The Official Saint John, NB Project Thread

[Scarface]

Originally Posted by RaginRonic

Man....whole lot of ideas in my head lately. =P

I got to thinking recently, about how one piece of Saint John could be made safer.

It's the part below...



Now, I understand that it does run through the Bowlarama property, however, what if, instead of that dirt path that runs down the hill, there was an indoor pedestrian structure that had both stairs and a passenger elevator in it, to make getting to Lancaster Mall's library entrance an easier task?

A tunnel/indoor bridge that's kind of like this, minus those kinds of train tracks in this pic...



I think it'd look pretty good. =)

What do you all think?

It would not take up to much space off the Bowlarama property if any even It would indeed making getting to Lancaster Malls Library entrance safer for pedestrians, and quicker too.. I'd say to this.

[Walk then Run]

Agree, this spot is well used by us lower west / Fundy Heights walkers...cuts off 10 to 15 minutes on the walk around. Not too sure about the enclosed catwalk, but I can definitely see a similar one be built like the one that crosses the throughway (north end) to City Road.

[RaginRonic]

Originally Posted by Walk then Run

Agree, this spot is well used by us lower west / Fundy Heights walkers...cuts off 10 to 15 minutes on the walk around. Not too sure about the enclosed catwalk, but I can definitely see a similar one be built like the one that crosses the throughway (north end) to City Road.

I used the thought of an indoor walkway as a way to avoid anything like rain and other crap....as well as snow and ice in winter.

Keep people dry, you know?

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by RaginRonic

I used the thought of an indoor walkway as a way to avoid anything like rain and other crap....as well as snow and ice in winter.

Keep people dry, you know?

They'll be wet if they're coming from or going in the direction of the Bowlarama anyway.

If you can convince me that there's going to be a significant upswing in the number of people living along Lancaster Avenue in the next few years I can understand the need, otherwise the city should be focusing its already tight finances on other areas.

[Helladog]

DSCF3449b by Brian Bunnell

More...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/125179.../shares/q800X2

[Ire Narissis]

Went to the open house this morning and took a little tour through the Fundy Rose.

It certainly has a great deal more passenger space than the Princess of Acadia, and the deck arrangement is interesting with cars generally separated from trucks.

There's no open deck space for passengers over the bow like there was on the old ferry, but you can go right up to the stern, where there's a covered outdoor cafe sort of thing.

They've got a couple of lounges with airplane-style seating, which is... eh. And of course the truckers' lounge has big comfy couches. I think the gift shop is even smaller than it was on the Princess, which in my mind is a good thing because that's not worth devoting a lot of floor space to.

Accessibility is much better, with elevators and escalators up from the car decks and even the staircases are quite a bit larger. And where there are doorways with high sills, the step-over height is a good bit lower so it's easier to manage compared to those two sets of doors on the Princess of Acadia with the ridiculously high thresholds.

Overall, it's a pretty massive improvement. Obviously, the reduced truck space is a concern, but the Fundy Rose is so much more comfortable for passengers that, with the right marketing, they could probably do a better job attracting tourists than they could with the dated Princess of Acadia.

[UptownJeff]

Now, if we could get a proper highway from Digby to Halifax we might be able to attract all that traffic that now bypasses us on the trans Canada.

[Helladog]

Originally Posted by Ire Narissis

Went to the open house this morning and took a little tour through the Fundy Rose.

It certainly has a great deal more passenger space than the Princess of Acadia, and the deck arrangement is interesting with cars generally separated from trucks.

There's no open deck space for passengers over the bow like there was on the old ferry, but you can go right up to the stern, where there's a covered outdoor cafe sort of thing.

They've got a couple of lounges with airplane-style seating, which is... eh. And of course the truckers' lounge has big comfy couches. I think the gift shop is even smaller than it was on the Princess, which in my mind is a good thing because that's not worth devoting a lot of floor space to.

Accessibility is much better, with elevators and escalators up from the car decks and even the staircases are quite a bit larger. And where there are doorways with high sills, the step-over height is a good bit lower so it's easier to manage compared to those two sets of doors on the Princess of Acadia with the ridiculously high thresholds.

Overall, it's a pretty massive improvement. Obviously, the reduced truck space is a concern, but the Fundy Rose is so much more comfortable for passengers that, with the right marketing, they could probably do a better job attracting tourists than they could with the dated Princess of Acadia.

Are there any outdoor spaces at all on the ship?

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Ire Narissis

Overall, it's a pretty massive improvement. Obviously, the reduced truck space is a concern, but the Fundy Rose is so much more comfortable for passengers that, with the right marketing, they could probably do a better job attracting tourists than they could with the dated Princess of Acadia.

I think it's less of the traffic using the Trans-Canada from Quebec/Ontario and more the New England plates that travel up from Route 1. I could be wrong.

[Ire Narissis]

Originally Posted by Helladog

Are there any outdoor spaces at all on the ship?

There are two open decks at the stern: one mostly covered with the cafe, and a small smoking area down a flight of stairs from that.

There are also decks along the sides where the life-saving equipment is, but I don't know whether those will actually be open to passengers routinely during sailings.

Quite a bit less outside deck space than the Princess of Acadia, which of course has outside bow and stern decks on two levels as well as the old-school covered promenades. But still enough to go out and get some fresh air if you need it.

[JHikka]

http://www.conferenceboard.ca/press/...t_in_2015.aspx

Originally Posted by The Conference Board of Canada

Mixed Outlook for Atlantic Cities

Ottawa, July 22, 2015—The economies of most medium-sized metropolitan areas in Canada will continue to improve at a modest pace this year, according to The Conference Board of Canada’s Metropolitan Outlook: Summer 2015.

Moncton’s real GDP is forecast to rise by a 10-year high of 3 per cent this year thanks to healthy gains in manufacturing and the broader services sector. The solid economy will translate into decent job and income gains, which should encourage consumers to continue spending.

A recovery in manufacturing and in resources and utilities will help the economy of Saint John expand by 2.3 per cent this year. Both sectors will benefit from a weaker Canadian dollar and stronger housing demand south of the border, the latter of which will help drive growth in the region’s forestry industry.

St. John’s economy will struggle under the weight of lower oil prices and falling offshore oil production in Newfoundland and Labrador as existing fields mature. Still, things will be better than last year when total output fell by 2.3 per cent. This year, the St. John’s economy is forecast to grow by 0.5 per cent, as solid gains in manufacturing, in wholesale and retail trade, and in finance and real estate offset declines in resources and utilities, and in construction.

[SJTOKO]

I thought I would post a link to this incredible blog here (http://saintjohn365.com/). This guy has been taking a photo of Saint John and it's surrounding area every day since late last year. The images he's captured are incredible and really show what a hidden gem Saint John is. Absolutely beautiful!

[RR Drummer]

Originally Posted by SJTOKO

I thought I would post a link to this incredible blog here (http://saintjohn365.com/). This guy has been taking a photo of Saint John and it's surrounding area every day since late last year. The images he's captured are incredible and really show what a hidden gem Saint John is. Absolutely beautiful!

Excellent photos. What a great idea!

[ErickMontreal]

Alley Gria (Prince William St) is closing down by the end of August. Extreme Pita has closed at the end of July.

CB Ellis and CPA relocated to Moncton.

The Customs building (Water Street) hit the market.

The provincial government will invest up to $68.3 million over seven years at the Port of Saint John, through the Strategic Infrastructure Initiative

[UptownJeff]

Originally Posted by ErickMontreal

Alley Gria (Prince William St) is closing down by the end of August. Extreme Pita has closed at the end of July.

CB Ellis and CPA relocated to Moncton.

The Customs building (Water Street) hit the market.

The provincial government will invest up to $68.3 million over seven years at the Port of Saint John, through the Strategic Infrastructure Initiative

That's a shame about alley gria. Wish they had been in a more visible location. They also own the Italian place on prince William. Cb Ellis moved a couple of years ago and extreme pita has been closed for ages...if you're talking about the one in the pedway. Not sure how he sale of the customs building will impact anything as I'm not sure how much is actually occupied by government....whoever buys it would just lease space back.

[Ottawa]

Energy East Pipeline Update

My apologies if these have been previously posted. I don't remember seeing them.

These are links to some detail drawings, maps and conceptual drawings of the Energy East facilities. This should help fill in a lot of the blanks about property requirements in Red Head, etc.


Detail drawings of process flow and tank layout:

https://docs.neb-one.gc.ca/ll-eng/ll...1346&vernum=-2

Marine terminal design and process flow:

https://docs.neb-one.gc.ca/ll-eng/ll...1028&vernum=-2

Tank layout conceptual diagrams and more specs:
The important stuff starts at the bottom of page 27

https://docs.neb-one.gc.ca/ll-eng/ll...1140&vernum=-2

Map of NB portion of pipeline:

https://docs.neb-one.gc.ca/ll-eng/ll...3828&vernum=-2

[FLL]

Hello,
I followed this forum for developments for a while but decided to register so I can post a thread.

I just read that Bustin's in closing in September. This on top of Birk's, the Source, Alley Gria, East Side Mario's, Home Hardware, Chili and Olive and many other businesses that closed. I really starting to feel we are on a losing team and now considering moving my family away from Saint John although we were born and raised here. We have decent jobs and a nice house - but on a deeper level I feel like something is missing when you are not in a community that is progressing and growing. Everything feels so stagnant. The only new construction is to replace something older - doesn't seem to be any growth of anything new.

I'm tired of being strung along with a carrot on a stick about these big projects that never come to fruition. How many times since 2005 have we heard that coast guard site announcement is "imminent" any time now right from Waterfront Development? Point Lepreau II, second refinery, decoker, potash fertilizer plant, electric car plant by Chinese investor, lorneville dock, new medical building at hospital - the list goes on and nothing happens.
The problem is compounded by development that does happen. The port builds terminals right on prime waterfront land for a dwindling amount of passengers and meanwhile the public can only get a glimpse at waterfront through black gates - we are blocked off from our own Harbour. The rebuilding of the historic block on Prince William Street was completed almost a year ago and the light standard are still not installed and wooden poles still dot the street. Queen Sq Reno is not surprisingly behind schedule and residents cannot enjoy it in the prime season. I doubt the new lights will be installed anytime soon based on what's going on at Prince William street and the new lights would be the highlight of it. We drive to Moncton and it's thriving and busy - here I get tired of seeing beggars on King Street and smokers outside of Tim's - just seems so dreadful in comparison as its dead uptown. We have a few good people renovating buildings properly but now I'm seeing more and more people put on metal siding instead of repointing brick which is destroying what we do have great about this city. I don't understand either job announcements and the flaky numbers we get. The port modernization project is reporting in the media 2000 new jobs. Where do they get that number ? According to enterprise Saint John website, it's 59 jobs this year and 422 next year (full time equivalent). How do they get to 2000?

So that's my feeling right now - I feel discouraged and growing older in a stagnant community. My wife and I are talking about moving away with our kids - I hate to admit it.

Can anyone offer any encouraging words about why to stay? Does anyone now of projects that will happen FOR SURE that will bring decent paying jobs to city? Does anyone have inside scoop whether coast guard site will be built in our lifetime ? Or potash plant? Anything ?

My oldest son is very smart and talented and moving away - and most of his friends too. We are losing our bright young people to other areas and it seems we are just left with lower paying jobs and people on social assistance. young people are not going to stay here for new jobs at Nordia paying $14 an hour at most.

That's my rant - can anyone inspire me ? Thank you

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by FLL

I just read that Bustin's in closing in September. This on top of Birk's, the Source, Alley Gria, East Side Mario's, Home Hardware, Chili and Olive and many other businesses that closed.

Bustin's closed due to development demands. Birk's has been closing stores across Canada. The Source has been closing stories across Canada, and ESM was poorly run. None of these are particularly Saint John issues. Stores close all the time everywhere.

Originally Posted by FLL

I really starting to feel we are on a losing team and now considering moving my family away from Saint John although we were born and raised here. We have decent jobs and a nice house - but on a deeper level I feel like something is missing when you are not in a community that is progressing and growing. Everything feels so stagnant. The only new construction is to replace something older - doesn't seem to be any growth of anything new.

What makes you feel that SJ is on a losing team? I hear this a lot from older baby boomers as if Saint John was somehow this extraordinary city fifty years ago.

Originally Posted by FLL

I'm tired of being strung along with a carrot on a stick about these big projects that never come to fruition. How many times since 2005 have we heard that coast guard site announcement is "imminent" any time now right from Waterfront Development? Point Lepreau II, second refinery, decoker, potash fertilizer plant, electric car plant by Chinese investor, lorneville dock, new medical building at hospital - the list goes on and nothing happens.

By following this forum you should be aware of the many projects that are occurring in the City that aren't covered by the sub-standard media in this province. This ranges from the IT sector, to the new medical building at UNBSJ, to Historica developments in the Uptown.

Originally Posted by FLL

The problem is compounded by development that does happen. The port builds terminals right on prime waterfront land for a dwindling amount of passengers and meanwhile the public can only get a glimpse at waterfront through black gates - we are blocked off from our own Harbour.

Cruise passenger numbers have been on the rise in each year aside from 2014 when there was no contract in place for ships to arrive. Once the contract was resolved the ships began to arrive again. I've had to explain this to about a dozen people.

Harbour Passage allows access to our non-working area of the harbour. Tin Can Beach has been gaining in popularity lately. Plans are currently in development for Partridge Island.

Originally Posted by FLL

We drive to Moncton and it's thriving and busy - here I get tired of seeing beggars on King Street and smokers outside of Tim's - just seems so dreadful in comparison as its dead uptown.

In the last week I split time between Ottawa/Toronto/Montreal. Guess what all of these big cities have?

Originally Posted by FLL

So that's my feeling right now - I feel discouraged and growing older in a stagnant community. My wife and I are talking about moving away with our kids - I hate to admit it.

My oldest son is very smart and talented and moving away - and most of his friends too. We are losing our bright young people to other areas and it seems we are just left with lower paying jobs and people on social assistance. young people are not going to stay here for new jobs at Nordia paying $14 an hour at most.

That's my rant - can anyone inspire me ? Thank you

From my experience, I had to move away when I was 22 for a number of reasons. The one that sticks in my mind whenever I return is the negative attitude from all of the older folks who still live here. I return and everyone tells me how shit it is and how I shouldn't bother looking for a job. I see a ton of good, positive things happening in Saint John that i've listed throughout this post and yet all locals can tell me is how much they don't like stories closing, or parking lots, or people smoking, or things not being as good as they think they should be. Generally they tell me this before driving to our new CostCo out East (est.2010) or Kent's West (est.2012). Perhaps they even tell me this before refusing to park at the all-new parking garage at Peel Plaza (est.2012), or perhaps they tell me before attending a Sea Dogs game at our arena Uptown (est. 1992), who consistently rank as one of the best Junior hockey teams in Canada (est.2005).

I don't get any of this negative attitude living in Ontario.

Frankly, the more negative people that move away from the City the better. There needs to be an attitude change not only in Saint John but in the greater Maritimes as a whole. We're defeatists and we can't help it. I'm not saying you should, but if you think Saint John is bad for all of these reasons I recommend travelling to other cities across this country for a bit of perspective. There's a ton of great things that are happening in town. The only things that are happening are the removal of relics from the baby boomer era, and the only folks left to complain are the baby boomers themselves.

Also, thanks for joining the forum.

[Sabien]

Originally Posted by FLL

Hello,
I followed this forum for developments for a while but decided to register so I can post a thread.

I just read that Bustin's in closing in September. This on top of Birk's, the Source, Alley Gria, East Side Mario's, Home Hardware, Chili and Olive and many other businesses that closed. I really starting to feel we are on a losing team and now considering moving my family away from Saint John although we were born and raised here. We have decent jobs and a nice house - but on a deeper level I feel like something is missing when you are not in a community that is progressing and growing. Everything feels so stagnant. The only new construction is to replace something older - doesn't seem to be any growth of anything new.

I'm tired of being strung along with a carrot on a stick about these big projects that never come to fruition. How many times since 2005 have we heard that coast guard site announcement is "imminent" any time now right from Waterfront Development? Point Lepreau II, second refinery, decoker, potash fertilizer plant, electric car plant by Chinese investor, lorneville dock, new medical building at hospital - the list goes on and nothing happens.
The problem is compounded by development that does happen. The port builds terminals right on prime waterfront land for a dwindling amount of passengers and meanwhile the public can only get a glimpse at waterfront through black gates - we are blocked off from our own Harbour. The rebuilding of the historic block on Prince William Street was completed almost a year ago and the light standard are still not installed and wooden poles still dot the street. Queen Sq Reno is not surprisingly behind schedule and residents cannot enjoy it in the prime season. I doubt the new lights will be installed anytime soon based on what's going on at Prince William street and the new lights would be the highlight of it. We drive to Moncton and it's thriving and busy - here I get tired of seeing beggars on King Street and smokers outside of Tim's - just seems so dreadful in comparison as its dead uptown. We have a few good people renovating buildings properly but now I'm seeing more and more people put on metal siding instead of repointing brick which is destroying what we do have great about this city. I don't understand either job announcements and the flaky numbers we get. The port modernization project is reporting in the media 2000 new jobs. Where do they get that number ? According to enterprise Saint John website, it's 59 jobs this year and 422 next year (full time equivalent). How do they get to 2000?

So that's my feeling right now - I feel discouraged and growing older in a stagnant community. My wife and I are talking about moving away with our kids - I hate to admit it.

Can anyone offer any encouraging words about why to stay? Does anyone now of projects that will happen FOR SURE that will bring decent paying jobs to city? Does anyone have inside scoop whether coast guard site will be built in our lifetime ? Or potash plant? Anything ?

My oldest son is very smart and talented and moving away - and most of his friends too. We are losing our bright young people to other areas and it seems we are just left with lower paying jobs and people on social assistance. young people are not going to stay here for new jobs at Nordia paying $14 an hour at most.

That's my rant - can anyone inspire me ? Thank you

First of all - I don't know how you were able to read my thoughts... new tinfoil hat needed...

I do love Saint John, and I do believe things will turn around. My problem is that it won't be in time to help my family. Since becoming a father in the late 90's, I had always hoped that a future Saint John would develop that would entice my kids to stay. Now they are finishing high school and I fear that time has run out.

I always told them, with excitement, how when new development takes place, it often spurs more development, which stimulates the economy and thus more development - and all of this will add amenities and improve the quality of life in the city. There are a lot of dominoes waiting, we just need the right one to fall.

Instead of development, in the past few years, I've tried to shift their attention towards things that are more guaranteed - the Bay of Fundy, Rockwood Park, Irving Nature Park, interesting topography (not flat and boring like many cities), great uptown core architecture, the City Market, low crime rate (when compared to large cities). There

As I said, things will definitely turn around eventually - although, probably not soon enough for me personally. My work is completely portable (client base stretches across Canada and all contact is via internet). My wife and I now talk about following our kids if they end up moving away. I feel a sadness about this prospect but mostly I feel as though we're in a state of flux.

Right now, of course, the pipeline is my big hope. It has the potential to be the domino we need - time will tell.

[FLL]

Originally Posted by JHikka

Bustin's closed due to development demands. Birk's has been closing stores across Canada. The Source has been closing stories across Canada, and ESM was poorly run. None of these are particularly Saint John issues. Stores close all the time everywhere.


What makes you feel that SJ is on a losing team? I hear this a lot from older baby boomers as if Saint John was somehow this extraordinary city fifty years ago.


By following this forum you should be aware of the many projects that are occurring in the City that aren't covered by the sub-standard media in this province. This ranges from the IT sector, to the new medical building at UNBSJ, to Historica developments in the Uptown.


Cruise passenger numbers have been on the rise in each year aside from 2014 when there was no contract in place for ships to arrive. Once the contract was resolved the ships began to arrive again. I've had to explain this to about a dozen people.

Harbour Passage allows access to our non-working area of the harbour. Tin Can Beach has been gaining in popularity lately. Plans are currently in development for Partridge Island.


In the last week I split time between Ottawa/Toronto/Montreal. Guess what all of these big cities have?



From my experience, I had to move away when I was 22 for a number of reasons. The one that sticks in my mind whenever I return is the negative attitude from all of the older folks who still live here. I return and everyone tells me how shit it is and how I shouldn't bother looking for a job. I see a ton of good, positive things happening in Saint John that i've listed throughout this post and yet all locals can tell me is how much they don't like stories closing, or parking lots, or people smoking, or things not being as good as they think they should be. Generally they tell me this before driving to our new CostCo out East (est.2010) or Kent's West (est.2012). Perhaps they even tell me this before refusing to park at the all-new parking garage at Peel Plaza (est.2012), or perhaps they tell me before attending a Sea Dogs game at our arena Uptown (est. 1992), who consistently rank as one of the best Junior hockey teams in Canada (est.2005).

I don't get any of this negative attitude living in Ontario.

Frankly, the more negative people that move away from the City the better. There needs to be an attitude change not only in Saint John but in the greater Maritimes as a whole. We're defeatists and we can't help it. I'm not saying you should, but if you think Saint John is bad for all of these reasons I recommend travelling to other cities across this country for a bit of perspective. There's a ton of great things that are happening in town. The only things that are happening are the removal of relics from the baby boomer era, and the only folks left to complain are the baby boomers themselves.

Also, thanks for joining the forum.

I'm in my late 30's - community activist and cheerleader who admittedly feels deflated about our city. I'm discouraged. It's not just development - SJ was a distinct community spirit up until the late 80's - thousands attended Loyalist Days with huge parades, festival by the sea was a huge event , participaction events, bus pulls up king street, street dances, battles of the bands. Just feels different sorry. As an event organizer it's hard to inspire people to get involved and participate.