Winnipeg | Upper Fort Garry Provincial Park | 130 Main St.

[Archiseek]

so what's going to happen here....



Rumours of something tall... rumours of something small... the world's largest teepee....

[Lee_Haber8]

^Another project that will fall through

[trueviking]

wow, lee, you are cranky these days...

i have heard of one response to the RFP that will only be park space...demolishing 100 main and re-building in an abstact way, part of the fort...an interpretive centre will be included.

[Lee_Haber8]

Originally Posted by trueviking

wow, lee, you are cranky these days...

i have heard of one response to the RFP that will only be park space...demolishing 100 main and re-building in an abstact way, part of the fort...an interpretive centre will be included.

There's not much to be excited about these days, at least not in Winnipeg. Other cities have cool projects too, but at least they happen. The only good thing that has actually happened in the last two years that I can think of is the skatepark. I think we'll be waiting till 2010 for things to start changing

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by Lee_Haber8

There's not much to be excited about these days, at least not in Winnipeg. Other cities have cool projects too, but at least they happen. The only good thing that has actually happened in the last two years that I can think of is the skatepark. I think we'll be waiting till 2010 for things to start changing

let's see...two years eh?....

a new $300m airport designed by one of the world's most famous architects

$50m in new condo construction on waterfont drive as well as numerous loft conversions in the exchange district bringing hundreds of new residents downtown,

the $200m hydro building, the world's greenest office tower designed by one of canada's premier architects

award winning $50m red river college downtown campus

the beautiful $20m milleneum library designed by another of canada's premier architects.

the $150m MTS centre

the $20m CTV downtown buiding

the $35m pharmacy building

the $150m expansion of HSC

two large condo projects (8-9 storey) in st. b across the river from downton on provencher and tache.

the inn at the forks is less than 2 years old.

[Lee_Haber8]

Originally Posted by trueviking

let's see...two years eh?....

a new $300m airport designed by one of the world's most famous architects

$50m in new condo construction on waterfont drive as well as numerous loft conversions in the exchange district bringing hundreds of new residents downtown,

the $200m hydro building, the world's greenest office tower designed by one of canada's premier architects

award winning $50m red river college downtown campus

the beautiful $20m milleneum library designed by another of canada's premier architects.

the $150m MTS centre

the $20m CTV downtown buiding

the $35m pharmacy building

the $150m expansion of HSC

two large condo projects (8-9 storey) in st. b across the river from downton on provencher and tache.

the inn at the forks is less than 2 years old.

While this may be the most Winnipeg has seen in the last 50 yrs that is not saying much if anything at all. One of the things NewFlyer keeps saying is that if the city were really starting to thrive than most of these projects would be private sector like in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver. I agree that in order to kick-start something you may need public sector money. That's what the library, Red River College and MTS Centre were for.
But we can't keep kidding ourselves that this is going to do it, the government can't do everything.

I would also note that most of the projects listed are Murray Era projects. These things were in development years ago and are just being built. What's going to be built for the next few years? I don't see many new projects coming down the pipe, especially ones that are initiated by the private sector. I also don't see much private investment resulting from the projects like the library and Red River College.

I'm going to say this and I really, really hope I am wrong. The Human Rights Museum which I think is an amazing project which defies all the bad characteristics of Winnipeg will not happen, at least not as the amazing proposal it is now. It will probably be scaled down, becoming another mediocre compromise. I really hope this doesn't happen, but this is the way things seem to be going. Just as soon as the city starts to get some momentum we shoot ourselves in the foot. How Winnipeg!

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by Lee_Haber8

I'm going to say this and I really, really hope I am wrong. The Human Rights Museum which I think is an amazing project which defies all the bad characteristics of Winnipeg will not happen, at least not as the amazing proposal it is now. It will probably be scaled down, becoming another mediocre compromise. I really hope this doesn't happen, but this is the way things seem to be going. Just as soon as the city starts to get some momentum we shoot ourselves in the foot. How Winnipeg!

Unless you were born yesterday (which I realize many around here almost were) you'd have to have recognized from the start that the Human Rights Museum was a longshot. The idea with this sort of thing is that you announce something impressive but underfunded and then hope public excitement will put enough pressure on the government to provide the missing cash. I think they kind of overreached with this, and obviously the Aspers were blindsided by the election of a Tory government that they don't have much influence with. But who knows...maybe it will come together somehow.

[Aralaus]

Originally Posted by trueviking

let's see...two years eh?....

a new $300m airport designed by one of the world's most famous architects

$50m in new condo construction on waterfont drive as well as numerous loft conversions in the exchange district bringing hundreds of new residents downtown,

the $200m hydro building, the world's greenest office tower designed by one of canada's premier architects

award winning $50m red river college downtown campus

the beautiful $20m milleneum library designed by another of canada's premier architects.

the $150m MTS centre

the $20m CTV downtown buiding

the $35m pharmacy building

the $150m expansion of HSC

two large condo projects (8-9 storey) in st. b across the river from downton on provencher and tache.

the inn at the forks is less than 2 years old.

I'll see all of that and raise you an EnCana (rumored ~1 billion)... haha, im sorry, i just wanted to throw that out there. *quietly walks away from Winnipeg forums, never to be seen again*

haha..
but seriously though im pleasantly surprised that there has been this much happen in Winnipeg in the last 2 years. I knew about the Hydro building, MTS Center and Airport, but there's a lot of good mid-range projects there in the mix... something which is just as important to a city as the biggies. Keep up the good work!

As far as 100 Main Street... i would make a cultural center where the history of Canada is told through interpretive dance... with colourful ribbons! who's behind me?

[rgalston]

Originally Posted by Lee_Haber8

There's not much to be excited about these days, at least not in Winnipeg. Other cities have cool projects too, but at least they happen. The only good thing that has actually happened in the last two years that I can think of is the skatepark. I think we'll be waiting till 2010 for things to start changing

In addition to Trueviking's list of recent construction activity, there are numerous other, tangible signs that good things Winnipeg has improved in the last two years, and continues to improve: the mini retail boom on Albert and McDermot, quickly turned the West Exchange the city's third most (and in my opinion, best) trendy neighborhood; visionary property owners and artists started to migrate north to Chinatown and North Main (the Occidental Hotel was cleaned up, new galleries and residential units, etc.); African immigrants did much to renew Central Park; West Broadway, parts of the West End, North Point Douglas, and the North End have noticably improved; the Volvos parked on Wolseley streets are getting newer and nicer.

Obviously, this progress is all occuring at a slower pace than any of us would like, but is happening, and undeniably so.

[mafia guy]

Originally Posted by Lee_Haber8

There's not much to be excited about these days, at least not in Winnipeg. Other cities have cool projects too, but at least they happen.

...........i cant help it...............your actually kind of hilarious today..........maybe I'm just a little weird today but your seriously Hilarious! to much negative!!!!! .............

[Biff]

Like i predicted in the WPG construction thread. It didn't take long to start this thread at all. Hopefully it will encompass those parking lots and leave some room for an expanded historic site at the Fort Gate.

[trueviking]

two other responses that i have seen are quite dramatic....both will get people very excited.

[drew]

I would like to see part of the sight permanently dedicated to some sort of archiological dig around the old fort site at 100 main.

A tallish building would be great - but it might be better suited across Broadway (beside the Wawanesa building) on that empty lot.

We should try to save the old fort site for something more green and touristy.

[1ajs]

sadly i smell a new conterversy starting like the save the eatons thing round the corner... lets work on the area that the gate sits on and let progres have the 100 main!

i can't wait to see what were geting

can't wait to see a crane for it

[drew]

[QUOTE=1ajs]lets work on the area that the gate sits on and let progress have the 100 main!
/QUOTE]

Winnipeg has PLENTY of sites available for progress, and lots of them are sitting on nicer pieces of real estate than this.

However - not many of these already vacant sites come complete with a significant (at least for Winnipeg, and maybe Western Canada) historical setting. That should be worth something.

[1ajs]

come on stop being so negitive!

your just making your self part of the problem by being negitive like this........

[1ajs]

when dealing with the goverment get every thing on paper or you will get screwed over....

[trueviking]

seriously newflyer, did the government beat you as a child or what.....

[c vist]

After reading this article, it sounds like Crystal should sue the Freeps for publishing information that is false after suing the City for backing out of their purchase agreement. The apartment will not be built upon the Upper Fort Garry Site ... just thought I should emphasize this again since CJOB and the WFP can't get it right!

Readers panel backs fort plan
All ages, genders support project; $75K donated
By: Kevin Rollason

THE fight to save the historic Upper Fort Garry site from an apartment developer has the solid support of the majority of the Free Press Insiders Readers Panel.
And another $75,000 to help the $3.5-million fundraising cause has come in courtesy of local businessman John Pollard.
It doesn't matter what gender, income level, or age group people fell in, a majority of the Free Press's "virtual advisory panel" were in favour when asked "How do you feel about public funding by various levels of government for the Old Fort Garry historical site?"
The most supportive age group was the 74.9 per cent of people aged 18 to 24, but even the lowest support, given by people 65 and over, was at 62.9 per cent.
The greatest support comes from people with household income of $100,000 or more at 74 per cent, while the lowest support comes from incomes of $50,000 to $74,900 at 66.5 per cent.
As for gender, it's a narrow split with males, at 68.7 per cent, slightly ahead of women at 67.5 per cent.
Almost 3,000 panellists of the more than 6,000 signed up voted on the issue.
All the numbers are good news for Dr. Jerry Gray, chairman of the Friends of Upper Fort Garry's steering committee, as he prepares for the final four weeks of the push to raise $3.5 million.
City council gave the Friends a deadline of March 31 to raise $10 million of the $12.5 million needed to build a heritage park and interpretive centre.
About $2.6 million has been raised from private donors, including $500,000 donations earlier this week from the Richardson and Asper foundations.
As well, the province has committed $1.5 million, saying it could be used to help the Friends immediately buy what's left of the fort and then continue to raise the remaining cash needed.
The federal government has promised to consider some amount of funding, but hasn't given a specific dollar figure.
Gray said earlier on Friday he received a call from Pollard, the co-chief executive officer of Pollard Banknote, with a promise of $75,000.
"They're a very generous family," Gray said.
"It's just great."
And as for the Free Press survey numbers, Gray said what gratified him the most was the response from young people.
"That shows us this isn't an old person's issue here, the young people are also behind it," he said.
"Our feeling has always been there's widespread support for it."

[Spocket]

^That's a bit misleading actually. The poll didn't ask whether these people simply supported the idea of a park on the site, it asked whether or not people in support of the idea minded public cash being spent on it. I'm in favour of public money being used to develop a park as well but I'm also still in fabour of Crystal being allowed to build.