COW maintainence building opening up on Thomas Ave.

[alittle1]

If anyone was wondering why they were hammering stakes in the ground and putting up black plastic screening along the S/S of Thomas Ave. (one block South and parallel to Nairn Ave. , it would be for the new City of Winnipeg Maintenance Shop for District 4 & 5 plus Tecumseh Stores.

This property was once used by Alsip Brick and Tile to 'mine' dolomitic clay or white clay which is used in the process of making bricks and blocks. The clay was found in veins which they followed along in the prairie soil. The clay is used as a binder agent in the brick/block process that Alsip's used back in the 1800's. The clay was mined to a depth of 6 - 8 feet deep and up to 30 - 40 feet wide. Over burden was strewn over the area from the Nairn Overpass to the Eastside of Lagimodiere Blvd, butting up to the Roman Catholic Mission property. Back in the 1930's, this area along the CNR Highline tracks was known as "Tinny Town". So named because of the hobo's and migrant workers hopping off the train before it pulled into the Union Station keeping themselves out of the elements by using tin ripped from the storage sheds along the tracks. The population sometimes numbered into the thousand, with the Red and Seine Rivers close by, laundry day made the area look like a patchwork quilt of shirts and pants flapping in the wind. The last known citizen from Tinny Town was holed up in a mud bank at Cole and Grey, just South of the fence compound of COW Mosquito Abatement, and remained there until 1974.

Val Werier of the Tribune wrote a column about him in the late 1960's. The column spoke of where he came from in the East Bloc and why he had come to Canada and Manitoba. He had a wide array of books and novels that he spent reading, living on wild rabbits that he snared in the area. cooking on a small wood-fired stove. He had a small vegetable garden and used the carrots, onions, garlic and potatoes to supplement his diet of rabbit. The smoke that rose from the downspout chimney above his hovel continued until around the 1970's, when he started to winter at a sister's place in Komarno ( which in Ukrainian, meaning mosquito.). The last time I talked with him was in 1974 and his 'home' remained for a few years after, before being burned out by local hooligans.

[cllew]

I did not realize that land was used by Alsip's many years ago. I always thought that it was an abandoned City of Winnipeg incinerator ash dump site, before they turned it into a snow dump and concrete recycling plant.

[Andy6]

That is quite a story.

[Andy6]

On the front page of the Free Press for November 8, 1969, there is a feature story by Egon Frech (a name I'd forgotten!), with photo, about John Rudy, the man referred to.

"He reads the newspaper daily and is well informed on the world but he doesn't really want any part of it. He's never married and has no family."

He came to Canada from Poland in 1914, hasn't worked in 37 years and survives on his old age pension and his World War I disability pension. The land was owned by Red Patch Taxi whose owner didn't care if he lived there "for 120 years". "It's none of my business if he wants to live that way."

Also on the front page is a story about a former Winnipeg newspaperman who has just had a sex change in Baltimore and is set to marry a 25 year old shrimp fisherman in England. The 40 year old Gordon Langley-Hall, henceforth to be known as Mrs. Dawn Pepita Simmons, is the adopted son/daughter of Dame Margaret Rutherford.

Ah, the '60s!

[alittle1]

There is no real reason why the land hasn't been utilized over the years other than the City being to damn stubborn to yield to the developers. Bernie Wolfe's dream when he was a councellor in the area, was never to relinquish the land to the private sector. The reason being was when he was with the amalgamated City, Metro came out with a 25 Year Plan Traffic Study for the the North-East area, and Bernie liked that Plan for his own reasons.

Those being:

1. Metro proposed an Inner City Beltway that started at Main Street just North of the 'shit plant' (as Bernie called it), came across the river to Panet Rd. , crossed over Lagimodiere, curved south of Cordite (to pick up the BAY shopping center) to Grassie, across the field missing BACM & Uncle Ben's Brewery at Regent, where it headed south and aligned itself up with Plessis Road South at Dugald Rd.

2. Guess who owned the land at S/W Dugald and Plessis? Bernie, no less and his mother-in-law owned the other 49 acres. Over the years the Family made good money off that corner, far better than milking cows and pitching shit ever did.

3. The bus service to and from Transcona always stunk and there was only a two lane strip to the City. Metro proposed to bring Transcona into the Big City by putting a new roadway from Plessis thru to downtown. The roadway would follow the CN Highline to the south with a rapid transit terminal at the Vickar Car lot whereby the commuters would Drive 'N Park, hop aboard the commuter (LRT) travel along the tracks to union Station, disembark to downtown and the students would continue on to the U of M via the Emerson trackage. Bernie rode this idea with his constituents like a five dollar horse.

4. The subsequent roadway out of Transcona would be along Regent/Nairn with a new river crossing to Higgins. The return trip from downtown would be along Thomas, behind Woolco and 1500 Regent, travel down Pandora to Plessis. Transcona is only 14 minutes from downtown.

5. A deal like this going through would put a big feather in Bernie's cap and maybe, just maybe, he would get a leg up on old Steve Juba. Steve went to bed with better people (Bonnycastle) and the rest is history. Steve made himself 'gung ho' to run as Mayor, Bernie blinked because he knew he couldn't beat Steve, Steve waited till High Noon and went out for lunch instead of filing his papers to run, Bernie's political career went down the drain.

The City held the options on the properties along this proposed route since 1965 and they fell away a piece at a time, BACM built Mission Gardens, Vickar extended his car lot(s), WalMart/SuperValu/Home Depot's BIG BOX stores, Princess Auto built their last store where the District 3/4 Police station was to be, Mighty Mike's Machinery on Panet knew it was all BS and kept buying old construction equipment, Building Products got the buyout at the Forks and the City offered the property on Cole with the McTavish exit thrown in, Red Patch Taxi property has been building bits and pieces for the last ten years. The final step was the City taking over and developing the land on Thomas.

The 25 Year Plan was just like a house of cards, erected to capture your attention that day, but slowly sag and blow away by the political winds of the days that followed, ending in a big lump in someone's waste basket 45 years later.

[alittle1]

The ash dump was located at Kent Road where the Humane Society was.

[flatlander]

^i am looking forward to your memoirs!

[alittle1]

Construction appears to be progressing along with an abundance of soil being exchanged for gravel and concrete. Most of the underground work is in place with surface and erection coming along soon. Pictures coming.

Not a stadium project, but it will be big for the area with a few hundred extra bodies using the streets, restaurants, and businesses in the area. The local economy will be stimulated as this new money hits the street.

[Biff]

It is a big project, about $40.3 million.

[alittle1]

Originally Posted by Biff

It is a big project, about $40.3 million.

$40Mil, and to think that they're just building a garage! Did they call for tenders or was it a gimme?

[cllew]

According to the city council meeting minutes for Nov 16/11 regarding the award of the East Yards contract 4 companies were invited to bid, 3 produced bids and there were 7 proposals between them. The winner Ernst Hansch Construction Ltd put at least 4 in and their second option was the winner.

The report does not say who the other companies were or what any of the proposals were.

As for the cost this is what is planned according to the report:

"The East Yard Complex is to consist of field office, garage, shops, and storage facilities for various branches of the Public Works Department. Specifically, the Public Works operations included are Streets Maintenance East Area, Parks & Open Space East Area, Parks & Open Space Centralized Services, Bridge Operations, Equipment Operator Training, as well as the Safety Branch"


"Development of the East Yard Complex will result in the following civic occupied properties becoming surplus and available for disposition:
1. 1500 Plessis/849 Ravelston
2. 590 St. Anne
3. 1201 Archibald
4. 565 Watt
5. 825 Tache (riverbank property)"

[Bdog]

Originally Posted by cllew

According to the city council meeting minutes for Nov 16/11 regarding the award of the East Yards contract 4 companies were invited to bid, 3 produced bids and there were 7 proposals between them. The winner Ernst Hansch Construction Ltd put at least 4 in and their second option was the winner.

The report does not say who the other companies were or what any of the proposals were.

As for the cost this is what is planned according to the report:

"The East Yard Complex is to consist of field office, garage, shops, and storage facilities for various branches of the Public Works Department. Specifically, the Public Works operations included are Streets Maintenance East Area, Parks & Open Space East Area, Parks & Open Space Centralized Services, Bridge Operations, Equipment Operator Training, as well as the Safety Branch"


"Development of the East Yard Complex will result in the following civic occupied properties becoming surplus and available for disposition:
1. 1500 Plessis/849 Ravelston
2. 590 St. Anne
3. 1201 Archibald
4. 565 Watt
5. 825 Tache (riverbank property)"

The surplus land at Plesis and Ravelston could create an opportunity for the future ESP to join up with Plesis...

[Shinook]

Originally Posted by bdog

the surplus land at plesis and ravelston could create an opportunity for the future esp to join up with plesis...

esp?

[Bdog]

Originally Posted by Shinook

esp?

Edward Schreyer Parkway

[Biff]

Originally Posted by alittle1

$40Mil, and to think that they're just building a garage! Did they call for tenders or was it a gimme?

It's more than just a garage. There will be about half a dozen buildings, storage sheds, garages etc. It is consolidating all of the city's east side of the Red River works yards.

[cllew]

Also there should be some offset of the cost of this development from the sale of the 5 parcels of land that will be made surplussed .

565 Watt St. is almost a full block square and could go for either infill single family housing or low rise apartment blocks.

The 1201 Archibald lot probably will go as a strip mall for Niakwa Park as its next to the golf course and pool. Probably not useable for residential use.

590 St. Anne's is big enough for infill housing or low rise apartments

Plessis road site could be almost anything as it is a large parcel of land. Maybe Loews would want it for a store in the east part of Winnipeg ?

There was some talk in April of a Transcona YMCA going on this site with other recreation facilities.

825 Tache would be an ideal location for River bank condos as part of the Point Hebert development.

One sticking point on the lands value is the environmental state of the land, some of these have been city land for over 50 years (public works yards for the pre-unicity cities and towns ) and who knows what was dumped there back in the 50's and 60's.

[alittle1]

Kildare Avenue West will be extended across the old BACM/COW yard to join up with Regent Avenue at some point in time. My thoughts on it are, when cows fly!

[Biff]

Originally Posted by alittle1

Kildare Avenue West will be extended across the old BACM/COW yard to join up with Regent Avenue at some point in time. My thoughts on it are, when cows fly!

I could only see it connecting to the proposed Edward Schreyer Parkway by Bradley St, otherwise where would it connect to Regent?

[cllew]

I could see it crossing the Edward Schreyer Parkway and running west to Owen st when the land between Ravalstone and the CP main line is finally developed.

Of course that means another signalized intersection where they cross to slow traffic down.

[alittle1]

Originally Posted by cllew

I could see it crossing the Edward Schreyer Parkway and running west to Owen st when the land between Ravalstone and the CP main line is finally developed.

Of course that means another signalized intersection where they cross to slow traffic down.

Try this scenario out, Kildare running west across the Plessis yard to the CN spur, along the spur line to Owen. The City expropriates Birchwood Honda for a two lane yield on to Regent. The balance of the property is given to the Casino in exchange for some of the back lot property for the roadway. No harm, no foul. Chipman is in to hockey, not hardball, like Sammy likes to play.

Or, failing that plan. The roadway runs west around the snow dump, across the field behind Costco and Can. Tire, over Peguis and joins Reenders behind KP. The only obstacle is a small turn of the century Jewish cemetery that has an easement off Almey and takes up a few acres but is nicely shielded from passing cars.

If Ed Schreyer had ESP, he would never had lent his name to that Parkway. Starts in the middle of no-where, and dead-ends no-where. The road is a snub! Mr. Schreyer deserves better. The Boys that meet regularly on Saturday morning are very Liberal and have long, long memories. Ed was liberal once, wasn't he? PET found a place for him way down South, way SOUTH!