The Official Moncton, NB Project Thread [Archive] - Page 58

mylesmalley

Oct 5, 2009, 9:13 PM

The Riverkeeper should be more careful about choosing their battles.

And honestly, consider the alternatives. The city's older reservoirs couldn't begin to quench the city's needs now, not to mention that I don't think they have any of the modern infrastructure needed today.

Wells? I'm no hydrologist, but I can't imagine the water table around the city could handle the extra 1,000 to 1,500 new wells every year that would be needed to handle the population growth we're experiencing.

Conservation? I've always thought that was a bit of a misnomer. Water never leaves the hydrological cycle. So long as we clean the water we use before returning it to the environment, there shouldnt be a problem. Building a reservoir (or expanding one) just adds storage capacity on those days or weeks where the city's reserves don't naturally replenish themselves. I don't think anyone thinks Albert County is at risk of desertification.

We should be so fortunate to be able to solve our water woes by building a big wall out of gravel and concrete. New York City is/was in hte process of building an underground aquifer to feed the city. Chicago, which gets its water from Lake Michigan, has been forced to build pipes further and further out into the lake to avoid the city's pollution. Much of Israel depends on desalination of sea water from the Mediterranean and the Dead Seas for its water.

MonctonRad

Oct 7, 2009, 12:16 AM

Colour for the page......

from the Moncton Times & Transcript (winners of a photo contest)

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=376610&size=0x1200

mylesmalley

Oct 7, 2009, 1:45 PM

Gov't pumps $6.6M into UdeM medical training
Published Wednesday October 7th, 2009

Money spread out over three years will allow for expansion of medical training facility
A3
By Eric Lewis
Times & Transcript Staff

As Université de Moncton's medical training program looks forward to graduating its first students in the spring, the provincial government is giving the program a $6.6-million grant to expand the rooms it uses on campus.

The funding was announced by Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Donald Arseneault yesterday.

"What we're doing today is expanding on the great success that (the university has) had and make sure that they do have the room necessary to give the students and the professional core the space required to continue the great training that they do receive here," the minister said.

The university will receive $2.2 million per year for three years to expand the J.-Raymond-Frenette building to create more space for the university's medical program, offered by l'Université de Sherbrooke in Quebec.

The pre-doctoral and family medicine program began four years ago. Enrolling 25 students per year, it now has 100 students and a large staff. The provincial funding will allow for about 1,770 square metres (19,000 square feet) of new medical training space, roughly doubling what it already has.

"When we started (the program), we knew that we didn't have the proper space to do that," says UdeM president Yvon Fontaine. "But the budget was not there to give all the necessary space that was needed in the immediate future."

He says the university had hoped to announce the expansion last year, but it couldn't secure funding until now. He says the extra room will give faculty and students new labs and proper space to study.

The university will get plans drawn up for the expanded facility and Fontaine says he expects work to begin on the building itself in the spring. The expansion will be complete for students to use at the beginning of the 2011 school year.

Arseneault says the province continues to fund medical training in New Brunswick with the hope that students study here and plan to stay here to live and work.

"As a partner in offering the only medical training program in French in Atlantic Canada, l'Université de Moncton plays a leading role in the education and training of francophone health-care professionals," Arseneault says.

Fontaine says he would like to see the university open up a few more spots in its medical training program in the coming years.

He also said more news regarding the medical training centre will likely be announced in the coming weeks. He wasn't specific on what the announcements could be, but he noted the federal government has programs that aid French-language universities outside of Quebec and the university has hopes to expand upon its current medical training.

"We know there's a serious shortage of health professionals in a few areas, so this will help us build programs which don't exist now, or make sure that we can have a greater enrolment in some other programs so that we can train those professionals to serve the French communities in New Brunswick and in other jurisdictions," he said.

mylesmalley

Oct 7, 2009, 1:50 PM

Dieppe September building permits top the $5M mark
Published Wednesday October 7th, 2009

C2
Times & Transcript staff

More than $5 million worth of construction permits were issued in Dieppe last month.

A total of 83 building permits were issued in September for work worth $5.6 million, says the Dieppe Building Inspection Service.

Most of the permits, 74 worth $4.7 million in construction, were issued in the residential sector, while the commercial sector had nine permits totalling $866,100.

That brings the number of building permits for the year ending Sept. 30 to 521, creating 392 units with a total value of more than $56 million, said the inspection service.

______
Dieppe continues to grow at a ridiculous rate. Looks as though numbers are down a bit over last year. Ballpark though, if 3 people moved into each of those new units (less say 40 that might be empty), that's a thousand new people living in dieppe between January and October this year. Good stuff.

BlackYear

Oct 7, 2009, 9:15 PM

Google Street View is now available in selected cities across Canada, including Halifax. Moncton is not yet available, hopefully soon!

The only bad thing for Moncton, we'll out date Street View too quickly. Google satellite is good example. We'll need to invite them back in a couple of years!

StormShadow

Oct 9, 2009, 1:16 PM

mylesmalley

Oct 9, 2009, 6:23 PM

That's great in theory, but doesn't really address the issue at hand. The reservoir as it is wasn't able to provide enough water for the city during a pretty rough drought, and that was when there were 20,000 fewer people in the region. Even if we collected rainwater on an individual basis, we'd still run into trouble in dry spells.

We generally have more than enough water. The problem is when we run short and don't have enough storage capacity to tide us over. Conservation is a good solution, but sooner or later we'll need to build a bigger reservoir anyway. Might as well do it now while the feds are trying to buy votes.

StormShadow

Oct 9, 2009, 9:23 PM

Just to clarify,

Turtle Creek is, rain water harvesting. Fresh water, whether it is from downstream or not, comes from the same place- rain. It would only take the equivalent of the surface area of Turtle Creek for households to collect the same amount of rain and use it, untreated, as their grey water. To imply that it doesn't address the issue at hand is completely incorrect- but understandable.

It's not that hard to do and should be a no-brainer to implement on all NEW home construction. Think about how many new homes have been built in the last 5 years? Is it enough to cover the surface area of Turtle Creek? -or more like 2 or 3 times? It wouldn't take very long to get there.

This is why the Riverkeeper has an issue with expanding the reservoir- because it is by definition, UN-sustainable. Expanding the reservoir is the easy thing to do and individual rain water harvesting is the right thing to do.

The biggest challenge the Riverkeeper, or anyone that practices sustainable design has, is educating the public.

MonctonRad

Oct 9, 2009, 10:37 PM

Northwest Moncton Construction Update:

(1) - Mapleton road Widening - now paved all the way to the TCH. Bridge widening over Wheeler will not be com[lete until next year.

(2) - Mapleton Power Centre - no new activity. Disappointing but not too dissimilar to Dartmouth Crossing Phase Two in Halifax. The second phase of that development has been complete for more than a year but nobody has moved in.

(3) - Traffic Quieting on Frampton Lane - Complete, not so bad actually. New sidewalks being installed. Existing houses are getting decorative retaining walls adjacent to the sidewalk (very steep lots).

(4) - Crandall University Expansion - New parking lot to the north of the campus has been finished and paved. Site preparation for the new academic building on the old parking lot location is progressing.

(5) - New Brunswick Casino - Now fully enclosed except for windows. Some of the exterior fascia is being installed. Parking lot and access roads have been curbed and prepared for paving.

(6) - Motel 6 - Framing complete, now being enclosed. Will be three stories with a traditional pitched roof.

(7) - North End School on Ryan Road - Initial site preparation work underway.

(8) - NBCC-Moncton - new roof installed. inital site preparation work beginning for new building in back of existing campus.

MonctonGoldenFlames

Oct 9, 2009, 10:59 PM

Just to clarify,

Turtle Creek is, rain water harvesting. Fresh water, whether it is from downstream or not, comes from the same place- rain. It would only take the equivalent of the surface area of Turtle Creek WATERSHEDfor households to collect the same amount of rain and use it, untreated, as their grey water. To imply that it doesn't address the issue at hand is completely incorrect- but understandable.

It's not that hard to do and should be a no-brainer to implement on all NEW home construction. Think about how many new homes have been built in the last 5 years? Is it enough to cover the surface area of Turtle Creek WATERSHED? -or more like 2 or 3 times? It wouldn't take very long to get there.

This is why the Riverkeeper has an issue with expanding the reservoir- because it is by definition, UN-sustainable. Expanding the reservoir is the easy thing to do and individual rain water harvesting is the right thing to do.

The biggest challenge the Riverkeeper, or anyone that practices sustainable design has, is educating the public.

i fixed your opinion to something actually somewhat believable.

all the water in turtle creek reservoir comes form the entire watershed, not just what falls directly on the reservoir. you seem somewhat informed, so i'll assume you know the difference.

MonctonRad

Oct 10, 2009, 2:29 AM

Atlantic Canada CMA Building Permit Values YTD (to August)

Total Permit Value (in millions)

- Halifax................$451.0M
- St. John's............$350.8M
- Moncton..............$197.2M
- Saint John............$170.9M

Permit Value Per Capita (including national ranking)

- St. John's...........$1,938.00 (Rank 5)
- Moncton.............$1,565.00 (Rank 9)
- Saint John...........$1,401.00 (Rank 11)
- Halifax................$1,209.00 (Rank 17)

There are 33 CMA's in Canada. So given this, three of Atlantic Canada's four CMA's are in the top third in the country in terms of per capita building permit value. The only laggard is Halifax at #17. ;)

mike4190

Oct 10, 2009, 12:44 PM

Great shot of the Blue Cross center on the court house cam. Someone had taken a photo of the court house site from inside assumption place a while back, I was wondering if it would be possible to get another from that location

mike4190

Oct 10, 2009, 12:48 PM

MonctonRad-any chance of a photo tour of these sites, thanks

MonctonRad

Oct 10, 2009, 1:02 PM

:previous:

Sorry, I currently don't have a functional digital camera. Any pictures I post are from online sources. Sorry........

It's too bad, the T&T has a nice picture of the new courthouse taken from the 18th floor of Assumption Place in the paper today. So far I haven't been able to find it on their site. :(

mike4190

Oct 10, 2009, 1:11 PM

The TT should do a weekly section of currently under construction with photo updates.

MonctonRad

Oct 10, 2009, 1:35 PM

Want a ride between Bouctouche-Moncton?
Published Saturday October 10th, 2009

Town studies feasibility of park-and-ride service
By Jesse Robichaud
Times & Transcript Staff

If you have ever wanted a drive to Moncton, the Town of Bouctouche wants to hear from you.

The municipality wants to know who is interested in a public transportation link to between the coastal community and Moncton.

The town is weighing the merit of introducing a park-and-ride commuting option for area residents, but first it needs to know if there is a desire for such a service.

With that goal, it has launched an online survey on its website at www.bouctouche.ca as an important element of a feasibility study.

It is looking for the details that can move the park-and-ride concept from an idea, to reality.

The project is billed as an opportunity to help commuters save cash while cutting down on carbon emissions.

Denny Richard, of the Town of Bouctouche, said the idea was spawned with commuters in mind.

"We know there are lots of people from the area who work in Moncton; that is a reality," said Richard. "We saw that our potential was commuters and, by speaking with people at Codiac Transit, we realized there would be other groups of people who would be interested, such as someone who has a dentist's appointment in Moncton, or a student who is studying in Moncton."

While the project is still in its early stages, Richard said the town wants to know how much interest the idea could have among people who are interested in travelling in both directions.

"We are also looking at the flip side. We are an eco-tourism region, and we thought there would be a possibility of attracting people from the city to activities here."

The survey asks questions about how much commuters would be willing to pay and what type of schedule they would like to see.

"We are looking for details that can tell us whether people are interested or not," said Richard.

He said the survey will help direct the town's efforts.

"Will it be seasonal? Will it be the town that operates it, or Codiac transit?"

Richard said there is a park-and-ride service that connects Hampton, Rothesay, Quispamsis, and Grand-Bay Westfield to Saint John.

The Community Express, Comex, service has been popular, and is an encouraging example for the town's project.

"Those are towns of a similar size and distance from the major centre as Bouctouche to Moncton," said Richard.

He said the next steps will be determined by the public's response.

"If we see the interest is there, and we can find the partners that are needed, we will try to do it as soon as possible, but it is too soon to say when."

Richard said the possibility of creating stops in some of the communities located between Bouctouche and Moncton has not been a part of preliminary talks, but it is a opportunity the town is willing to look at if there is interest shown.

Personal note: Interesting, we raise the idea of park-and-ride as part of the overall review of Codiac Transit services in the forum here a couple of weeks ago and now the T&T has an article on it in the paper today.........hmmmmmm.

Seriously though, this is an idea whose time has come. They do it in Halifax and Saint John. We should be doing it here too. Moncton certainly has a large enough exurban commuter watershed to justify this. Communities such as Petitcodiac, Salisbury, Bouctouche, Cocagne, Shediac, Cap Pele, Memramcook, Sackville and even Hillsborough could benefit. For communities like Bouctouche, Shediac and Sackville, the traffic could even be two way with people commuting to university and local attractions.

We should all support this proposal. :tup:

BlackYear

Oct 10, 2009, 3:59 PM

If you read my feedback on the T&T, it will never work. I would NEVER put my life in the hands of one driver on the highway of death between Bouctouche and Shediac.

Until this highway becomes 4 lanes, only then would I ever consider it. And even then, for the small amount of money I would save in a month commuting this way, I would still prefer to drive/ride my own bubble back and forth from home to work.

That's my opinion.

StormShadow

Oct 10, 2009, 4:58 PM

i fixed your opinion to something actually somewhat believable.

all the water in turtle creek reservoir comes form the entire watershed, not just what falls directly on the reservoir. you seem somewhat informed, so i'll assume you know the difference.

You're right, that's more or less what I meant, expanding the reservoir would be modifying the natural watershed and wetlands.

mylesmalley

Oct 10, 2009, 6:28 PM

They really aren't.

watershed |ˈwôtərˌ sh ed; ˈwä-|
noun
an area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas.
• an area or region drained by a river, river system, or other body of water.

reservoir |ˈrezə(r)ˌvwär; -ˌv(w)ôr|
noun
a large natural or artificial lake used as a source of water supply.

mylesmalley

Oct 11, 2009, 3:06 PM

THEY'RE FIXING IT!!!!!

Dominion building work to begin
Published Saturday October 10th, 2009

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=379490&size=500x0

After problems came to light about three years ago regarding the crumbling stonework, work on the Dominion Public Building at the corner of Main and Highfield streets is underway. Engineers have been busy cataloging the various cracks, defects and other areas to be fixed. It is hoped reconstruction work can begin in the spring.

_______________
After 3 years, the Dominion Building is finally going to be repaired! This is one of my favourite buildings in the city and it's driven me crazy to see it marred by ugly scaffolding and cracking masonry for so long. Let's hope once the weather improves in the spring that they'll keep to their word.

Nashe

Oct 12, 2009, 2:34 PM

mylesmalley

Oct 13, 2009, 5:50 PM

Wasn't worth copying the article, but there was a note in the T&T about the airport spending $140,000 on a feasibility study on extending one of the runways by 1.2 km.

MonctonRad

Oct 14, 2009, 3:36 AM

:previous:

I presume that this would be the north-south runway that would be extended. It is presently the shorter one and coincidentally, would parallel the expansion slated for Aviation Blvd. This could allow for cargo facilities to be built backing on a taxiway or apron and fronting on Aviation Blvd.

mylesmalley

Oct 14, 2009, 3:45 AM

I was thinking the same thing. however if you measure out an extra 1.2 km past that runway in Google Earth, it seems to put the end awfully close to the TCH. I don't know about the topography, but I think theyd' have a much easier time extending the runway nearer to the old terminal.

It really doesn't matter though. It's a pretty quick taxi from one end of the airport to the other in a pinch.

C_Boy

Oct 14, 2009, 10:19 AM

:previous:

Although that runway would seem to be the logical one (except for maybe where the TCH is), I believe they probably mean the runway that runs East to West (Parallel with Champlain St), because this runway is used the most. Unfortunatly with runways you cant always go with the most practical one. They use the East to West runway more often because of the wind direction. The North to South runway has more cross winds therefore used less often.

MonctonRad

Oct 14, 2009, 11:01 PM

Mapleton work winds down
Published Wednesday October 14th, 2009

City doesn't want bridge reduced to two lanes during Christmas shopping season
Brent Mazerolle, Times & Transcript

The year's work is just about to wrap up on the upgrade of Mapleton Road in Moncton's busy Trinity Drive and Plaza Boulevard shopping district, but City of Moncton officials say the next few days will be spent making the roadway a bit more driver friendly for over the winter.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=381495&size=600x0
GREG AGNEW/TIMES & TRANSCRIPT
Although the lines have yet to be painted, the paving work on Mapleton Road in Moncton was finished late last week. The road is designated as one of the main entrances to the city from Highway 2, the Trans-Canada Highway.

Although the final coat of pavement on the road won't happen until next year, the city will paint some temporary lines and finish up the last bit of undercoat paving this week and next, which should make the road more navigable.

"That's all weather permitting," as City of Moncton director of design and construction Alcide Richard is always quick to say when it comes to making construction promises.

Most of the first layer of pavement has just gone down, but there is one small patch of gravel where the city's contractor has to do some electrical work. The electrical will be done in the next few days and the final patching will follow that.

Also by the end of next week, the two new sets of traffic lights where Mapleton intersects with Lady Ada Boulevard and at the Day and Ross depot should be fully activated. The lights are flashing amber for the time being.

"We always put them (new traffic lights) on flash for about a week first," says city engineer Marc Robichaud. "That's so people notice them. By next week, both will work."

Though there was still cement being poured yesterday on one of the supports for the Province of New Brunswick's bridge portion of the road upgrade, the widening of the bridge over Wheeler Boulevard is still a year off, as was planned from the outset.

Provincial Department of Transportation spokesman Andrew Holland said yesterday that completion of the abutments and piers and the erection of concrete beams has a deadline of March 15. The deck work will take place next spring and summer with a planned completion date of September 30, 2010.

While the asphalt plants will shut down soon, cement can be poured in cold weather, with some adjustments. However, the reason the province is wrapping up bridge work until after Christmas isn't the coming of cold weather, so much as the Christmas season itself.

Alcide Richard said it was the City of Moncton that asked the province not to start in on the bridge deck now, as pre-Christmas shopping traffic starts to build in the vicinity.

"To do the deck, they have to be able to tie into the existing deck, but that would require them closing down one of the lanes on the existing bridge. It's bad enough with three lanes there at Christmas? -- Can you imagine with two lanes?"

The city's contractor will likely pack up for the winter by the end of next week.

Personal note: Look at all those sets of stoplights!! :haha: I presume that they will not be synchronized....

Seriously, I think they should extend the widening and sidewalk installation underneath the TCH as far as the Hampton Inn. They should be able to fit three lanes under the TCH without building new support structures. Three lanes would allow for centre turning traffic in both directions which I think would be a good thing.

mylesmalley

Oct 15, 2009, 2:22 AM

When it's all done, it'll be quite something to drive down the hill from Camper city, under the overpass and onto the widened road. It'll be quite the transition from two-lane cow path to 5 lane boulevard!

Sony500

Oct 15, 2009, 2:43 PM

:previous: Yeah, with 3 stops at traffic lights before you get to the top.

rocyn

Oct 16, 2009, 5:16 PM

I was registering my daughter for kindergarten today and was advised by office staff that the boundaries had not been drawn for the new North-end school on Ryan because it will not be built in time to open in September 2010 as scheduled. I thought it was taking an awfully long time to start construction.

mylesmalley

Oct 16, 2009, 5:26 PM

Has construction even started yet? The annoucement wasn't all that long ago. Maybe they're still doing site prep or design work.

mylesmalley

Oct 17, 2009, 9:01 PM

Moncton beats all-time building record
Published Saturday October 17th, 2009

It took just nine months to beat previous 12-month record set in 2006
A1
By Brent Mazerolle
Times & Transcript Staff

They're scary words elsewhere, but in Moncton, recessions and depressions are apparently those dips made by shovels in the ground.

The City of Moncton has just beat its all-time annual building record, and there are still three months' worth of building permit figures left to compile.

As of the end of September, the city had beaten the $152-million mark set in all of 2006.

A total of 886 permits have been issued, valued at $164.3 million. This represents a 65 per cent increase in value compared to the same period last year.

Ben Champoux, the business development specialist for the City of Moncton, said the accomplishment was particularly impressive, "when most headlines throughout North America so far in 2009 have focused on the economic slowdown, budget and job cuts."

While the jump was certainly aided by a $11-million permit for the construction of a new building at Crandall University, as Atlantic Baptist University is now known, the volume of other smaller but significant projects has also helped considerably.

A $720,000 permit to create office spaces at 1600 Main Street, a $592,900 permit for the construction of a strip mall on Shediac Road, a $220,000 permit for improvements to the Red Lion complex at 24 High Street, and a $210,000 permit to create a restaurant at the former Kody's nightclub on Mountain Road were among the other September highlights.

"This is a clear indication that we have a diversified economy here in Moncton and that consumer confidence remains strong," Champoux said.

In September, 65 residential building permits valued at $5.1 million were issued, representing nearly 25 per cent of the total value of the permits issued for the month. There were 18 commercial and industrial permits issued for a total value of $3.9 million, and five institutional and government permits issued for a total value of $11.3 million.

MonctonRad

Oct 18, 2009, 1:31 AM

Has construction even started yet? The annoucement wasn't all that long ago. Maybe they're still doing site prep or design work.

They've been moving topsoils around on the site but there has been no actual construction yet.

I was registering my daughter for kindergarten today and was advised by office staff that the boundaries had not been drawn for the new North-end school on Ryan because it will not be built in time to open in September 2010 as scheduled. I thought it was taking an awfully long time to start construction.

I'm somewhat frustrated but not surprised by your revelation.......it's going to be a big school, as big as Evergreen Park School and the thought that they could have it finished by next September seemed rather Herculean to me.

This means one more year of badly overcrowded K-8 classrooms in the north end. It won't effect me because my kids are too old but it is worth noting that Bernice MacNaughton High School is starting to burst at the seams......something may have to be done about this in the next few years.

David_99

Oct 18, 2009, 9:20 PM

... a $210,000 permit to create a restaurant at the former Kody's nightclub on Mountain Road were among the other September highlights.

Kody's is closed!? Miss Behavin gone? Midnight magic being fought to stay closed!? High end restaurants and clubs opening everywhere!? Is Moncton finally getting less hick!?

:banana:

mylesmalley

Oct 19, 2009, 4:21 AM

Kody's is closed!? Miss Behavin gone? Midnight magic being fought to stay closed!? High end restaurants and clubs opening everywhere!? Is Moncton finally getting less hick!?

:banana:

I'm concerned as well.

mmmatt

Oct 19, 2009, 5:49 AM

Bernice MacNaughton High School is starting to burst at the seams......something may have to be done about this in the next few years.

Thats pretty amazing considering it only reopened as a High School 10 years ago and its already full...I know when I left in 2005 there was already about 800 students there and I'm sure its around 1000 now. And considering that the other 3 metro English high schools are full as well could there be a fifth on the way or will they perhaps add on to MHS when its revamped/rebuilt in the coming years?

mylesmalley

Oct 19, 2009, 6:31 AM

According to my aunt who's a teacher there, the school's at about 1100, which is a bit much for a building designed for 6-700.

ErickMontreal

Oct 19, 2009, 9:10 AM

Hey Guys

Apple Canada is looking to hire consultants for a store-in-store in Dieppe, which store it could be?

http://jobs.apple.com/index.ajs?BID=1&method=mExternal.showJob&RID=42189

Ardene will open up a store in the Mapleton Power center

Papa John's Pizza will open a restaurant up beside Nubodys in Dieppe (In front Coop)

MonctonRad

Oct 19, 2009, 11:15 AM

:previous:

Hey Erick, long time no see....

PCMedic in Dieppe sells Apple computers and is developing a niche, perhaps this is the store.

The interesting thing to speculate is that if Apple thinks that there is a need for a retail consultant in Moncton, is this the first step towards an Apple Store, perhaps at Champlain Place.....

JasonL-Moncton

Oct 19, 2009, 2:58 PM

I'm somewhat frustrated but not surprised by your revelation.......it's going to be a big school, as big as Evergreen Park School and the thought that they could have it finished by next September seemed rather Herculean to me.

This means one more year of badly overcrowded K-8 classrooms in the north end.

A friend told me he talked to one of the workers at the site and they said the building will be erected and fully closed in by December so that they can work on the interior throughout the winter/spring. Don't know how much validity is there but, was told it was basically like a big erector set, steel frame and concrete exterior...so it could go fast.

JL

BlackYear

Oct 19, 2009, 3:44 PM

There's also a third Papa Johns in the works within the Greater Moncton area and 20+ more Papa Johns scheduled to open in the Maritimes. Can't name my source but it's solid.

MonctonRad

Oct 19, 2009, 5:16 PM

A friend told me he talked to one of the workers at the site and they said the building will be erected and fully closed in by December so that they can work on the interior throughout the winter/spring. Don't know how much validity is there but, was told it was basically like a big erector set, steel frame and concrete exterior...so it could go fast.

JL

This could be possible, but if we are talking about a structural steel box and precast concrete exterior walls, it goes without saying that this building will not be a stunning piece of architectural design..........:yuck:

mylesmalley

Oct 19, 2009, 5:50 PM

The new french school in Fredericton looks more like a prison than a school. i wouldn't expect much more this time :p

And realistically, it's probably wrong to expect anything otherwise. The school is built as a private-public partnership. The builder certainly wont' be spending a fortune designing a fancy structure.

MonctonRad

Oct 19, 2009, 6:31 PM

:previous:

Speaking of prisons, I'm sure the new provincial lock-up in Shediac will be more architecturally interesting than the new Ryan Road school. There at least seems to be more thought going into the design of that place.......

I don't like "cookie cutter" schools, our kids deserve better than that. :yuck:

OliverD

Oct 19, 2009, 6:42 PM

[FONT="Arial"]Hey Guys

Apple Canada is looking to hire consultants for a store-in-store in Dieppe, which store it could be?

Probably be in a Best Buy.

mylesmalley

Oct 19, 2009, 7:20 PM

Pfff. Kids should be locked up.

As for Best Buy, the one in Moncton was/is supposed to be going up in on Mapleton Road, across from Costco. It's been stalled for quite a while now. I suspect that MonctonRad is right about PC Medic having something to do with it.

As far as I know, the only other store in town that sells Apple products is FutureShop.

MonctonRad

Oct 19, 2009, 11:07 PM

Crandall University Update

The new parking lots are now finished, fully paved and painted and are in full use.

The old parking lot area has now been excavated and concrete forms for the new Education Building are in the process of being installed. Presumably they want the concrete foundation finished before the frost sets in.

The Education Building is supposed to be finished by the fall of 2010.

C_Boy

Oct 20, 2009, 10:19 PM

Campaign for new French school revving up
October 19, 2009 - 4:47 pm
By: Jen Hudson - News 91.9

MONCTON, N.B. - A parents group is intensifying its efforts to see a new French elementary school built in Moncton.

The group and School District 1 are hoping it will be built for the 2011-2012 school year.

Group spokesperson Chantal Theriault says an increase in enrolment in District 1 is creating an overcrowding problem at the three existing Francophone elementary schools.

She says overcrowding is so bad that Saint Henri needs three lunch hours to accommodate all the students.

Theriault says her group is looking to apply pressure to government with a number of measures, including a letter writing campaign.

She says District 1 identified a French elementary school for Moncton's north end as a priority last year, but the province failed to allocate funding for it in last year's budget.

She's hoping her group, along with the District can persuade the province to include it in this year's budget, which will be tabled December 1st.

Just goes to show, with the pretty much every school in the Metro Area over full, even the ones that are NEW!!, something needs to be done. Someone in Fredericton should wake up and realise that we are growing very quickly..... This means the need for more schools.

C_Boy

Oct 20, 2009, 10:25 PM

Crime down in Moncton
October 20, 2009 - 3:05 pm
By: Cathy LeBreton - News 91.9

MONCTON, N.B. - The superintendent of Codiac Regional RCMP says proactive policing and crime reduction strategies are paying off in the Hub City.

Wayne Gallant says by analyzing crime statistics, police have been able to zero in on the people who are most likely to commit a crime.

According to the latest census data, Moncton is the 10th safest community in Canada.

And Statistics Canada's 2008 figures show that crime was down by about 13 per cent in Moncton.

I know this does not really have to do with development but this does affect population growth and city quality of life

MonctonRad

Oct 20, 2009, 10:33 PM

:previous:

A lot of the existing school infrastructure in Moncton is very old........especially the k-8 schools on the English side. To completely update the public educational infrastructure in Moncton would easily require a couple hundred millions dollars, even without including new construction for an expanding student body in the metro area.

That being said, I think it very likely that we will see two new schools built in the metro area, with approval and construction beginning in 2010. This is above and beyond the new English k-8 school already under construction on Ryan Road.

Riverview residents have made a very clear case for a replacement for the Gunningsville School in the east end of town. Similarly, there probably is a need for a new francophone school in northwest Moncton. There have been at least 20,000 residents added in the northwest of the city beyond Wheeler Blvd. in the last 20 years.......at least 25% of them are likely francophone. A new francophone neighbourhood school is likely justifiable.

gehrhardt

Oct 21, 2009, 11:23 AM

Published Wednesday October 21st, 2009
Business group plans contest to identify signature image for city
A1
BY ALAN COCHRANE
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

Lawrence Forbes wants something "big" in Downtown Moncton that will draw curious tourists and become an icon for the city.

"Paris has the Eiffel tower, Wall Street has the bull, Milwaukee has the statue of the Fonz, Shediac has the big lobster. What could be Moncton's signature image?" the president of Downtown Moncton Centre-Ville Inc. said yesterday during the group's fall business meeting.

Forbes said the big lobster in Shediac is a perfect example of the kind of statue that draws curious tourists who want to have their photo taken with something strange and big.

Forbes said he'd like to push for more statues, public art and artistic touches on buildings in the new year, and will likely hold some kind of contest to draw suggestions from the public on what kind of art they'd like to see downtown.

Forbes said Downtown Moncton has already met with the city to discuss what kind of statue or monument would best represent the downtown and where it might be located. Meanwhile, DMCI also passed its budget for the 2010 year. The budget is balanced at $629,500 in revenue and expenses, with the business improvement levy unchanged at 16 cents per $100 of assessed property value.

Executive-director Daniel Allain said the budget is about the same size as last year but subject to change because Downtown Moncton Centre-Ville is still waiting for the assessment report from the provincial government showing the total value of property in the DMCI coverage area. Last year's assessment figure was $366 million. Ten years ago, in 1999, the assessment figure was $193 million. The 2010 budget includes $174,000 for salaries and benefits, $137,500 for operating expenses and $139,000 for the clean and safe program.

Allain said he expects a good chunk of the clean and safe program money will go toward development and revitalization of the St. George Street area. Details of the plan will be presented to the public next month. Allain said the 16-cent levy is lower than the 20 cents in Fredericton and 17 cents in Saint John.

Too bad AC/DC didn't leave behind that large train prop from the concert. Moncton could've had an interesting way of showing the city's Railroad-centred past. :haha:

Any suggestions guys?

mylesmalley

Oct 21, 2009, 1:39 PM

I'd support the idea of more statues and public art downtown.

I'm a little leery of building a giant statue for the purpose of attracting tourists though. For something like that to seem credible, it really has to make a statement. "We built this to cash in on tourists" isn't really the statement I think the city should be trying to make.

One thing that would be interesting is doing something similar to what Toronto has done with it's concrete moose campaign. We could have a couple dozen identical concrete statues poured in a shape that represents the region, distribute them to schools and community groups to decorate them, then place them in visible parts of the city.

BlackYear

Oct 21, 2009, 2:24 PM

The only big icon downtown Moncton needs is a brand new modern unique looking 10,000 seat arena.

I do like the idea of painting a wrap around mural on the NBTel tower, or Bell-Aliant tower. The mural could include all of the highlights that Dieppe/Riverview/Moncton has to offer.

We should also bring back the mural paintings on the Main street subway. That used to be a great community event back in the day.

pierremoncton

Oct 21, 2009, 3:58 PM

MonctonRad

Oct 21, 2009, 4:30 PM

I couldn't find anything on the thread relating to this, so I signed up just to ask:

What happened to the building at Vaughan Harvey/Main? The actual structure doesn't seem to match the picture on the sign (and on the first page of this thread). And who stole the fourth storey?

Greetings PierreMoncton, welcome to the forum.....

I presume you are referring to the Ashford Building at Vaughan Harvey and Main. It is indeed one storey shorter than the billboard advertises. I imagine they reduced the size of the building because of market forces. The design also has changed slightly but I prefer the cladding that they are currently installing......I think it is quite classy looking.

BTW, don't be shy, feel free to join in with your opinion on any topic. The more the merrier. :tup:

mylesmalley

Oct 21, 2009, 4:33 PM

Welcome to the boards, Pierremoncton!

It can be a challenge finding anything in this thread. Wasn't so bad when we were in the hundreds, but nearly six thousand posts has become a bit unruly.

I'm not really sure about the Vaughan Harvey building. The last time I saw it it seemed to be fairly close to the drawings, but that was a few weeks ago so things may have changed. As for the fourth floor.... the rational I was given was that it was sacrificed due to parking concerns unfortunately. They basically kept the same plan, but knocked out one of the middle floors.

mylesmalley

Oct 21, 2009, 4:40 PM

David_99

Oct 21, 2009, 4:52 PM

One thing that would be interesting is doing something similar to what Toronto has done with it's concrete moose campaign. We could have a couple dozen identical concrete statues poured in a shape that represents the region, distribute them to schools and community groups to decorate them, then place them in visible parts of the city.

Vancouver has something similar but with bears all over the city. Each one is painted differently by a local artist.

(We could take a page from Dieppe and pay for them by charging "non-moncton" residents 10 cents to look at them. ;) )

JasonL-Moncton

Oct 21, 2009, 5:54 PM

Guess you beat me to it, MonctonRad!

Just for reference, here's the pic from the first page showing it at it's original 4-story design. I thought i had a photo from my last trip back but I appear to have deleted it off my camera.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f232/stu_pendousmat/Small/COMINGSPRING2009.jpg

The cladding they decided to use is drab and boring beige + red brick...the only thing I like about this building is the stone work...the rest is ugly. (plus a story shorter...boooo!)

The original picture was really nice, the actual building, not so much.

JL

mylesmalley

Oct 21, 2009, 6:16 PM

Vancouver has something similar but with bears all over the city. Each one is painted differently by a local artist.

(We could take a page from Dieppe and pay for them by charging "non-moncton" residents 10 cents to look at them. ;) )

So, concrete salmon? Beavers? Small lobster? Transport trucks? Magnets? 8 inch tall chocolate-milk waves?

MonctonRad

Oct 21, 2009, 6:28 PM

.I'm not really sure about the Vaughan Harvey building. The last time I saw it it seemed to be fairly close to the drawings, but that was a few weeks ago so things may have changed. As for the fourth floor.... the rational I was given was that it was sacrificed due to parking concerns unfortunately. They basically kept the same plan, but knocked out one of the middle floors.

I will defer to you on this one Myles, especially as I am sure you have some inside information! :haha: The point about parking is well taken, I'm sure that this will be quite limited.

As for the cladding, it is quite close to the original but the colour is different. I have to disagree with Jason, I rather like it.....

David_99

Oct 21, 2009, 7:20 PM

So, concrete salmon? Beavers? Small lobster? Transport trucks? Magnets? 8 inch tall chocolate-milk waves?

I liked the train idea. Then on the other corners we could have a Thimble, a top hat, an old fashioned car and a huge iron. Maybe a big boot for good measure. :tup:

mylesmalley

Oct 21, 2009, 8:18 PM

:previous:

Dude, you forgot the best one: the battleship!

I don't think we want to come across as being the most intimidating city in the nation by filling our streets with a navy of concrete warships.

MonctonRad

Oct 21, 2009, 10:38 PM

Lawrence Forbes wants something "big" in Downtown Moncton that will draw curious tourists and become an icon for the city.

I would argue that Moncton already has an unmistakable icon emblematic for the downtown.......

My candidate is the Aliant Tower........I mean really..... it is pretty hard to ignore a 350' erect concrete phallus sticking straight upwards, located just up the block from city hall. :haha:

Sure, it may be ugly and increasingly irrelevant in this modern digital age of instant satellite and fibre-optic communications, but it is our own and we should cherish it. :tup:

All the Aliant Tower needs is a little TLC and it could become a truly breathtaking tourism magnet for the downtown.

I know that an observation deck or a revolving restaurant at the top is not feasible, but there are other things that could be done......

I suggest annointing the top of the tower with festive bunting and flags. In addition, there is no reason why we couldn't put searchlights on the tower or perhaps play a laser light show over the sides of the tower. The CN Tower in Toronto looks pretty nifty after dark, bathed as it is with synchronized and multicoloured nightlights. We could do the same.

The Aliant Tower is our own mini-CN Tower. It deserves some respect.:thankyouthankyou:

pierremoncton

Oct 22, 2009, 12:11 AM

I would argue that Moncton already has an unmistakable icon emblematic of the downtown.......

My candidate is the Aliant Tower........I mean really, it is pretty hard to ignore a 350' erect concrete phallus sticking straight upwards, just up the block from city hall. :haha:

I agree that something could be done with the tower. This comment was on the T&T site:

Paint the NBTelBellAliant Tower the colour of Peticodiac mud. Then create a giant mock-up of Leonard Jones's head atop of it. Invite the public to scale the tower and destroy the head. Just a thought.

One one of the facets (probably North) could actually be used for climbing/rappelling up to the first "groove" (about 80 m?) in the summer. Advantages over a giant random object:

- leaves other land free for other projects
- actually attracts people
- actually unique (as far as I know)
- promotes physical activity
- may actually generate revenue (although perhaps Aliant's)
- from my apartment, I get to see what seems to be giant bugs crawling up the tower

That or a giant pig's head on a plate somewhere along the river. Take your pick.

mylesmalley

Oct 22, 2009, 1:02 AM

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_telJVVYvGRc/RubAy22avvI/AAAAAAAABQ4/UdoHLNHqVh0/P1010284.JPG

BlackYear

Oct 22, 2009, 1:10 AM

In addition, there is no reason why we couldn't put searchlights on the tower or perhaps play a laser light show over the sides of the tower. The CN Tower in Toronto looks pretty nifty after dark, bathed as it is with synchronized and multicoloured nightlights. We could do the same.

FANTASTIC idea! I love it. Plus it wouldn't really cost that much either. We could run the tower light show every night from dusk till 2am.

Here's a pic of the NBTel Tower in its glory days. Remember those bright white florescent bulbs on top. Today, all we have is a boring pulsating red light bulb on the top.

Let's bring the tower to life with a nightly light show. Maybe even add a powerful beam shooting straight up, similar to the Luxor in Vegas. Or maybe even a set of those Hollywood Spotlights on the top.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/tower.jpg
Photographer unknown. Found this image in Google searches.

MonctonRad

Oct 22, 2009, 2:48 AM

:previous:

Hey, there's actually water in the Petitcodiac River!!!! This picture must be from the pre-causeway era.......

:banana: :banana: :banana:

mmmatt

Oct 22, 2009, 7:20 AM

That pic is mirrored for some odd reason haha...but yeah I agree with you guys, we could do a ton of neat stuff with the Aliant Tower...The city should just buy it from Aliant...they dont really use it that much any more. The city could use it as a tourist attraction with climbing and rapelling, observation deck, (I'm sure it could be done with some engineering and money) and nightly light show etc.

They could just rent out the broadcasting space back to Aliant.

The Aliant Tower has always been my favorite Moncton structure (snicker if you will but its true)...I will always remember coming into town from the highway in and seeing it off in the distance as a kid, and that was the beacon saying "you're home" :) I dont see any reason we cant turn it into something to really be proud of!

JimiThing

Oct 22, 2009, 2:18 PM

I really like the idea of lighting up the Bell Aliant tower. See the example of the CN Tower below.

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

It really is amazing.

JasonL-Moncton

Oct 22, 2009, 2:33 PM

I love the idea of lighting up the tower...and the idea of copying the 'luxor' in Vegas with the one white beam shooting into the sky...that would be seen for MANY miles around and everyone in the surrounding area would know where they were in relation to Moncton at night! That'd be awesome!

http://www.planet99.com/pix/7687_1.jpg

JL

PS> MonctonRad...I think I'll reserve whether I think that building is a total loss until I see what kind of "windows" they put in it, they may bring it back a bit...

mylesmalley

Oct 22, 2009, 2:37 PM

I don't know about spotlights... frankly, when East Point did it in Saint John, it just seemed ridiculous.

I remember back when the Francophonie Summit was in town, the city draped the top of the tower with coloured hangings of some sort. It looked pretty classy.

MonctonRad

Oct 22, 2009, 3:34 PM

All kidding aside, there is no question that the Aliant Tower is a truly iconic structure that really defines everyones conception of what and where downtown Moncton is. The tower can be seen for over 40 km (in certain directions).

The tower however is rather drab and has been neglected for some time. It's reason for continued existence is also rather questionable.

The tower therefore needs a new purpose and direction. If it no longer is required as a communications tower then what?

I think that the new goal for this tower should be to act as Moncton's emblem. It should be refurbished and once again made to be a dignified structure that Moncton can be proud of.

I am pretty sure there are structural issues with the tower which prevents an elevator from being installed. As such, an observation deck is out of the question. The tower however could be illuminated at night and could also be decorated in some manner that would make it much more visually appealing.

The tower could become a beacon for the downtown, easily visible from the roadways leading into and around the city; attracting curious tourists that might otherwise give the downtown a pass. I think that this could be the most constructive thing DMI could do to advance their cause.

The CN Tower light show does a lot for downtown Toronto. A similar light show for the Aliant Tower could be just as impressive here, albeit on a smaller scale. :tup:

C_Boy

Oct 22, 2009, 4:25 PM

I really like the idea as well to do something with the Aliant Tower. Light show would be awesome, an observation deck would be cool but it probably cant be done. The repelling would probably be really popular as well. It would be great! As mentioned, like it or not, this is what most people visualize when you talk of the downtown.

It is very much so iconing of Moncton and of it's downtown. There is no need to ''search" for the icon when it is right if front of you !

Jerry556

Oct 22, 2009, 7:29 PM

hey, they were tearing down the old yellow garage beside staples today on main st, where the condos were proposed, wonder when there gona start that?

JasonL-Moncton

Oct 22, 2009, 10:30 PM

What about something like this!?

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q97/JasonL_album/tower1.jpg

This would be amazing...and be seen from MANY miles away!

JL

MonctonRad

Oct 22, 2009, 11:04 PM

:previous:

Looks good Jason, I think something like this could really really work. Maybe the T&T spies will talk about this in the paper. :haha:

hey, they were tearing down the old yellow garage beside staples today on main st, where the condos were proposed, wonder when there gona start that?

Interesting........I recall that when city council gave Robichaud the rezoning approval, that he had to promise to begin work on the condo project within two years (I think), maybe this is a hopeful sign that things are starting to move forward.

BlackYear

Oct 22, 2009, 11:48 PM

A different view!

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/tower2.jpg

magee_b

Oct 22, 2009, 11:52 PM

are you sure you want the world's largest lightsaber to be the icon for downtown?

MonctonRad

Oct 23, 2009, 12:04 AM

:previous:

It's time to embrace the dark side of the force.....:haha:

BlackYear

Oct 23, 2009, 1:19 AM

are you sure you want the world's largest lightsaber to be the icon for downtown?

:yes: YES!:cheers:

Urban_Genius

Oct 23, 2009, 2:06 AM

MonctonRad

Oct 23, 2009, 2:40 AM

:previous:

Most of the talk about the game is on the "CFL in the Maritimes" thread, located here on the Atlantic sub-forum. This is the best place for you to look.

The stadium will be on the U de M campus and is being built for the 2010 World Junior Track & Field Championships. The football game will be held in September with the home team being the Toronto Argonauts. The stadium will have a seating capacity of 20,000 for the football game, which is not much different than the capacity of the Molson Stadium in Montreal.

No, I don't have any really recent photos. Sorry.

Thanks for your interest.

pierremoncton

Oct 23, 2009, 2:56 AM

I like the look of an upwards beam from the tower, but I'd rather not have it happen (or at least not have it on permanently). It would be a waste of energy and a source of light pollution (there's an interesting article on Wikipedia on that).

I walked by the Ashford building and found that the exterior looks cheap (from up close). But at least the beige/brick matches well with the Sobeys building (and Blue Cross and the Marriott, but so far away) and it looks nice coming south from Vaughan Harvey and makes a cleaner "gateway".

And speaking of the Blue Cross/Marriott area, does anyone else find that the big "Premiere Executive Suites" sign on the condo building on Assomption looks extremely cheap and cheesy? I wish that they'd take that down -- it would look so much more classy without it.

JasonL-Moncton

Oct 23, 2009, 1:16 PM

I see you guys will be hosting a regular season CFL game, congrats on that. I was just wondering where I can see updates on the New stadium being built. Do any of you have pictures?

Thanks and good luck trying to lure a team!

One of the city webcams that's pointed at the stadium site:

http://www.moncton.ca/Visitors/Web_Cameras/Site_of_the_2010_IAAF_World_Junior_Championships_in_Athletics.htm

JL

StormShadow

Oct 23, 2009, 5:31 PM

I like the look of an upwards beam from the tower, but I'd rather not have it happen (or at least not have it on permanently). It would be a waste of energy and a source of light pollution (there's an interesting article on Wikipedia on that).

^^^I agree on that one. These are some cool ideas between all of you guys. The city should def. get involved and dress the tower up. That tower has always said "Moncton" to me. One thing that has popped up recently on several buildings in Toronto is multi-colored, energy efficient LED lights showing off on to the buildings at night, it's kind of trendy right now.

C_Boy

Oct 23, 2009, 6:10 PM

are you sure you want the world's largest lightsaber to be the icon for downtown?

Thats hilarious! I love that pic, I din't think of it that way at first lol. I could see all the convention rooms in the city get booked up pretty quick for star wars conventions! DMCI wanted statues... I'm sure there would be a Skywalker statue pop up shortly after.:haha:

It does look cool tho. Like mentioned, the new LED lights can make a good show without the environment hazard so it's really a non-issue. There could be a nice setup done along the lenght of the tower

MonctonRad

Oct 23, 2009, 7:04 PM

I like the look of an upwards beam from the tower, but I'd rather not have it happen (or at least not have it on permanently). It would be a waste of energy and a source of light pollution (there's an interesting article on Wikipedia on that).

Your concerns regarding light pollution are quite valid. I am more interested in putting surface lighting on the sides of the tower, or a laser light show of some kind. A giant searchlight could be put on the top of the tower too, but if it is, I would be in favour of limiting the time of year that it is used and the hours of operation.......say, no later than midnight and only activating it during the summertime and for major holidays and events at other times during the year. :tup:

mylesmalley

Oct 24, 2009, 7:30 PM

When you guys first suggested it, the thought of LEDs didn't really work for me, but after seeing that video of the CN Tower, I've definitely come on side. But the spotlights on the top... no sale. As magee_be pointed out, I don't think we want to be known as that town with the giant lightsaber. We'd be too much like that town in North Korea with the world's largest flag:

http://www.flagid.org/vexphotos/nkoreaborder.jpg
http://www.flagid.org/vexphotos/nkoreaborder.jpg

MonctonRad

Oct 24, 2009, 7:36 PM

:previous:

They're making a really, really big Acadian flag for Richibucto.......About four times the size of the Canadian flag on the flagpole at Trinity Drive. This will be their big signature tourist promotion, easily visible from the highway. It will be the Richibucto equivalent of Le plus gros homard in Shediac, so I don't think we would want to copy them.......

As for the Giant Lightsabre, if you want to avoid that comparison, all we would have to do is paint a giant bat insignia on the searchlight...........that should solve the problem!!

MonctonRad

Oct 25, 2009, 1:48 AM

Construction begins on new Shediac jail project
Published Saturday October 24th, 2009

Old Downtown Moncton Detention Centre property won't be available for development until end of 2011
BY ALAN COCHRANE
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

SHEDIAC - A new $40-million provincial jail now under construction in Shediac should be completed in the spring of 2011, but it will be late fall of that year before the old Moncton Detention Centre is vacated to open up valuable space for development in Downtown Moncton, Public Safety Minister John Foran said yesterday.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=387100&size=600x0
VIKTOR PIVOVAROV/TIMES & TRANSCR
Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General John W. Foran, left, and Business New Brunswick Minister Victor Boudreau answer questions after a photo opportunity marking the start of construction of the Southeast Correctional Centre in Shediac yesterday.

The downtown detention centre, first built as the city's police station in 1969, has stood in the way of development plans in the area for several years.

Completion of the new jail building will be followed by certification and staff training before inmates are moved from the Moncton Detention Centre in the late summer of 2011. The old detention centre is expected to be closed in the late summer or fall of 2011. After that, it will be declared surplus and offered for sale.

The old detention centre property has long been considered a prime spot for redevelopment, since it sits behind the Assumption Life Building and near the new Assumption Boulevard. Several new developments have grown up around the detention centre. The new $90-million courthouse is now under construction nearby and there is still land available for development.

Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc said earlier this year that the city hopes to gain access to the old detention centre once it is vacated.

Foran joined Shediac-Cap-Pelé MLA and Business New Brunswick Minister Victor Boudreau and Shediac Mayor Raymond Cormier yesterday in the chilly wind off Highway 15 to officially shovel some gravel on the road leading into the new facility, which the government hopes will ease the overcrowding of the jail system in this province.

"This new facility will alleviate the stress, both on the inmates and the employees of public safety," Foran said.

The new Southeast Correctional Facility will be 8,156 square metres (90.629 square feet) in size and include three accommodation units, each containing 30 cells. The province is building another similar facility in Dalhousie which will be 3,857 square metres (41,519 square feet) and include five accommodation units, each containing 10 cells. Both facilities will include other areas for admitting and discharge, medical services, program rooms, secure visitation, food services and facilities for administration and staff.

But whether it actually cures New Brunswick's problem of too-little jail space is something that time will decide.

The issue of overcrowding resurfaced recently when the province sent letters to the court services, reminding judges that weekends are the busiest time for provincial jails because many people convicted of reasonably minor crimes are allowed to serve their sentences on the weekends. This allows people to keep their day jobs.

New Brunswick's provincial jails house people serving sentences of less than two years, along with people who are remanded and awaiting trial. The province said in its letter to the courts that the jail population is already 25 per cent over capacity when the weekends arrive, and then inmates serving intermittent sentences report and the situation gets worse.

Foran said the province wants to alleviate the overcrowding problem and hopes the new jails in Shediac and Dalhousie will help.

"It's certainly going to help but I can't predict the future," he said. "Our inmate population is going to grow but it's going to be a heck of a lot better than what we have today."

The minister quickly noted that the new Shediac facility sits on a large piece of vacant land, which offers lots of room for expansion in the future. The building site is located on the outskirts of Shediac on the Lino Road, which runs parallel to Highway 15 (the Veteran's Highway between Moncton and Shediac).

The Lino Road is basically a dirt service road with water-filled potholes and the nearest neighbour for the jail is the Beauséjour Campground. Many citizens complained about the choice of location but Foran said it was very suitable because of its proximity to Moncton -- where a new courthouse is under construction -- and the highway.

Boudreau said the new jail will bring a lot of jobs and economic spinoffs to the Shediac area. Construction will mean about 360 jobs, he added, while there will be about 130 employees at the jail when it becomes operational, as compared to the 90 jobs at the Moncton Detention Centre.

The minister said the jail will have an operational budget of several million dollars a year, which opens up opportunities for local businesses to get contracts for things like laundry, food service and maintenance. Shediac Mayor Raymond Cormier said having the jail on the Lino Road will open the door for future development in that area. The town partnered with the provincial government to bring water and sewer service to the road.

Yesterday, the departments of Supply and Services and Public Safety announced that the site preparation contract for the Southeast Correctional Facility is worth $963,859 and has been awarded to Modern Construction of Moncton. Phase 2 of site preparations for the Dalhousie Correctional Centre has been awarded to LCL Excavation of Charlo for $289,000.

"The combined total of these two projects is close to $60 million," Boudreau said. "These two facilities will meet a critical infrastructure need in our provincial correctional system and hundreds of jobs will be created during the construction period which will provide significant stimulus to our economy."

mylesmalley

Oct 25, 2009, 8:13 AM

:previous:
As for the Giant Lightsabre, if you want to avoid that comparison, all we would have to do is paint a giant bat insignia on the searchlight...........that should solve the problem!!

Alas...the price of greatness.

mike4190

Oct 25, 2009, 7:31 PM

Last January MID had anounced that they are adding a large parcel of land to the west of the existing industrial park, I was wondering if any work was being done. Streets etc

Thanks

mylesmalley

Oct 25, 2009, 8:18 PM

There was an article in the paper over the summer about the park adding several hundred acres of new land to the west, along Berry Mills Rd, which would effectively double its size. As far as I know though, nothing has been done since then.

MonctonRad

Oct 25, 2009, 8:38 PM

MonctonRad

Oct 25, 2009, 9:08 PM

As far as I know, no concrete work has been done on the MID expansion as of yet, although they were planning on starting work sometime in the near future. I would bet we will see some action beginning next year.

About the only thing I know for sure is that they are planning another exit onto Berry Mills Road which, for my money, I think will be located opposite the current intersection of Horseman Rd. and Berry Mills. I know that this intersection will be signalized soon so it would make sense to locate the new access point here. :tup:

This is from the MID website.......

MID has acquired 560 acres of land on the west side of the current Moncton Industrial Park. Well, we didn’t acquire it to build a recreation area or a nature park, although both have their merits. We acquired the land so we could build MIP 2.0. Sounds corny but for the moment, it’s an apt way to describe the fact that we are planning to build a new Moncton Industrial Park but just as in a software update, it will build on what’s there now but be upgraded and updated to be new. It’s our version 2.0.

Planning is well along for the first phase of development of this land. Engineering design is in the works and subdivision plans are being reviewed. Once this is all complete, we will be heading to the tender phase to award the initial construction contracts. It’s a big job and won’t happen overnight but the first steps have been taken and work is underway.

What does it all mean? At this time, we are pushing to have lots available for new development by the Fall of next year and then finish up Phase one of the development by the Spring of 2011, making a total of 120 acres available.

With Phase one, traffic to and from the new park will have access from Berry Mills Road. This road is a controlled access highway that runs straight to the Trans Canada Highway. It also connects to the ring road highway of Wheeler Blvd. Wheeler takes traffic around the city to the Moncton Airport and points east.