[cl812]

Also noticed that they have started delivering steel beams to the CostCo site so building construction should accelerate now.

Noticed that as well, wonder if they are going to make their target opening date of August 19?

[Freddypop]

Noticed that as well, wonder if they are going to make their target opening date of August 19?

Should not be a problem unless the rainy weather has slowed them down too much. Takes 110 days from ground-breaking to build a Costco and construction began mid April.

[cl812]

I see today they have begun erecting the steel for the Grant-Harvey Centre.

[cj6286]

Does anyone know what the plan is for the Quiznos property downtown? I see the building behind it is boarded up and surveyors doing something... :shrug:

[cl812]

The steel has now started going up for Costco. Also, saw that they are doing some more work at the Kimble end of Knowledge park drive, an excavator was dropped off there earlier this morning.

[cl812]

Does anyone know what the plan is for the Quiznos property downtown? I see the building behind it is boarded up and surveyors doing something... :shrug:

Last I heard Quiznos was staying for the time being, but I would think that would be difficult if they re-develop the property.

[Freddypop]

The steel has now started going up for Costco. Also, saw that they are doing some more work at the Kimble end of Knowledge park drive, an excavator was dropped off there earlier this morning.

They have also moved a trailer, equipment and erected some fencing over by the entrance to Regent Street. Looks like construction on the gas bar is ready to swing into action

[cl812]

They have also moved a trailer, equipment and erected some fencing over by the entrance to Regent Street. Looks like construction on the gas bar is ready to swing into action

Thats good to see they are moving ahead with it right now, since they said they may wait on the gas bar.

[kirjtc2]

Last I heard Quiznos was staying for the time being, but I would think that would be difficult if they re-develop the property.

I asked at Quizno's about a year ago, and they said that no matter what happens to the building, Quizno's is staying in some way, shape or form.

Of course, something may have changed since then....

[Freddypop]

I asked at Quizno's about a year ago, and they said that no matter what happens to the building, Quizno's is staying in some way, shape or form.

Of course, something may have changed since then....

Gotta figure that Irving has a plan. Can't see them just leaving prime property vacant like that.

[cl812]

Home sales in city up in April
Published Thursday May 26th, 2011
A4
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

The value of home sales in Fredericton in April was up 10 per cent compared to the same month last year, says the New Brunswick Real Estate Association.

The association said in a news release the residential dollar volume of homes sold in Fredericton in April was $45,232,217.

The average home price in Fredericton last month was $184,621, which is the highest level in the province.

Sales in Saint John were down 11 per cent in April, according to the association.

The residential dollar volume in Saint John was $26,126,850 and the average home sold in April cost $183,992.

The average price of a home sold in Moncton in April was $163,452 and the residential sales volume for the hub city was $42,334,164, up four per cent.

The province had its third best April, with 688 residential properties sold through the multiple listing service systems, said the association.

The average price for home sold in New Brunswick in April was $171,130, the most on record.

The residential dollar volume for the province was $117,737,631.

"Right now we've got interest rates still staying good," said Paul Burns, first vice-president of the association, about the New Brunswick housing market.

"Our employment situation seems to be holding its own and people are fairly confident about life in general.

"So all those things lead to a pretty robust real estate market."

In contrast, national sales volumes fell 15 per cent in April compared to the same month last year.

The national average home price was up eight per cent to $372,544.

"We never see these huge highs and huge lows like you get on the national markets like Vancouver and Toronto and Calgary," said Burns.

"All our markets are slow and steady which is great for vendors because they can have some comfort in what they are buying."

There were 1,542 new residential listings added to the New Brunswick MLS systems of real estate boards on April, 2011 which is unchanged from the same month a year ago.

The association said the overall supply of homes for sale in the province remains elevated with 5,486 active residential listings in April.

There were 8.2 months of residential inventory at the end of April on a seasonally adjusted basis, down from 9.8 months at the end of March 2011, said the association.

The New Brunswick Real Estate Association presents more than 1,000 agents, salespeople and affiliate members throughout the province.

[Freddypop]

Noticed they are clearing the lot between Kia and Value Village on Bishop Drive today. Any idea what's going in there?

[Freddypop]

Thats good to see they are moving ahead with it right now, since they said they may wait on the gas bar.

Gas bar installation/construction is being done by Phoenix Petroleum

[Freddypop]

Looks like Freddy will have to wait to see if it is on the September list or not since Saint Johm is the only NB location announced....

" Minneapolis-based Target Corporation announced Thursday the locations of the first 105 stores it will open in Canada when it formally takes over from Zellers early in 2013.

The locations include 45 in Ontario, 19 in Quebec ,15 in British Columbia, 13 in Alberta, five in Manitoba, two each in Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador and one each in New Brunswick and PEI.

"This is just the first wave," Target Canada president Tony Fisher told journalists at a presentation in Chicago, saying a second wave of store sites will be announced in September."

Full article is here:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2011/05/26/target-canadian-stores.html

[Taeolas]

No mention of Freddy; hopefully we'll hear something in September. But from our earlier talk, I'm thinking now that Target doesn't like either Zellers location and so they'll probably try to unload both and build a new location, in 2NC or Corbert.

[kirjtc2]

They just haven't signed all the leases yet.

One thing I noticed is that *no* stores in Crombie-owned malls (of which Fredericton Mall is one) are on the list, so I'm thinking they just haven't come to a deal. There are Zellers stores in a lot worse shape that did make the cut.

On the other hand...since there *are* other Riocan stores on this list (ie Charlottetown) but not Brookside Mall, I'm also guessing that one's gone.

[cj6286]

It's sad to see that Brookside Mall is dead now... The only anchors are Sobeys, Lawtons, NB Liquor and now even Zellers is questionable. It will be sad to see it go some day, as it does get a lot of business. The mall needs a revival of some of the same stores in the Regent Mall if Business Fredericton North wants to keep it alive.

[Taeolas]

We were talking about Brookside mall a few pages back. IMO, the thing that saved it long ago (the call centres) are whats killing it now. So much of its space is taken up with call centres and similar non-retail space, that its hard to lure more retailers out. With the push to Big Box stores and Minimalls, Brookside probably won't last another decade. Especially if Target/Zellers pull out.

[Pugsley]

We were talking about Brookside mall a few pages back. IMO, the thing that saved it long ago (the call centres) are whats killing it now. So much of its space is taken up with call centres and similar non-retail space, that its hard to lure more retailers out. With the push to Big Box stores and Minimalls, Brookside probably won't last another decade. Especially if Target/Zellers pull out.

Brookside could use a major overhaul. The problem was when they started adding call-centres to spaces that should have been reserved as retail. The same sort of decline happened to a once famous mall here in Toronto called Don Mills Shopping Centre. A few years back, Cadillac Fairview overhauled it and turned it into an OUTDOOR shopping village combining offices, retail, and restaurants. The new name? The Shops at Don Mills. It has been a great success. Given the growth in residential development in and around Brookside, maybe it is time to do the same thing...anybody ready to see "The Shops at Brookside"? hehe

Here is a link to learn more about Don Mills:

http://www.shopsatdonmills.ca/en/centreinfo/Pages/RetailDevelopment.aspx

[Taeolas]

They're sort've going that way already; The Brookside facing side of the mall is almost all outdoor shopping now, with the Gym and a Call centre taking up most of the inside space behind those fronts (similar to Uptown Centre). The bigger challenge is the minimall complex across the street from it; why reno old when you can build new?

I suspect if/when Zellers pulls out of Brookside, they'll shut down that leg of the mall entirely and just have the Brookside facing part of the mall remaining with no inside space, while opening up the Zellers leg for Call Centre expansion and similar office space. In other words they're just waiting for leases to expire and just doing minimal maintenance while not really recruiting for new stores until they find out what way Target jumps.

[Pugsley]

Well, you really need to see the Don Mills project from before and after to get a real impression of how it all works. It is less a plaza and more an urban village of shops and restos...very walkable and enjoyable - part of the major draw of it. The latest phases now have condos going in and around the space once occupied by large parking lots...it is a small town in a city...urban planners dream!

It is a shame about Brookside as it is a prime piece of real estate that if re-formatted properly, could be a HUGE destination for shopping on the north side. But I bet it will simply decay to the point where it is a large big-box mess with no real character to it. :(

[cj6286]

Unfortunately, outdoor shopping is not favourable when it's -20 or 36 degrees outside. I recall doing a paper in high school about indoor malls vs strip malls and they invented an indoor mall so people didn't have to bare the weather when going store to store, thus killing downtowns- thankfully that hasn't happened here! Brookside needs some trendy stores like Aeropostale or HMV to attract young people (especially since there is a dramatic increase of young families in the area), which could lead to a possible rejuvenation.

In all honesty, the only reason I go to the Brookside Mall is to get my groceries, pharmacy stuff, gym and to escape the heat in the summer.

[Freddypop]

Unfortunately, outdoor shopping is not favourable when it's -20 or 36 degrees outside. I recall doing a paper in high school about indoor malls vs strip malls and they invented an indoor mall so people didn't have to bare the weather when going store to store, thus killing downtowns- thankfully that hasn't happened here! Brookside needs some trendy stores like Aeropostale or HMV to attract young people (especially since there is a dramatic increase of young families in the area), which could lead to a possible rejuvenation.

...... the only reason I go to the Brookside Mall is to get my groceries, pharmacy stuff, gym and to escape the heat in the summer.

And NB Liquour:cheers:

[Pugsley]

Unfortunately, outdoor shopping is not favourable when it's -20 or 36 degrees outside.

Not to discredit your theory here (I agree shopping in the cold is a pain in the ass) but there hasn't been ANY indoor retail built in the Maritimes in the past 20 years. The last major development being Park Lane in Halifax if I recall...and it is pretty vacant these days. However, outdoor big-box plazas are thriving. I would argue that a conversion to an outdoor mall would not be ignored by consumers...but perhaps embraced...if done correctly....of course.

[cl812]

City OKs 35-lot subdivision on south side
Published Saturday May 28th, 2011
A4
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

A new 35-lot subdivision the City of Fredericton plans to build in collaboration with local developers has been approved by city council.

Development of the land, located at 518 Springhill Rd. across from Nethervue Mini-Home Park, is a project of the Fredericton Lands Commission. That's the company the city created to speed up the land development process, install services in areas that are unserviced and spur both residential and commercial growth in the city.

The lands commission, for instance, developed Harold Doherty Court on the north side of the city near Cliffe Street in order to facilitate the sale of city-owned property.

Construction of that street has allowed the city to sell serviced land to Ambulance New Brunswick for its fleet centre and for a seniors housing development.

Calvin Thompson, the real estate manager for the city, and a member of the Fredericton Lands Commission, said the city hopes the Springhill Road lots can be available for construction as early as this summer.

The city is constructing a water tower on the site that will not only service the city's property, but open the gateway to neighbouring property owners who have been unable to develop on the south side of Springhill Road due to a lack of water.

Thompson said interest is growing in land development in the general area given the prospect of water service.

At least one neighbour is concerned about the land development. The Sloat family owns property next to the city's single-family residential housing development. The land is being used for market gardening of fresh produce and a family relative has expressed interest in developing an organic nursery.

At the planning advisory committee, family members expressed concern about conflicts between residential housing and agricultural uses, although they raised no objection through their solicitor Fred McElman regarding the water tower construction.

McElman's concerns at the planning advisory committee level ranged from questioning the lack of arm's-length jurisdiction between the committee and the lands commission which is essentially staffed by senior city hall bureaucrats and whether the committee will hold the commission to the same development standards as other local developers.

The subdivision plan was approved by city council without debate recently. The main street through the housing development will be called Stapleton Street to honour retiring city administrator Paul Stapleton.

[OliverD]

I was talking to someone last night who lives in the Northbrook subdivision. They just put their house on the market, mainly because they want to sell it before people start buying those new minihome lots. She said that every resident of that area signed a petition against those minihome lots but the developer (Northrup) didn't care.

Seems bizarre to me. They are shooting themselves in the foot by suppressing resale values and making their single family home lots far less desirable.

[KnoxfordGuy]

Downtown was so busy last night!! All outdoor places were packed! Even though It was probably due to congress, it was still wicked to see!! :D

[corda]

Downtown was so busy last night!! All outdoor places were packed! Even though It was probably due to congress, it was still wicked to see!! :D

I just heard today that the summer evening concerts in Officer's Square started early this year due to Congress. Too bad I missed Issac & Blewitt last night.

[corda]

I know the sign at the corner of Cliffe and 2NC is there stating that the school is coming but has anyone heard if 2NC will be extended to meet it or if the new Pickard Street off Crockett St will be built first?

I am under the impression the land set aside for the school is still next to Crockett St nearly to McInnis Court as shown in municipal plan map of "NorthEast Fredericton".

http://www.fredericton.ca/en/citygovernment/resources/Fig-3-14-1.pdf

[cl812]

Public hearings for rezoning plans to be held next month
Published Tuesday May 31st, 2011
A4
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

A public hearing of objections will be held June 27 at 7:30 p.m. on a plan to rezone and subdivide the first phase of a large development off Cliffe Street.

Proposed by DP Developments, the company wants zoning changes that would allow it to build a cradle-to-grave-style housing development with: single family homes; four, 48-unit apartments; and a nursing home.

Developer Peter DeMerchant has said he hopes that the property development will allow its residents to remain in the same neighbourhood as they transition from their early working years and family years into retirement and senior ages.

The development would be built over the next decade.

Also at that same council meeting, a rezoning and subdivision application by Chippin's Ltd. to create 10 lots of highway commercially zoned property along Alison Boulevard is up for its public hearing of objections.

The lots are already zoned for service industrial uses, but the developer wants the broader classification of uses under the highway commercial zone. That can include everything from offices to retail to automotive businesses.

A third rezoning at 2783 Woodstock Rd. will also be given public scrutiny. Mario Dupere wants to rezone a portion of a larger single-family residential property to R-6 in order to create a 17-lot single-family development, along with 27 condominiums in the R-6 zone.

The city's planning advisory committee has received presentations expressing concern about the development.

One Hartt Island Estates subdivision resident said there are existing problems with water runoff during heavy rains and spring thaws in the development.

[corda]

I was talking to someone last night who lives in the Northbrook subdivision. They just put their house on the market, mainly because they want to sell it before people start buying those new minihome lots. She said that every resident of that area signed a petition against those minihome lots but the developer (Northrup) didn't care.

Seems bizarre to me. They are shooting themselves in the foot by suppressing resale values and making their single family home lots far less desirable.

I agree. It seems like an odd location to mix duplexes + bungalows with the new Joycelands trailer park. Nothing wrong with tjem, they certainly have there place especially since Fredericton real estate prices is getting less and less affordable imo... but the attractiveness of Northbrook will be less desireable because of it.

[cl812]

Grant-Harvey Centre webcam:

http://205.174.168.107/axis-cgi/jpg/image.cgi?&PAGE=1306947257246

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

[cj6286]

I found a picture of the old transit buses. They're before my time, but it is interesting to see how far we've come in terms of modern transit buses!

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x329/cj6286/oldfreddytransit.jpg

[corda]

I found a picture of the old transit buses. They're before my time, but it is interesting to see how far we've come in terms of modern transit buses!

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x329/cj6286/oldfreddytransit.jpg

Cool pic. I wonder what the routes and frequency were like back then. By comparison I bet we wouldn't complain as much of how limited it is now... then again, other than Marysville, Fredericton was less spread out then, most things uptown were new.

[Taeolas]

I'd almost swear that bus was still running now. :) hehe. Nice ad for the eye glass place in the Regent Mall on the side. (Place des Spectacles I think?).

IIRC, Fredericton Transit is limited to the City Limits, right? They aren't allowed to go beyond them? So I wonder what deals would have to make it Fredericton Regional Transit to go further? Would there be any population worth going further out? (routes to Oromocto/the Airport maybe?)

[josh_cat_eyes]

This was just posted on APM's website today.
http://apm.ca/PDF/Forest%20Hill%20-%20Fredricton%20NB%20-%202011.pdf

[cl812]

Shaping up
Published Saturday June 4th, 2011
D1

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=686886&size=500x0
Workers guide a ceiling support for the Grant*Harvey Centre. The facility, which honours Danny Grant and the late Buster Harvey, is well under construction. It's expected to open in March. The $29.35-million facility will feature an Olympic-sized and NHL-sized ice surfaces.

http://nbbusinessjournal.canadaeast.com/gleaner/article/1412453

[cl812]

[B]New pharmacy in operation on Fredericton's north side[/B
]Published Saturday June 4th, 2011
D1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton has a new pharmacy.

St. Mary's IDA Pharmacy at 150 Cliffe St. celebrated its grand opening at the end of May.

Co-owned by pharmacists Sherry Price and Shelonie Cooley, the new business is the first IDA pharmacy in Atlantic Canada.

Price said their pharmacy will carry Rexall Brand products. Rexall is derived from the symbol for a prescription - RX - combined with the words "to all" or "pharmacy to all."

Although the pharmacies are mostly located in western Canada, Price said, many local people are familiar with the store's products.

Both Price and Cooley have been pharmacists for a number of years. Price graduated in 1988. Cooley runs the Keswick Pharmacy, which is a Guardian pharmacy, also in the Rexall family.

Price, who has been working as a relief pharmacist for the past couple of years, said she enjoyed that but really missed having her own customers.

"I really missed having that relationship with my customers, getting that personal relationship where you can get to know them and be here on a consistent basis to be able to help them. That's what's important to me," Price said.

She will work full-time at the St. Mary's location, and Cooley will divide her time between the St. Mary's location and the Keswick Pharmacy.

The business also has two part-time employees.

"People are becoming much more aware of their health, and they're reading more and they're just becoming more educated, and they're just looking to alternatives to taking traditional medicines," Price said.

"Plus it's not just alternatives, it's complementary to their traditional medicines as well and it's important to have options."

Since prescription medications and natural products can have interactions, it's important to talk with a pharmacist about their uses and benefits, she said.

Cooley said by opening the second location and working with Price, they'll have three pharmacists between the two locations, which will allow a more flexible schedule.

"It gives us all a little better quality of life," Cooley said. "That was definitely part of the reason."

At Keswick Landing, Cooley does on-site compounding, which is making up medications such as pain management creams and eye drops from scratch, preservative-free products and dosages suited for children.

"We have a lot of clients from within the city limits who find it either difficult to come out here or just can't get out here, and this allowed us to work with St. Mary's Pharmacy for our compounds to be available at St. Mary's within the city limits," she said.

"We actually put a lab in the new store, and the long-term plan is we may do some compounding there as well."

Cooley said she's found a great business partner in Price.

"When we decided we were going to open the second location at St. Mary's, we actually looked for nine months for a pharmacist partner because I was pretty fussy," she said

"There's business values and professional ethic values, and we stand very high on professional ethics, and I needed to find someone who was going to match me on that."

Cooley said she and Price are a good fit.

"We share so many values, and it's just awesome to have her there," Cooley said.

[cl812]

More flights, bigger planes handle congress traffic
Published Friday June 3rd, 2011
D1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Bigger planes and more flights - that's how Air Canada and the Fredericton International Airport are handling all the extra passenger traffic generated by the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences in Fredericton this week.

"We're having the biggest week we've ever had out here in terms of passengers," said airport CEO David Innes. "There are significant (flight and aircraft) changes all through the week ... It's a really good news story."

The congress has attracted thousands of visitors from all over the world.

Innes said the airport expects to handle 9,000 passengers this week, a 50 per cent increase over normal levels. He said the changes at the airport started in earnest Friday, May 27, when there were 18 arrivals in Fredericton with 1,600 seats compared to the normal number of arrivals of 12 or 13.

In addition to extra flights, Air Canada has also added bigger planes, using the CRJ705 jets with 75 seats rather than the usual CRJ with 50 seats, said Innes.

"We've been working with the congress organizers as well as Air Canada," he said.

"Air Canada has really stepped up to the plate on this one."

Isabelle Arthur, Atlantic spokesperson for Air Canada, said the airline is adjusting capacity on a day-by-day basis to meet demand in view of the congress.

"For example, on certain days we increased capacity by 50 per cent from Toronto, and on some days we operated two out of five flights with a 75-seat regional jet instead of the 50-seat jet," she said in an email Thursday. "From Halifax, we added up to 67 per cent more capacity and in peak travel times Montreal service was increased to four flights."

Those planes and extra flights have also been leaving full, said Innes.

"The traffic both ways has been very good," he said. "We asked the airline about it and apparently they are in full and out full ... The introduced some special fares during this period as well."

That includes a $99 fare on back hauls out of Fredericton, he said.

"There have been some good deals around, and there's been great uptake on those," said Innes.

The airport president said he would love to keep that extra capacity full time.

"If the traffic shows itself then we'd certainly welcome it," said Innes.

He said the airport terminal is able to handle the extra passenger traffic.

"It is coming in almost one flight at a time," he said. "We can accommodate quite easily here 150 to 200 passengers at a time."

Innes also said there were no reports of problems getting those passengers into Fredericton from the airport.

"The shuttle bus service that the congress organized was well used in terms of accessing the airport back and forth," he said.

Innes said he was in downtown Fredericton for a breakfast meeting Wednesday and notice the hotel was full and the parking lot was empty.

"If you are in the airport business, you have to smile about that," he said.

[Freddypop]

Published Saturday June 4th, 2011

New league Gauging interest in Fredericton

B3 By BILL HUNT

hunt.bill@dailygleaner.com

Kelly Lamrock is "bullish" on the idea of a Fredericton franchise in the soon-to-be-launched National Basketball League of Canada. He's looking for some investors who share his vision.

Lamrock, the former Liberal MLA and provincial cabinet minister, says there are a group of 10 investors on board now and "we're looking to double the size of that group," with the idea of bringing minor professional basketball to the provincial capital in time for the 2012 season.

That would be the second year of the league, which owners of the Saint John Mill Rats, Halifax Rainmen and Quebec Kebs are trying to launch from the ashes of the Premier Basketball League.

The three Canadian entries withdrew from the PBL over disagreements with the structure of the league and threw their impetus behind a league they envision as having as many as eight teams by the time the league launches in November. Mill Rats owner Ian McCarthy was in transit from the United States and unavailable for comment yesterday.

The league website lists Moncton, and Ontario centres London, Oshawa, Kingston and Barrie as "pending teams" in the circuit.

Lamrock says he is "very serious" about putting Fredericton on the basketball map.

"In this marketplace, it's going to be a challenge," he admitted. "It's far from a sure thing. But I do think there's real potential in this league, and I think Fredericton can support professional calibre basketball."

Lamrock attended most of the Mill Rats games at their Harbour Station home last season. He would very much like to duplicate the product here with regard to the calibre of basketball and the "fan experience."

He said the Mill Rats, transplanted from Manchester, N.H., before last season, "had worked very hard to connect and build community roots. That's one of the league's strengths, and that would probably be our ownership policy."

He believes the ownership structure that would succeed in Fredericton is "a community-owned team with a number of different partners who really have one thing in common, that they love basketball and want to see a new sports option in Fredericton. It's the kind of league where you can have a community-owned team, and I think that's the strongest model. In minor league sports, over time, that's where it seems to work best."

Lamrock has faith in Fredericton as a sports town, despite the failure of two American Hockey League clubs in the past.

"I'm not discouraged by the experience we had here, quite the opposite," he said. "When we had good teams here, we supported them. Both AHL chapters ended, not really because the community turned away from the team. The Express was a corporate decision about placing a team closer to its parent. The Fredericton Canadiens had a very good run here and, in many ways, the AHL kind of outgrew them."

Lamrock said if the new league remains faithful to its current financial model, "we can make it work with from 1,900 to 2,100 fans...that's doable. But we've got to make sure the venue is right, the fan experience is strong. And we've got to make sure that, right from the very first exhibition game, that fan experience is something that keeps people coming back."

Lamrock though, is targeting November 2012 rather than the league's inaugural season.

Next season, he plans to make a regular pilgrimage to Saint John to watch the Mill Rats.

"I'll be encouraging people to go down and have a look at just how good this league is," he said. "This is, in many ways, the best basketball New Brunswick's been able to offer. I think the more people who see that, the more excited they'll be about the possibility that Fredericton and Moncton can be in this league too."

He hopes the community embraces the Fredericton franchise the way Saint John embraced the Mill Rats. In fact, he said the success of the franchise will depend on it.

"Ian (McCarthy, the Mill Rats owner) did everything right, from having minor league teams warm up with the players to retiring Norm Seeley's number to make those connections with Saint John...the local business support was huge. That's the biggest part we've got to see here in Fredericton.

"If we can build this product, will we see the kind of local support like businesses making sure the players have places to live and go, the kind of sponsorship...will city council get behind it the way Mayor (Ivan) Court did? He was at almost every game. If there's that level of enthusiasm, this market can work. When you're in a market of 60,000 people, anything less than complete enthusiasm and you're not going to make the market work."

Lamrock wants to have the ownership group - as many as 20 investors - and a local board of directors assembled by the end of January.

"We've got to be in position to have a stable ownership group and hit financial numbers we need," he said. "At that point, the goal would be to go to the public and see if we can have a season ticket drive that would see us have 1,000 to 1,500 fans get a deposit down on being a part of the season."

Lamrock sees lead time as "very important" in laying the groundwork for success.

"If you're running out in March and April, you're slap dashing a logo, you're not making a local connection with teams, you're scrambling to find players, then suddenly you've got a team that's 2-18, you're in a half-empty venue...that's not a fun place to be, it's not a fun product to watch.

"In any year, if we're thinking we're going to be on the court in October, we've got to sell tickets in January and be ready to go in March," Lamrock said. "You've got to be running pretty fast to start in February and put a Mill Rats calibre product on the floor in October."

Lamrock said the remnants of the PBL and its forerunner, the American Basketball Association, that survive as founders of the Canadian League "have always been better than the leagues they've been in. Now is their chance to deliver a league that is worthy of that kind of confidence.

"The only reason I've moved from being in the third row cheering to exploring, to getting serious about it is I think these guys know what they're doing and are committed to a level of professionalism that, so far, I'm comfortable with. I'm looking forward to watching the first season in Fredericton."

The league is operating on the basis of a season schedule "in the high 20s," said Lamrock. If there were an Atlantic or Maritime wing of the league in place, with teams in Halifax, Moncton, Fredericton and Saint John, it might lend itself to a longer schedule.

"That's a fantastic model, and it's one where the travel costs aren't a killer," he said.

Source: The Daily Gleaner http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/sports/article/1412408

[cj6286]

This was just posted on APM's website today.
http://apm.ca/PDF/Forest%20Hill%20-%20Fredricton%20NB%20-%202011.pdf

Wow, I love it! It's so European looking. It'd be great if a building like this would pop up on the FrEx grounds (if they ever sell it). It's going to cost a pretty penny to rent a unit in this one :(

[cj6286]

I see the city has changed the northside view of the Westmorland Bridge webcam.

http://www.fredericton.ca/en/WestmorlandWebcam.asp (http://www.fredericton.ca/en/WestmorlandWebcam.asp)

[cl812]

Development prospect excites New Maryland mayor
Published Wednesday June 8th, 2011
A4
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

New Maryland Mayor Frank Dunn is trying to be cautiously optimistic about fresh prospects for water development and construction in the village, but he can't help but feel gleeful.

After three years, the village's water exploration program has yielded a solid result. A well near its border with Hanwell produces 175 gallons of water per minute. While it will cost about $2 million to get that water supply to the village's new water reservoir and it will require an environmental impact assessment, the well would supply the village with the water so essential to its growth. Dunn said the village has been building up a $2-million reserve for the well-piping project.

The well is located about 1,200 metres behind the New Maryland School. Negotiations are ongoing with the property owner, who has already given permission for test-drilling.

When New Maryland was established 20 years ago, it was a collection of subdivisions off Route 101, each serviced by its own sewage lagoons. Because those lagoons were at capacity and not working well, the Environment Department placed a development moratorium on the community until it could handle sewage from homes.

"We had to eliminate that before we could even think about development," Dunn said. "The old lagoons were completely saturated."

With federal-provincial funding, the village was able to build a sewage treatment lagoon and the development freeze was lifted. But without a water supply, the village has been cautious about mass development.

"We've been successful in discovering certain wells that had sufficient flow to support any type of development. We have a major one we're working on right now," Dunn said.

Department of Environment spokeswoman Jennifer Graham said the village registered its well-development project for environmental impact assessment in 2003.

"The village is in the process of gathering project-related information about the well, proposed water line and water treatment plant that will be submitted and reviewed through the environmental impact assessment process later this year," Graham said.

The public may provide comments in writing or verbally to the department, she said.

The province conducts two types of environmental reviews: a determination review and a comprehensive review. The village's project is under the less onerous determination review.

Last week, Dunn and village water consultant Opus made a presentation to the Environment Department, which, he said, was well-received.

A water treatment plant may or may not be required due to minerals such as manganese, which are common in local drinking water supplies. Dunn said if a plant is needed, the village would borrow the money to build it.

In the interim, the village is pursuing a major development proposal for property it owns.

Four years ago, the village reserved money to undertake a development study of the Forbes property across from Castle Acres subdivision. The 17-hectare (43-acre) property was purchased during the village's water exploration effort, but there's enough land there to create the first large-scale development in more than two decades.

The village hired Genivar consultants from Moncton to take a look at the site and make suggestions.

"They made a presentation to us a couple of weeks ago, and we're quite pleased with the presentation," Dunn said.

"We want to have a presentation to the public to show them and give them a general idea of what can be done with this property."

On June 16 at 7 p.m. at New Maryland Centre, the village will present the five development scenarios Genivar created and ask for community input.

The five options contain anywhere from 136 to 203 housing units of a variety of types. One of the scenarios calls for 26 single family units, 60 units of semi-detached housing, 108 townhouses and three apartment buildings.

Genivar is also suggesting that an institutional lot - one suited for a seniors home or nursing home - be included in the development and one commercial lot.

Dunn said some seniors have had to leave New Maryland because the community doesn't have seniors housing and he'd like to see some type of accommodation for older residents.

Once the design is finalized, with the input of village residents, village council would look to private developers to execute the final design proposal

"We're just on the bottom rung," Dunn said. "There's a lot of work involved in the final decision. We're probably looking at 2013 (for construction). But in the meantime, that doesn't mean we're sitting on the fence."

Village treasurer Joan Chandra said depending on which development option the village chooses, it could leave additional capacity to supply water to other subdivisions on the west side of the New Maryland highway.

As far as financing is concerned, Chandra said the village is planning ahead and building up the resources to construct the water pipeline to the reservoir tower without borrowing the money.

"We're lucky. We expect if it doesn't cost too much more than the $2 million, that we'll have much of that in hand," Chandra said.

[cj6286]

Parking will be removed along both sides of Sunset Drive between the intersection of Clements Drive and the intersection of Main Street.

The city will implement the parking rules on Sunset Drive in order to stripe bike lanes on the pavement this summer.

The city's 2007 trails and bikeways master plan recommended the creation of bike lanes on both sides of Sunset Drive.

"Given that Sunset Drive is classified as a major collector street, it is recommended that all parking be removed in order to facilitate bike lanes and to address other safety issues," said a transportation committee report that has been approved by city council.

[Freddypop]

Noticed they have begun selling memberships at the Costco site. Signs are up directing customers to an onsite trailer. Also the job fair has been advertised in today's Gleaner for Tuesday & Wednesday, June 14 & 15 at the Currie Centre.

[Taeolas]

I was going to say that Sunset Drive seemed to close to the Walking Trail to be worth putting bike lanes on, but when I checked Google Maps, I noted that for most of the length, they are quite far apart.

[OliverD]

I was going to say that Sunset Drive seemed to close to the Walking Trail to be worth putting bike lanes on, but when I checked Google Maps, I noted that for most of the length, they are quite far apart.

Even so, the walking trail isn't paved there yet so I'd much rather bike on Sunset.

[corda]

Last night I noticed the new lights along Saint Anne's Point Drive.... looks good.
As for suggestions like water taxis... that would be great if Frederiction had that kind of demand for public transit but I don't think it could work.


http://www.fredericton.ca/en/citygovernment/NR2011Jun8Riverfront.asp

City Invites Public Comment on Draft Riverfront Development Plan

Fredericton (June 8, 2011) – The City of Fredericton will host Open House meetings on June 14 and June 21 to collect public input into a proposed long-term development plan for the southside riverfront stretching from the Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge in the east to Government House in the west. The public meetings will be held in the Council Chamber at City from 4-9 p.m. each day with a presentation by City staff at 7 p.m. each day.

“We will be presenting a draft plan that looks at the potential for protecting and improving this very important and valuable asset over the next 20 years and we are asking the public for their input,” said Councillor Stephen Chase, Chair of the City’s Development Committee. “We have collected comments and suggestions from the major stakeholders and now it is time for the public to add their voices.”

The plan proposes an expansion of water-related programs at the Small Craft Aquatic Centre, improvements to the Victoria Health Centre property, the addition of public art, and encourages the development of a sculpture garden to the west of Government House property. It suggests a feasibility study into a second pedestrian and bicycle crossing of the St. John River either built on the existing piers of the former Carleton Street Bridge or the addition of a cantilevered sidewalk on Westmorland Street Bridge. . The plan also proposes other uses for the old piers including construction of a lookout deck.

Other improvements in the proposed plan are already under way as part of the Trails & Bikeways Master Plan, including trail improvement, lighting and landscaping and the addition of an amphitheatre-style natural seating area.

Future development of the Lighthouse on the Green and Regent Street wharf area could include clustered tourism and retail development, a special events area, increased marina capacity and links to parking and the downtown Convention Centre. A satellite marina below the Bill Thorpe walking Bridge is a possibility along with a riverside boardwalk along the Green. The draft plan for the area takes into account the flood plain and foresees people-friendly, water-front commercial development in appropriate areas.

The plan also suggests several complementary projects that could be undertaken by the private sector, such as river cruise, water taxis, as well as fishing and naturalist excursions.

“The vision presented in this plan takes a balanced approach to improving the riverfront,” said Frank Flanagan, the City’s Director of Development Services. “It recognizes that there are sensitive areas that need protection but it will also allow for commercial uses in appropriate areas and improved access all along the riverfront. Come to our public meetings and give us your comments. We are open to your ideas and welcome them.”

The proposed strategy will also be available for review and input online by visiting www.fredericton.ca

Following this public input phase, the Southside Riverfront Development Plan will be revised and taken back to City Council for adoption later this year. The City will also be developing a similar plan for the northside riverfront in the future.

[Taeolas]

Considering where I live now to where I work, I wouldn't mind a water taxi, especially if it was upriver from Westmorland Street. But there probably wouldn't be that much demand for it in the end.

Westmorland already has a sidewalk so why would they need/want to add another one? On the other hand turning those piers into another walking/bike bridge might be worthwhile. (No good for me, but good in general.)

[cj6286]

I'm all for a new walking bridge. I think it would be very feasible, as it is rather central to both sides of the river. As for the water taxi, as much as I would love one, I don't think we're ready for that kind of demand. It works well in Halifax (from my experiences), but unless people would use it, it would just be a waste of money at this point in time. Maybe I'll buy a pontoon boat from Crappy Tire and start a business?

[cl812]

I'm all for a new walking bridge. I think it would be very feasible, as it is rather central to both sides of the river. As for the water taxi, as much as I would love one, I don't think we're ready for that kind of demand. It works well in Halifax (from my experiences), but unless people would use it, it would just be a waste of money at this point in time. Maybe I'll buy a pontoon boat from Crappy Tire and start a business?

Actually, I remember a few years back there was something like that running. IIRC it went from the mouth of the Nashwaaksis stream across to the Regent Street wharf.

[cl812]

Noticed they have begun selling memberships at the Costco site. Signs are up directing customers to an onsite trailer. Also the job fair has been advertised in today's Gleaner for Tuesday & Wednesday, June 14 & 15 at the Currie Centre.

I was by there earlier this afternoon and it looked quite busy, must be selling lots of memberships.

[KnoxfordGuy]

Noticed a new apartment building being built on Dunns Crossing just before you turn on to Waterloo Row...looks like It's going to be identical to the one beside it. It fills the area in nicely.

[cl812]

Seafood flight to add jobs at airport
Published Thursday June 9th, 2011
D1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

The Fredericton International Airport Authority is getting a new weekly cargo flight to ship live seafood from coastal areas of Atlantic Canada around the world via Toronto.

The new service will start June 21 and airport's partner in the project is Montreal-based EXP-AIR Cargo Ltee.

"We are excited about the new relationship between ourselves and EXP-AIR," said David Innes, president and CEO of the airport, on Wednesday.

"With their experience, their passion and their global reach EXP-AIR is the ideal partner to make this happen.

"This activity fits in perfectly with the economic trade strategy of the Canadian and New Brunswick governments to increase trade with Europe and Asia. This is truly a Canadian operation."

Innes said the flights will replace a stream of trucks carrying fish, lobster and crab products to New York and Boston. Now the plan is for some of those trucks to come to Fredericton, he said.

"We've been looking at this for a few years now," said Innes.

"We're located next to the Trans-Canada Highway.

"We're taking that stuff off the roads and putting it in an airplane and it will get to market faster."

He said the deal will create jobs at the Fredericton airport, primarily in the area of cargo handling, but he couldn't say how many.

"The benefit is mainly to the economy and the markets of the people that are selling seafood in the Atlantic Canadian region," said Innes.

"For us it's a little bit more activity and a little bit more revenue in terms of landing fees."

The cargo company plans to use a Boeing 727 cargo jet for the service, said Innes. From Toronto the seafood will be shipped to Europe and Asia.

He said the airport has invested money in the project, but wouldn't say how much.

"There's a sharing of risk, I guess, in the startup, but long term we don't see very much risk here," said Innes.

"It's not a substantial amount of money. It's hardly enough to talk about.

"It is nothing as compared to the cost that was associated with assembling the deal because it takes a lot of people and a lot of effort and a lot of time and a fair amount of travel.

"We've invested ... in going to shows and bringing the deal together, which is a substantial investment."

According to a news release EXP-AIR Cargo Ltee. was established in 1990 and provides cargo sales and service domestically and internationally, with offices in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.

A spokesperson for the company couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday.

[OliverD]

Westmorland already has a sidewalk so why would they need/want to add another one? On the other hand turning those piers into another walking/bike bridge might be worthwhile. (No good for me, but good in general.)

The sidewalk is terrible. It's very narrow and has to be shared by pedestrians and bikers. It's also not very pleasant to be walking right beside four lanes of very busy traffic.

[cj6286]

The sidewalk is terrible. It's very narrow and has to be shared by pedestrians and bikers. It's also not very pleasant to be walking right beside four lanes of very busy traffic.

I have to say that the sidewalk is in good condition for it's age, but as you said it is very narrow and only two people wide. Who ever designed the road surface access ramps and sidewalks on that bridge needs to be shot...

[OliverD]

Yeah, I wasn't speaking to the condition of the sidewalk so much as its configuration.

[cl812]

Vacancy rate drops, rent up - CMHC
Published Friday June 10th, 2011
D1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton's apartment vacancy rate fell from 3.5 per cent in April 2010 to three per cent in April 2011, the lowest vacancy rate in New Brunswick, according to a report by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. released Thursday.

It said that Fredericton's average two-bedroom apartment rent rose from $710 in April 2010 to $728 in April 2011, which is the highest rate in the province.

According to the spring rental market survey, the average apartment vacancy rate for urban centres in New Brunswick in April was 4.5 per cent and the average rent was $672.

"Declining vacancy rates in Fredericton and Saint John were partially offset by higher vacancy rates in most of the province's smaller urban centres in April of 2011," said Claude Gautreau, CMHC's senior market analyst for New Brunswick, in a news release.

"In New Brunswick's larger urban centres, in-migration continued to support demand for rental units."

The vacancy rate in Moncton was stable at 4.1 per cent and the average rent was $697.

In Saint John, the vacancy rate fell 0.6 percentage points to four per cent and the average rent is $653.

Gautreau said in most of New Brunswick's smaller urban areas, the vacancy rates were higher than the provincial average of 4.5 per cent.

The highest vacancy rate in the province was 11.6 per cent in Bathurst.

In Campbellton and Edmundston, the vacancy rates stood at 11.3 and nine per cent, respectively. At four per cent, the vacancy rate in Miramichi was lower than the provincial average.

The average two-bedroom rent in the province's smaller urban centres ranged between $485 and $558 per month.

The rental market survey is conducted twice a year in April and October across Canada in centres with more than 10,000 residents.

The corporation doesn't compare the spring and fall survey results because of seasonal differences.

Alex Forbes, Fredericton's assistant director of development, said in May there were 76 new apartment units built in the capital, compared to 64 in the same month last year.

"This year we started kind of slow, but it is starting to pick up again," he said.

"We don't see any major issues of concern where we're going in 2011."

Forbes said weather is a factor for construction and Fredericton had a wet, cold spring after a winter with lots of snow.

"Years ago, people didn't build all year-round," he said. "Then we had a few mild winters and they started building all year-round.

"Last year they just realized, wow, it is too hard to fight the elements."

John Dickie, president of the Canadian Federation of Apartment Associations, said in a news release that while the average apartment rental in Canada rose by 2.2 per cent in the last year, inflation increased by 3.3 per cent during the same period.

"In real terms, average rents fell by 1.1 per cent," said Dickie.

He said in most centres, much of the new supply of rental housing is in the form of condominiums.

"The current home ownership and private rental markets serve almost all Canadians extremely well," said Dickie.

Meanwhile, Statistics Canada said in its latest housing survey released Thursday that prices fell slightly in Fredericton, Saint John and Moncton from March to April 2011.

The agency's new housing price index shows home prices fell by 0.5 per cent in the three major cities in New Brunswick.

"In Saint John, Fredericton and Moncton, slower market conditions in April led builders to reduce their prices," stated the report.

But year over year in April house prices in the three cities rose by 1.3 per cent, said Statistics Canada.

Statistics Canada doesn't break out Fredericton's housing price information separately. The agency groups data together from the New Brunswick three centres to ensure confidentiality and the data aren't seasonally adjusted.

On average, home prices in Canada rose by 0.3 per cent in April compared to no increase in March.

The biggest monthly increase was 1.3 per cent in Ottawa-Gatineau and the biggest drop was Victoria at -0.8 per cent.

Year over year, Canadian home prices rose 1.9 per cent.

The biggest year over year increase was 5.2 per cent in Regina and the biggest drop was Windsor at -4.6 per cent.

Forbes said Fredericton's housing sector is usually stable.

"That's likely more in Saint John and Moncton," he said about the Statistics Canada report on the monthly price drop.

"We're less prone to those cycles than they are."

For May, Fredericton had 14 single family housing starts, compared to 19 for the same month last year, he said.

For the year to date there were 36 starts, compared to 61 for the same period in 2010.

"So we are definitely down in family dwellings," he said.

"We're encouraged. We're on track of where we were, not last year, which was a record year, but the year before."

[cl812]

Former students, teachers say goodbye to school
Published Friday June 10th, 2011
A9
By GLENNA HANLEY
For The Daily Gleaner

A large crowd of former students, including an Olympic medal winner, came to say goodbye to their old school, Lower Lincoln Elementary, on Thursday night as the community gathered for a first look at drawings of the school being built on the same site.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=687851&size=500x0
Education Minister Jody Carr and principal Nilah Lyver look over the architectural rendering of the new Lower Lincoln Elementary School.

Marianne Limpert, who won a silver medal in swimming in the 1996 summer Olympics, was among former students, teachers and former principals reminiscing about their time at the 48-year-old kindergarten to Grade 6 school.

Limpert, whose parents still live in Lincoln, attended the school from 1978-84.

"We were just looking at some of the (old) photos and laughing at our hair and what we were wearing," said Limpert, who has reunited with some of her former classmates since moving back to the area two years ago.

"I just remember it was fun and the teachers were great ... It's a little bit sad to see it torn down but it's time, obviously," said Limpert.

Education Minister Jody Carr and Energy Minister Craig Leonard, the MLA for the area, unveiled the architectural drawings of the new school.

Carr said the school will house 200 students, but will be designed for an addition if needed. There are 192 kindergarten to Grade 6 students and 15 teachers this year.

Carr said about $12 million will be spent on the project, including the demolition costs .

The project has yet to be tendered, but the minister expects the old school to come down in August. The new school should be ready for January 2013.

"It's going to be new and modern and reflect the needs of the community," he said.

Andrea Hickey was touring the school with her mother Marg, recalling her former teachers and activities at the school.

"When I walked in, I can just remember playing all these different games, like playing marbles. It just all comes back," said Hickey.

She wondered if the flower garden her Grade 6 class created in 1990 will survive the construction.

Despite the nostalgia, the students and staff, new and old, are looking forward to the new school.

"I think it's going to be a little sad, leaving this school. But it is also going to be exciting to get a new school," said Grade 4 student Jenaya Harding.

Carr announced the new school in December as part of the province's $98.3-million package to replace or repair a number of schools around the province.

While the school is under construction, its 190 students and 15 teachers will relocate to two Oromocto schools: Gesner Elementary and Summerhill.

[cl812]

Pool proposal splits councillors
Published Monday June 13th, 2011
Recreation | Hicks says it's too early for city to think of borrowing more money
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

City councillors will be voting tonight on the hiring of a consultant to undertake an indoor pool feasibility study.

But at least one city councillor asked for council to count him out, as he's not backing the study.

"I just think this is kind of premature. I don't think we're in a position to be looking at building a pool at this time. I don't think the money is there (to build a pool) ... The reality is we'd have to look at it five or 10 years down the road," said Coun. Steven Hicks, chairman of the city's community services committee.

Spending $80,000 now on a study when the city is several years away from even contemplating the construction of a second publicly owned indoor swimming pool just doesn't make sense, he said.

Last December, Hicks voted against putting money in the $98-million 2011 general budget to fund the study, and he said his reasons remain unchanged.

"It's just premature to spend $80,000 on something that we should already know we can't afford at this time," he said. "The taxpayers are not interested in any more tax burden to go after this project."

Coun. Marilyn Kerton also voted against funding the study in the 2011 budget plan for similar reasons, but their objections were overruled by a majority of councillors.

Nova Scotia-based dmA Consultants, the firm that wrote the city's recreation master plan, is the sole respondent to the city's tender call for the study.

Community services director Wayne Tallon said the company put together a team that includes an aquatic specialist, an architect and a couple of engineering consultants.

Tallon said the city isn't telling the consultant what size of pool it should consider, but that should be the result of an extensive public consultation process.

The consultants have been asked to do broad research with government, universities, YMCA, stakeholder and user groups, city staff and council, he said.

"On top of that, we're going to hold open-house public meetings where we're going to invite the general public to come in and have a chat with us and we'll find out what the population in general think that they need," Tallon said.

Fredericton's spending spree over the past few years on outdoor swimming pools, two ice hockey arenas, a convention centre and a downtown parking garage has racked up an accumulated debt of close to $80 million and councillors have indicated, in general, that they've reached their spending limit until they pay down those bills.

Hicks said if the city reaches the point where it can build a proper facility that will last the community for the next half-century, then that's the time to call for the feasibility study.

But with a bit of capital borrowing room available after 2014, other councillors favoured starting the pool study now.

During the 2011 budget debate, Coun. Scott McConaghy said a new indoor pool facility would require multiple partners and investors beyond the city's boundaries, and the user groups would have to come to the table as well.

Mayor Brad Woodside, meanwhile, has opened a dialogue with St. Thomas University and the University of New Brunswick about the need for a second major indoor pool facility for Fredericton.

The University of New Brunswick is expecting to close the aging Sir Max Aitken pool by 2014 and that will leave a number of its users looking for space, since UNB has no plans to build a replacement pool.

The Fredericton Aquanaut Swim Team, Fredericton Synchronized Swimming Club, the Fredericton Diving Club, the Masters Swim Team, the Silver Dolphins Senior Group and more will be without a facility to train and host competitions when the UNB pool closes.

The YMCA's new facility includes a 25-metre, four-lane pool, but members of a Capital Region Aquatic Facility Team say that's inadequate for the regional needs of swimmers.

The city has one public-use indoor pool alongside Nashwaaksis Middle School.

It's used for swimming lessons and recreational swimming and has a water slide and hot tub. User demand at that pool continues to grow annually.

[cl812]

Costco on track to open in August in city
Published Tuesday June 14th, 2011
C1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Construction on Fredericton's Costco store is chugging along steadily and the opening date for the business is still expected to be about the third week of August, says Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd. spokesman Ron Damiani.

"We're moving along right on schedule," Damiani said. "Everything seems to be perfect."

Damiani said a date isn't set in stone because as with any project there can be last minute construction glitches, but despite a soggy May, the project is keeping pace.

Marketing for Costco has already started. An on-site sales office for the members-only wholesale grocery and household goods chain has already been set up. Fans of the bulk shopping store can drop by Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. to buy their memberships. The sales office is also open Saturday's from 9:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.

Costco has three types of memberships: individual for $55 per year and covers the primary card holder and his or her spouse; business owner's membership with free spouse card costs $50 per year; and the $100-per-year executive membership comes with a free spouse card and pays two per cent in cash-back rewards at the end of the year on all products purchased with the exception of tobacco, pharmacy and gas.

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

The next steps on the pathway to the store's opening will include a community job fair, where an estimated 150 retail workers will be recruited to staff the new store, he said.

Damiani expects a date to be set soon for the hiring fair.

Former New Brunswicker J.P. Bernier will manage the business.

Fredericton's Costco will have all the chain's typical services: bakery, meat, a photo and optical area, and pharmacy. The store has approval to build a gasoline bar.

The store will be between 12,600-13,500 square metres (140,000-150,000 square feet). Moncton had the first Costco in the province. Saint John has the largest Costco in the province, but the Fredericton store will be comparable in size to the Hub city's location.

Costco has nearly 600 warehouses across the globe, including 80 in Canada. The bulk of Costco's locations are located in the United States.

[cl812]

City seeks input from public on riverfront development plan
Published Tuesday June 14th, 2011
A4
By The Daily Gleaner

The City of Fredericton will host open houses today and June 21 to collect public input into a proposed long-term development plan for the southside riverfront stretching from the Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge to Government House.

The public meetings will be held in the city hall council chamber from 4-9 p.m. A staff presentation will be given both days at 7 p.m.

"We will be presenting a draft plan that looks at the potential for protecting and improving this very important and valuable asset over the next 20 years and we are asking the public for their input," said Coun. Stephen Chase, chairman of the city's development committee.

"We have collected comments and suggestions from the major stakeholders and now it is time for the public to add their voices."

The plan proposes expanding water-related programs at the Small Craft Aquatic Centre, improving the Victoria Health Centre property, adding public art and encouraging the development of a sculpture garden to the west of Government House.

It suggests a feasibility study into a second pedestrian and bicycle crossing of the St. John River either built on the piers of the former Carleton Street Bridge or the addition of a cantilevered sidewalk on the Westmorland Street Bridge. The plan also proposes other uses for the old piers, including construction of a lookout deck.

Other improvements in the proposed plan are already underway as part of a trails and bikeways master plan, including trail improvement, lighting and landscaping and the addition of an amphitheatre-style natural seating area.

Development of the Lighthouse on the Green and Regent Street wharf area could include clustered tourism and retail development, a special events area, increased marina capacity and links to parking and the convention centre. A satellite marina below the Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge is a possibility along with a riverside boardwalk along The Green. The draft plan for the area takes into account the flood plain and foresees people-friendly, water-front commercial development.

The plan also suggests several complementary projects that could be undertaken by the private sector, such as river cruises, water taxis and fishing and naturalist excursions.

"The vision presented in this plan takes a balanced approach to improving the riverfront," said Frank Flanagan, the city's director of development services. "It recognizes that there are sensitive areas that need protection, but it will also allow for commercial uses in appropriate areas and improved access all along the riverfront. Come to our public meetings and give us your comments. We are open to your ideas and welcome them."

The proposed strategy will also be available for review and input online at www.fredericton.ca.

Following the public input phase, the southside riverfront development plan will be revised and taken back to city council for adoption later this year. The city will also be developing a similar plan for the northside riverfront in the future.

[cl812]

City to spend $80,000 on pool feasibility study
Published Tuesday June 14th, 2011
A5
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

The co-author of a report handed to the city by the Capital Region Aquatic Facility Team says a $40-million price tag for a new indoor swimming pool for the city is out of touch with reality.

Jennifer Adam, who helped research a report handed to the city's community services committee in June 2010, said they talked with Vic Davies Architect Ltd. of Victoria, B.C., a company which has designed public multi-use pools in British Columbia and received far different cost estimates.

For instance, a 52-metre pool built for the City of Nanaimo, B.C., cost $15 million in 2001, or about $20 million now allowing for inflation, Adam said.

She's questioned how much the city is spending on a pool feasibility study. The Vic Davies group said a pool needs-assessment report should be in the $10,000 to $25,000 range and take three months, she said.

"This is a company that's built all these facilities all over the country," Adam said.

City council Monday night awarded a pool feasibility study to dmA Planning and Management Services Inc. for $79,992. Six other companies bid for the contract. The lowest bid was $74,322.

Only one city councillor, Steven Hicks, voted against awarding the tender to dmA consultants. He said it's not that he doesn't believe in the merits of the project, but it's too early to do the study.

"The major capital projects that we've recently completed took eight years of record tax base growth and we know the next four or five years down the road, that's not going to be the case. The forecast isn't so rosy ... There's a need for this facility definitely down the road, but it's way premature to get individuals excited about something that may or may not happen for five to 10 years down the road," Hicks said.

Coun. Scott McConaghy said with the University of New Brunswick pool closing soon, something needs to be done and a study needs to be done.

"This is going to be something that's going to be a partnership not just with the city, provincial and federal governments hopefully, but with the university community and the community at large," he said. "This is potentially going to be a very, very expensive piece of infrastructure and we need to bring a lot of people to the table."

Coun Dan Keenan agreed.

"The timing is right to start to move and start to engage that process and get the information that we need so that when we do move forward, we've got the proper information and have vetted it in the right ways," he said.

Coun. Mike O'Brien said more people use aquatic facilities than ice surfaces and the number will grow as the population ages.

"Within our own (20-year) fiscal plan, it does envision moving ahead with a project like this within our fiscal means and along with our partnerships. It's a needed piece of infrastructure. This is just the first step," O'Brien said.

Coun. Bruce Grandy's only concern was that council not build expectations with the public that won't be fulfilled in the short term.

"We just have to be cautious," Grandy said.

Coun. Marilyn Kerton, who voted against funding the feasibility study in the 2011 budget, voted for it Monday night. She said investigating partnerships is what's key because the city can't go it alone.

The group advocating for a new indoor pool in Fredericton attended the meeting, applauding O'Brien's comments.

Adam, who's also a past president of the Fredericton Aquanauts Swim Team, said the city needs a pool that meets international competitive standards and is deep enough to allow dive training.

Fredericton's indoor pool adjacent Nashwaaksis Middle School doesn't meet the standard. Nor does the YMCA's new indoor pool. The University of New Brunswick's Sir Max Aitken pool, at six lanes and 25-metres, has more user demand than space and time available. The university has said the pool has outlived its lifespan and it won't rebuild it after it closes, possibly as early as 2014 or 2015.

The Capital Region Aquatic Facility Team would like the city and its partners - if that's the route the city pursues - to develop a 50-metre, 16-lane pool, but also make it a multi-use public facility to maximize revenue returns.

"The city talks about an eight-lane, 25-metre pool, but the pool at UNB is a six-lane, 25-metre pool, but we've already way outgrown that," she said.

"The Capital Region Aquatic Facility Team represents over 1,000 people using that pool and we're using that pool every day to the point where we've even approached the new Y for a pool time and they won't rent us any time.

"Many of the groups have waiting lists. I was approached in the stands one day by a lady who is a cancer survivor and she said they had money from the federal government that they could use for rehabilitation, but they couldn't find any pool space, so it's not just the groups that are already using the facility."

When the UNB pool closes, Fredericton would be the only provincial capital in the country that wouldn't have a pool that meets international standards.

The pool attached to the Nashwaaksis Middle School isn't deep enough to put in diving blocks and it's also at capacity at certain times, she said.

"If the UNB pool were to close, there would be a huge shortage as far as recreational facilities for swimmers," Adam said.

She said it's also frustrating the group's members didn't know about the city's plans for the feasibility study until they read about them in The Daily Gleaner.

[cl812]

Riocan has updated the site plan for the Corbett Centre on their website. Some new stores are listed: Best Buy, Bouclair, GAP and Carters/Oshkosh.

I know some these were previously listed on the Trinity site, but were not listed at Riocan's.

http://www.riocan.com/Content/PDF/sitePlan/271A.pdf

[Freddypop]

Costco on track to open in August in city
Published Tuesday June 14th, 2011
C1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Construction on Fredericton's Costco store is chugging along steadily and the opening date for the business is still expected to be about the third week of August, says Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd. spokesman Ron Damiani.

"We're moving along right on schedule," Damiani said. "Everything seems to be perfect."

Damiani said a date isn't set in stone because as with any project there can be last minute construction glitches, but despite a soggy May, the project is keeping pace.

Marketing for Costco has already started. An on-site sales office for the members-only wholesale grocery and household goods chain has already been set up. Fans of the bulk shopping store can drop by Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. to buy their memberships. The sales office is also open Saturday's from 9:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.

Costco has three types of memberships: individual for $55 per year and covers the primary card holder and his or her spouse; business owner's membership with free spouse card costs $50 per year; and the $100-per-year executive membership comes with a free spouse card and pays two per cent in cash-back rewards at the end of the year on all products purchased with the exception of tobacco, pharmacy and gas.

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

The next steps on the pathway to the store's opening will include a community job fair, where an estimated 150 retail workers will be recruited to staff the new store, he said.

Damiani expects a date to be set soon for the hiring fair.

Former New Brunswicker J.P. Bernier will manage the business.

Fredericton's Costco will have all the chain's typical services: bakery, meat, a photo and optical area, and pharmacy. The store has approval to build a gasoline bar.

The store will be between 12,600-13,500 square metres (140,000-150,000 square feet). Moncton had the first Costco in the province. Saint John has the largest Costco in the province, but the Fredericton store will be comparable in size to the Hub city's location.

Costco has nearly 600 warehouses across the globe, including 80 in Canada. The bulk of Costco's locations are located in the United States.

Gleaner has a an error here....The Freddy store is 142000 SF same as the SJ store. Layout is similar to SJ store as well. The gas bar is being installed as we speak and the job fair is being held both today and tomorrow at the Currie Centre

[cj6286]

Great... what we really need is more box stores. I'm surprised it hasn't had a bigger effect on downtown businesses.

[Freddypop]

Riocan has updated the site plan for the Corbett Centre on their website. Some new stores are listed: Best Buy, Bouclair, GAP and Carters/Oshkosh.

I know some these were previously listed on the Trinity site, but were not listed at Riocan's.

http://www.riocan.com/Content/PDF/sitePlan/271A.pdf

Gap is also has a store under construction in Charlottetown. They had stopped expanding due to the economic downturn in the US a couple of years ago but looks like they have started up again. Surprised though that they have opted for a Gap store here and not an Old Navy

[cl812]

City hopes riverfront projects set sail
Published Wednesday June 15th, 2011
Proposals unveiled | Lots of plans to develop waterway in city
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Riverfront bistros? Fishing charters and tour boats plying the waters of the St. John River? A pedestrian-bicycling bridge built atop the Carleton Street Bridge piers?

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=688526&size=500x0
The city unveiled several concepts for enhancing the area along its riverfront, including this deck on one of the old Carleton Street Bridge piers.

These ideas were presented as part of a new city-prepared southside riverfront vision for Fredericton. The city unveiled the proposals Tuesday night at city hall.

The proposals for riverfront development and river-based activities will be available online today at www.fredericton.ca for viewing and comment throughout the summer.

Some of the ideas are new, some are old, but for businesses facing the river, there's opportunities along the waterway dubbed the Rhine of North America.

"It's all great and it's a huge part of tourism," said Sara Holyoke, manager of the Delta Fredericton Hotel, after taking a look at schematics of proposals at city hall Tuesday afternoon.

The hotel has already been thinking along the same lines and Holyoke has been working on plans and proposals she hopes to bring to the city for discussion.

The public walking trail ends on the east side of the Delta and doesn't wind its way across the riverside of the hotel property.

"What I'm proposing is partnering with the city to expand the (walking) trail past the Delta because it's a private entity and they probably didn't think it was a possibility. But we also have been working on a plan, mostly because we've had some shore erosion.

"We've been working with an engineering and a design company for the past year and we have artist renderings with some potential options for us and we thought we would take this to the city to see what the possibility would be of partnering on extending the trail system," Holyoke said.

The hotel is also interested in seeing the river used more.

"We're potentially looking at a docking system, but it's very preliminary," she said.

The hotel would like to see a boating company cater to its guests and other people.

Holyoke said Delta management is reviewing the proposals and she'll make a pitch to council on the hotel's concept plans.

In developing a southside riverfront vision, the city looked to nine reports prepared over the past 30 years, including the riverfront master plan, said development services director Frank Flanagan. The city has also looked at 16 other communities in Canada and the United States to see how they transformed their river frontage.

The city's plan is divided into five areas: the west end, Westmorland Street Bridge area, central downtown riverfront, the Regent Street wharf area and the east end near the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

In the west end, the city sees potential for more water-related opportunities, for instance, naturalist-themed tours of the rivers and islands, food services, improved public washrooms and public art projects.

Near the Westmorland Street Bridge, there could be a Carleton Street pedestrian-bicycle crossing or a cantilevered sidewalk on the Westmorland Street Bridge, Flanagan said.

Shaun Bartone, a doctorate student in sociology at the University of New Brunswick, said she liked both concepts.

Bartone said a growing northside population is creating crowds at times on the Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge.

"The walking bridge from Devon and Marysville is getting crowded. There's so many people walking, biking, taking their kids in strollers, skateboarding ... so we definitely need more pedestrian facilities.

"I'm pretty much 95 per cent in favour of almost everything they've got planned here because I think it's a wonderful waterfront and to have more access and more uses will be better for the city, for tourism and for the people who live here who love the river," she said.

Bartone said local architect Ian Ross has created a Facebook page called Carleton Street Bridge Project Fredericton for people interested in rejuvenating the Carleton Street Bridge for walking or cycling.

Ross challenged a group of University of New Brunswick engineering students to design options for such a structure and they've posted their findings on the page.

In the central downtown, the city proposal suggests amphitheatre-style seating areas, better landscaping around parking lots, public art, drinking fountains, a picnic area, more bike racks, benches, banners, better lighting and a seasonal playground.

Even if the city found it couldn't move ahead with a pedestrian crossing over the old Carleton Street Bridge piers, there's a modified proposal that would take pedestrians from the Carleton Street pedway to the first bridge pier, where people could stroll out and view the waterway.

In the Regent Street wharf area, the city proposal calls for increased marina capacity, a special event area and defined walking areas from the conference centre to The Green.

Near the Crowne Plaza, the planning gets more ambitious. Some of the suggestions include building another tower on the hotel to increase room space, riverfront condominiums behind the federal courthouse building, add a cafe to the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, and construct a marina east of the walking bridge. Flanagan said private-sector participation is essential.

The city might look at issuing proposal calls or working with the private sector on houseboat rentals, float plane tours, fishing charters, bass tournaments, seasonal concessions, and extended river boat tours to Oromocto, Gagetown and Saint John.

The plan is looking ahead two decades and contains both modestly priced proposals as well as big-ticket expenditures. After public input is gathered, the city will refine the plan and present it to council.

[Pugsley]

Gap is also has a store under construction in Charlottetown. They had stopped expanding due to the economic downturn in the US a couple of years ago but looks like they have started up again. Surprised though that they have opted for a Gap store here and not an Old Navy

I would bet dollars to donuts that this is IN FACT an Old Navy outlet and that the name on the register is for the owner, "Gap"...which owns Old Navy. Gap Inc. rarely uses big-box retail stores for this brand preferring downtown street-fronts or enclosed malls. Is the store in Charlottetown in a big-box mall? If so, then maybe I am wrong and they have changed their brand strategy. For many years, very few Gap stores were opened in big box settings unless they were an "outlet". So probably just a typo on their part.... or not? But either way...great news!!!! Good to see some new stores coming to Freddy! Also, not sure from the document where the Best Buy is supposed to be. I see a section noted as BBB, but not sure if that is big enough for a Best Buy.

[Pugsley]

Riverfront bistros? Fishing charters and tour boats plying the waters of the St. John River? A pedestrian-bicycling bridge built atop the Carleton Street Bridge piers?

Did anyone else go on-line and see these plans? They are great! The section around the Crowne Plaza is a bit ambitious but still, good step forward overall. I question the need for an additional bike lane on the Westmorland AND a new dedicated one on the Carlton Street piers...kind of overkill. They could just build the one on Carlton and maybe add a mid-river expanded platform with a cafe and water feature (with the westmorland money)...so you could walk out to the middle of the river, sit outside, and watch the boats sail by while sipping your Starbucks! hehe

Note: Whatever additional walking bridge they create however should not impede on sailboats wanting to move up-river...it would damper their recreational plans for the West end.

[Freddypop]

I would bet dollars to donuts that this is IN FACT an Old Navy outlet and that the name on the register is for the owner, "Gap"...which owns Old Navy. Gap Inc. rarely uses big-box retail stores for this brand preferring downtown street-fronts or enclosed malls. Is the store in Charlottetown in a big-box mall? If so, then maybe I am wrong and they have changed their brand strategy. For many years, very few Gap stores were opened in big box settings unless they were an "outlet". So probably just a typo on their part.... or not? But either way...great news!!!! Good to see some new stores coming to Freddy! Also, not sure from the document where the Best Buy is supposed to be. I see a section noted as BBB, but not sure if that is big enough for a Best Buy.

Yep....Charlotetown is getting a stand-alone Gap"big box" store that is now under construction. You can view it on the PEI thread. They have had an Old Navy now for years. That city will now have both Gap and Old Navy stores in big box format. Re your comment on Best Buy.....I believe you are correct and that BBB refers to Bed, Bath & Beyond.

[cj6286]

I believe you are correct and that BBB refers to Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Haha, my mom practically lives in that store whenever she goes to Halifax...

[cl812]

Yep....Charlotetown is getting a stand-alone Gap"big box" store that is now under construction. You can view it on the PEI thread. They have had an Old Navy now for years. That city will now have both Gap and Old Navy stores in big box format. Re your comment on Best Buy.....I believe you are correct and that BBB refers to Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Never thought of that (BBB=Bed, Bath & Beyond) I just assumed Best Buy becuase it was listed in the Trinity Development Group page. I must say I would much rather it be Best Buy than BBB.

[Freddypop]

Never thought of that (BBB=Bed, Bath & Beyond) I just assumed Best Buy becuase it was listed in the Trinity Development Group page. I must say I would much rather it be Best Buy than BBB.

Me too! :)

[Taeolas]

The Geek in me would like to see a Best Buy, but I don't think Freddy is big enough to support both a BB and Future Shop, especially in spitting distance of each other. (Maybe at 2NC but then you're out of the Geek Magnet that is the University district).

A Bed, Bath and Beyond however, or any other of the Big Box home shops (HomeSense, Pier1, etc....) are long long overdue for the Freddy area.

[OliverD]

The Geek in me would like to see a Best Buy, but I don't think Freddy is big enough to support both a BB and Future Shop, especially in spitting distance of each other. (Maybe at 2NC but then you're out of the Geek Magnet that is the University district).

Keep in mind Best Buy owns Futureshop. Apparently they like to set them up close to each other to create competition between the two, or something along those lines.

A Bed, Bath and Beyond however, or any other of the Big Box home shops (HomeSense, Pier1, etc....) are long long overdue for the Freddy area.

Agree, would love to see HomeSense and/or Pier 1 set up shop in Fredericton. Decent furniture/home decor stores are few and far between in this city.

[OliverD]

Did anyone else go on-line and see these plans? They are great! The section around the Crowne Plaza is a bit ambitious but still, good step forward overall. I question the need for an additional bike lane on the Westmorland AND a new dedicated one on the Carlton Street piers...kind of overkill. They could just build the one on Carlton and maybe add a mid-river expanded platform with a cafe and water feature (with the westmorland money)...so you could walk out to the middle of the river, sit outside, and watch the boats sail by while sipping your Starbucks! hehe

Just looked through the plans. They are ambitious but I like them. Even if half of that came to fruition, it would be awesome for Fredericton.

I think the additional Westmorland lane/Carleton Street bridge is an either/or proposition; I doubt they'd do both.

I like the idea of having mixed hotel/condo/retail development in the vicinity of the Crowne Plaza/convention centre. It's the perfect spot for it.

[cl812]

Keep in mind Best Buy owns Futureshop. Apparently they like to set them up close to each other to create competition between the two, or something along those lines.


IMO it knida makes sense to do that, I can see benefits of having competition b/w the two, provided both stores make money. I think there is probably enough of a market for both in Fredericton. Since Future Shop seems to do quite well here and always seems to be busy.

[michael_d40]

edit edit..

[Freddypop]

Published Thursday June 16th, 2011

D1 By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN

llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

Plazacorp Retail Properties Ltd. has purchased the Smythe and Dundonald Plaza at the foot of Smythe Street and the adjacent vacant property that was once home to Luna Pizza and plans to redevelop the site.

"We have a large section of available land with a building that needs to get reorganized," said Michael Zakuta, president and CEO of the Fredericton-based retail property company, in an interview Wednesday.

He said the company will be making a substantial investment in the property, but declined to say how much.

Coun. Stephen Chase, the chairman of Fredericton's development committee, said he's excited about news of Plazacorp's plans to redevelop the property at the corner of Dundonald and Smythe streets. But he said he doesn't know any details of the developer's plans.

"In the absence of that, I know that they do excellent work and they are very careful about fitting in and being harmonious with the community," he said.

Plazacorp held its annual general meeting in Fredericton on Wednesday and announced it is increasing its dividend and its profits are up.

The company also said it's working on 11 different projects, including the one in Fredericton.

"We have a strong business model," said Zakuta.

"We have a very capable team who know how to do what we do and we've executed well."

The business model is based on buying land or rundown properties in good locations and developing or redeveloping them rather than buying recently developed properties.

"If we were buying new properties in today's market, which is highly competitive, you'd get into a bidding process and you'd pay top dollar, which means you're cash flow versus investment is very small," said Zakuta.

"If you develop the property, you add all the value."

"That means your cash flow versus your investment is much higher and that's how you get dividend increases."

He said all real estate companies don't do it that way because it's hard to do and requires the right skills.

Plazacorp owns 112 properties with 5.1 million square feet of retail real estate, and the company said it's worth $472 million.

The company has 75 per cent of its properties located in Atlantic Canada.

"We're an Atlantic Canadian-based business enterprise," said Zakuta.

"We know it very well.

"We've always been. We always will be. That's our business."

Zakuta said the company's core markets are Fredericton, Saint John, Moncton, Halifax, Charlottetown and St. John's, N.L.

"We think those are good, strong markets," he said.

"We love to do as much business as we can in those markets."

A strong focus on Atlantic Canada also lets Plazacorp fly under the market a little bit in terms of competition, he said.

"The big boys aren't out developing and doing what we're doing," said Zakuta.

[Taeolas]

It'll be interesting to see what they do with that corner. They have a lot of space there to work with.

I wonder if they'll go with a new building? They could build it in phases starting in the old Luna space and shift their tenants over to tear down the old.

[OliverD]

I'm not counting on it happening, but it would be nice to see main floor retail with residential units above on that space. It's a prime location for that kind of development.

[cl812]

Furniture store to open soon
Published Thursday June 16th, 2011
A4
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

Fredericton is getting a new furniture store business.

Surplus Furniture and Mattress Warehouse will be opening at 559 Wilsey Rd. within a few weeks.

Company spokesman Matthew Newton said the store will be the 20th in Canada for Surplus Freight of Canada.

Newton expects as many as 10 jobs will be created with the store opening, including a couple of warehouse positions, along with floor sales jobs.

The company has stores in Saint John, Moncton and Halifax.

[cl812]

Millions needed to upgrade Playhouse
Published Thursday June 16th, 2011
Upgrade or build new? | City-owned facility needs lots of improvements
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

The Playhouse needs $25 million in capital upgrades to refurbish the structure from top to bottom, but the city says it doesn't have that kind of money.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=688980&size=500x0
The Playhouse located in downtown Fredericton needs millions in upgrades, says a report.

Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside said he can't see a $25-million project being on city council's horizon.

"There's a Plan A and a Plan B. There's what you can do if money was no object and there's what is affordable, and I think right now we're at the affordable stage. We have to work with what we have and manage more effectively, which hopefully will be able to solve some of his problems," he said.

"A brand new building, which would amount to $25 million, isn't in the cards right now.''

Tim Yerxa, executive director of The Playhouse, said the future the 47-year-old structure is in the spotlight.

"We did have a study commissioned to review the state of The Playhouse infrastructure and the results of that study said that the building is structurally safe and operating fine,'' said Yerxa.

"(But) At 47 years old, it's coming to the end of its useful life and in order for the building to continue to be feasible, it would require a major refurbishment and it put a price tag on that at $25 million.''

He said it would be a renewal of the building to make it last another 50 years.

"It would be everything from replacing systems to upgrading accessibility, expanding some of the public areas.

"The building is a great building, but it has some deficiencies that need to be corrected to bring it up to a contemporary standard for a performing arts facility," Yerxa said.

One of the building deficiencies was dealt with when the city installed a new roof last year.

"What's driving the conversation and starting to make it a little bit more immediate is that we're starting to see the annual cost of maintenance starting to escalate. So, are we starting to throw good money after bad and what are the options?" Yerxa said.

The heating and ventilation system is aging, he said.

"So how much taxpayer money do we want to see spent on the building year after year when a major refurbishment or even replacing the building might be a better investment," he said.

"Replacing a building is definitely an option because when you're up into those kinds of dollars, you start thinking about well, if we replace the building, what kind of new opportunities does it create?"

Designing a new building could address new opportunities for theatre in the city.

"We could really plan for the long-term needs of the community, so that's the kind of discussion we're embarking on first with the city and then with the broader community about what does Fredericton need and want for the next 50 to 100 years.''

Yerxa declined to release the report publicly at this time because he said the board of directors hasn't handed its landlord - the city - a copy of the document.

That will be happening soon, he said.

[KnoxfordGuy]

I really really hope the Play House is not torn down. I would be devastated. :(

[cj6286]

That's all the city seems to do is to extend a structure's life "for another 50 years", just like the PM Bridge. For now, the Playhouse could use the upgrades, especially for accessibility. As for the PM Bridge, I think it would've been cheaper just to tear it down and build a new one. If we have another earthquake like we did in the 80's, I don't think it would be structurally safe.

[OliverD]

That's all the city seems to do is to extend a structure's life "for another 50 years", just like the PM Bridge. For now, the Playhouse could use the upgrades, especially for accessibility. As for the PM Bridge, I think it would've been cheaper just to tear it down and build a new one. If we have another earthquake like we did in the 80's, I don't think it would be structurally safe.

The problem with rebuilding the PM bridge is that you would have to tear it down and rebuild. It would take at least three years. I don't think it is realistic to have Fredericton function with only one bridge for that long.

[corda]

I'm not counting on it happening, but it would be nice to see main floor retail with residential units above on that space. It's a prime location for that kind of development.

I agree... great location for mixed use development. Fredericton needs to have more of it. If it doesn't occur in prime spots like this one I'm afraid it will be a long, long time for it to catch on here.... sprawl, there is little incentive for developers to stop it.

[cj6286]

Well, this is one way to get rid of one of the old clunkers :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erld6dU5_gs

[Freddypop]

Published Saturday June 18th, 2011

D1 By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN

llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

The mining company that's developing the Mount Pleasant zinc, indium and tin mine is moving its head office from Toronto to Fredericton.

The mine owned by Adex Mining Inc. is located 97 kilometres south of Fredericton and 83 kilometres from the U.S. border.

"It's quite exciting," said Linda Lam Kwan, interim CEO and president of Adex, in an interview Friday.

"Our project is here in New Brunswick and Fredericton is the capital of New Brunswick."

Kwan made the comments during a break in a shareholders' meeting in Fredericton.

The company's website states the Mount Pleasant site is the only mine in the world that contains indium, molybdenum, tin, tungsten and zinc in significant quantities.

Those metals are critical for the construction of everything from cars to television screens, computers and smartphones.

The mine site includes a 430-metre-deep mine and thousands of metres of underground development, according to the website.

Adex bought the property in 1995. Billington Canada mined tungsten at the site in the last century, but shut it down in 1985 when the price of the metal fell on world markets.

But metal prices have been bouncing back in recent years. Indium is selling for $850 US a kilogram.

Hong Kong-based Great Harvest Investment Co. Ltd. bought 40 million shares of Adex last month for $7.2 million and Kwan became the head of the company.

Great Harvest Investment owns 80 million shares of Adex, or 45.14 per cent of the outstanding shares.

"We want to bring this project to production so I think the big operations will be happening here," said Kwan.

"That is why it is our intention to move our head office to Fredericton.

"We can use the local expertise and the local employment and maximize our profits and the benefits to the shareholders.

"Of course, we would like to gather support from the local government, which was very positive from their side when we had the reception yesterday."

She said the move of the head office to Fredericton will be done before the end of the year, but couldn't say when.

She said the mine could employ up to 200 people.

Kwan said a feasibility study for the mine to reopen should be done by the middle of next year.

Adex hopes to produce 40 tonnes a year of indium, 4,000 tonnes a year of zinc and 1,500 tonnes a year of tin at the Mount Pleasant mine, according to a company press release dated March 7.

Kwan said the ore would be processed at the mine site.

"I am very positive," she said "We now have enough cash flow for moving this project forward. But we will be raising the funds for construction."

Earlier media reports stated it would cost $200 million to reopen and operate the mine.

Fredericton Coun. Stephen Chase, chairman of the capital's development committee, said he's delighted Adex was moving its head office to Fredericton, which is good for the capital and the province.

"I think that's a very positive indication of the attractiveness of Fredericton as a community for these corporate head offices," he said Friday.

"It would be really easy to retain the office in Toronto and deal with this as a sideshow.

"The fact that they're prepared to move their office here indicates Fredericton is a nice place to be, run a business and raise a family."

Chase said the city is looking forward to learning more about the company's plans and helping in any way it can to ensure Adex's success.

[Steeple Shanks]

Riocan has updated the site plan for the Corbett Centre on their website. Some new stores are listed: Best Buy, Bouclair, GAP and Carters/Oshkosh.

I know some these were previously listed on the Trinity site, but were not listed at Riocan's.

http://www.riocan.com/Content/PDF/sitePlan/271A.pdf

Does anyone know when the third and final phase is suppose to begin?

[cj6286]

Does anyone know the company who owns the Brookside Mall? I heard RioCan, but I am not sure.

[Freddypop]

Does anyone know the company who owns the Brookside Mall? I heard RioCan, but I am not sure.

RioCan

See here.....http://www.riocan.com/Content/PDF/sitePlan/18A.pdf

[Steeple Shanks]

Noticed that Boston Pizza has been closed down for renovation.

[Freddypop]

Noticed that Boston Pizza has been closed down for renovation.

Yep...They have been advertising in the Gleaner for staff to fit their new post renovation format

[cl812]

Library expansion gets closer
Published Tuesday June 21st, 2011
Next chapter | City's public library needs more room
A1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com

The long-delayed $1.3-million expansion and renovation of the Fredericton Public Library looks like it's finally moving ahead.

Cathy MacLaggan, chairwoman of the Fredericton Public Library, told council-in-committee Monday night that the provincial government has tendered for additional space for the York Regional Library.

It occupies 30 per cent of the building on Carleton Street.

When the York Regional Library moves out in December, it will free up 900 square metres (10,000 square feet) of additional space for the Fredericton Public Library.

"We are so truly looking forward to moving into the new space," she said. "This is part of a phased-in plan that will truly transform the downtown public library in a serious way.

"It will be the biggest library improvement in over 15 years."

Council approved the expansion plan in 2008, but it was delayed by funding problems and then the York Regional Library needed an extra year to find new space.

"There has been a delay and we have been working very hard for a number of years," said MacLaggan.

Some minor renovation work has already been done, including upgraded furniture and a larger elevator that can accommodate motorized wheelchairs.

The first phase of the renovations will cost $550,000 and has already been budgeted for by council.

MacLaggan said work on the ground floor will be done in 2012.

It will include doubling the space for the children's collection and a new public meeting space and public washrooms in the area that now houses the bay for the bookmobile.

"We're very excited about that and very much looking forward to that," she said.

Phase 2 will cost $225,000 and is planned for 2013. It will add a new reading lounge and a café. It will also relocate staff operations from the second floor to the first floor.

Phase 3 in 2014 will cost $500,000 and will include a dedicated teen space on the second floor and increase the size of the teen and adult book collection.

MacLaggan said the library has been working hard in recent years to attract more teens and teen book circulation was up 21 per cent last year.

"The city has committed to the (expansion) concept and adopted it as a pay-as-you-go plan," she said.

"They have agreed in principle to going ahead with that."

She said even if the province isn't out of the building by December, the renovation and expansion will go ahead as soon as the space is available.

"We support you and we will continue to do so," said Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside.

MacLaggan also told council that 2010 was a good year for the library, with a record 418,000 items circulated.

More than 1,000 people visited the downtown and Nashwaaksis library locations every day and the collection at both libraries now exceeds 180,000 books, magazines, DVDs, videos, CDs and other formats, she said.

Participation in the library program was up, with 17,000 participating in 641 program sessions, and DVD circulation increased by 37 per cent, said MacLaggan.

More than 10,000 young people took part in the summer reading program, she said.

The downtown library also has a recycling depot for old cellphones and printer cartridges and, in partnership with NB Power, loans out meters to measure energy use of individual home appliances.

http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/cityregion/article/1416903

[cl812]

Plenty of options when it comes to downtown development
Published Tuesday June 21st, 2011
C1

Over the past few months there have been a number of discussions around development options for Fredericton's downtown.

The westend application for a 32-unit apartment building, the Centennial building's future, the city-hosted riverfront development consultation and potential uses for York House have all been topics of debate recently. Perhaps a community conversation about what we need and want from our downtown is due.

There are many different points of view about development in Fredericton. Should our riverfront include commercial ventures such as a coffee kiosk, water's edge restaurant, tour companies or others? Should more of our downtown be converted to pedestrian-only access, with additional green space created and fewer parking structures and spaces? How much residential space is ideal and what kind of transit strategy is needed to support greater urban density?

While the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce isn't an expert on any of these questions, we do represent more than 900 organizations that care about the vibrancy of our city and its attractiveness to existing and potential residents. We believe that our downtown and northside business districts should prioritize diversity, the same approach we encourage in our employers and our consumers.

Gone are the post-war days of single-use zoning that segregated homes from shops, offices and institutions. Mixed-use development has emerged in the last decade as the preferred approach for most urban centre renewal. Mixed-use principles embrace diversity by integrating multiple development components to create liveable, walk-able areas with a strong sense of place.

Many of our downtown fixtures are mixed-use developments. Kings Place contains retail and office spaces, integrated with parking and transit components. Buildings along Queen and King Streets have apartments above storefronts. This integration helps promote the neighbourhood feeling that Frederictonians appreciate.

In principle, residential developments such as the westend building are appealing to our members, as they increase Fredericton's urban density and bring additional patrons to our Main Street and Queen Street businesses, typically in a low-emission way. Higher densities also support city council's objectives of keeping service delivery costs manageable and tax rates stable.

But many residents alone do not a successful downtown make. Those new inhabitants will want green spaces in which to relax and recreate, and amenities such as food markets and other shops to support their material needs. What do you think is the right balance?

While the Fredericton Chamber exists to support our local businesses, we won't push exclusively for York House to be converted for commercial use, for the westend apartment building to have ground floor retail units, for the Centennial building be renovated for office space and for the riverfront to be opened to new business developments.

We recognize the importance of cultural spaces, heritage preservation and balance in our urban centres. These opportunities should be considered with the big picture in mind, and a balance struck among the types of development pursued. We want to see a downtown full of diverse uses and spaces that will continue to attract tomorrow's workforce to our capital.

Given our municipal and provincial governments openness to public input, and the City of Fredericton's invitation to residents to provide suggestions into both the riverfront development and the future of York House, we encourage our members and the people of Fredericton to join the conversation.

Let's imagine what the ideal downtown could be and help our elected officials, business people and developers bring that vision to life.

Susan Holt is the CEO of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce. She'd love to hear from you by email at susanh@frederictonchamber.ca, phone 451-9744 or Twitter @susanholt.

http://nbbusinessjournal.canadaeast.com/gleaner/article/1416924

[cj6286]

I was looking at the Brookside West Phases VI & VII, and by the looks of it, they are not extending James Street due to the creek. I looked around the end of Peters Drive, and it does look like a wet land. Here's a map I drew up to get the main idea. I guess it looks like Heron Drive is going to be a through-fare? In the satellite view, you can see where they have cut the trees where the new streets are going to go. http://goo.gl/maps/ELYO

I got a note on my door, saying that there is going to be a meeting tomorrow(22nd) at 6:30, at the end of Heron Drive about a new park. There aren't any parks with playgrounds in the area, which will great for young families.

[corda]

I was looking at the Brookside West Phases VI & VII, and by the looks of it, they are not extending James Street due to the creek. I looked around the end of Peters Drive, and it does look like a wet land. Here's a map I drew up to get the main idea. I guess it looks like Heron Drive is going to be a through-fare? In the satellite view, you can see where they have cut the trees where the new streets are going to go. http://goo.gl/maps/ELYO

I got a note on my door, saying that there is going to be a meeting tomorrow(22nd) at 6:30, at the end of Heron Drive about a new park. There aren't any parks with playgrounds in the area, which will great for young families.

Well that's too bad not extending James street. It would have been a good fit to make these two developments feel somewhat connected..... then you could walk down to the playground on Randolph street :)

Has there at least been a mention of connecting it with a trail? In the satelite view that almost looks like a trail parallel to Savannah Crt.

Do you know what the the owners of the farm/ horse stables or whatever that is think of being surrounded or are they the one's that sold the land and seeing dollar signs?

[cj6286]

Well that's too bad not extending James street. It would have been a good fit to make these two developments feel somewhat connected..... then you could walk down to the playground on Randolph street :)

Has there at least been a mention of connecting it with a trail? In the satelite view that almost looks like a trail parallel to Savannah Crt.

Do you know what the the owners of the farm/ horse stables or whatever that is think of being surrounded or are they the one's that sold the land and seeing dollar signs?

It would make a lot of sense to connect the sub divisions, but I can see it maybe in a two or three year plan.
I haven't heard anything of a trail- it would make a lot of sense in the short term phases. Judging from the photos from the company website, there will be a trail through the middle of Court A and parallel to Savannah Court as you can see that section on the satellite view.
As for the farm, I have no idea if they have sold, planning on selling or working into the community. Maybe there will be some info at the Park meeting tonight.

http://www.chippins.com/bw67.jpg