[St. John's] The Official Project Thread

[Ayreonaut]

The girls at Smitty's were talking about that ship yesterday.

I like that video, man. You started and ended in my nabe!

I always see your morning photos and tell myself that I need to head across the harbour in the am to get the nice lighting on the city. I've yet to accomplish that this year. Maybe on Saturday I'll plan for that again.

Also, maybe I just haven't noticed because I don't drive when I'm here, but there has to be a million pylons on the roads you drove! It's like we're in Quebec or something.

[SignalHillHiker]

Ha! Yes, the Cape to Cabot (Race? Marathon?) was that day. I didn't know before I started. I couldn't even get to the top of Signal Hill. They closed the road just up from that information centre.

[SignalHillHiker]

http://thescope.ca/city/fulltilt/dont-fence-me-in

Don't Fence Me In - an opinion piece about other options for the harbourfront.

[Ayreonaut]

Definitely agreed. As far as utilizing waterfronts for residents, the contrast between St. John's and other coastal cities I've been to is unreal. I'd love to be able to sit on the edge of a dock here with some friends and food; little cafes with patios on the water. Even just be able to get a decent photo or walk along the waterfront!

That said, aside from moving some of the industrial uses out of the harbour, I'm not sure how to free up enough space to allow for that.

[jeddy1989]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

http://thescope.ca/city/fulltilt/dont-fence-me-in

Don't Fence Me In - an opinion piece about other options for the harbourfront.

felt like a load of crap read to me lol

they complain about the cost .. the fence itslef and then offer a solution which would competely alter the shape of the harbour and then talk about who's flipping the bill for a huge infrastructure change lol... I'm pretty sure too that when international vessels are not in you can go around the fence lmao ... oh the drama queens

Edit:
like Ayrenaut I agree it would be nice to have a like board walk .. however it's a functioning harbour ... (small because of geography) so this would be a huge undertaking

I think harbourside park is an attempt at making the waterfront more accessable I'll be it a tiny area

[jeddy1989]

However a cool solution has already been talked about even by the mayor ... I wonder what happened to it? the idea of creating an apron over harbour drive and turning it into a pedestrian boardwalk with shops etc and essentially creating a tunnel for the traffic

In this design you could have a few "pier" style sections stretch out and not impact the functionality of the harbour

[SignalHillHiker]

Originally Posted by Ayreonaut

Definitely agreed. As far as utilizing waterfronts for residents, the contrast between St. John's and other coastal cities I've been to is unreal. I'd love to be able to sit on the edge of a dock here with some friends and food; little cafes with patios on the water. Even just be able to get a decent photo or walk along the waterfront!

That said, aside from moving some of the industrial uses out of the harbour, I'm not sure how to free up enough space to allow for that.

Agreed as well. It takes some searching to get close to the harbour in St. John's. Even going down to Harbourside Park and walking out on that wharf, I always think... is some security officer jumping up from his desk and running to get me away from here right now?

It's a pity the harbour is so small - it definitely wasn't chosen with a city the current size of St. John's in mind. There's little room for anything but industry and that has to take precedence.

However, there is a LOT, I think, of wasted harbourfront space along Southside Road. Anything we could move over there and away from downtown would be good.

[SignalHillHiker]

Originally Posted by jeddy1989

However a cool solution has already been talked about even by the mayor ... I wonder what happened to it? the idea of creating an apron over harbour drive and turning it into a pedestrian boardwalk with shops etc and essentially creating a tunnel for the traffic

In this design you could have a few "pier" style sections stretch out and not impact the functionality of the harbour

Sounds odd - I'd have to see a design. But it would be nice. And the more we breath pedestrian life into Harbour Drive, the less likely we are to see another Atlantic Place.

[Townie709]

I strongly agree with the idea of turning harbour drive into a much more pedestrian friendly area. You would have to have at least one lane of traffic running along the back for access tote fortis building and scotia center garages, but there is a lot of unused space harbour drive. (Empty parking lot next to fortis building)

That area should be turned into green space. A nice park with a little cafe or something would be nice! Maybe take one lane of harbour drive and turn it into a boardwalk or something.

Harbour drive is not tourist friendly or enjoyable at all and that has to change!

[jeddy1989]

Originally Posted by Townie709

I strongly agree with the idea of turning harbour drive into a much more pedestrian friendly area. You would have to have at least one lane of traffic running along the back for access tote fortis building and scotia center garages, but there is a lot of unused space harbour drive. (Empty parking lot next to fortis building)

That area should be turned into green space. A nice park with a little cafe or something would be nice! Maybe take one lane of harbour drive and turn it into a boardwalk or something.

Harbour drive is not tourist friendly or enjoyable at all and that has to change!

Agreed

[Townie709]

This is a very rough concept of what could be done with the ugly parking lot next to the Fortis Building on Harbour Drive.

Yes, it is a rough concept but it just shows what we could with that little bit of that ugly, basically unused land to make it more accessible and enjoyable for everyone. It also would look nicer for tourists getting off the cruise ships!

Just an idea I put together, what do you think??

[Ayreonaut]

That would definitely help. And with those new restaurants (by the Keg, no?) going in, plenty of positive changes, or at least a start.

I'd also be for redeveloping the corner on the left there, too. It's a rather bland little building there right now.

[jeddy1989]

I COMPLETELY AGREE!!! I think it is an IDEAL place for a pedestrian plaza!! it'd be awesome

Could even throq in a market place during those crazy cruise ship days

even throw in an actually cool sculpture in the middle or a statue.. of danny williams! (just kidding even though I wouldnt oppose lol) I seriously like the Idea ... however Fortis would not do that with it because its not profitable .. the city would have to take it over

[Townie709]

Originally Posted by jeddy1989

I COMPLETELY AGREE!!! I think it is an IDEAL place for a pedestrian plaza!! it'd be awesome

Could even throq in a market place during those crazy cruise ship days

even throw in an actually cool sculpture in the middle or a statue.. of danny williams! (just kidding even though I wouldnt oppose lol) I seriously like the Idea ... however Fortis would not do that with it because its not profitable .. the city would have to take it over

So that is fortis property, not city property? even so, I would say fortis would sell that land to the city for a good price! Fortis realized in 2010 that it is very doubtful that they will ever be able to erect a tower there, so besides the parking, they don't make much money off it.

Another question is whether the city would approve, and how much they would be willing to spend on it. There will be those who say its a "waste of money".. I call those people idiots

As for a Danny statue, I would not oppose it either!!

Although we may have to wait until the great Danny bites the dust before we get statues and things named after him! (Hopefully that's not for a long time yet!!)

[SignalHillHiker]

Bring on the Danny statue.

Or officially rename Southlands to Dannystan.

[SignalHillHiker]

From the City, via Facebook:

The City of St. John's is moving forward to blend the Business Realty and Business Occupancy Tax for the 2013 fiscal year, which will result in the elimination of the Business Occupancy Tax. This change to the business tax system will take effect Jan. 1, 2013.

"We are still finalizing the details regarding the bylaw, but I am very pleased to see us finally moving forward with this important project," says Ward 1 Councillor Danny Breen, Chair, Finance and Administration Standing Committee. "This has been 20 years in the making and we have worked with the business community through the Tax Blending Steering Committee to ensure that we addressed their concerns. At the end of the day what we will have is a more streamlined and efficient taxation system for commercial property."

The elimination of the Business Occupancy Tax will require the City to increase its Business Realty Tax to recover revenue previously generated by the Business Occupancy Tax. Provincial amendments to the City of St. John's Act and the City of St. John's Municipal Taxation Act allow commercial property owners leasing property to a business to collect increased fees from their tenants in order to offset any tax increase.

"For the vast majority of businesses this will have little to no effect, as they previously paid both Business Realty Tax and Business Occupancy Tax," says Councillor Breen. "Our objective is to collect the same amount of revenue, but through a more efficient and equitable system."

The key factors which influenced the City's decision to eliminate the Business Occupancy Tax include:

Eliminating the Business Occupancy Tax makes the commercial tax system more equitable as all business will pay the same mil rate.
Increased efficiency at City Hall resulting from not having to produce and administer the Business Occupancy tax rolls and tax collections.
An overall simplified tax system.

An initial letter and pamphlet is going in the mail today to all accounts within the City currently paying Business Occupancy and Business Realty Tax. Once the bylaw has been passed an information package with specific details will also be mailed to these groups.

"I am sure that businesses and property owners in the City have many questions," says Councillor Breen. "We are grateful for their patience and once the bylaw is finalized we will be able to address any questions they may have."

[statbass]

Originally Posted by Townie709

This is a very rough concept of what could be done with the ugly parking lot next to the Fortis Building on Harbour Drive.

Yes, it is a rough concept but it just shows what we could with that little bit of that ugly, basically unused land to make it more accessible and enjoyable for everyone. It also would look nicer for tourists getting off the cruise ships!

Just an idea I put together, what do you think??

I really like this idea, provided the city could purchase the land. Great job Townie!

[statbass]

More funding announced for MUN. They've been on a roll as of late.

The Telegram, Oct 16, 2012

The Hibernia partners believe there is more oil to be pulled from the Hibernia oil field, and development of “enhanced oil recovery” techniques for Hibernia wells will make it realistic to retrieve that oil.
Representatives for the Hibernia Management Development Corp. (HMDC) were at Memorial University of Newfoundland's St. John's campus Monday to announce an $11.8-million gift to the university, to be put toward a new laboratory and research on enhanced oil recovery.

The research will first look at maximizing the output of Hibernia’s aging wells offshore Newfoundland and Labrador.

MUN professor Lesley James will be leading the work.
James is the first holder of the Chevron Chair in Petroleum Engineering, a position specifically tasked to, “strengthen the capacity for petroleum engineering research in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences,” according to university notices.
This latest, massive injection of research funding by HMDC — one of the largest donations by a single corporation in the university’s history — will help meet that goal.

As James explained it, the new funding will go, in part, toward the creation of detailed models of the Hibernia field. “It’s to actually bring the (oil) field into the lab,” she said.

“What we will do is we will actually run different types of experiments at reservoir conditions. So that means pressures— high pressure, high temperatures, with real oil, real gas and actually look(ing) at how to better recover the oil from inside the rock.”

James said the new lab will be a world-class facility and offer a research ground for engineers and geologists.

“Within engineering, obviously we need people that understand the petroleum side of things, so process engineers, mechanical engineers, students from other parts of the world that maybe have done petroleum engineering,” James said. “We also need the earth scientists and involvement of the petroleum geologists to understand the (fluid and) rock interactions.”

Enhanced oil recovery techniques have been used in other parts of the world for years, including in the North Sea, but the actions do not directly translate from one oil field to another, requiring research investment whenever they’re considered.

HMDC has been working with Janes to determine the local research needs over the past two years.

The purpose

"Our ultimate goal is to increase oil recovery offshore Newfoundland and Labrador," said HMDC president Jamie Long.

“The field is in a stage of depletion where we have areas that are coming up to the end of their productive life,” he told The Telegram. “So it’s timely to begin the research on enhanced techniques to ensure ... we’re ready to go when we’re done with the current development phase.”

Long said no conditions were attached to the research funding. However, “what we’ve asked is that the results that she comes up with are provided to us on a first opportunity basis. We’re funding the lab, so we want preferential access to it for our work, for a defined period of time. But she’s also free to use it for other work as well.”
The Telegram raised the dispute settled between the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board and HMDC, over the amount of research and development spending spinoff from the project in the province. Long was asked if HMDC was meeting its obligations to local research and development, education and training programs, under the relevant legislation.
“I would say that we try to be a good corporate citizen. If you look strictly at the research and development legislation that we’ve got and we’re held to, we are meeting and we’re exceeding those obligations,” he said. “I think if you were to ask the president of Memorial University he would say we’re doing a great job.”

In fact, university president Gary Kachanoski called for several rounds of applause, for the generosity of HMDC, during the latest funding announcement.

He noted other contributions from the company, including $2.4 million for simulator equipment to the Marine Institute in January 2011 and $5 million for the university’s Faculty of Education in June of this year, for training of teachers who will be tackling science, technology and engineering in the K-12 system.

http://www.thetelegram.com/Business/...search-funds/1

[jeddy1989]

Finally lol

I was in a city just outside Frankfurt this summer and it was filled with round abouts, when I talked to my friend about it (he's from there) he said that not long ago there were barely any there... he said that it's a newer thing that has really helped traffic flow and traffic calming .. they also had random parts of the sidewalk extended into the lane of the road so you could not pass if another car was coming, it forces you to slow down to let traffic pass or completely stop (this was in residential areas)



Traffic Talk Dominates Council Meeting

A lengthy police and traffic report kept St. John's City councillors busy during last night council meeting, with seven pages of traffic concerns in the capital city. The names of one-hundred and fifty residential streets experiencing traffic woes have been collected over the past few months. The usual solution for stopping speeding drivers is traffic calming strategies, but it is a costly and time-consuming process, too much time for residents who want a solution now. A short term fix may be to install speed bumps, but Councillor and Chairperson Gerry Colbert says speed bumps can't always be the answer.
Colbert says St. John's will be a city full of speed bumps. He says they have to be strategically placed, where it is needed most.
But, there are alternatives. Roundabouts have been used in other cities across Canada for years - now it's St. John's turn. Carrick Drive in the east end will be getting a roundabout in the coming years to accommodate the new Wedgewood Facility. Colbert says it's something the city has looked at before. He says it may be a solution in the future as the city changes, as long as they are strategically placed.

http://www.vocm.com/newsarticle.asp?...27506&latest=1

Round abouts are of course ALL OVER europe .. and they work people will get use to them lol

[SignalHillHiker]

October 16, 2012


Henry-Bell Condo Complex by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr


Old St. John's by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr


The Battery by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr


Fortis Place, 351 Water Street, and the Kruzenshtern by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr


Foggy Sunrise at Cape Spear by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr


Foggy Sunrise at Cape Spear by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr


Fortis Place and 351 Water Street by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr


Fortis Place, 351 Water Street, and a Russian Tall Ship by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr


TD Building by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr


351 Water Street by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr