is hoping that by expanding the potential list of uses for the site, it will be able to attract a buyer.

Meantime, the former owner of the garden centre business, Andy Buyting is an employee of Carle Ventures Inc., which is asking the city for a rezoning at 117 Friel and 343 Union streets to permit construction of a 24-unit apartment building.

Buyting, who appeared on behalf of the company on its development application at a February planning advisory committee meeting, got a supportive nod from that group.

City council will hold a public hearing of objections on the proposed rezoning of land from Residential Zone Four-B and Automobile Service Station Zone to Residential Zone 8.

An application from chiropractor Shelly Quinlan to build a clinic, health club and office at 765 Cliffe St. will be up for public review at a council meeting Monday, March 28, at 7:30 p.m. at city hall.

The city's planning advisory committee is supporting the application for rezoning to permit construction of the new facility.

cl812

Mar 8, 2011, 12:27 PM

New bus shelters delayed, existing ones snowed in
Published Tuesday March 8th, 2011
A4
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

A combination of circumstances has made it tough for the city to erect new transit shelters in a timely manner, says city Coun. Stephen Kelly.

Residents of Wilmot Apartments, across from Wilmot Park, have contacted Kelly regarding the loss of their bus shelter and asked for a replacement.

Kelly, who's the ward councillor in Sunshine Gardens area, said the city ran into snags when the bus shelters ended up on back order and by the time they were delivered after Christmas, there was too much snow on the ground to install them.

"It's been discouraging and disappointing that we don't have them up because it's a big deal for many bus passengers," Kelly said.

Transit manager Sandy MacNeill has assured Kelly that it's his intention to see that the Saunders Street shelter near Wilmot Park is replaced as soon as it becomes feasible to do so in the spring. The city's bus service has also had a running battle with trying to keep snow cleared away from bus stops in Fredericton.

MacNeill has said the city fell behind on bus stop snow clearing due to the sheer volume and frequency of storms this winter.

cl812

Mar 9, 2011, 12:55 PM

Housing starts in capital down in February - CMHC
Published Wednesday March 9th, 2011
C1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

February housing starts in the Fredericton area were down 86.7 per cent compared to the same month last year, says the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=669548&size=500x0
Above, new houses along Garden Street in Fredericton near completion. They're part of the new High Point Ridge real-estate development.

The Crown corporation said Tuesday there were 15 new starts in single and multiple housing units in February 2010 in the city compared to just two singles and no multiple starts last month.

For the year to date, CMHC reported Fredericton's housing starts are down 54.5 per cent to 35 from 77 in the first two months of 2010.

Single starts here are up by 6.9 per cent to 31 from 29 last year.

But multiple housing starts are down 91.7 per cent from 48 in 2010 to four in 2011.

Claude Gautreau, CMHC's senior market analyst for New Brunswick, warned against trying to extrapolate trends from one month of housing starts.

"I wouldn't read too much into it," he said Tuesday.

"It is never a good idea to take the first few months of the year and try to draw conclusions just because there are so many factors, weather being one of them, can significantly affect what is going on."

Gautreau also said that multiples are volatile because the statistics can be affected by one apartment building project being started.

"I wouldn't read into that that multiple starts are not going as well or that the housing market in general has been affected by A, B and C," he said.

Alex Forbes, Fredericton's assistant director of development, said while the city is down a little bit from last year, it's impossible to predict a trend in housing construction until mid year.

"We typically don't do much in January and February," he said Tuesday.

"It's been an horrendously difficult winter."

The city also measures the numbers differently than CMHC because Fredericton uses data based on building permits issued rather than when work actually starts, he explained.

Forbes said so far this year the city has issued building permits for four singles compared to 11 units last year of which six were apartment units.

"These are small numbers," he said.

"I would be cautious not to base any kind of a trend on that."

New Brunswick's overall housing starts in February were down 22.5 per cent to 31 units from 40 in 2010.

Singles were up 5.6 per cent to 19 from 18 and multiples were down 45.5 per cent from 22 to 12.

"The decline in residential construction observed in February was essentially the result of no multiple units being started in either Fredericton or Moncton," said Gautreau.

In Moncton, overall housing starts in February were off 89.5 per cent from 19 to two units.

Single starts were down 60 per cent to two from five and there were no multiple starts compared to 14 last February.

In Saint John overall, February housing starts were up to 18 in 2011 from five in 2010.

Single starts were up 20 per cent from five to six and multiples were at 12 compared to zero last year.

cj6286

Mar 10, 2011, 2:35 AM

I was into the new parking garage tonight, and it is looking awesome! The lines on the lower levels need to be repainted, parking metre station is running and all the required signage and lighting is complete. I noticed one thing, a level and a half are completely underground, which is about 8-12 feet. I'm surprised they don't have a regulation for flooding? On the bottom level is a tunnel underneath the new office building, and I couldn't tell, but possibly one under the street/sidewalk. I do have only one complaint. I find the ceilings really low. They are maybe 6.5 to 7 feet tall. Considering I'm a guy of 6'3", I find myself actually ducking haha. Other than that, the site is a prime location and very well done. I actually applaud the city for once. :sly:

mylesmalley

Mar 10, 2011, 12:32 PM

kwajo

Mar 10, 2011, 1:40 PM

I haven't been in it, myself, but I've noticed how low the ceilings look too. Parking garages are never spacious by any means, but 7 feet definitely seems particularly low. Obviously that's more efficient, but at those heights, you're really starting to restrict the types of vehicles that can park in them.
Maybe it's a secret ploy by Fredericton council to keep this guy out:

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41691000/jpg/_41691996_popemobile_afp416.jpg

cl812

Mar 11, 2011, 1:57 PM

Opening of parking garage delayed
Published Friday March 11th, 2011
A4
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

The official opening of Fredericton's new downtown eastend parking garage has been temporarily held up as the city awaits the final inspection of the structure's elevator.

Greg Cook, director of special capital projects for the city, said the elevator system is installed, but with all the construction ongoing in New Brunswick, Fredericton has had to wait in line to have the system inspected.

Janice Legace, the city's manager of parking services, said she's not willing to hazard a guess at the final opening date.

"We thought we'd be open in November," she said. "Then in December, then in January, then in February."

The city wants to be sure that all the pathways from the garage to the convention centre are finished for public use, she said.

"They're tidying things up ... That gives me a good feeling, but I have to wait until it's glaringly apparent I can open. It's any day now," she said.

The city has opened the adjoining convention centre, and work is continuing on the construction of an office building that will serve as a replacement for the Centennial Building.

cl812

Mar 11, 2011, 2:16 PM

Military simulator good news for IT firms
Published Friday March 11th, 2011
D1
By MICHAEL STAPLES
staples.michael@dailygleaner.com

A new high-tech project destined for Canadian Forces Base Gagetown represents a great opportunity for local information-technology firms, says the province's legislative secretary responsible for intergovernmental and military affairs.

Brian Macdonald, the Progressive Conservative MLA for Fredericton-Silverwood, said plans to establish a future military simulation centre at that location is a chance for area firms to capture a piece of a multimillion-dollar pie.

Fredericton has lots to offer in that regard, he said Thursday.

Macdonald, who recently attended a national defence and security conference in Ottawa, said the proposed facility will link real vehicles with simulators and will have the capacity to do everything from individual to battle-group training.

"It's pretty exciting," Macdonald said in an interview.

"It's going to be done across Canada, but one of the key nodes is going to be here in Gagetown. This creates opportunities for our IT sector to really participate."

While actual construction is still a long way off, the project is in the definition phase, he said.

Once a contract is awarded, it will create opportunities for local industry, he said.

"It's a simulation centre and there's a lot of work to be done in the software end," Macdonald said.

"For example, the kind of simulators that would go in there goes right from a driver simulator, where you would have a mark up of a LAV (light armoured vehicle) or a Leopard II tank. It literally has hydraulics in it and it moves. The driver can sit in the vehicle simulator and physically be moved around.

"But the other part of that is the computer interface, and it's 100 per cent replicated."

Once the simulator is functional, it will be like taking a battalion on a exercise, Macdonald said.

"All that software exists, but this is going to be cutting edge, so you'll need to upgrade all of that," Macdonald said.

"All of those individual pieces and the linking of all that is where the potential is ... It is really closer to gaming than anything else, and New Brunswick has some strength there. We have had some good gaming software come out of New Brunswick."

Macdonald said he wants to work with Business New Brunswick to get the local IT sector together so companies can be informed of available project opportunities.

"I plan a bit of an outreach effort to talk to them about this once we have a bit more information on it," Macdonald said.

"I think there's an opportunity here."

Doug Motty, president and CEO of Enterprise Fredericton, said many local IT firms in the area are already participants in similar initiatives and have the experience.

"I think it's just another piece in the puzzle and I think the region is geared up to take advantage of some of these opportunities," Motty said Thursday.

"The folks we have talked to the IT, engineering, gaming, e-learning industries are anxious."

OliverD

Mar 14, 2011, 12:08 AM

Taeolas

Mar 14, 2011, 7:58 PM

Well Terriyaki is closed, but judging from the work permit, it's just a renovation so it should reopen soonish.

Is Fairweather's still closing? I thought I saw some Out of Business sale signs a few weeks ago, but I didn't notice any yesterday when I was passing through.

And does anyone know when Costco is going to start construction?

cl812

Mar 15, 2011, 12:54 PM

And does anyone know when Costco is going to start construction?

I would assume once the ground thaws out.

Smevo

Mar 16, 2011, 3:51 AM

Well Terriyaki is closed, but judging from the work permit, it's just a renovation so it should reopen soonish.

...

And does anyone know when Costco is going to start construction?

I do know they need to renovate if they plan on staying. I'm not sure if corporate is still running it or if they've found a franchisee, so that might affect its future.

I would assume once the ground thaws out.

That would be my assumption as well.

cl812

Mar 16, 2011, 12:07 PM

They have been advertising job postings quite a bit in the gleaner the last couple weeks for the new Fredericton store, so probably safe to assume.

cl812

Mar 17, 2011, 2:13 PM

Committee approves applications for dental offices
Published Thursday March 17th, 2011
A5
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton may have to change its motto from the City of Stately Elms to the City of the Whitest Smiles.

A number of dentists want to open up shop in the New Brunswick capital.

Fredericton's planning advisory committee Wednesday night approved two applications for dental offices in Fredericton and one to expand a clinic that includes a denture business. All three proposed zoning amendments to allow the offices now go forward to city council for final approval.

Plaza Corp. Retail Properties Ltd. wants to broaden the uses in its Main Street property next door to the Shoppers Drug Mart.

A denturist and optometrist operate out of the building at 235-269 Main St. Plaza Corp. wants to renovate to create a physiotherapist's office in the same clinic.

Zoning for a clinic is needed where two or more practitioners in a medical-related field want to set up shop together.

Jessie Holdings Ltd. wants to open a dental clinic at 35 Colter Ct. in a historic home owned by Ross Ventures Ltd. The committee's only concern was that the historic exterior of the property known as Frogmore not be affected by the renovations. The committee was assured that only interior renovations are planned.

James Mark Commercial Realty asked for an amendment to the highway commercial zone on a J.D. Irving Ltd.-owned property at 457 Bishop Dr.

The future owner of the property wants to build a 917-square-metre dental clinic in order to relocate his dental practice and expand it. Parking space would be available for up to 10 dentists or other types of medical professionals.

In other planning advisory committee decisions, the committee granted a variance to Andrew Cogswell, who wants to tear down a house at 317 George St. and replace it with a new residence. Cogswell needed a 2.6-metre variance to build the house that's intended to mimic the street's traditional housing character.

Next-door neighbours opposed the plan. Property owners Leona Hurley and Scott Burgess said the proposed placement of the new residence will block light into the living room of their 135- to 150-year-old structure. They also complained that a change in the pitch of the roof will cause ice and snow to fall on their building.

City planners said if Cogswell and his builder, Drost Construction, wanted to move the house closer to the street to conform with the rest of the streetscape, they wouldn't need a variance and could go ahead and construct after applying for a building permit. Moving the house forward would block even more sunlight to the Hurley-Burgess residence.

The couple asked for a delay, but Cogswell declined to agree, saying he's ready for his contractor to start work in April.

The committee has the authority to grant variances without seeking council ratification.

Karen Robinson received permission to open a daycare at 43 Garden St. She plans to look after up to 14 children. One neighbour wrote a letter of objection, expressing concern about traffic.

A 16-lot subdivision that's part of Northbrook development off Brookside Drive received approval.

Marysville property owner Jennifer Moulton was given permission to operate her hairdressing and esthetics business from her home at 25 Morrison St. Neighbours wrote letters of support for her application, but she'll have to extend her driveway to meet city parking rules for a home-based business.

cj6286

Mar 17, 2011, 7:03 PM

Committee approves applications for dental offices

In other planning advisory committee decisions, the committee granted a variance to Andrew Cogswell, who wants to tear down a house at 317 George St. and replace it with a new residence. Cogswell needed a 2.6-metre variance to build the house that's intended to mimic the street's traditional housing character.

Next-door neighbours opposed the plan. Property owners Leona Hurley and Scott Burgess said the proposed placement of the new residence will block light into the living room of their 135- to 150-year-old structure. They also complained that a change in the pitch of the roof will cause ice and snow to fall on their building.

City planners said if Cogswell and his builder, Drost Construction, wanted to move the house closer to the street to conform with the rest of the streetscape, they wouldn't need a variance and could go ahead and construct after applying for a building permit. Moving the house forward would block even more sunlight to the Hurley-Burgess residence.

The couple asked for a delay, but Cogswell declined to agree, saying he's ready for his contractor to start work in April.

If you live in a downtown, especially in a city, you're never going to get the space or "lighting" you want. Though, I can agree with the pitch of the roof. When I lived in St. John's, my neighbour had a steep roof. That following winter, the snow came off his roof and crashed through the window of the kitchen. Luckily I was renting, but the rent sure did take a hike. Never again will I own an end row house in St. John's haha

jimtriscuit

Mar 18, 2011, 12:04 PM

Hey everyone, I was wondering if anyone had information on the Following.

At the Lighted Intersection on the Northside of the Princess Margarett Bridge, where you go either on the bridge , either way on Riverside drive, or out towards Pepper Creek/Marysville Bypass where they are considering putting a traffic circle. their has been land cleared for a while almost behind the bridge where they are storing equipment for the company working on the bridge, but now on the opposite side of the Pepper creek road, they have cleared a bunch of land on that side of the Intersection, does anyone know what is going on there? we have heard a handfull of rumours, with the 2 most popular being, the Irving/Cicle K next to the Ramada, is moving to this location, and we have also heard a New Tim Hortons there as well.

I find them both hard to believe but at the same time they would make sence for both or either business, does anyone know a thing about this?

cl812

Mar 18, 2011, 1:54 PM

Council approves UNB's rezoning application
Published Friday March 18th, 2011
A9
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

The University of New Brunswick has received city council approval to rezone eight parcels of land to highway commercial zoning.

The zoning amendment and subdivision at 75 knowledge Park Drive was brought forward to city council by ADI Ltd. on behalf of the university.

The land is vacant, but the university hopes to attract retail businesses and has scaled one lot to accommodate a hotel. The property is across from Scotiabank Park South where the Grant * Harvey ice hockey arena is under construction. Close by is the city's southside artificial turf field, completed last fall, and tennis players hope to assemble sufficient funding for an indoor tennis facility connected to the arena.

Deputy mayor Dan Keenan hopes the city will capitalize on its new sports facilities on both the north and south sides of the city to attract more sport tourism business.

UNB is collecting revenue for its needs by long-term leasing of its land holdings atop Regent Street. It has already worked with partners to develop the Corbett retail centre where a Costco development is expected to swing into construction this year.

By pre-zoning its eight highway-commercial sites, the university will be able to ink deals with potential retailers without delay. There's no time frame, nor specific leases yet with new enterprises.

Friends of the UNB Woodlot and local Conservation Council of New Brunswick members oppose any development on the UNB woodlot. They argue the land holdings should be preserved as wetland and woods in perpetuity.

UNB undertook a land management strategy in which it identified land for preservation and land for development, but the conclusions continue to be challenged by local environmental supporters.

cl812

Mar 18, 2011, 2:25 PM

City almost ready to host tours of convention centre
Published Friday March 18th, 2011
A9
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Want to see what your taxpayer dollars bought?

The City of Fredericton and ADI Systems Inc. will hold public tours at the Fredericton Convention Centre on April 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and April 3 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Residents are invited to visit the facility for a self-guided tour.

The $27.9-million convention centre facility is part of an overall $178 million redevelopment venture in the downtown east end, which includes a new public parking garage and soon-to-be finished provincial government office building.

"The workmen are just about finished packing up their tools and the City of Fredericton is pleased to be able to show off this new state-of-the-art facility to our residents," said Mayor Brad Woodside.

"ADI has done a great job on designing and constructing the project and we are pleased to partner with them for this open house weekend. I look forward to being on hand both days to welcome visitors."

"All of us at ADI are very pleased to have been involved with the City of Fredericton for planning, design, and construction of this significant development," said David Beattie, ADI's project manager for the facility.

"The project is the result of significant commitment by the city and will bring many visitors to Fredericton which will be a benefit to local business.

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

The facility has a boardroom with video conference capability, bilingual digital directional signs, free wireless Internet and a full catering kitchen.

The main ballroom seats 1,000 people for a banquet or 1,200 people for a standing reception.

The convention centre is connected to The Playhouse.

"The Fredericton Convention Centre is definitely a transformative project for the east end of our downtown," Woodside said.

"The facility will allow for new tourism and events business and is sure to spur additional development in Fredericton."

cj6286

Mar 18, 2011, 4:12 PM

Taeolas

Mar 18, 2011, 4:51 PM

A Smythe/Woodstock/King roundabout would probably work out well. They have a lot of space there, and the layout is almost roudabout-ish to start with. It'd be nice to get rid of the traffic light snarls there too. The biggest issue I can think of would be getting the pedestrian crosswalks set up appropriately on the leadups, especially since there wouldn't be any traffic lights. Good thing we're already somewhat used to the pedestrian activated lights (especially on 2 of the 5 roads leading into the roundabout)

OliverD

Mar 18, 2011, 7:24 PM

Noticed today that Jim Gilbert's has finished moving to their new location up the street from their old one. Looks like Remax is moving into their old building.

cl812

Mar 19, 2011, 11:21 AM

Mayor hails province's decision to drop wetlands mapping tool
Published Saturday March 19th, 2011
A8
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Removing the predictive mapping tool that captured possible wetlands locations in New Brunswick is a step in the right direction, says Mayor Brad Woodside.

Woodside and other New Brunswick mayors were briefed Friday morning in a conference call with Environment Minister Margaret-Ann Blaney on changes to wetlands policy the minister later publicly unveiled mid-morning.

Officials with New Brunswick's capital city have strongly criticized the department's approach which put the onus on property owners to hire private consultants if they wanted to challenge possible wetland designations on their land.

The minister announced Friday that the department will no longer require functional assessments or delineations, although permits will still be required in or within the 30-metre buffer of a mapped wetland.

Blaney spent nine days earlier this month touring New Brunswick and hearing from woodlot owners, environmentalists, municipal leaders and property owners. She promised short-term answers while preparing for longer-term action. That action will include bringing together stakeholders to advise the government on the best way to protect wetlands in New Brunswick.

"The mayors had met with the minister ... The City of Fredericton and municipalities and various stakeholders had an opportunity to provide input, and they listened like they said they would and they have taken action rather expediently like they said they would," Woodside said.

"This is an extremely important issue to a lot of people and it seems that people were just left up in the air. Full marks to the minister. They took the bull by the horns and made a decision.

"With the prediction portion no longer on the table, I have no problem with the four per cent to six per cent (designation of wetlands in New Brunswick).

"I think it's very positive and I certainly reiterate that environmentalists and developers can certainly co-exist. It's all about balance."

The city will be affected much more positively in terms of how to approach development. Woodside said.

"We don't know all yet, but we're very pleased with what we see and hear so far," he said.

Conservation Council of New Brunswick executive director David Coon doesn't have a problem with the predictive map disappearing because it was a source of confusion, but he said the minister shouldn't abdicate her responsibility to uphold the law.

"The legal onus is on people and companies to obey the law and on the minister to enforce the law whether the wetland appears on a map or not," he said.

Wetlands are protected under the Clean Water Act and its watercourse and wetland alteration regulation.

"Unless the definition of a wetland in the Clean Water Act is changed by way of an amendment passed in the legislature or the requirements of the regulation to provide a buffer, or to obtain a permit if one wants to encroach on, damage or destroy a wetland is changed through a (cabinet) order, it remains illegal to encroach on, alter or destroy a wetland larger than one hectare in area unless a permit is granted by the Department of Environment," Coon said.

"When we asked the minister (Friday) if a wetland is not on the map - and probably about 50 per cent are note - will her department enforce the law and she basically said no.

"The maps are just tools ... It's still a wetland in law even if it's not on the map ... What's disturbing is that the minister seems to be suggesting that the department will overlook that legal requirement (for a permit) if the wetland does not appear on the Department of Natural Resources map. If that's true, then she (the minister) is not living up to her legal mandate. Ministers are legally bound to enforce the laws they're responsible for."

The Department of Natural Resources maps that will be the main tool for identifying wetland areas are photo-interpreted maps primarily done for the forest industry that has to find ways to buffer work around streams.

In 2002, the province committed to establishing an inventory of New Brunswick wetlands.

"They haven't done it. Various governments have failed to put the money into doing the necessary work."

The government could accomplish that task through the use of maps and people in the field, he said.

"This is a concrete consequence of beggaring the budget for the Department of Environment," Coon said. "No inventory and you've got what you've got.

"In the absence of an inventory, the former government said 'come up with a map,' because they knew the Department of Natural Resources maps were way inadequate."

Coon said the province needs to address the big picture issue of water in a comprehensive way, not just break out wetlands or streams, but to look at how to protect watersheds.

There's a consultation paper on the Environment Department's shelf that could be the basis to hold a public consultation on protecting water resources and managing development in that context, he said.

"We need to look at the bigger picture," Coon said.

cj6286

Mar 21, 2011, 3:48 AM

Does anyone know if the city is planning on upgrading bike paths or adding new lanes this spring? To celebrate an early start to spring, I took my trusty ol' bike out for a spin and I see a lot of potential for designated bike lanes on Main/Union and Brookside.

I also came across this on the city website:

2.9.3 Proposals

Third St. John River Crossing
(2) Council shall recognize the necessity for a third river crossing to be
constructed to accommodate vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic in the
future as generally illustrated on Schedule “B” of this Municipal Plan. It is
proposed that Council work with the Province of New Brunswick to identify
the preferred location of the right-of-way for the bridge corridor and take
measures to protect it.

ALSO:

(c) Investigating the possibility of constructing a second pedestrian/bicycle
bridge crossing, either by retrofitting the Westmorland Street Bridge or by
constructing a pedestrian bridge on the Carleton Street Bridge piers;

Two examples of where this type of infrastructure decision should be made
include the installation of a grade separated highway crossing allowing direct
access to the UNB campus and the City core from the Skyline Acres area and
the potential installation of an AT bridge across the St. John river linking the
South and North Riverfront Trails. The City’s Riverfront Master Plan calls
for feasibility studies to determine whether a pedestrian bridge could be
constructed using the old Carleton Street Bridge piers or whether a
pedestrian / bicycle sidewalk could be cantilevered on the Westmorland
Street bridge.

What do you think of a second pedestrian river crossing? It would be easier for me than using the old train bridge just to get downtown safely.

mylesmalley

Mar 21, 2011, 10:45 AM

Other than the noise, what's the big issue with using the Westmoreland St Bridge as that second crossing? Even on foot, you're only on it for 5-10 minutes max.

cl812

Mar 21, 2011, 11:46 AM

Other than the noise, what's the big issue with using the Westmoreland St Bridge as that second crossing? Even on foot, you're only on it for 5-10 minutes max.

I agree, I think a second walking bridge would be a waste of money.

cl812

Mar 21, 2011, 11:46 AM

New YMCA may host official opening in September
Published Monday March 21st, 2011
Fundraising | Bird says community's support for program is essential
A6
By ADAM BOWIE
bowie.adam@dailygleaner.com

The construction of Fredericton's new YMCA is nearing completion and the project's co-ordinators are hoping to be able to open its doors as early as September.

J.W.(Bud) Bird, co-chairman of the Your New Y Campaign, said the building, which is located at the intersection of York and Albert streets on the city's south side, is now fully enclosed and preparations are underway for exterior surfaces to be installed as the weather gets nicer.

"We expect that they will start to conduct some preliminary activities at the new Y by late summer, probably in late July or August," he said.

"We have an official opening planned for mid-September. If everything goes smoothly, that's the plan for now."

Since September, more than 650 individuals, families, local businesses, corporations, institutions and foundations have provided support to a successful fundraising campaign - an effort that's locally raised about $5 million towards the substantial project costs.

Add in financial contributions from the federal and provincial governments, and the project is now nearing completion.

"The stimulus program funding that we had from the federal government was about $5 million. One source of pride from our campaign team is that we've been able to match that $5 million from our community donations. That's quite a statement. I'm not sure how many times that has happened across the country," he said.

He said the provincial government has also kicked in about $3 million towards the community effort.

"The whole project has a great feel. It's the right thing for this community at the right time," he said.

Bird said the Fredericton YMCA also helped pay for the project.

"Without the stimulus funding and the provincial government's contribution, we wouldn't have been able to get it done. But the YMCA itself put about $3 million on the table to begin with, out of its operating fund and from its endowment fund," he said.

"So you might say this is a stimulus project where the funds have been matched almost equally by the community and by the organization."

The facility's close proximity to the city's universities should prove valuable to coming generations of post-secondary education students from across the province and Canada, and for international students hoping to get involved after arriving in the region.

Bird said the YMCA will also provide employment opportunities for young people in the community, will expand access to aquatic activities and help encourage participation in wellness and physical activity programs for seniors and disabled residents.

"I think it's going to be a building in which the whole community will take great pride," he said.

Taeolas

Mar 21, 2011, 1:44 PM

I agree, I think a second walking bridge would be a waste of money.

Well a second walking bridge on those existing piers would be a waste of money. Now if it were on the other side of Westmoreland, it might be doable... But if you're putting a bridge there, you might as well go all in and make it a vehicle bridge with pedestrian/bike lanes.

And yes, as is, Westmoreland isn't that bad to walk across. It was a rather nice stroll when I went across last summer actually. That bridge has issues with vehicle traffic (whoever designed the entrance ramps should be SHOT.) but pedestrian traffic isn't really one of them.

mylesmalley

Mar 21, 2011, 2:19 PM

Even this talk of a third road crossing; I really don't see the need for it. Traffic really isn't that bad on the Westmoreland St Bridge, even at rush hour. And even if it were, the logical step would be to improve access on and off. I agree it isn't perfect, but it isn't all that bad either.

Adding a third crossing would be a mammoth task as well. Just for the bridge, you'd easily be talking 80-100 million, and probably that much or more to build the necessary highway infrastructure on either side to connect it with the city's current network. It would have to go upstream of the WSB, and the shore is completely built up on the south side for quite a distance... it'd basically have to go at the intersection of Woodstock and Prospect. And at that point, it wouldn't really be of any benefit to 95% of the city.

OliverD

Mar 21, 2011, 5:21 PM

Adding a third crossing would be a mammoth task as well. Just for the bridge, you'd easily be talking 80-100 million, and probably that much or more to build the necessary highway infrastructure on either side to connect it with the city's current network. It would have to go upstream of the WSB, and the shore is completely built up on the south side for quite a distance... it'd basically have to go at the intersection of Woodstock and Prospect. And at that point, it wouldn't really be of any benefit to 95% of the city.

I disagree completely.

Traffic on the actual bridge is not that bad. You're right about that. However, it creates traffic problems in the downtown area. You have tens of thousands of cars that drive through downtown daily. They don't stop there; they just drive through because there is no other choice. This makes our downtown less appealing to come to, because of all the traffic. I know people who avoid shopping downtown for this very reason. At peak times, the entire downtown grid is at a standstill.

Connecting a third bridge to the Woodstock/Prospect intersection is actually the perfect place for it to go. Think about it: How do northsiders get uptown? If you live towards the east, you take the PM. Anywhere else, you have to take the Westmorland and drive up Regent, Smythe, or York, contributing to the downtown traffic.

If you had a bridge that connected Clements Drive with the bottom of Prospect Street, you have a very direct route to uptown. It would move a lot of traffic away from the Westmorland bridge.

Personally, I like the idea of a second walking bridge a lot, but that is partially because it would be very convenient for me. I commuted by bike across the Westmorland last summer, and the pathway for pedestrians and bikes isn't wide enough. I do think there are better things to spend money on at this point, though.

cj6286

Mar 21, 2011, 7:14 PM

Here is more info about a third bridge on page 95 of this article:
http://www.fredericton.ca/en/transportation/resources/FINALREPORT_CapitalCityTrafficStudyUpdate_20100323.pdf

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x329/cj6286/Picture6.png

It mentions a corridor to connect to route 8. I can see this eventually making an actual ring road around the city.

On page 80, it mentions the extension of Smythe Street to Bishop Drive.

I guess I'm going backwards, but on the bottom of page 45, it mentions reversible lanes on the Westmorland Bridge. That idea would make a lot more sense then building a third bridge to compensate for traffic congestion.

Taeolas

Mar 21, 2011, 7:55 PM

I disagree. Reverseable lanes for Westmoreland would be a disaster and a half. It is already bad enough with 2 separate ramps that need to merge into the same lane (meaning one lane is effectively cut off). Making a lane reverseable will turn the merging issues on the remaining lane even worst.

To properly fix Westmoreland, it needs a new lane added, if not 2 lanes added so that you don't get 2 ramps trying to combine together.

A third bridge to carry some of the traffic away from downtown would be great too eventually. I think that report has that third bridge on the 10-15 year plan stage doesn't it?

mylesmalley

Mar 21, 2011, 11:38 PM

I disagree completely.

Traffic on the actual bridge is not that bad. You're right about that. However, it creates traffic problems in the downtown area. You have tens of thousands of cars that drive through downtown daily. They don't stop there; they just drive through because there is no other choice. This makes our downtown less appealing to come to, because of all the traffic. I know people who avoid shopping downtown for this very reason. At peak times, the entire downtown grid is at a standstill.

I think you're making my point for me haha. As you rightly point out, the problem with the Westmoreland St Bridge isn't actually the bridge, but the ramps at either end. Building another bridge won't do anything to alleviate traffic downtown long-term, especially if it's built as far up river as you're suggesting. Nobody from Devon or Nashwaaksis is going to drive that far out of their way when there's a perfectly good bridge right in the middle of town.

In 20 years time, when the city has 30,000 more people (more than half of which will probably be on the north side), your primary traffic flows are still going to be right up the middle, or across at the Princess Margaret for access to Vanier, and the highway to Oromocto. A third bridge might make it easier for folks up in Mactaquac or Kedgwick.

In my (admittedly untrained) opinion, the only way you could make a bridge like that work is if you basically built a freeway around that end of the city with a bridge over the river, and basically forced it to become the main artery for commuters. But as per my last post, that would be enormously expensive, and still wouldn't really match the city's growth pattern.

I still contend that Fredericton doesn't have a traffic problem. Or at least one not worth worrying about. And when the level of traffic downtown does become excessive, then it would be time to reconsider the alignment of roads in the area to fix the situation. It might make sense to eliminate the connection to Westmoreland St altogether, forcing everyone onto St Anne Blvd, Smythe and Regent, for example. Or replacing the weird loops with a weave lane with a proper trumpet intersection.

And for the record, I happen to think that Fredericton should be happy with the traffic it gets downtown. For an east coast city, Freddy Beach has an awesome core relative to its size. Part of Moncton's downfall can be attributed, I think, to the fact that it's too damn easy to avoid it. As such, it doesn't get nearly the traffic it ought to.

cj6286

Mar 22, 2011, 3:15 AM

And for the record, I happen to think that Fredericton should be happy with the traffic it gets downtown. For an east coast city, Freddy Beach has an awesome core relative to its size. Part of Moncton's downfall can be attributed, I think, to the fact that it's too damn easy to avoid it. As such, it doesn't get nearly the traffic it ought to.

Yes, this is an extremely valid point. Traffic is never that bad, even during rush "hour". I think before the city even considers building more freeways or arterial roads, they should lean to more high density housing near downtown. I would love to have an apartment downtown, but sadly they're very scarce, so everyone lives in Forest Hills. :shrug:

OliverD

Mar 22, 2011, 12:28 PM

Building another bridge won't do anything to alleviate traffic downtown long-term, especially if it's built as far up river as you're suggesting. Nobody from Devon or Nashwaaksis is going to drive that far out of their way when there's a perfectly good bridge right in the middle of town.

I'm not sure about that. I live very close to the Westmorland Street bridge in Devon, but if I'm going uptown, it's much quicker/easier to take the PM, despite it being further away. It would be the same situation for Nashwaaksis residents.

OliverD

Mar 22, 2011, 12:38 PM

Yes, this is an extremely valid point. Traffic is never that bad, even during rush "hour". I think before the city even considers building more freeways or arterial roads, they should lean to more high density housing near downtown. I would love to have an apartment downtown, but sadly they're very scarce, so everyone lives in Forest Hills. :shrug:

The city needs to get going on moving the exhibition grounds out of the downtown area and redeveloping that plot of land with high density residential.

cj6286

Mar 22, 2011, 10:09 PM

The city needs to get going on moving the exhibition grounds out of the downtown area and redeveloping that plot of land with high density residential.

Dare I say some kind of high/low rise...

mylesmalley

Mar 22, 2011, 10:51 PM

cl812

Mar 23, 2011, 12:32 PM

Revamped plan greener - developer
Published Wednesday March 23rd, 2011
A3
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

A Fredericton developer says the province's decision to revert to Department of Natural Resources maps for wetlands determination in the short term might allow him to fully develop land he owns on Doak Road, but Arnold Chippin said he's not going to do that.

Instead, Chippin's Ltd. Real Estate has created a subdivision proposal that creates an inner core of public green space that will retain the natural state surrounded by a paved walking path that can be used by local residents.

The land he has reserved for green space can serve as a kind of wetland and there's a swale that collects water at certain times of the year, although it doesn't function as a running brook or stream, he said.

"We really like the plan. Whether it's classed as wetland or not classed as wetland ... we just thought that subdivision was a good mix between trying to respect the environment and development, which we think is important. It doesn't really matter, from our point of view, if all of a sudden the regulations changed overnight and the Department of Environment said you could do anything you want," Chippin said.

"This subdivision shows that development can be carried out in a responsible manner and that development and respect for the environment can go together."

Chippin has already received planning advisory committee approval to rezone service industrial property at 310-320 Doak Rd. to residential and commercial zoning. The zoning change and subdivision application he has made to the committee has to go to city council for final approval.

The zoning he wants would allow him to develop a mix of housing types from single family to townhouses to low- to medium-density apartments and commercial facing Alison Boulevard. He's planning about 56 units of housing. There's no final tally yet on how many apartment units. The property is located near the Doak Road and Alison Boulevard intersection.

When Chippin originally drew up the subdivision plan in 2008, he was had 100 residential units, but he's hoping to recoup some of those units by grouping units in the apartment development. That allows the public green space plan to remain.

"We're pretty excited about the plan here because you could have a nice little park in the area, green space in the centre," Chippin said. "We're hoping we can tie it all together and make it look really nice."

Chippin said the public perception can be that the evil, rich developer is only out to bleed property for every last cent.

"But most of us take pride in our work and it's nice when you go to a subdivision that's a nice product. You do have pride in it," Chippin said.

"Maybe I won't make as much on this subdivision as I could, but I've got a good reputation and people will say 'Gee, that's a really nice place to live.' There's a place to walk your dog. There's a certain intrinsic value."

In 2007, the city created the commercial zoning because it felt Doak Road would be the location for big-box store development, but the University of New Brunswick's Corbett Centre atop Regent Street has become the prime location for that form of retail development. Costco, for instance, will be building a store there soon.

By keeping commercial property on the Alison Boulevard frontage, Chippin will ensure that what's built there reflects the commercial-industrial character of the street, said a city planning report.

The city, which is also a landowner in the same area, has been keen on seeing Doak Road open up to provide new building lots and home construction.

The city's senior planner, Marcello Battilana, said the city is trying to find a balance in development as more direction comes from the province on environmental policy.

"We'll know where we can tweak that plan to get additional densities and higher densities," he said.

Without sufficient housing density, the city can't look at expanding transit services or water and sewer services, Battilana has told the planning advisory committee.

Two Doak Road residents, Gerard LeBlanc and Arthur Quartermain, have raised objections to the Chippin development because they're concerned about traffic and the condition of Doak Road. They have told the city that Doak Road isn't in good condition and that it could end up suffering more damage if heavy construction equipment is added into the mix.

"I don't think this development is going to do anything to increase the services on Doak Road," said LeBlanc. "Right now, the Doak Road can't handle any more traffic than what you've got now. I'll be surprised if it makes it through (this spring)."

LeBlanc said the subdivision is a change from the Doak Road master plan and the city should be sticking to its original focus.

"During the master plan, we were told that the whole idea was to keep the residential traffic and the industrial-light industrial traffic separate and this will just make a congestion of it," LeBlanc said.

Quartermain said Doak Road will have to be improved if the Chippin development goes ahead because of the additional traffic to be generated.

"As it stands right now, the (Doak) Road is in very poor shape," Quartermain said.

OliverD

Mar 23, 2011, 1:11 PM

Good luck with that one. The city has invested piles of money into infrastructure in the past four years. They're not going to talk about another huge project like replacing the exhibition any time soon.

They've already talked about it though. I don't think they would spend a lot of money on it, but I think they would help facilitate a move.

cl812

Mar 23, 2011, 1:23 PM

32-lot subdivision proposed for Barkers Point
Published Wednesday March 23rd, 2011
A3
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

A Noonan developer is planning a 32-lot subdivision that would become an extension of Dewitt Acres in Barkers Point.

The planning advisory committee has already given its approval to Gary Armstrong's application, but the zoning change from future development to residential still has to be approved by city council.

Barkers Point Coun. Marilyn Kerton said she has some reservations about traffic increases in Dewitt Acres and she will keep an open ear to neighbourhood concerns.

"Barkers Point is an older part of the city with not a lot of new development. I think it's probably going to be a really good thing for the area and I hope that this all comes together very nice," Kerton said.

Armstrong is proposing that the extension of Dewitt Acres will tie into the Pepper Creek subdivision to the north aligning with Cassandra Lane and Marian Way. The Pepper Creek development is just outside the city's boundaries.

The developer will have to construct a lift station for services and consult with the Department of Transportation on road connections that are outside city limits.

cl812

Mar 24, 2011, 11:44 AM

City thrilled to be hosting national tourney
Published Thursday March 24th, 2011
Hockey | UNB V-Reds are top seed going into six-team championship in capital
A1
By MOLLY CORMIER
For The Daily Gleaner

Get ready hockey fans, the CIS university cup is in town.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=672625&size=0x400
Kevin Robinson, arena attendant at the Aitken University Centre, tightens the screws on the signs for the University Cup men's hockey championship, which starts this afternoon.

Starting today and going until Sunday, Fredericton plays host to six of the top university men's hockey teams from across the country, all vying for the 2011 Cavendish University Cup.

Maureen Sparks, co-ordinator of the tournament's organizing committee, said she's expecting the Aitken University Centre to be sold out.

Ticket bundles that went on sale last year sold like hotcakes and the few individual tickets made available before game time are expected to be snapped up by the time the puck drops, she said.

University sports are the best show in town, she said, and the reason so many people will demonstrate their support at the Aitken Centre this weekend.

"We don't have a major junior hockey team to contend with,'' she said.

"We get great support from the community, and the student athletes make a great connection with the community throughout the year."

Besides the hometown fans, an influx of players, fans and coaches from across the country can only mean good things for the host city, said Fredericton Tourism manager Dave Seabrook.

"This is a great event. It's generated so much interest and enthusiasm. The town is excited and it's good for everyone. It's good for UNB and our team, and it's good for the community," he said.

"It shows all the good work the university has done, bidding and selling the university itself. In Fredericton, there is a great hockey tradition and the huge success the Reds have had over the past couple years adds to that."

Seabrook said businesses in Fredericton will see a financial impact from visitors, and even hometown fans who are pumped up for the game and want to spend money celebrating.

"We are going to see an impact, although it is difficult to quantify in terms of numbers at this point. You're also going to see people being out and excited about the games, and that gets people out into restaurants.

"They'll go to a game and go out and make an evening of it, have a meal and maybe some drinks. In that way it amplifies it. It's a great celebration of hockey."

Susan Holt, CEO of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, agreed. She said local businesses are excited about the CIS championships and the customers it's bringing to the capital city.

"They've affixed posters and changed their signs and window displays to welcome the teams and cheer on the UNB V-Reds," Holt said.

"Hotels, restaurants, nightspots and shops are preparing for full bookings and eager fans. The impact on Fredericton will be very positive."

Sparks said the committee is definitely excited about welcoming CIS supporters to the city.

"We think it's going to be a lot of fun for the student athletes, the fans and everybody involved with the event," she said.

The University of New Brunswick played host to the same event in 2003-04, when the UNB Varsity Reds came up short of winning the cup on home ice.

"After it was all over, we said we want to do that again ... It was so much fun, and we heard so many good comments from the people that were here last time around.

"We were praised very highly by the participating teams. It was a sold-out building, it was rocking and rolling and it was just very exciting," Sparks said.

The V-Reds take to the ice tonight.

Freddypop

Mar 25, 2011, 2:03 AM

Noticed in tonight's Gleaner that Costco will have a booth in this weekends Fredericton Home Show at the Exhibition Grounds. I would assume selling memberships and creating a demonstritive buzz about their new Freddy store.

Also noticed that they are now installing the gas pumps and signage at the new Sobeys gas bar on Brookside

cj6286

Mar 25, 2011, 3:02 AM

Just curious, has anyone heard anything about the old Canadian Tire property on Main Street? It's a great property and it's sad to see it empty for the past couple of years. :(

OliverD

Mar 25, 2011, 1:58 PM

Freddypop

Mar 25, 2011, 4:33 PM

Haven't heard anything, and I can't imagine what kind of business would want that place. Main Street just isn't that desirable anymore. There's a few lots across the street that had some old houses on them that have been for sale for years with no takers.

It wouldn't surprise me to see new developments on Main Street be residential. With the northside commercial developments focusing on Two Nations Crossing, maybe it's time we see some apartments, condos, and townhouses on Main. It's a great location with quick access to downtown so I'm sure it could be desirable.

I believe the pricetag was around $3M as well which also reduces the number of potential buyers. I agree with you that can't see a future regarding retail in that building unless it is carved up into smaller units for lease. Apartments would require rezoning I believe which would be opposed by F'ton North Business Association I would expect

cl812

Mar 26, 2011, 11:12 AM

Committee approves development
Published Saturday March 26th, 2011
A
3By The Daily Gleaner

Sixteen single-family building lots have been approved by the planning advisory committee as Northrup Holdings Ltd. moves ahead with Phase 4B of its Brookside Drive development.

The city will take an eight per cent public land dedication to create a public park area.

The city's planning advisory committee has also approved a variance to the front yard setbacks at 41 Sunny Brae Dr. Thirty townhouse developments are proposed for construction.

The changes are needed to allow for the turning radius of garbage pickup trucks and to provide better snow removal ability.

cl812

Mar 26, 2011, 11:15 AM

City expects most of garage to be open Monday
Published Saturday March 26th, 2011
A7
By The Daily Gleaner

The main part of the city's new parking garage will open to the public Monday.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=673131&size=500x0
Kris McGuire, operations assistant for parking and services for the city, right, and Bonny Curtis, a bylaw enforcement officer, remove a barricade at the 635 King St. parking garage Friday afternoon. The garage is scheduled to open Monday.

"This new parking facility is an important part of the east-end development project that will serve the new Fredericton Convention Centre and office building as well as a new hotel to be constructed on the site in the future," said Mayor Brad Woodside.

"It will also offer the public a convenient place to park while attending shows at The Playhouse or shopping downtown."

When the garage opens, 458 of the 529 spaces will be available for public parking. The 71 spaces under the convention centre still need last-minute touch-ups, including line-painting, before they are put into service, and the 67 spaces under the office complex set aside for lease to the provincial government will not be available until construction of the building is completed later this year.

"This new facility was designed with our long-term parking strategy in mind and fits in with our goal to become a more sustainable city," said Coun. Bruce Grandy, chairman of the city's transportation committee. "This will resolve parking availability issues for businesses in the area and we will continue to monitor traffic patterns to ensure a smooth flow of traffic around this major new development complex."

The seven-storey parking structure, built at a cost of $11 million, will allow customers to access the convention centre, The Playhouse, and eventually the office complex without having to venture outdoors. Spaces in the upper levels will be available to monthly pass holders, freeing up the lower spaces for the public.

There are nine spaces reserved for persons with disabilities on the ground floor of the garage and four more under the convention centre. There will be no other reserved parking in the garage. An elevator has been installed to ensure accessibility to all.

There are entrances and exits to the parking garage on King Street and on Queen Street. First-time users of the facility are urged to exercise caution and follow the direction signs when entering and leaving. Traffic circulation in the garage is different than in the city's other garages. Traffic moves in counter-clockwise fashion and drivers have to stay left when going up or down the levels.

"The key is to drive slowly and take the time to read the signs and in no time, you will be very comfortable going in and out of the facility," said City of Fredericton parking services manager Janice Legace.

"It is very easy to use. You just find a parking spot and pay for it immediately upon arrival at one of the self-serve pay stations."

There will be no charge to use the parking garage during the April 2-3 weekend when the city holds public tours of the convention centre.

Paid parking will be in effect 24 hours a day, seven days a week at the garage. All other city parking facilities and on-street meters charge from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday.

Rates at the new facility will be $1 per hour, $5 for six hours, $10 for 12 hours or $15 for 24 hours. Monthly leases are also available at $95 per month for 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday permit. A 24/7 permit is available for $105/month. To sign up for a parking permit, or for additional information, call 460-2015 or visit www.fredericton.ca.

cl812

Mar 28, 2011, 11:56 AM

Tournament was a success
Published Monday March 28th, 2011
Hockey | Organizers say past experiences helped to ensure things went smoothly
A1
By MOLLY CORMIER
For The Daily Gleaner

It was the strength of an entire community coming together to welcome visitors that made this weekend's CIS Cavendish Farms University Cup so successful, organizers say.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=673304&size=500x0
It's a goal: Tanner O'Donnell, left, celebrates with friend Ian Crawford, 10, after the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds scored their first goal against the University of Western Ontario Mustangs during Saturday night's action.

Roger Shannon, co-chairman of the organizing committee, said 150 volunteers put in 18-hour days at the Aitken University Centre to make sure the event went off without a hitch.

"A big thank you goes to the volunteers," he said.

Kevin Dickie, convener of the event and the University of New Brunswick's athletics director, said he's spent time in five provinces and Fredericton's volunteers stand above the rest.

"I've learned that the volunteers in this city, regardless of the cause, are absolutely selfless and second to none," he said.

Shannon said first impressions of the city from players, fans and coaches from the six participating university men's hockey teams were all positive.

"The hospitality was A-plus," Shannon said. "I think the big highlight, and I always say (this) when you're organizing an event - it's never the games or the lectures or presentations that the delegates remember. It's how they were treated. That's always what they remember when they go away."

UNB hosted the cup in 2003-04, and Shannon said organizers took that experience and built on it.

"I felt it went smoother than it did in the past. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that there were so many lessons learned," he said.

Dry weather Thursday through Sunday produced ideal conditions and made things easier for fans walking to the rink from the parking lot.

"We had dry weather for the entire event. That helps a lot, with the freedom of people to come and go and not worry about heavy winter jackets. So that was a big plus," Shannon said.

Chartered vehicles were also available for delegates to go back and forth from hotels, and players were shuttled around the city for various needs.

The hometown fans that filled the stands loudly supported the V-Reds every time they hit the ice, Shannon said, and the players all commented on the energy in the arena.

Students turned out from residences on campus, with painted faces in the red, black and white team colours of UNB.

"The fans were the best I've ever seen them. Fredericton fans are known for being very knowledgeable, but like to sit on their hands during the game, and sit back like they're watching the game in their living room," he said. "(Saturday) night was the complete opposite. They were energized from the time the team came on the ice."

Shannon said the only things the committee will change for next year will be small, in-house logistics.

cl812

Mar 28, 2011, 2:36 PM

Fredericton Home Show helps to launch busy construction season
Published Monday March 28th, 2011
Spring | Thousands attend weekend event at Exhibition Grounds
A4
By MICHAEL STAPLES
staples.michael@dailygleaner.com

It was dubbed the unofficial kickoff to the home building and renovation season.

And if the scores of people who crammed into Fredericton's Exhibition Grounds over the weekend is an indicator, the gathering met its goal.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday saw an estimated 13,000 people take in the 2011 version of the Fredericton Home Show at the Capital Exhibit Centre.

Real estate agents, bankers, construction companies, contractors and efficiency experts offered consumers a potpourri of possibilities.

Fredericton resident Brian DesRoches said he was impressed with what he saw.

"I've got spring fever, so I am kind of looking around at some of these brick works and I like the hot tub display," he said. "It's just nice to see the crowds. I was kind of concerned with this time of year, with all the economic hard times that people seem to be starting to go through, but I think the crowd is bigger this year than it has ever been. That is really nice to see."

Brian McKiel, the senior shows manager for Master Promotions, the company that organized the event, said the capital city exhibition is one of the best in the Maritimes.

Having everything at one location is a big selling point for many people, he said.

"You can see over 125 businesses under one roof," McKiel said. "If you tried to see the same amount of businesses (on your own), it could take you a month, travelling to and from. That's a tremendous cost-saving."

Jean Pierre Cyr made the trip to Fredericton from St. Leonard. He said he was planning to build a camp and was looking for what was needed.

"There's some pretty good things (available)," he said.

Lincoln resident Margie Grant said she and her husband Kelly are planning renovations to their home and are searching for a wide range of materials. Having everything under one roof is great, she said.

"It means a lot, especially if it is local," Grant said.

Businesses were also praising the show.

Keith Flinn of R.D. Pond Sales and Service said the exposure of being at a show where thousands attend is priceless.

"It's nice for people to know who we are and where we are," Flinn said. "You never really know until after the show how many sales you actually make. But getting one or two sales makes a big difference."

Richard Martin, owner of Martin's Home Heating, said the home show is a boost to his business because it gives him the opportunity to showcase his energy-efficient merchandise.

"We have a new product out which is a heat pump-hot water heater," Martin said. "I checked with NB Power and we're finding that our savings per month, going from a 60-gallon hot water electric to the heat pump-hot water heater, is approximately $60 to $65."

The Fredericton Home Show, first held in 1982, is organized by the Epsilon Y's Men's Club.

Ron Loughrey, a past president with the club, said the goal going into the weekend event was to raise up to $20,000. He said all collected money will go back into community projects to support a wide variety of activities.

"That's the major source of our funds," Loughrey said. "We support a wide variety of projects. A substantial amount of money goes back into probably 20, 25, 30 different organizations."

cl812

Mar 28, 2011, 2:37 PM

Was at the home show on Saturday and heard at the Costco booth that they plan on an Aug 19 opening date.

cj6286

Mar 28, 2011, 3:04 PM

cl812

Mar 28, 2011, 5:54 PM

Where is the construction going to be on Brookside?

I assume it must be out towards the end near the Kilarny Road intersection, where the newest subdivision is.

caveat.doctor

Mar 28, 2011, 8:26 PM

I assume it must be out towards the end near the Kilarny Road intersection, where the newest subdivision is.

That's right. I've made a map of projects approved by the Planning Advisory Committee (http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=207970440030742607989.00049f8ffa9378b949df2&ll=45.962368,-66.637917&spn=0.134362,0.308647&z=12) on Google Maps, in case anyone's interested.

-

Also if anyone's interested, did a little phototour a while ago of the Convention Centre when I was there for a meeting: Has that new Convention Centre smell (http://caveatdoctor.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/has-that-new-convention-centre-smell/). Tours start next week!

-

More potentially-of-interest: posters have been going up around downtown for this event next weekend:

Planning Fredericton: A Community Forum on Climate Justice

When: Saturday, April 2, 12:30pm-5pm

Where: NB Sports Hall of Fame 503 Queen St.

Schedule:

12:30pm: Reception with local treats

1:00pm 2:00pm: Climate justice with Matthew Hayes, STU Sociology

2:00pm-3:00pm: Urban planning in a green city with Mark D'Arcy, Friends of the Woodlot Stephanie Merrill, CCNB and Brad Cross, STU History

3:00pm-4:00pm: Transit in a green city with Peter Fischer, Transit Engineer for the City of Fredericton and Raphael Shay, CCNB

4:00pm-5:00pm: Local food economies with Leah Anstis, CCNB/Local Foodies, Edee Klee, NB Community Harvest Gardens, Debbie Russell, True Foods Organics and Lisa Wilby, Cedar Tree Cafe,

Organized by: CCNB, West Plat Community Association, Friends of the UNB Woodlot and Students for Sustainability.

Contact: forest@conservationcouncil.ca

cl812

Mar 29, 2011, 1:47 PM

New convention centre holding tours this weekend
Published Tuesday March 29th, 2011
A3
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

The people of Fredericton will get their chance to see the million-dollar view from the top of the escalators at the Fredericton Convention Centre along with the rest of the facility this weekend.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=673494&size=500x0
Erin Blanchard, sales manager of the Fredericton Convention Centre, points to the information panel at the top of the escalators during a media tour of the centre Monday.

That's when the $27-million convention centre is opening its doors to the public for tours Saturday and Sunday.

"I think they will definitely feel a bit of a wow impression," said Erin Blanchard, sales manager of the convention centre, during a media tour Monday.

"They'll feel, perhaps, they are visiting another city."

The public tours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday.

Blanchard said the public will see a convention centre that's bright and airy with lots of light and vibrant colours.

It's also the newest convention centre in Canada, at least until next month when a new convention centre opens in Ottawa.

The Fredericton Convention Centre has wide corridors leading to the 12,500-square-foot ballroom on the second floor and the 12 smaller meeting rooms on the main floor that range in space from 200 to 2,000 square feet.

One of those meetings rooms is a dedicated executive board room with HD video conferencing capability and two 52-inch television screens.

Each of the meeting rooms is named after a Fredericton community. For example, the executive board room is called the Silverwood room.

The wide corridors are designed to provide lots of elbow room, or "crush space" as it is known in the business, for big events that can draw more than a thousand people.

Blanchard said feedback from people who attended the first few events at the centre has been overwhelmingly positive.

"People have just been wowed," she said.

The million-dollar view is what the staff calls the vantage point at the top of the escalators, which looks across and up Queen Street towards city hall and Officers Square.

The direction of the escalators can be adjusted to have both running up or down depending on the traffic flow in the building. The escalators can also be turned off to save power when the building isn't in use.

That's just one of the secrets of the convention centre.

The building collects rainwater on the roof and uses it to flush the low-flush toilets and that reduces water consumption by 80 per cent.

Lights in the washrooms turn on automatically when the doors open.

The carpeting is laid in four-foot squares so a red wine spill can be fixed without replacing the entire carpet.

The convention centre was built using recycled materials such as rebar, structural steel and ceiling tiles where possible.

It's part of the building having a Leadership Energy and Environmental Demand, or LEED, designation.

There are touch screen information centres on the walls where people can find out what is going on in the city, complete with maps, or even if flights at the airport are on time.

"I think everyone will be very impressed with our technology," said Blanchard.

"Everything is state of the art."

"We're a green building."

There are 71 public parking spaces under the convention centre in addition to the new adjacent parking garage, which opened Monday.

Parking at the new garage is free until April 1 and is free on weekends.

"It is needed for the facility as well as the area," said Blanchard about the parking garage.

"We will have close to 500 parking spaces available for the downtown."

There is also a state-of-the-art kitchen with a dishwasher that can clean 17,000 pieces an hour.

Blanchard said so far about 100 events have been booked at the convention centre in the first year.

"Some new-to-Fredericton events as well as some national clients who have never been to Fredericton," she said.

That includes the Canadian Dam Association this fall and in 2012 the Travel Media Association of Canada and Transportation Association of Canada, she said.

A new Garden Inn by Hilton is expected to be constructed adjacent to the convention centre with groundbreaking scheduled for August and opening early in 2013, said Blanchard.

But don't worry, the new hotel will be set back from the street and won't block the million-dollar view.

OliverD

Mar 29, 2011, 6:20 PM

It's disappointing that the new hotel won't be opening until 2013.

cl812

Mar 30, 2011, 11:45 AM

Fredericton rated sixth-best place to live in Canada
Published Wednesday March 30th, 2011
Survey | Fifth straight year city has made Top 10
A1
By The Daily Gleaner

Fredericton is the only municipality in the Atlantic provinces to be named to the Top 10 places to live in Canada by MoneySense magazine in its annual ranking of the country's most liveable communities.

Fredericton was sixth from among 180 Canadian cities and towns with populations of more than 10,000. Cities were rated based on home affordability, climate, prosperity, crime rates, access to health care and lifestyle, with subcategories in each area. Points were also given for transit, amenities and culture.

"This is the fifth straight year that Fredericton has been named to the MoneySense Top 10 list," said Mayor Brad Woodside. "All residents can take great pride in the fact it doesn't get much better than right here at home."

According to MoneySense, Fredericton's top advantages are the affordability of housing and chances of finding work, as well as the number of citizens committed to active transportation.

The unemployment rate is 5.6 per cent, the average household price is $142,642 and 9.28 per cent of the population walks or takes a bike to work.

Other areas in which Fredericton ranked well included: average household income ($76,659); number of doctors for each 1,000 residents (2.27); days of precipitation annually (156.6); and number of days a year where the weather is below freezing (178).

Ottawa-Gatineau was named the best place to live in Canada in 2011, followed by: Victoria, B.C.; Burlington, Ont.; Kingston, Ont.; St, Albert, Alta.; Fredericton; Brandon, Man.; Edmonton, Alta.; Repentigny, Que.; and Winnipeg, Man.

MoneySense is Canada's best-selling investment and lifestyle magazine. It's published six times a year by Rogers Media. For more information, visit the MoneySense website at www.moneysense.ca.

cl812

Mar 30, 2011, 11:48 AM

Legion has high hopes for new home
Published Tuesday March 29th, 2011
A3
By MICHAEL STAPLES
staples.michael@dailygleaner.com

If things go well, the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 93 could have a new home by Remembrance Day.

Wade Campbell, the first vice-president, said a decision has been made to rebuild the structure destroyed last year by fire on the same spot of the original legion on the Restigouche Road.

"If we're being optimistic and everything rolled the way (we) would like (it) to ... and depending on the process we go, I would say the best optimum is it would be open this year prior to Nov. 11," Campbell said Monday. "That's very, very, optimistic. Our plans are not completed yet, we don't have an estimate, and we have not gone to tender. After tendering we will have a better mark as to when the building will start."

The Oromocto legion has been without a permanent home since it was deliberately set ablaze June 10, destroying everything, including artifacts and memorabilia.

Campbell said it will take at least five months to put the building up and that would mean construction would have to start by May.

Campbell, however, isn't saying at this time how much a new building will cost, opting to wait until plans come together and all factors are known.

The previous building was valued at $1.4 million.

Past legion president Harold Perrin said earlier that to rebuild at the old location and replace everything lost inside the structure would cost close to $2 million.

The good news associated with building on the original site is that the legion owns the property and will be able to use the foundation, the only thing that survived the intense fire. There had been some concerns that it might not be adequate.

"We have had our foundation certified and it is good to go," Campbell said. "It may require some minor modifications, basically footing for support for the building on top of it. The property is bought and paid for and that will cut down on building time because you don't have to wait to pour a foundation and to cure and things like that."

The new and improved Oromocto legion will be a single-level, 630-square-metre (7,000-square-foot) structure, about half the capacity it had before the fire, or the same size as the upper floor on the previous legion.

"The single level will, basically, cut down the cost of operation because we will only have half the building to maintain, operate, heat and light," Campbell said. "Our operating costs, we would hope, would be cut in half."

The legion had been considering a proposal by the Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency that would have seen the military donate land and build a single-storey structure in the town. Once constructed, it would be leased back to the organization.

"We have bypassed that now," Campbell said. "There was an offer of a time when they were looking it. They had not come back with any sort of a proposal that we could review or negotiate. So the legion and its membership agreed to go ahead with the building."

cl812

Mar 30, 2011, 11:57 AM

Airport's marketing director on the hunt for new airline
Published Wednesday March 30th, 2011
D1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Now is a great time to try and attract a new airline to the capital, says the new director of marketing and business development at the Fredericton International Airport Authority.

"Clearly over the last many years, the airline business has gone through much turmoil," said Leslie Gavin in an interview Tuesday.

"Airlines have had to rethink their business models ... They've had to reconsider how to return to profitability, and they have actually started to do that."

Gavin said aircraft are becoming more efficient to deal with rising fuel costs.

"I would say that people are starting to travel again, both for business and for leisure, and now is the time for airlines to think outside the box and look for new opportunities," she said.

"I am thrilled to be here. I see great opportunity."

The Fredericton airport authority is also trying to think outside the box.

The position of director of marketing and business development is a new one at the airport authority.

Gavin has been in the airport business for 20 years and worked as director of passenger air service development at the Winnipeg International Airport and as manager of air service development for the Calgary International Airport for almost 10 years.

In her previous job, she was responsible for the introduction of new airlines and destinations, including international airlines with no prior experience serving Canada.

Gavin said the Fredericton International Airport has everything it needs to succeed.

"The physical structure is perfect ... My first impression of the airport is it is beautiful facility," she said.

"It is well designed. It is welcoming. It has very appropriate services within it, and it is well run ... It's ready and willing to accept new carriers."

She said airport business development is the process of bringing the community together to go after air service.

That includes working with groups such as the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise Fredericton and Canadian Forces Base Gagetown to get the relevant information together and communicate the right information to the right airline to bring in the service that provides the right product, said Gavin.

"The marketing comes in after and that is promoting the service to everyone and making sure that people are in the seats and that the service is successful," she said.

The airport has been trying for years to lure new airlines to its facility.

Gavin said she doesn't have a magic wand that will bring new service to the capital.

"But I can tell you that I bring a little bit of a different perspective to the job," she said.

"There has to be a solid business case in order to proceed ... Once we have a solid business case for a specific destination, then we'll try different tactics to convince the airline."

She said air service development isn't just about generating numbers.

"It is about influencing the timing and making sure that the carrier is the right airline and they have the right aircraft type, that they are poised for success," said Gavin.

The Fredericton International Airport has seen growth of 20 per cent in passenger traffic since 2005, with more than 270,000 travelers in 2010.

"The greater-Fredericton area is clearly growing, and I would say the airport results are definitely reflecting that," she said.

"This is an area that is ready for greater efforts in business development and the community is ready for more choices in air service."

David Innes, president and CEO of the airport authority, said the airport is pleased to have attracted someone with Gavin's qualifications and experience.

"As growth continues in the greater-Fredericton area, the pursuit of increased air travel options becomes more critical," he said in a news release.

"Leslie's experience with helping communities improve global air connectivity will go a long way towards attracting new airlines and expanding the air service network available at the Fredericton International Airport."

Gavin will also be involved in the development of the new aerospace park at the airport. But she said she has only been on the job for two days and can't make specific comments about that yet.

Winnipeg and Calgary are bigger than Fredericton, Gavin said, but the timing was right for her to come to work at a smaller airport.

"They need somebody with my skills and this is the time in my life when I was looking for a place to work where when I am ready to retire I don't have to move," she said.

"I would say it (Fredericton lifestyle) had a huge influence on my decision (to come here)."

She said she won't be thinking about retirement for 15 or 20 years.

"This is an outstanding part of the country," said Gavin.

"I can tell you that I have not been east of Trois Rivieres with the exception of a few minor business meetings in Halifax ... I love the area."

OliverD

Mar 30, 2011, 1:31 PM

Slightly off topic but still worth mentioning since Radian6 is based in Fredericton:

Salesforce.com Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Radian6, the Industry’s Leading Social Media Monitoring Platform

Radian6 is used by more than half of the FORTUNE 100 and companies like AAA, Dell, GE, Kodak, Molson Coors, Pepsico, and UPS to monitor, analyze and engage in social media conversations

Radian6’s unique technology monitors hundreds of millions of conversations every day across Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs and online communities, delivering insights in real-time

Acquisition will enhance all Salesforce products - extending the value of the Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Chatter and Force.com with social intelligence

Combination of salesforce.com and Radian6 will bridge the conversations happening on public social networks and salesforce.com’s private, secure social corporate social network, Chatter

SAN FRANCISCO, March 30, 2011 – Salesforce.com [NYSE: CRM], the enterprise cloud computing (http://www.salesforce.com/cloudcomputing/) company, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Radian6, the industry-leading social media monitoring platform, for approximately $276 million in cash and $50 million in stock, net of cash acquired. The transaction is expected to be completed in salesforce.com’s fiscal second quarter ending July 31, 2011, subject to customary closing conditions.

cj6286

Mar 31, 2011, 1:12 AM

Freddypop

Mar 31, 2011, 12:40 PM

The new Needs Convenience/Gas bar across from the Brookside mall is scheduled to open in the next week or two. They just finished renovating the other one on Douglas Ave., and they're going to run both stores simultaneously (both under different franchisees).

Yeah....Noticed that they were stocking the shelves on my drive-by yesterday. Would have thought they would have delayed gas sales until the parking lot was paved later in April or May.

OliverD

Mar 31, 2011, 1:30 PM

They just finished renovating the other one on Douglas Ave., and they're going to run both stores simultaneously (both under different franchisees).

That seems bizarre.

cl812

Apr 1, 2011, 11:39 AM

Office building sold to province
Published Friday April 1st, 2011
Deal | City says transaction will take millions off its long-term debt load
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

The New Brunswick government has decided to purchase a new six-storey office building on King Street from the City of Fredericton for its $39-million project cost, plus any costs needed to take the project to completion.

The city's cost estimate on the building is $42 million and it's expected to be finished by the end of May or early June.

City council called an emergency meeting Thursday evening to approve the deal to sell the 15,300-square-metre (170,000-square-foot) building at 675 King St. tentatively named Chancery Place.

Cabinet ministers met Thursday morning behind closed doors to seal the deal from the provincial end.

The city has financed the construction of the office tower through short-term borrowing and had already applied to the province's Municipal Capital Borrowing Board to sell the long-term debt. Finance committee chairman Coun. Mike O'Brien said Thursday night that the borrowing board will be advised of the sale.

The office development is part of the $78-million east-end Fredericton Convention Centre and parking garage built by the city and opened this year.

Supply and Services Minister Claude Williams said Thursday the government reviewed the options regarding the lease in light of its fiscal situation.

"It has been determined that buying the Chancery building, rather than leasing, is a better financial option for taxpayers over the long term," Williams said.

"As mentioned in the budget speech, consolidating office space and saving on energy costs is a key element in our plan to return to balanced budgets," Williams said.

Had the province stuck with the original lease agreement with an estimated annual payment of $3.1 million over 20 years, the total borrowing would have amounted to $60.2 million, Williams said.

Mayor Brad Woodside said the city is pleased with the province's decision.

"This is much cleaner for the province and for the city in terms of not only the construction and turning over of the building, but in the lease agreement and management and purchase of furniture and all of those things.

"I would think that it makes a lot more sense for the province to say, 'It's our building and we'll deal with that.' That's basically what they've done."

Woodside said the city is pleased because it won't have to carry the building's debt on its books for 20 years.

The city wouldn't ordinarily have built an office building for government because it prefers that role to be undertaken by the private sector, but there was a need to replace the Centennial Building and private developers were slow to respond.

"I've also made it clear in the past and on the public record, this building is the province's building and that when they would own it would simply be a matter of time. Now they're going to own it sooner rather than later," he said. "This will give them a little more control over their money."

Woodside said the city will complete the project with general contractor ADI Ltd.

"Nothing changes until the building is set to turn the keys over and rather than give the key to me, they'll give it to the premier," Woodside said.

The former leasing deal was signed by then-premier Bernard Lord in May 2006.

cl812

Apr 1, 2011, 12:07 PM

Province changes stance on northside development
Published Friday April 1st, 2011
A5
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton developer Arnold Chippin says the provincial Environment Department has taken another look at his Heron Heights Ltd. subdivision and come up with mapping that will allow the majority of the development to move forward.

Chippin and his business partners, sister Ruth Chippin and adjoining landowner Mitch Clarke, ran into restrictions on the expansion of the housing development they started on the north side when the province began applying new wetlands policy mapping and identification guidelines.

The development was planned in 2007 and Chippin's Ltd. thought it had been given the all-clear for development by the Environment Department. But the subdivision's expansion was halted in 2009 when the province said the property had been flagged for wetland issues.

Despite meetings with the province, Chippin had been unable to negotiate a settlement. That prompted him to have solicitors file a notice of action against the province on Jan. 10 in the Court of Queen's Bench. Chippin's Ltd. said it was facing $500,000 in losses because of the province's wetlands designation.

But Chippin said a meeting with Environment Minister Margaret-Ann Blaney has changed the path of the development.

A revised wetlands map for the property shows one location that developers will have to avoid and Chippin said they'll still have to maintain a 30-metre buffer from the brook running through the site, but that's all well and good.

Chippin said his solicitor will discuss matters with the Environment Department's lawyer that could lead to discontinuing his legal action.

Chippin said he has never had to contemplate legal action against anyone, let alone the government, apart from a few small-claims court cases.

"We're allowed to do what we were suing to do in the first place," he said.

Chippin is getting crews in to clear land and start the process of expanding Heron Heights subdivision by another 75 building lots.

"We're actually in there clearing now," he said.

Chippin said he's pleased Blaney acted quickly, with leadership and courage, to eliminate contentious predictive mapping for wetlands and remove a problem not of her making.

"I don't think that the previous policy was in the best interest of the province environmentally or economically. Even environmentally, somewhere the wheels came off what they were trying to do. We all live in New Brunswick and we want to protect what we have," he said.

"If you want to protect something, you have to know what you're trying to protect."

Chippin has already created a wetland area in the first part of Heron Heights as part of the subdivision's storm water management plan. He said there's a second area that is a wetland that can be planned around far enough in advance.

Chippin said opening up additional land for development will create employment for house builders and trades people this summer.