The Official Moncton, NB Project Thread

[macas539]

Haha! I didn't want to sound too judgmental on the Province of NB...but since you brought that point up....I agree on that front as well! :haha:

You know, as much as I hated living in Ontario for 2 years, if there was one thing I wish I could bring from that province to NB it is the determination of municipal and federal governments. When they wanted something done they did it, and they did it right the first time. Half assed stuff just didn't seem to happen, at least not while I was living in Toronto. When they needed to widen roads they actually did it right and for more than just a couple hundred metres.

Now, I do know that Ontario is bigger and has a better financial situation. But at the same time I think that governments in each province should do their best to do things right or just don't do them at all!

[Sony500]

I've taken the liberty of fixing this for you.

lol @Myles nice one:cheers:

[mylesmalley]

I was in Ontario myself last week. Driving along the Gardiner Expressway, it struck me that it looked like it had been several years since the stretch of road I was on had been resurfaced. Now that really begs the question. How can a road in Toronto, one which presumably gets 100x the traffic of any highway in NB, and where the winters are just as bad, manage to build a road that lasts more than a season without needing patching?

And you know, it wasn't just the highways. Regular city streets were in far better condition than their counterparts here.

I expect the answer lies in both their construction, and in the fact that any kind of roadwork has huge traffic and congestion implications. You pony up the extra cash up front to build it right, but you save a pile of money down the line in terms of maintenance and lost productivity to congestion.

[MonctonRad]

Another example of classic NB half-assed road work: The Berry Mills road @ Horseman. :yes:

I absolutely agree about Berry Mills/Horsman being the shining epitome of typical NB half-assedness (is this a real word?)

The new intersection itself is wonderful, Berry Mills at five lanes and Horsman at four with the new access road to Moncton Industrial Park West going to be a divided boulevard. The street lights and traffic lights are great. The new Action Truck Caps HQ is huge and with the new Tim Horton's/Shell service station on the opposite corner, the area would be unrecognizable to anyone who hasn't driven through in the last two years!

but........

Berry Mills reverts to two lanes only 200m away, inbound to Moncton!!!!

I mean - what's up with that!!! :hell: :brickwall: :koko: :shrug:

The other week, I went that way to work at the hospital in the morning (because of the roadwork at Evergreen/Mountain) and as I drove down Horsman to Berry Mills, what do my wondering eyes see - but traffic on Berry Mills backed up all the way from Edinburgh Drive to Horsman (and beyond)!!!

In other words - morning rush hour traffic on Berry Mills is as bad as ever!!!!

If they had been really serious about fixing the situation, they would have finished the job and made Berry Mills four lane at least as far as Edinburgh Drive (and ideally Millenium Blvd).

Stupid, stupid, stupid!!!

I ended up turning around at the Shell station, backtracking up Horsman to Ryan and took Mountain inbound to work instead. I'm sure it ended up being quicker.

[macas539]

I was so excited when I heard they were finally widening that stretch of Berry Mills and signalizing the intersection at Horseman. I thought for sure this meant extra lanes would be added from that section at least up to Edinburgh. But foolish me! I just never learn to expect disappointment when they are finally "finished" road projects around here.

I mean I can't tell you how many mornings I have sat in a long queue of cars because of all the trucks and vehicles that slow down to make a turn onto Edinburgh. At the very least, a dedicated right turn lane should have been installed at that intersection.

I really fail to see the point of that great double left turn lane off of Horseman onto Berry Mills and then around 200 metres away they squeeze those two lanes of traffic right back to one just in time to get to an equally busy intersection at Edinburgh. What were they thinking?! And if anything, I would say this new "improvement" has made traffic worse in the mornings.:hell: They really need to complete this job (and soon) by adding lanes all the way to Edinburgh at least for now. But ideally, as you said, all the way to Millennium would be best.

As for the roads in Toronto, I really don't know what type of pavement they use, but there are stretches of the 401 I drove on that hadn't been resurfaced since the early 1990's or even earlier and they showed minimal signs of degradation.

Also, the province of Ontario uses different road paint, it doesn't wash off like the markings in NB. I know in Moncton the paint seems to wear away within two months of being re-done leaving a very confusing network of roads for those unfamiliar with the area when thru lanes suddenly become turning lanes and so on. I think the markings in Ontario are actually a form of embedded plastic that is melted and hardened into pre-made grooves in the actual surface of the road. But whatever it is, I am surprised a province with as harsh winters as NB wouldn't invest in the same markings. I would think it would be a huge money saver for municipalities to only have to re-do road markings once every couple of years as a opposed to every year following the winter.

It always appears that by the time Moncton gets all of the lines actually painted, the next winter is upon us and the markings are already starting to wear away!

Just my thoughts anyway....

[MonctonRad]

Time is right for events centre
Published Wednesday June 8th, 2011

Public meetings to share opinions on proposed downtown facility will be held June 16 at Moncton City Hall
by alan cochrane
Times & transcript staff

Mayor George LeBlanc made an impassioned pitch yesterday, asking the people of Moncton to share his vision for a $100-million sports, entertainment and community centre that would be busy 360 days a year and become a focal point of downtown development.

"Some may suggest the time is not right, that we have a significant infrastructure deficit and this is a want, not a need. To that I say, a prosperous and vibrant downtown is a need, not a want," LeBlanc said yesterday as he addressed the annual general meeting of Downtown Moncton Centreville Inc.

"There will always be reasons to wait and not do it now, but I say this is the time, the time is now. If not now, then when."

Speaking to about 100 downtown business and property owners, LeBlanc's presentation included an editorial cartoon from the Times & Transcript showing the downtown centre built onto the back of a tortoise. He joked that the turtle could become the mascot of the centre.

He said the downtown centre would be much more than just a sports and entertainment arena. It could be surrounded by apartment buildings, a seniors' centre, an office tower, retail stores, a museum, art gallery, parking garage, a hall of fame and a tribute to Moncton's heritage. He even suggested its architectural design pay tribute to the old Moncton railroad station that stood for many years before it was demolished to make room for the current Via Rail station behind Highfield Square.

LeBlanc said the Moncton Coliseum is 40 years old and inadequate for many of the events coming to the city. It is too expensive to repair and upgrade and building a new one on the same location would do nothing for downtown redevelopment.

He said the new downtown centre would be the key to revitalizing the downtown.

"Moncton is at an apex, and I would say that it is the most successful city in New Brunswick and one of the most successful cities in the entire country," LeBlanc said.

"We have our financial house in order. We've reduced the tax rate three years in a row. Moncton has a 6.5 per cent growth rate, making our region among the top 10 fastest growing urban centres in the country, way above the national average, but in order to keep growing we have to build this city. I can assure you that your city council is treating this very seriously and it is council that must make a decision. But in order for council to make an informed decision, we need to hear from the community."

The mayor announced that a new round of public consultations on the centre will begin with a meeting next Wednesday, June 16, at 6 p.m. at City Hall. He said people will be given a chance to share their opinions on the centre.

The mayor praised Downtown Moncton Centre-Ville Inc. and the hotel association for promising financial contributions of $2.5 million and $7 million (through a hotel levy) over 10 years respectively toward the multi-use facility.

The city has applied for federal funding, is discussing the plan with the provincial government, analyzed potential sites and is now preparing a business plan for council to review, but it will still be a challenge to find a way to pay for the centre with minimal impact on taxpayers.

The topic of a downtown centre was front and centre at yesterday's DMCI meeting. Board president Louis Leger said Moncton has generated a lot of praise for hosting big events in recent years but the city's economy is largely dependent on a vibrant downtown as a place to do business. To this end, Leger said the time is right for the downtown events centre. He also announced that DMCI will form a new economic vibrancy task force that will work toward attracting more business and development to the downtown.

DMCI executive-director Anne Basque said the downtown has made improvements over the last year and will continue to work toward more growth and development. She attended a recent conference for downtown developers in Chicago where a common theme was the need for safety, cleanliness and vibrancy.

And although it falls just outside of the downtown Moncton core, LeBlanc said he will continue to work to find a way to save the historic Moncton High School building. He also wants to address the situation of downtown buildings and storefronts that are sitting unused.

Personal note - George LeBlanc obviously "get's it".

This has to be a multifunctional facility and development. The big thing right now in cities such as Edmonton, Winnipeg and most recently Hamilton is to have a downtown "entertainment district" centred around the main sports arena for the city. We can accomplish the same thing here (albeit on a smaller scale).

Imagine a new 10,000 seat downtown arena with an attached convention facility and hotel, fronted on the street by a selection of restaurants, pubs and retail stores. Throw in a transit hub, a nearby parking garage, a large open public space and possibly a museum and art galleries and this project would be truly transformative for the downtown core!

The Wildcats have a minimum of 39 home games a year (with up to 16 more in the playoffs). Throw in an NBL franchise with perhaps 20 home games (plus playoffs), a dozen concerts a year and a few major conventions and this facility could be busy over 100 nights a year. Think of what this would mean for the city!

Let's git'er done Moncton! :tup:

[MonctonRad]

Just did a drive down Dieppe Blvd and things are really hopping over there!

- The new Dieppe Operations Centre is under construction.
- There is some type of retail plaza under construction as well.
- There is a major expansion under way at the Irving HQ building at the corner of Dieppe/Champlain. I'd say that the footprint of the building will increase by at least 50%.

[BlackYear]

And did you read the uninformed comments on the T&T web site concerning the Mayor's vision of this downtown event center? I was going to post a comment myself, but chances are, the T&T's admin will fail to post it again.

2 years ago we were talking about a 9000 seat 75$ million project. Today, it's a 10,000 seat 100$ million project.

The longer we wait, the more it will cost.

If the Mayor is reading this, please, please, please don't build anything below 10,000 seats. 10k is the magic number which is perfect. AND don't go cheap on the seating arrangements. I need leg room and elbow room. That's all I ask. Make me comfortable and I'll be the first in line to buy season tickets to the Wildcats and NBL.

I live downtown and I'm 100% approving this project. We need this ASAP.

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

10,000 is indeed the magic number. It sounds a lot more substantive than 9,000 and would likely be more marketable for major acts.

I know that some major events (like the Brier) refuse to look at any arenas with seating of less than 10,000. Moncton has hosted the World Men's Curling Championship twice. I'd be willing to bet that we won't host it again unless our new arena seats at least 10,000. :yes:

[macas539]

I really hope this events centre pans out. This is exactly what Moncton needs and in my opinion, it is the right time for such a development. I am glad that the current Mayor of the city seems to understand how important it is to strengthen the downtown core.

I would love to see it built where Highfield Square is presently. That part of town is so run down and it is being underused! It basically houses nothing more than a run-down half empty dated looking mall and The Bay. The parking lots are expansive and take up vast amounts of prime land and are never full.

If you look at aerial shots of that part of downtown you don't have to be a professional city planner to realize that all of the paved above ground parking is such an inefficient use of prime downtown land! Lets get the events centre with perhaps another on-site hotel, some high rise commercial office space and even residential buildings. Plus, build a nice parking garage to accommodate cars.

Moncton needs to get away from all that above ground parking in the downtown...It looks horrible and is a really, really big detriment to a city that is trying to increase the density of its downtown core. Underground parking and parking structures are definitely the way to go.

Come on Moncton, Let's do this and do it right! :yes:

[Sunnybrae]

In reference to the events centre, I am ignorant about construction times. Once financing, design and site selection is complete, how long would it take to build? Are we looking at 5 or more years away?

[monctonian]

The graph below illustrates Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's record of multiple unit housing starts for the Fredericton CA, the Moncton CMA and the Saint John CMA. Note that "multiple" category includes duplexes that become semi-detached housing. The Moncton CMA leads New Brunswick in the construction of semi-detached housing which explains some of Moncton's larger multiple numbers - two thirds of urban multiple starts year to date.

http://monctonagent.com/2011_05_multi.pnghttp://monctonagent.com/2011_05_single.png

[mylesmalley]

Are the numbers for 2011 YTD, or an estimate?

EDIT: Stupid question. I really should read the graph first.

Are the numbers for years prior to 2011 full year, or jan-to-june?

[josh_cat_eyes]

Time is right for events centre
Published Wednesday June 8th, 2011

Public meetings to share opinions on proposed downtown facility will be held June 16 at Moncton City Hall
by alan cochrane
Times & transcript staff

Mayor George LeBlanc made an impassioned pitch yesterday, asking the people of Moncton to share his vision for a $100-million sports, entertainment and community centre that would be busy 360 days a year and become a focal point of downtown development.

"Some may suggest the time is not right, that we have a significant infrastructure deficit and this is a want, not a need. To that I say, a prosperous and vibrant downtown is a need, not a want," LeBlanc said yesterday as he addressed the annual general meeting of Downtown Moncton Centreville Inc.

"There will always be reasons to wait and not do it now, but I say this is the time, the time is now. If not now, then when."

Speaking to about 100 downtown business and property owners, LeBlanc's presentation included an editorial cartoon from the Times & Transcript showing the downtown centre built onto the back of a tortoise. He joked that the turtle could become the mascot of the centre.

He said the downtown centre would be much more than just a sports and entertainment arena. It could be surrounded by apartment buildings, a seniors' centre, an office tower, retail stores, a museum, art gallery, parking garage, a hall of fame and a tribute to Moncton's heritage. He even suggested its architectural design pay tribute to the old Moncton railroad station that stood for many years before it was demolished to make room for the current Via Rail station behind Highfield Square.

LeBlanc said the Moncton Coliseum is 40 years old and inadequate for many of the events coming to the city. It is too expensive to repair and upgrade and building a new one on the same location would do nothing for downtown redevelopment.

He said the new downtown centre would be the key to revitalizing the downtown.

"Moncton is at an apex, and I would say that it is the most successful city in New Brunswick and one of the most successful cities in the entire country," LeBlanc said.

"We have our financial house in order. We've reduced the tax rate three years in a row. Moncton has a 6.5 per cent growth rate, making our region among the top 10 fastest growing urban centres in the country, way above the national average, but in order to keep growing we have to build this city. I can assure you that your city council is treating this very seriously and it is council that must make a decision. But in order for council to make an informed decision, we need to hear from the community."

The mayor announced that a new round of public consultations on the centre will begin with a meeting next Wednesday, June 16, at 6 p.m. at City Hall. He said people will be given a chance to share their opinions on the centre.

The mayor praised Downtown Moncton Centre-Ville Inc. and the hotel association for promising financial contributions of $2.5 million and $7 million (through a hotel levy) over 10 years respectively toward the multi-use facility.

The city has applied for federal funding, is discussing the plan with the provincial government, analyzed potential sites and is now preparing a business plan for council to review, but it will still be a challenge to find a way to pay for the centre with minimal impact on taxpayers.

The topic of a downtown centre was front and centre at yesterday's DMCI meeting. Board president Louis Leger said Moncton has generated a lot of praise for hosting big events in recent years but the city's economy is largely dependent on a vibrant downtown as a place to do business. To this end, Leger said the time is right for the downtown events centre. He also announced that DMCI will form a new economic vibrancy task force that will work toward attracting more business and development to the downtown.

DMCI executive-director Anne Basque said the downtown has made improvements over the last year and will continue to work toward more growth and development. She attended a recent conference for downtown developers in Chicago where a common theme was the need for safety, cleanliness and vibrancy.

And although it falls just outside of the downtown Moncton core, LeBlanc said he will continue to work to find a way to save the historic Moncton High School building. He also wants to address the situation of downtown buildings and storefronts that are sitting unused.

Personal note - George LeBlanc obviously "get's it".

This has to be a multifunctional facility and development. The big thing right now in cities such as Edmonton, Winnipeg and most recently Hamilton is to have a downtown "entertainment district" centred around the main sports arena for the city. We can accomplish the same thing here (albeit on a smaller scale).

Imagine a new 10,000 seat downtown arena with an attached convention facility and hotel, fronted on the street by a selection of restaurants, pubs and retail stores. Throw in a transit hub, a nearby parking garage, a large open public space and possibly a museum and art galleries and this project would be truly transformative for the downtown core!

The Wildcats have a minimum of 39 home games a year (with up to 16 more in the playoffs). Throw in an NBL franchise with perhaps 20 home games (plus playoffs), a dozen concerts a year and a few major conventions and this facility could be busy over 100 nights a year. Think of what this would mean for the city!

Let's git'er done Moncton! :tup:

Its really cool about the part of the design of the arena looking like a railway station!!! Does everyone remember when I posted that idea here? I posted some pics of the station in montreal and of American Airlines Arena in Dallas.

[acrew79]

A little food for thought.. Hopefully the City is Reading.

Well i must point out .. I love the Mayor's Idea.. as MOncton RAD has said.. GEORGE LEBLANC GETS IT!!!

Now on the note of the "insert-name-here" events centre.. The Mayor indicated he wanted it to look like " It belonged" downtown as well as take on the look of the Former train station? . well going back a few 100 pages.. someone displayed a pic of the Labatts Centre in London, Ont.and how well it fit in their downtown core. Well the Ass-end of that stadium .. does look quite a bit like the former CNR head offices that used to be on Main street ( Highfield square/ CN terminal ) .. HINT HINT HINT!!!!!.. ** the bay would look good here too.. **..

lets do some photo comparisson.

http://www.ohlarenaguide.com/talbot.jpg

http://rlv.zcache.com/cnr_offices_moncton_nb_mousepad-p144493376514352238trak_400.jpg

The first picture would be the Corner of Main and Highfield.
here is the other side..

"front" of Centre - Facing either the Tracks/ Riverview... or West * looking at Sobeys/ Shoppers) .

http://images.wikia.com/icehockey/images/6/6f/John_Labatt_Centre.jpg


Thoughts??

[MonctonRad]

Well, the John LaBatt Centre is the right size (10,000 seat) and was designed to fit into the urban core, just like what we want here. As you have said, Somebody several hundred pages back did superimpose the LaBatt Centre over the Highfield Square site and it looked as if it belonged there. :)

Also, as Josh mentioned, it's intriguing that the Mayor suggested a railway motif for the project, something that was also suggested here. The media does pay attention to our thread and I think city hall does as well. This might not be a coincidence. :yes:

The Highfield Square site is the largest single block of land available in the core. As such, there would be no headaches over accumulating the land necessary for such a large project. The downtown Codiac Transit terminal is already at Highfield. It would therefore be natural to incorporate a new transit hub in the events centre at the same location. Highfield is big enough for the arena as well as a hotel/convention facility, parking garage, transit hub and public square. I think the events centre belongs there.

I approve of the concept of a railway theme for the project. This would be especially appropriate if the events centre were built at Highfield where the old ICR headquarters was located. Saint John unfortunately has already appropriated the "station" name for their arena. Personally, I think the new events centre should be called The Hub. This would also play homage to Moncton's past as the railway hub for the Maritimes. :tup:

[MonctonRad]

New industrial lands now available
Published Friday June 10th, 2011

Dieppe Industrial Park expansion opens 150 new acres for development
By James Foster
Times & Transcript Staff

Work is picking up steam on extending Aviation Boulevard, a move that will create 150 acres of new industrial-zoned land in Dieppe.

Already, Malley Industries, a long-time Dieppe Industrial Park tenant, has moved on to the extension of the street and into their new, greatly expanded plant, and industrial park officials say a number of new firms are expressing interest in setting up shop along the extension.

Some pending land sales are "moving along nicely," says Louis Godbout, director of business development with the Economic Development Corporation of the City of Dieppe, with an announcement to be made soon on another new tenant moving into the newly available lots.

Other than the availability of new industrial lots, there are other reasons that the expansion represents one of the keys to future growth in the city, including the fact that the existing section of the industrial park is pretty much full, and the extension creates an industrial park with an international airport smack in the middle of it. Considering the existing rail and ground transportation facilities that are already there - the park is home to about 40 local, national and international trucking companies and CN has a rail line directly into the park - it leaves DIP in an enviable position compared to some other industrial parks in Canada.

It also fits well into efforts by the city and regional economic development agencies to create a node of air-services industries in the area around the airport, not to mention the Greater Moncton International Airport's own efforts to grow its cargo business into the biggest in Atlantic Canada.

The new lots are being touted as ideal for any company involved in transportation, distribution, warehousing, air cargo, light manufacturing and aerospace.

The almost $6 million project is being jointly funded by the city, the province and the federal government.

The work going on now is taking place north of the airport runways and near the junction of Highway 15 (Veterans' Highway) and Highway 2 (the Trans-Canada Highway,) and will extend Aviation Boulevard, the main street leading to the airport, for almost two kilometres, almost as far northeast as the TCH, with the potential for access and egress to and from the interprovincial four-lane highway at some point in the future.

The lots can be tailored to the needs of any firm wanting to set up there and the land sells for $40,000 per acre.

Some of the lots offer high visibility as they will front onto the highway, while others can offer direct access to the airport's taxiway. Lot sizes range from 2.5 acres up to 15 acres at this point, Godbout says.

So far, all the infrastructure such as sewer, water, natural gas, electricity and the like has been done, with curbing and asphalting starting within the next two weeks.

[MonctonRad]

Council talks Mountain Woods development
Published Friday June 10th, 2011

Conditions added to developer's plans for Ensley Drive extension
BY ALLISON TOOGOOD
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

Concern over a water pump had Moncton city council add a condition to the developer's plans in the expansion of the Mountain Woods subdivision near Magnetic Hill, specifically an extension off of Ensley Drive.

The executive director of the Greater Moncton Planning District Commission explained to councillors in Monday night's regular meeting the details of the minor changes to two development areas of Mountain Woods.

Bill Budd says that the development off of Ensley will see three 36-unit apartment buildings, instead of the planned single-family dwellings, and is to have a private water distribution system installed by the developer, Genivar, on behalf of Waterstone Developments.

The second change is the development continuing on Auberry Street, which intersects Chateau Drive, just off of Gorge Road. Instead of building condominium units, the developer has opted for 20 semi-detached units and 40 townhouses. What worried councillors are the issues surrounding a private water system for the three apartment buildings.

Councillor Nancy Hoar suggested that within the zoning amendment for the area, there should be a condition stating, "If the quantity or pressure of the water is affected in any way because of the development, the developer will be required to bring the water line from Ensley Drive immediately."

Even with this proposed condition, Mayor George LeBlanc voiced his problem with the water pump. He had reservations about the fact that there doesn't seem to be any residential zones in Moncton that have used a water pump.

"I'm a little uncomfortable using a private pump in a residential space, as when there's a problem, it will come back to us."

The city's director of design and construction said once the developer is notified of such a problem, it will take a minimum three to four months to connect the housing to the main water line.

"It's more of an operational issue on their end, not ours," Alcide Richard said. "The long-term plan is to connect it to watermain from Ensley, anyway."

Richard also stated that this condition would not have a negative effect in the design plan. Budd says if all goes as planned, the developer intends to proceed with construction on the two areas this summer.

[MonctonRad]

Regarding the events centre:

It's interesting that twice in the last several weeks, the "Sleuth" in the T&T had made obscure and obtuse comments about the events centre being built "somewhere off East Main Street". Doing this once might be considered as being off the cuff. Doing this twice however makes me wonder if there is not something afoot......

Also, although Valmond Robichaud's condo proposal for East Main was announced first, it seems that he may be preparing to move forward on his Dominion Street location instead. Why is this?

I may just be "loosely associating" here, but one does have to wonder if these two observations could be connected......

I wonder if a decision has not already been made to build the events centre on East Main Street. :rolleyes:

I personally hope not. As far as I'm concerned, East Main Street would be a poor third choice for this complex. Either the Highfield Square site or the lands behind Assomption Place would be superior IMHO.

[JHikka]

I personally hope not. As far as I'm concerned, East Main Street would be a poor third choice for this complex. Either the Highfield Square site or the lands behind Assomption Place would be superior IMHO.

Agreed. Personally i'll be let-down if it's not at Highfield.

[macas539]

Definitely needs to be Highfield... If not I too would be extremely upset with a decision to build it off East Main. Come on, we have only one chance to do this right lets not mess it up!!!

I really hope the city checks out this forum, I know the media seems to.

[porchmouse]

Just wondering if anyone will be attending next week's public meeting at City Hall re: ideas for a new downtown facility/events centre.

I am trying to get confirmation of the date and time. The story from the transcript says Wednesday, June 16th at 6pm however June 16th is actually Thursday. I'm assuming it will be in the Transcript Monday or Tuesday. In the meantime if anyone finds out if you can please post it here.

I just tweeted Mayor George LeBlanc so I might have an answer sooner than later. :)

Thanks,

-porchmouse

[monctonian]

Are the numbers for years prior to 2011 full year, or jan-to-june?

The "housing starts" numbers from CMHC are year-to-date May 31 for every year shown. I'm told that these numbers are verifed each month by CMHC staff when they observe a foundation in place on a particular site. These housing start numers are different from building permit numbers, which are recorded in the month a building permit is issued. Sometimes construction only begins a month or more after a building permit is issued.

[MonctonDowntown]

A few comments regarding the proposed downtown events centre. 1. Closer to downtown the better!. 2. Do whatever it takes to encourage use of the downtown restaurants and bars pre and post events. That is, have the main entrance to the building on the downtown side. For example, if the Highfield Square location is used - have the entrance on the East side of the building. As well, build the parking garages on the downtown side of the building!!! Perhaps even a pedestrian bridge over the tracks to the ALC building for added incentive to get people downtown. The last thing I want to see is the main entrance and parking lots on the Vaughan Harvey side where people drive in from the suburbs, go into the event then drive back home. 3. Build condos on top of the arena like they are currently proposing for the Vancouver's Rogers Centre. We need more people downtown period! I lived on Main Street across from the Capitol Theater for 5 years and I spent a lot of money in the restaurants and bars on Main. We need more of that!! No matter what the city does, downtown will only be successful if we have people living there and spending their money after 5pm when the offices shut down and on weekends. 4. Make sure the design of the building is urban in nature with the facade not a featureless brick wall. Have retail built right into the design and ensure the building goes right up to the sidewalk. Not a suburban style set back from the road. 5. I like the hotel concept as well but I don't think they should build a big bar/restaurant which will just hurt the existing downtown restaurants/bars. 6. I would like for the capacity to be as large as possible but at the same time feel comfortable for the vast majority of the events. i.e. the Wildcats games which I attend frequently. Wildcats average about 4500 people so ensure the lower bowl fits that amount then curtain off somehow the upper bowl that fits the rest. The best atmosphere is always when a rink feels at capacity. A game is more exciting when a 4000 seat rink is jam packed versus having 5000 in a 10,000 arena. 1000 people more but spread out just not the same. Realize we want a large arena (10,000) for special acts that will come along every once in a while. If it is well designed, the building should be adequate for both situations.

[josh_cat_eyes]

Not really on topic, but I was thinking of some ideas. what does everyone think:
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c337/josh_cat_eyes/Screenshot2011-04-05at32418AM.png

[MonctonRad]

@ MonctonDowntown:

First off, welcome to the forum! :)

Secondly, I agree with most everything in your post. That's why I am fearful of any (possible) plans to put the new events centre anywhere near East Main Street. Most importantly, this area is not really "downtown" (even if it does fall under the jurisdiction of DMCI). A new arena here would not do anything to build up the density of the core. If anything, it would just contribute further to our already existing "linear downtown".

The downtown needs to be bulked up or densified. That's why the Assomption Lands or Highfield Square would be better options. A facility in either of those locations would help to stimulate adjacent retail and residential growth. East Main Street, not so much..... :(

@ porchmouse:

Did you ever hear anything back from your tweet to the mayor?

@ josh cat eyes

Good plan.........I think it could work! Now, we just have to convince the province to come up with $10M to build it.

[MonctonRad]

New federal building takes shape in Shediac
Published Monday June 13th, 2011
Times & Transcript Staff

SHEDIAC - Construction of a second building to host employees of the federal Public Service Pension Centre is now underway at 522 Main St. in Shediac, about a kilometre east of the existing federal building.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=688338&size=0x600
RON WARD/TIMES & TRANSCRIPT

The department of Supply and Services are expanding and are building a new building on Main Street in Shediac near Tim Hortons and Pizza Delight. The pension centre is Shediac's largest employer.

Their new building will accommodate 140 workers when it opens in the spring.

The federal government has entered into a 10-year lease agreement with the building's owner, Heartland Developments Inc. of Moncton, starting April 1.

The structure is being built by Corbel Building Systems of Moncton, which is now erecting the steel work for the building.

The three-storey building will be clad in brick and stucco.

It will offer almost 2,300 square metres of space.

[Lrdevlop]

Events centre brainstorm planned
Published Monday June 13th, 2011


Public event planned for Thursday, June 16 at city hall
A8
BY BRENT MAZEROLLE
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF


You've been hearing the talk about it for years. Now it's time to add your voice to the discussion.

Moncton city council is inviting all Monctonians to a public meeting to discuss the proposed new downtown multi-purpose sports and entertainment centre.

This is your chance to dream - and to tell council what you think should be part of the proposed new facility.

A community meeting has been called for this Thursday, June 16 at 6 p.m. in the council chambers of Moncton city hall, 655 Main Street.

"If you were building a house you'd have a wish list, and then you'd take it to the builder and architect. This is the wish list," City of Moncton spokesman Paul Thomson says.

With the long considered project moving ever closer to becoming a reality, Thomson said, "council felt it was time to really bring the general public in."

It should be noted a wide cross-section of private citizens have been involved in the past, particularly the task force led by well known Moncton resident James Lockyer that determined the desirability and feasibility of such a project in the first place.

Billed as a "blue sky brainstorming session," Thursday's event is about dreaming, Thomson said.

It's already been determined the main sports and entertainment venue within such a facility should have 9,000 seats, and $100 million is the anticipated budget, but beyond that, Thomson said every idea is worth putting on the table.

What do you think should be inside the facility itself? What should be part of the facility's outside space? And what developments should be around the facility?

The possibilities are wide-open and could include retail and restaurants, artistic, cultural and heritage elements, seniors and active living functions, community meeting space, a wall of fame, and public art in various forms - including the building's architecture.

Thomson said the evening will start with brief remarks from Mayor George LeBlanc, followed by a presentation from city manager Jacques Dubé bringing people up to speed on how the city has gotten to this point. As well, Kevin Silliker, the city's director of business development, will briefly show those gathered examples of other such facilities in North America.

Then those in attendance will break out into groups for roundtable discussions.

Last week, George LeBlanc told the annual general meeting of Downtown Moncton Centreville Inc. the time is right to proceed with building a downtown centre.

"Some may suggest the time is not right, that we have a significant infrastructure deficit and this is a want, not a need.

"To that I say, a prosperous and vibrant downtown is a need, not a want," LeBlanc said.

[mylesmalley]

Anyone interested in going as a group?

[MonctonRad]

Anyone interested in going as a group?

This sounds like an important meeting but alas, I am on call that night, so it isn't in the cards for me.....

I'll second anything you have to say though Myles. :tup:

[benvui]

Anyone interested in going as a group?

I'd go, but I'm working too. This is something I would really love to be involved in, especially after following the progress on the forum for so long and with all the ideas we have had for the facility, I know that anyone going who read this forum will be valuable to the discussion.

[Taeolas]

So is Moncton Airport affected by the Air Canada strike? Fredericton has said they aren't affected since they're under the Jazz agreements, but I couldn't find anything about Moncton. (A bit worried since I've got my vacation flights to Vegas coming up in 3 weeks and I'm going via Moncton. :) )

[mylesmalley]

There were people protesting at the entrance to the airport this morning. I assume they were for Air Canada.

[josh_cat_eyes]

@ MonctonDowntown:

@ josh cat eyes

Good plan.........I think it could work! Now, we just have to convince the province to come up with $10M to build it.

Well I'm not sure how much it would cost, but alot of the infrastructure is already there. If they did it over a couple years, the could spread out the cost. If the got rid of the lanes crossing the highway in the north and added the 2 most southern ramps (the left one and right one on the diagram) and did some repaving in the first year. If they built the new underpass and do some work to the existing ones the second year. And the 3rd year the could finish it.

[Lrdevlop]

Events centre visions closer to reality
Published Tuesday June 14th, 2011


Thursday night's brainstorming session will be another big step for long-awaited project
A1
BY ALLISON TOOGOOD
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT staff


Moncton city council and administrators have all been thinking the same thing: the sky's the limit.

They've been dreaming of a downtown events centre that could house a 9,000-seat stadium-style venue for arts, entertainment and sporting events, community spaces, a library, museum, art gallery, the farmers' market, Codiac Transit hub, retail and commercial spaces, and such a centre may soon be a reality.

Mayor George LeBlanc and city council members want to hear from the residents of Metro Moncton at this Thursday's Blue Sky meeting in council chambers at city hall. Anyone with a dream, wish list or vision for the downtown centre is urged to speak their mind at the meeting, beginning at 6 p.m.

Kevin Silliker, the city's director of business and tourism development, says the name Blue Sky conjures the image of thought, when one is "kicking back outside and relaxing, looking up at the sky and contemplating dreams."

"It's been a popular term around here, allowing us to dream a little bit and same for the citizens," said Silliker.

Ideas, concepts and debate about the centre have been brewing for the past two years, ever since council heard a presentation of a report from IBI Group which suggested that Moncton had a lot to gain from building a multi-purpose entertainment and sports facility. The current downtown community would be revitalized with new energy, new businesses would emerge and the tourism industry would see gains. With 420,000 people within a 90-minute drive, and with another 530,000 people living within a secondary market area two to 2-1/2 hours away, IBI reported that there's a niche for Moncton in the events and sport entertainment business if the facility is looked at as a regional centre.

Silliker will present cases of a few North American cities that have recently built, or have started construction on multi-purpose centres, similar to the one Moncton is eyeing.

"We're trying to get people thinking about what ours could be," he said. Two buildings - the John Labatt Centre, completed in 2002, in London, Ont., and the currently under-construction Evansville Arena in Evansville, Indiana - will be looked at. Silliker says Evansville is an interesting case for Moncton to examine as the projects of both cities are related.

"It's a very interesting project as the city is similar in scope and size and since it's under construction now, the data is very current."

In the spring of 2010, after almost a year since the original report was presented, councillors voted unanimously to approve a report compiled by the Downtown Centre Task Force, which detailed a business case for the financial and logistic implementation of a new facility to host both major sporting events and concerts. At this point, the centre was estimated to cost about $80 million and would require funding from all levels of government. Hundreds of letters and e-mails were sent to the city and this newspaper's Forum page, in support of a multi-purpose events centre.

And the ball began rolling, so to speak.

An important step for the centre's future was reached last July, when the Moncton Wildcats inked a 15-year memorandum of understanding to play at a downtown Metro events centre, beginning as early as 2013. Mayor LeBlanc said the arrangement of having the hockey team as a primary tenant was a precondition for the centre's future development.

It also played a role in the fact that the aging Moncton Coliseum can't keep up with the modern stadium marketplace. An incident a few years ago saw country music superstar Brad Paisley pull out of a Moncton concert because of the Coliseum's inadequacies, and the melting ice at the 2006 Memorial Cup and 2009 World Men's Curling Championship all hurt the city's otherwise excellent events reputation. The city has said that renovating the Coliseum would cost close to $40 million and wouldn't create any long-term economic benefits in the downtown core.

As the federal election campaign heated up, so did promises concerning the metro centre. Prime Minister Stephen Harper talked funding for sports arenas across the country. At the time, Regina was seeking federal cash for a new multipurpose stadium that will house the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL. Quebec City was looking for about $170 million from Ottawa to help build a $400-million arena for an NHL team. Edmonton wanted a new $400-million stadium, while Calgary thought about a new arena.

Premier David Alward pledged support for Moncton during his campaign, saying "Moncton has become a world-class host for entertainment and sporting events and will continue to be an important part of New Brunswick tourism."

The minister of social development and MLA for Moncton West, Sue Stultz, is another advocate for the events centre. She said she has long believed the events centre makes sense and said that she'd bring that argument to the Conservative caucus and cabinet.

Speculation about where the centre would be built is endless and many residents assume the centre will replace Highfield Square. Earlier this year, Silliker said the Highfield Square property is a very visible part of the downtown and would like to see it developed into something spectacular.

The city is looking at three possible downtown locations which have not yet been revealed. The mayor won't comment on the possible locations but has agreed about the amount of speculation that the half-vacant Highfield Square property could be one of them. The locations will remain confidential until a deal has been worked out between the city and the property owners.

This March, the events centre project was unanimously approved in principle by city council and next on the to-do list was finding the appropriate funding for the facility. Now, the actual estimated cost the city is looking at is $90 to $95 million, but two things have led to the higher number of $100 million. The city's consultants recommended working a large contingency into the calculations, and the effects of inflation had to be considered.

Downtown Moncton Centreville Inc. confirmed to council that it would provide $2.5 million over 10 years toward the centre.

Council also endorsed a federal funding submission to P3 Canada, a federal Crown corporation whose mandate is to improve the delivery of public infrastructure by achieving better value, timeliness and accountability to taxpayers, through public-private partnerships.

The application seeking $25 million in federal funds was sent to Ottawa in early April, complete with multiple supporting documents including an independent economic impact analysis from Grant Thornton and a business study from Sierra Planning Consultants. The city also sent out an application for the more traditional tri-partite funding, where the financing of the events centre would be split between all three levels of government.

There has been recent talk of a hotel levy, which could bring in roughly $2 million a year to help pay for an events centre and bolster the tourism industry. Raymond Roberge, the head of the Greater Moncton Hoteliers Association and general manager of the Delta Beauséjour Hotel, said last week that if a levy was implemented, the association would commit to supporting a downtown metro centre.

And also just last week, Mayor LeBlanc shared his vision for the centre, which he says would be busy 360 days a year and become a focal point of downtown development.

"Some may suggest the time is not right, that we have a significant infrastructure deficit and this is a want, not a need. To that I say, a prosperous and vibrant downtown is a need, not a want," LeBlanc said as he addressed the annual general meeting of Downtown Moncton Centreville Inc.

LeBlanc notes that he and council are eager to hear from the public at Thursday's Blue Sky meeting.

"We have our financial house in order. We've reduced the tax rate three years in a row. Moncton has a 6.5 per cent growth rate, making our region among the top 10 fastest growing urban centres in the country, way above the national average, but in order to keep growing we have to build this city. I can assure you that your city council is treating this very seriously and it is council that must make a decision. But in order for council to make an informed decision, we need to hear from the community."

* With files from Brent Mazerolle

[nwalbert]

[B][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Red"]

With 420,000 people within a 90-minute drive, and with another 530,000 people living within a secondary market area two to 2-1/2 hours away, IBI reported that there's a niche for Moncton in the events and sport entertainment business if the facility is looked at as a regional centre.



Living in Saint John, it is impressive to see the city of Moncton looking for feedback on the potential project and attempting to engage the community as much as possible.

Isnt the 420K number basically identical for SJ, Fredericton, and Moncton since it is basically just the population of those three cities plus Sussex, etc..?

Well I hope that Moncton can get something done, isnt this realistically one of the worst times in modern history to be attempting to solicit the Federal and Provincial governments for money for an entertainment venue?

I have not been paying close attention if there has been progress I am unaware of but Harper has been very clear he is not interested and the Province is on the verge of bankruptcy.

[MonctonRad]

Isnt the 420K number basically identical for SJ, Fredericton, and Moncton since it is basically just the population of those three cities plus Sussex, etc..?

Not really. There is no question that the 90 minute limit would include the eastern suburbs of Saint John, but it would not include Fredericton (which is a good two hours away).

90 minutes however would extend into northern NS as far as Truro and would also include portions of central PEI (but not Charlottetown). 90 minutes would also extend as far north as Miramichi.

The 420k figure is valid but should not be considered synonymous with the SJ/Freddy/Moncton triangle. :)

[nwalbert]

Not really. There is no question that the 90 minute limit would include the eastern suburbs of Saint John, but it would not include Fredericton (which is a good two hours away).

90 minutes however would extend into northern NS as far as Truro and would also include portions of central PEI (but not Charlottetown). 90 minutes would also extend as far north as Miramichi.

The 420k figure is valid but should not be considered synonymous with the SJ/Freddy/Moncton triangle. :)

Interesting...

So it looks as though the numbers are basically the same but include different groups of people. For instance SJ is with 90 minutes of both Fredericton and Moncton. That alone counts for 340,000. Add in Oromocto, St. Stephen, etc.. and you must be getting very close to 375K.

While Moncton clearly has more people within 90 minutes, it really isn't very many more.

Regardless, if anyone attends the meeting please report back.

[mylesmalley]

Not really on topic, but I was thinking of some ideas. what does everyone think:
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c337/josh_cat_eyes/Screenshot2011-04-05at32418AM.png

That's an interesting suggestion. It would require some pretty significant grade changes in such a small area though. Unfortunately, you really can't do much about realigning any of the corridors: Main/Salisbury, Wheeler/Causeway and the CN mainline without massive disruptions to local traffic, rail traffic, and knocking down a big chunk of the industrial park. Obviously, some kind of terrifying three-level stack might work there, but you'd still need to completely re-route everything for months. Roads you can detour, but trains you can't, or at least without considerable difficulty and expense. Otherwise it's a straightforward parclo interchange that are heavily used all over and are quite effective.

I guess the biggest drawback to this would be that it wouldn't really address the biggest issue at that interchange - periodic flooding. I think a more pragmatic solution would be to elevate Main and Salisbury to the same grade as the tracks and have a level crossing, with Wheeler going underneath directly onto the causeway. Access could then be controlled with some kind of interchange. This would still involve some huge inconveniences, not to mention earthworks, but could be done in stages and would be a lot less costly than huge flyover ramps. Since you'd be tearing the whole place out anyway, you might as well raise the whole show by a meter to avoid future flooding.

Until there's 10,000 people living along Salisbury Road or a permanent 2km backlog up Main and Wheeler at 7pm every day, I don't expect we'll see any design changes at all at that end of the highway. I think we'll see the Halls Creek circle replaced before anything happens there.

[MonctonRad]

I was over to Chapters at Crystal Palace last night and noticed that they are starting to fence off a portion of the parking lot in preparation for the expansion and renovations to the cinemas. I would say that the new cinema complex will be roughly double the size of the old one. :)

[NBNYer]

I was over to Chapters at Crystal Palace last night and noticed that they are starting to fence off a portion of the parking lot in preparation for the expansion and renovations to the cinemas. I would say that the new cinema complex will be roughly double the size of the old one. :)

Any word on how many screens there will be after this expansion? Or will it be the same with just greater seating capacity?

[benvui]

I guess the biggest drawback to this would be that it wouldn't really address the biggest issue at that interchange - periodic flooding.

Hey, just to poke the bear, but ever since the gates have opened I'm pretty sure the traffic circle has not flooded, and if you remember we have had some pretty significant storms over the past year that in the past would have caused severe flooding there. I've heard it stated that since the river is now wider and deeper it absorbs a lot more of the runoff and therefor flooding should be a less frequent event in that area. Yet another reason for them to open the gates and let the river flow NATURALLY.

[MonctonRad]

Any word on how many screens there will be after this expansion? Or will it be the same with just greater seating capacity?

I'm pretty sure that it will remain as an eight cinema complex. The pre-existing auditoriums (at least five of them) were pretty small. When they finish, I think all eight auditoriums will be equivalent in size and the facility will be similar to the Trinity Drive Empire Eight Cinemas (except with the new Empire Extra package).

[Sushi Guy]

Good morning everyone.

I have decided to join this forum. I’ve been reading your comments, speculations and scoops for the last several months witch I find very informative and entertaining.

Mylesmalley: I will be attending the "blue sky brainstorming session" this evening and hope to see something interesting. My two cents is that I think they are making a big mistake by building the complex with 9,000 seats. Moncton won’t be able to host the Brier or the IIIHF World Junior Hockey tournament (requires 10,000 seats minimum)…. the only possible place in Atlantic Canada for those major sporting events will still be Halifax!!!

[MonctonRad]

Welcome to the forums Sushi Guy :)

Unfortunately I won't be able to attend the consultation session tonight but hopefully some other forumers will be (and will report back to us on the proceedings).

If you have been reading the forum, I think you have a good idea what our consensus is.

- 10,000 seats
- located in the core (not on the fringes).
- multi-use facility with integrated retail/restaurants/pubs
- integrated transit hub.
- possible hotel/small convention centre
- open public space or plaza
- architecturally distinctive design, possibly paying homage to the city's railway heritage.

Anyway, I hope you are able to present the points to the people who really matter. :yes:

[mylesmalley]

I was at the meeting last night and took part in one of the focus groups afterward. The only really certain thing I was able to take from it from the City's perspective is that it will go downtown. As for a location, they're understandably tight-lipped but they'll be making an announcement in the fall to reveal their chosen site. They've already begun the funding application process, but there's still a fair bit up in the air as far as that goes. Council voted to require that at least a third each of the cost come from the provincial and federal governments. Provincially, we all know the issues. Federally, P3 Canada wont' give more than 25% towards a project. But I guess they're working on it.

As for the actual building... they might have an idea, but last night was entirely about public input. There were certainly some great suggestions regarding ancillary facilities like a large public square, galleries, children's playground, areas for cafes, bistros etc. Thankfully, everyone seemed completely on board with the idea of the property being mixed use - particularly to tie in a large residential component.

The seating numbers tossed around were anything from 9 to 18 thousand. Some suggested no parking at all. Others suggested using the community centers around the city as sites for park-and-ride venues to the downtown facility. There was definitely a desire to see it being green, insofar as even including solar cells on the roof, etc.

All in all, I think it was very positive. At least in the group I was in nobody seemed strongly opposed to it. The city specifically asked for 'blue-sky' ideas. Some of them were particularly out there, but obviously the final project will have to take some and leave others as is practical. I guess my only real criticism would be that the role the city will actually play wasn't really clearly defined to the participants. The city might well own the events center itself, but things like operating onsite cafes and services will have to be sourced to the private sector. Hotels should obviously be operated by professional hoteliers. And the city has no business getting into the leasing or condominium business. That said, most people's attention seemed to be directed towards what else could or should go with it, rather than what the city will actually build for itself.

Just to reiterate my preference. I think an 10-11,000 seat venue is ideal. It's large enough to handle whatever events the city can attract, but small enough to keep costs affordable. One thing I think a lot of people overlook is that a venue that's too big is almost impossible to fill. Nothing kills an atmosphere like a lot of empty stands, especially if it's an important event that would normally be a sell-out. My preference for location would be behind Assomption Place, with East Main and Highfield tied for second. Putting it there would have the biggest impact on the local entertainment scene. If paired with a sizable parking structure, could serve all of downtown, and if done correctly, could become the transportation hub that we've all wanted. The center should be a showpiece that attracts people for more than just hockey games and concerts. At the same time, it needs to have a large private sector component - especially residential.

Anyway, that's my $0.02.

[Sushi Guy]

I was somewhat pleased the way it went yesterday. It’s nice to see that the city wants the participation of all of us early on in the project – At least to listen to our suggestions! The attendees weren’t short of ideas “that’s for sure!” and at the same time a lot of the suggestions resurfaced (outside plaza, cafes/restaurants, museum/art gallery, residential complexes…). The goal is to built, not only a “modern” arena, but to establish a new downtown destination; a Hub in the Hub! :tup:

[mylesmalley]

True enough.

By the way, what kind of fish is that in your avatar? It's HUUUGE!

[MonctonRad]

From today's T&T

Metro dreams big for events centre
Published Friday June 17th, 2011

Monctonians brainstorm ideas for proposed downtown facility at last night's city hall session
BY ALLISON TOOGOOD
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

An Olympic-sized rink. A public art and gallery space. An outdoor theatre. An IMAX theatre. Convention halls. Retail spaces. Botanical gardens. Maybe even a monorail.

These are the things residents want to see in a downtown, multi-purpose metro centre.

Some might be a bit out of reach but those who participated in the city's Blue Sky brainstorming workshop last night at Moncton City Hall were told to dream big and they did just that.

Mayor George LeBlanc kicked the session off by saying that the metro centre, however it may be constructed, will be the "Grand Central Station" of Moncton and a catalyst for the next 40, 50 and 100 years' worth of development.

He also urged the residents to think of the exercise as building one's dream home, whether it includes a man-cave, a walk-in closet or a large patio as the focal features.

Before the group discussions began, LeBlanc gave residents a peek into how he sees the metro centre.

"As we walk up to the entrance of the new centre, past the buskers and all the people out enjoying public spaces around it, we admire the heritage look of our new centre," he said. "As we enter it, we walk by the new sports wall of fame, the new basketball team's schedule, and we look at the posters of all the great acts that have already come and those that are scheduled to come."

The 50 or so participants were split into six groups and were given an hour to talk about all the possibilities of what their metro centre entailed.

The economic viability of the centre as a whole was a top concern from all groups.

The group headed by city facilitator Kevin Silliker said that economic sustainability has to come first - that to be financially viable, the centre must be a tourist attraction and that architecturally, it must fit in with its surroundings.

They also suggested that the centre must be more than a sporting arena, to attract people to come early and stay longer, with different activities, shopping, art galleries, IMAX movie theatre and restaurants within the complex. All the groups agreed that new cafes, eateries, pubs and bars should emerge without intruding on the existing downtown businesses.

Another group echoed the idea, saying that it's not just about the building and the arena, it's about the life and the experience.

Greta Doucet, a speaker and a member of the mayor's seniors' advisory committee, said the entire complex needs to be pedestrian- and senior-friendly.

"People will really want to go and be there if it's accessible," she said. "There needs to be a seniors' shuttle, a small bus system separate from Codiac Transit."

Her group was also hoping for a new concert venue, other than the Capitol Theatre or the Moncton Coliseum.

"We want a place with good acoustics and a state-of-the-art sound system, as the Coliseum doesn't have it and the theatre is a small venue."

Many spoke of the importance of outdoors/green space and environmentally friendly construction to the highest degree.

One group said that they would like to see lots of natural light in the building, with many trees and gardens outdoors and no visible parking.

Doucet, who spoke for the second group, agreed that the building must be green in every way, with solar panels and LED lighting. It was also mentioned that the building should be certified by LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)'s highest standard.

The residents say that the architecture of the building should blend modernity with historic features and to get away from any big-box, slab-of-concrete style.

One group mentioned that a higher population density is needed downtown but that new development shouldn't be constructed in the surrounding space of the new centre as there would be disruption, especially if there are various events going on at same time.

The last group truly thought 'the sky's the limit,' when it came to their dreams for the centre. They thought it could include an aquatic centre, with the pool having a giant window looking onto the river, so one feels like they're swimming in the Petitcodiac River. They also thought that the centre could have space for the many non-for-profit groups in the city and could also house a faculty from one of the universities.

Currently, the city is aiming for a 9,000-seat arena as the epicentre of the facility, and its construction is estimated at $100 million. Council endorsed a federal funding submission to P3 Canada, a federal Crown corporation whose mandate is to improve the delivery of public infrastructure by achieving better value, timeliness and accountability to taxpayers, through public-private partnerships. They also sent a traditional tri-partite funding submission, where the financing of the centre would be split between all three levels of government.

At last night's session, council released a potential timeline for the centre, if all funding submissions are accepted and all goes as planned. Council will hear from P3 Canada this fall, will announce its preferred building site and give a public presentation of all the financial information. It will finalize all the forms of funding by late 2011.

In mid-2012, the city will release a request for private-sector partner proposals to design, build, develop and finance the centre and will choose a partner the following year. Construction is to start in the spring of 2013 and is estimated to be completed in early 2015.

[porchmouse]

@mylesmalley @sushi guy - thanks for the great representation last night. I was disappointed that I was not able to attend. Thanks again for sharing all of your information.

[Lrdevlop]

Hello everyone! So I was there too, I only heard positive comments and I think the citizens really wants it! :tup: I liked the idea of making focus groups so we could discuss and say what was most important to us. They also gave us a timeline of the progress from 2009 to 2015 (I'll try to post it soon).

Like Myles said, some things came up many times, like the look of the inside and the outside, LEED certified, hidden parking (underground parking or parking garage), transportation hub, verry high roof and much more... I also mentionned to my group that 10 000 seats is a minimum and that we should not have too many restaurants in it which could affect other local businesses (as discussed here). We certainly do not want to empty our downtown by creating a downtown within the center. But public space/plaza inside and outside, hall of fame, multimedia projection shows, a community center and an art gallery/museum, of course atleast one restaurant (just not too many ;) ) are certainly good ideas. They asked us what we would like to see around the center; condos and offices were in the most popular suggestions, and most of the groups suggested to start building in height (definitely a good idea :D ) and someone suggested to build only 3 story buildings................. yeah, :yuck:. Anyways, I think the city and residents gets it!

[Lrdevlop]

And as I promised, here's the timeline!

http://i56.tinypic.com/142zrr8.jpg
http://i51.tinypic.com/p7sq1.jpg
*documents are from the City of Moncton

[MonctonRad]

Just to reiterate my preference. I think an 10-11,000 seat venue is ideal. It's large enough to handle whatever events the city can attract, but small enough to keep costs affordable. One thing I think a lot of people overlook is that a venue that's too big is almost impossible to fill. Nothing kills an atmosphere like a lot of empty stands, especially if it's an important event that would normally be a sell-out. My preference for location would be behind Assomption Place, with East Main and Highfield tied for second. Putting it there would have the biggest impact on the local entertainment scene. If paired with a sizable parking structure, could serve all of downtown, and if done correctly, could become the transportation hub that we've all wanted. The center should be a showpiece that attracts people for more than just hockey games and concerts. At the same time, it needs to have a large private sector component - especially residential.

I have great sympathy for the idea of locating the events centre behind Assomption Place. This is the true core of the city. That one (large) city block already contains the Assomption complex (including the Delta Beausejour Hotel) and the new provincial courthouse. Both the Blue Cross Centre and the City Hall complex as well as the Marriott Hotel are nearby. Throw in the events centre and this gives the core the density necessary to stimulate future growth and development. There already are many pubs and restaurants on the surrounding streets and with the Riverfront Park on the other side of Assomption Boulevard, there already is a large adjacent public space. This location would seem ideal.

I have several concerns with this location however.

1 - I think traffic access to this site would be more restricted than at Highfield.
2 - Parking would also be a major issue (although there are nearby vacant lands that could be developed into parking garages).
3 - The Assomption site is a lot smaller than Highfield, so I think it would be a lot harder to fit all the things into the complex that people seem to want. The Highfield site is more versatile and could more easily allow development of other amenities such as a hotel with convention space, IMAX, cultural facilities, transit hub, parking and integrated retail/restaurant components.

As I have said however, I am quite torn on the issue and if the Assomption Lands are ultimately chosen over Highfield Square, I won't be too distressed. I just don't want it built on East Main Street. That would do nothing for the core and traffic access issues would be a lot worse than at Highfield. It would be the worst of both worlds. :yuck:

[David_99]

Maybe I missed this but if it were to be built on East Main, is there any idea of what land that might be? Any guesses?

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

I have no inside information but I am thinking of the land on Main Street between Mountain Road and the Staples store.

A second possibility could be where that old car dealership used to be (where Boardertech is now).

The second location would be a more acceptable option as it is closer to the core and only a couple of blocks from city hall.

Does anyone else have any ideas?

[mylesmalley]

They said between Harper adn King.

[David_99]

They said between Harper adn King.

And they were worried about a drive thru bank causing traffic problems on Main? That corner is tight as it is! Also, I thought that's where the new Apt complex was going.

[MonctonRad]

And they were worried about a drive thru bank causing traffic problems on Main? That corner is tight as it is! Also, I thought that's where the new Apt complex was going.

That's why I was so intrigued that Robichaud seems to be moving forward on his property on Dominion Street rather than his property on Harper Lane.....

There may be something afoot here.

[BlackYear]

That's why I was so intrigued that Robichaud seems to be moving forward on his property on Dominion Street rather than his property on Harper Lane.....

There may be something afoot here.

I'm guessing the Dominion project is your standard 4 story wood construction, therefore the price tag is probably more affordable for Robichaud.

The East end project is perhaps a 8-10 story project with underground parking, main floor retail and condo units above. Therefore the price tag is obviously much much higher.

I just can't see a 10,000 seat arena anywhere near East end. That doesn't make any sense what so ever.

As far as I'm concern, there's only 2 locations. Behind Delta Beausejour or Highfield Square.

[pierremoncton]

I just can't see a 10,000 seat arena anywhere near East end. That doesn't make any sense what so ever.

As far as I'm concern, there's only 2 locations. Behind Delta Beausejour or Highfield Square.

I don't have a preference myself, but East Main means easy access to and from: Dieppe (Champlain St), Northwest Moncton (Wheeler Blvd), Shediac (Hwy 15), Riverview (Assomption Blvd), the police station. And I don't think traffic congestion would be less in other potential locations.

If it's built between King and Harper, it means there's still space for Robichaud's condos (between Harper and Staples), plus all that desolate prime space finally gets filled up. That leaves the downtown core free for other projects. All that downtown parking space is underused, but King-Staples is not used at all, so it may be better to leave those downtown parking lots alone for now and replace them slowly as new development comes along. Moncton is growing, but we won't run out of space anytime soon.

[Sony500]

And they were worried about a drive thru bank causing traffic problems on Main? That corner is tight as it is! Also, I thought that's where the new Apt complex was going.

Traffic going to the bank will not be directly from Main St. Traffic will have to go into the parking lot fiirst then off to the bank.

[Sushi Guy]

True enough.

By the way, what kind of fish is that in your avatar? It's HUUUGE!

LOL…“salmon”… Miso hungry!!

Okay, here are the 3 potential sites 1) Highfield site; 2) Behind Assomption Place; and 3) East Main.

Now without talking about the traffic access (it’s going to be downtown anyway) and if you look at the proposed wish-list:
-arena (hopefully at least 10,000 seats)
-outside plaza
-condos/apartments
-offices
-transit hub
-parking garages
-Imax, retail/restaurant, art gallery, museum….
Wow, that’s a lot of stuff! So for space wise, I think we can first eliminate East Main.

To be central, like MonctonRad said “the true core of the city” I would go with the site behind Assumption Place.

However, to be able to accomplish the full wish-list I think the Highfield site has more land to work with (especially if you connect pedways to the other side of the train tracks). The transit center is already there and if they want to work with a design that would commemorate the old train station, well there it was. Also, maybe, the Robichaud Project “is” part of the equation? Residential complex (with maybe office/retail on the first floor) a stone’s throw away from Highfield place!!

Anyway, Highfield or Assomption I’ll be happy either way.

[P Unit]

It's too bad that Irving owns all the major newspaper outlets in the province and we will consequently never read the very necessary editorial piece that states that a certain lead-tenant hockey team should be contributing considerable funds towards this project (and not just leasing it from the city)...

Oh, and I vote Highfield Square. Maybe they can tear down the Sobeys strip mall catastrophe while they're at it.

[MonctonRad]

I drove over to Dieppe at lunch just to see what's going on and I'm happy to report that they are starting to erect the tower crane for the Gauvin Estates project on Gauvin Road. This will be an interesting project but it is unfortunately located on a rather anonymous street in the 'burbs. It would have a greater impact in the core.......

Oh, by the way, I finally got one of those newfangled smartphones with a camera and have opened a photobucket account. I will likely start contributing some photos in the next few weeks. :)

[BlackYear]

I stumbled upon a video within the Moncton Video Tourbook section of the moncton.ca web site.

Take a look of the "Special Event Venues" video at the .36 second mark.

http://www.elocallink.tv/clients3/can/newbrunswick/moncton/tourplay.php?movie=moncnbcan09_special_iwd&spon=speciale

You'll notice something a little odd! I haven't been inside the Coliseum since the motorcycle show in February. Have we made some renovations since then?:haha:

Or, are they promoting this venue just a little ahead of themselves?:shrug:

[gehrhardt]

Double post...

[gehrhardt]

Published Tuesday June 21st, 2011

A1
BY ALLISON TOOGOOD
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

The City of Moncton announced plans yesterday to remove traffic lanes from busy Shediac Road and Salisbury Road this summer to accommodate new bicycle lanes.

The plans, which also include the addition of bike lanes on Vaughan Harvey Boulevard, were presented last night to city council by Rod Higgins, general manager of parks and leisure services, as part of the city's active transportation plan.

The changes will reduce Salisbury Road and Shediac Road to two lanes from four, with a common centre passing lane.

http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/news/article/1416967

Seriously? The Salisbury road is quite busy and reducing it to two lanes seems counter-productive. I think this is a matter of the city trying to slow people down. Yes, the limit is 50-60 km/h in city limits, but most people drive 70.

I know from driving that road periodically in the morning rush that you will inevitably get behind grandma driving 50 km/h in an 80 zone on her way to her morning blood test at the hospital, causing a long line of cars. Once you get to the 4-lane section, traffic gets more spread out and flows nicely. There are a lot of side streets and businesses on that road, which leads to a lot of turning traffic. This is just going to create congestion.

I was wondering why the city chose to completely redo the section from the end of the 4-lane to the Allison church, making it wide enough for 4 lanes, but still leaving it as two lanes with a wide shoulder to (I assume) park on.

I understand the need to provide safer conditions for cyclists on our city streets and the benefit of bike lanes. However, as it concerns the Salisbury Road, I question the logic of inconveniencing thousands of drivers for the benefit of (at most) a few dozen cyclists per day.

I wonder how long it will be before enough people complain and they simply change it back?

[mylesmalley]

The simplest solution is to set aside the sidewalks on one side of both roads, pave them, and call them dedicated bike streets. That way you can keep pedestrian access on one side, and four lanes of traffic for motorists.

Problem?

[MonctonRad]

The simplest solution is to set aside the sidewalks on one side of both roads, pave them, and call them dedicated bike streets. That way you can keep pedestrian access on one side, and four lanes of traffic for motorists.

Problem?

No problem as far as I'm concerned.......

They have done this in some places like Dieppe Blvd. and Millenium Blvd. where there is a sidewalk on one side of the street and a biking path on the other.

This is eminently doable, would maintain the existing lane configuration on the street and would eliminate any conflicts between cars and bicycles.

Myles, you should run for mayor! :) :tup:

[pierremoncton]

The simplest solution is to set aside the sidewalks on one side of both roads, pave them, and call them dedicated bike streets. That way you can keep pedestrian access on one side, and four lanes of traffic for motorists.

Problem?

The problem with this is at intersections. Just think of how counterintuitive it is to get onto and off the Gunningsville Bridge shared path from Vaughan Harvey and Coverdale Rd. I've already posted an image of this at one point.

I'd also posted last summer that Salisbury Rd and Shediac Rd would be adapted for bike lanes, and I'd been told by a city official that they wouldn't back down this time (like they did with Shediac Rd a few years back).

As a cyclist (and motorist), I don't know that dedicated lanes are necessarily the best solution. Patience, education and mutual respect (all of this goes for both cyclists and motorists) would probably be better. Is losing a few seconds to wait for a safe passing buffer to overtake a cyclist worth less than someone else's health or life? Typing with one hand because I'm nursing a fractured shoulder blade (amongst other problems), I suggest not:
http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/news/article/1410204

If every motorist had to ride a bicycle in the city for just one hour a year to maintain their driver's license, cyclists' vulnerability would be universally understood and there wouldn't be so much vehemence. Of course, cyclists need to obey rules too, and I find it unfortunate that laws aren't enforced.

Also, we need to remember that each cyclist and each motorist is an individual, and that our tendency to generalize is a flaw. We only notice bad behaviour, so some motorists will tend to notice a few idiotic cyclists and then hate them all.

More to say, but enough one-handed typing.

[mylesmalley]

I've taken to biking a lot, too. Bike lanes on the sides of roads are fine, but I always feel safer on dedicated roads. It doesn't take many asshole drivers, people not paying attention, or bad potholes that cause you to lose control to make a cyclist on a road a pretty dangerous proposition. Unfortunately, we have too many roads like Lewsville which are just wide enough for four lanes of traffic with zero shoulder.

As for the counter-intuitiveness of the bridge at Coverdale... so? You say that a motorist waiting a few seconds for a cyclist isn't the end of the world. I'd say a cyclist taking a 10 second detour to go under and around onto the bridge for the sake of constant flow and a wide and safer path is just as good.

[Sunnybrae]

Is driving a bike on the sidewalk illegal? I'm not asking to be a smartass. I share my walk along the petty each day with bikes and have no problem. Some do go by pretty fast though.

[Sunnybrae]

Nevermind, I looked it up and it carries a $45 fine if caught riding on the sidewalk. Pitty!

[MonctonRad]

I hope you didn't fracture your scapula bike riding pierre :)

[pierremoncton]

As for the counter-intuitiveness of the bridge at Coverdale... so? You say that a motorist waiting a few seconds for a cyclist isn't the end of the world. I'd say a cyclist taking a 10 second detour to go under and around onto the bridge for the sake of constant flow and a wide and safer path is just as good.

Agreed on the loss of a few seconds, but I meant that it adds unsafe obstacles (4 lanes of traffic) as well when heading south. The same will be true for similar paths: it's intersections that are problematic due to cycling traffic (in one direction) always being opposite of regular traffic. Perhaps the risk is not as great as I see it; I'm sure there's research on the matter.

In any case, the city's doing great work on trails and green space.

As for the bridge itself, there's plenty of space for bike lanes (the shoulders are ~4 feet wide), but the province reasons that it's unsafe for cycling due to the expansion joints (which they managed to cover on the shared path, but for some reason won't on the pavement). So in this case, the detour is even unnecessary.

http://i.imgur.com/UojjS.jpg

[pierremoncton]

I hope you didn't fracture your scapula bike riding pierre :)

Not riding per se; rather the impact with the Jeep that cut me off. :)

[MonctonRad]

Not riding per se; rather the impact with the Jeep that cut me off. :)

I thought it might have been something like that (especially given the nature of the discussion).

The scapula is an infrequently fractured bone but direct trauma (such as somersaulting onto a car bonnet) can certainly do it!

Good luck on your recovery! :tup:

[MonctonRad]

From the sounds of one of the municipal tenders listed in the T&T today, it appears that the city is going to replace the old bridge that formerly linked the island in the middle of the pond at Centennial Park to the mainland with a suspension bridge.

The kids will like that, especially if it sways under foot traffic! :)

[BlackYear]

From the sounds of one of the municipal tenders listed in the T&T today, it appears that the city is going to replace the old bridge that formerly linked the island in the middle of the pond at Centennial Park to the mainland with a suspension bridge.

The kids will like that, especially if it sways under foot traffic! :)

I recall myself posting this idea about 300 pages back. :yes:

[BlackYear]

The simplest solution is to set aside the sidewalks on one side of both roads, pave them, and call them dedicated bike streets. That way you can keep pedestrian access on one side, and four lanes of traffic for motorists.

Problem?

And speaking of ideas, that is a GREAT one!

If only city hall would pay more attention to our posts. :haha:

Let us post the answers to all your problems, and you folks at city hall can take all the credits. I really don't have a problem with that. :worship:

[mylesmalley]

I have it on good authority that they do check in. Or at least used to.

[Phil_5]

These picture are from the new Gauvin Estates construction site.
The Gauvin estates will be a six story apartment building located in Dieppe and they are now erecting the tower crane.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5039/5863720255_aef65f1235.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phil_5/5863720255/)
Gauvin Estates Tower Crane (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phil_5/5863720255/) by Phil_5 (http://www.flickr.com/people/phil_5/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5262/5864272414_4ed27002b2.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phil_5/5864272414/)
Gauvin Estates (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phil_5/5864272414/) by Phil_5 (http://www.flickr.com/people/phil_5/), on Flickr

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3014/5864272284_414942b649.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phil_5/5864272284/)
Tower Crane Construction (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phil_5/5864272284/) by Phil_5 (http://www.flickr.com/people/phil_5/), on Flickr

Correct me if I'm wrong, but a believe this might be the first tower crane operating in a residential sector in Dieppe.:banana:

[MonctonRad]

Mountain Road/Gorge Road/Evergreen Drive Phototour

Well, this evening I decided to go for a walk around the neighbourhood and I took my newfangled cameraphone thingy with me to try it out.

This is the activity currently going on at the Mountain/Gorge/Evergreen intersection in Moncton North:

http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z411/MonctonRad/Snapbucket/28F2467E-orig.jpg

This is the new Irving/Circle K going up on the southeast corner of Mountain/Evergreen. Although not included in the image, there is a separate carwash structure being built in behind.

http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z411/MonctonRad/Snapbucket/A2F282D2-orig.jpg

http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z411/MonctonRad/Snapbucket/4134C031-orig.jpg

This is the new strip mall being built between Wheaton's and the new Circle K. I have no idea who the tenants will be, but it's apparent that three of the seven units in the strip have already been leased.

http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z411/MonctonRad/Snapbucket/5FD98031-orig.jpg

This is the new Swiss Chalet being built directly across the street from the new Circle K. It is apparently one of their new format (smaller) stores.

http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z411/MonctonRad/Snapbucket/9DE554F7-orig.jpg

This is the new Second Cup that is being built on the other side of the new Royal Bank building, on the corner of Mountain and Gorge Road.

They will soon (within the next two weeks) be starting to widen Mountain Road at Gorge and Evergreen, putting in a turning lane and adding traffic lights at the Mountain/Evergreen intersection. This will take the rest of the summer and no doubt will be adding to the traffic chaos in the meantime. These improvements however are most necessary, and are long overdue.

Well, now that I know how to do this, I will probably range further afield on my next photography expedition, perhaps over to Dieppe Blvd. There's lots going on over there! Stay tuned. :)

[BlackYear]

From today's T&T article, they have the following artist's conception on what Salisbury road may look like.
http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/news/article/1418056
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/cityplan.jpg

Here's my conception on what Salisbury road should look like, with Myles Malley idea.
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/myplan.jpg

And a question which is yet to be answered, when all the bikers put away their bikes at the end of October, what exactly is suppose to happen to these lanes? Paint then all over again and return to a 4 lane roadway until the spring?

[brod3211]

I was living in Ontario for the past two years and they use lanes just like this in Kingston, London , Toronto and ottawa, with the turning in the lane center an also they are passing lanes the only real problem is to create an actual biking path.

[MonctonRad]

Residents Oppose Condo Development

Members of neighbourhood say 120 condos too much for narrow, quiet dead-end street

By James Foster
Times & Transcript Staff

It happens all the time in growing cities - people move to the periphery of the municipality to enjoy a more pastoral setting.

Then the city catches up to them, with development changing semi-rural neighbourhoods' way of life.

Residents of the Harrisville section of Moncton are determined to stop it from happening to them, but they might not be able to do anything about it as a developer forges ahead with plans to build five, three-storey condominium buildings off little Weston Street, just west of Harrisville Boulevard.

"We really do have concerns," says long-time area resident Kathy Locke, "and for numerous reasons, traffic for sure being a huge one."

Locke and dozens of Harrisville residents packed this week's meeting of the Greater Moncton Planning District Commission, which Gagnon Holdings has asked for permission to put more than one main building on a single lot.

So many residents showed up at the meeting that there were not enough chairs to accommodate them all.

And their concerns were equally numerous: traffic, a very narrow Weston Street that has no sidewalks or speed limit signs, loss of enjoyment of their properties, noise and property values among them.

However, the property on which the development is slated has been properly zoned for condos for decades, leaving few options for the commission, though some on the board had some pointed questions for which the answers are still unclear, notably Commissioner Dale Briggs who grew up in the neighbourhood and still lives in the area.

"If you've driven by that land," Briggs said, "that's a marsh."

Or is it? Under a wetlands mapping system that the N.B. government scrapped this spring, the land is indeed a wetlands, which would entail all kinds of restrictions on what can be put on that property. However, now that the map is history, it appears that the property is no longer considered wetlands.

Briggs also wanted to know what the traffic study shows as the potential impact on narrow Weston Street once the vehicles from 120 condominium units are added to the current traffic. But there is no traffic study, as such studies are most often only called for during a rezoning process.

Briggs further wanted to know what the developers' geo-technical analysis of the "swamp" showed, particularly if such large buildings can be supported on such a wet property. There is no such study, at least not yet, the developers' consulting engineers said.

No one had a bad thing to say about the looks of the proposed buildings; they just questioned if this is the right location for it.

Since the property is already properly zoned for such a development, however, the commission's options are limited to dictating the terms and conditions by which it can be built. The only terms suggested by the City of Moncton are to install fire hydrants and to make the development's private roads wider to ensure that fire trucks can move about more easily.

However, Briggs noted they can also decline to impose terms and conditions in the belief that they won't, or can't, be complied with.

Despite a long line of residents wishing to address the commission, the matter was tabled on a motion by Commissioner Lynn Murray to allow the commission to get more information on the impact of additional traffic generated by the condos as well as whether the land is an actual wetland or not.

The residents vow they'll be back in even greater numbers when the matter is revisited by the commission at their next meeting on July 27 at 5:30 p.m. in Moncton city council chambers.

Personal note - This issue also plays into the lane reduction debate on Shediac Road. This section of the city continues to grow with new subdivisions and higher density developments such as this. The traffic counts on Shediac Road may not justify four lanes right now but they very well may in ten years time. I really think that city council should clearly rethink what they are trying to accomplish here. It seems rather counter-intuitive to on one hand be encouraging development while on the other hand creating conditions that will lead to increasing traffic congestion. These goals are at cross purposes.

Reducing Shediac Road (which serves one of the more rapidly growing sections of the city) to three lanes is nothing more than poorly concieved dogmatism on the part of some ardent city hall staffers. Myles idea of converting one of the sidewalks into a dedicated bicycle "road" makes oodles more sense!

[mylesmalley]

I feel for the residents. Nobody wants to see their neighborhoods change. But a 120 unit condo project really wouldn't add that much traffic to the area. It's just a drop in the bucket.

The bigger issue is that they're going to have to come to terms with the fact that they're not at the fringe of the city any more. the Dieppe and Caledonia industrial parks are fairly quickly closing off the loop made by Elmwood, the TCH and Rt 15. With all the development going on around the area, it's inevitable that area will start to fill in as well.

If those rumors of a new Sobeys or power center come true along Harrisville, along with the exponential growth along that road, and in the not-too-distant future we're going to see that whole area getting the Horseman/Berry Mills treatment.

[Sony500]

That artists conception is ALL wrong, I have never seen that many bikes at the same time on that street.

[josh_cat_eyes]

And speaking of ideas, that is a GREAT one!

If only city hall would pay more attention to our posts. :haha:

Let us post the answers to all your problems, and you folks at city hall can take all the credits. I really don't have a problem with that. :worship:

Let us be the counsel. People just come here to post their issues and we will solve them. I bet that 5-10 people picked from here could run the city better than it is now.

[pierremoncton]

MonctonRad: Thanks for the wishes for a quick recovery. I should be fine in a few weeks.

--

Regarding bicycle lanes: I think they might be making a mistake, but it can't hurt to try it out for a few months. There was a comment on the T&T site suggesting the conversion of the space freed by the removal of the second railway (a few years back) to a bicycle trail. This seems like a great idea as it would cover contentious roads including Salisbury, West Main, Botsford and Lewisville; it would also cross or could closely connect to roads that already have bike lanes and other trails: Vaughan Harvey; the riverfront trail; Elmwood & McLaughlin; Millennium Trail (Mill to Harrisville). Plus, it would solve the problem of people walking on railways, as they'd have a dedicated trail (ideally fenced off). This idea was also in one of the city's vision documents they'd published a few years ago, and I don't think it should be ignored.

--

Regarding council: What's wrong with how the city is run? The suggestion that a few people here can do better seems quite arrogant. It'll always be impossible to please everyone, no matter who's running the show, but anyone's free to run in the upcoming elections.

[josh_cat_eyes]

MonctonRad: Thanks for the wishes for a quick recovery. I should be fine in a few weeks.

--

Regarding bicycle lanes: I think they might be making a mistake, but it can't hurt to try it out for a few months. There was a comment on the T&T site suggesting the conversion of the space freed by the removal of the second railway (a few years back) to a bicycle trail. This seems like a great idea as it would cover contentious roads including Salisbury, West Main, Botsford and Lewisville; it would also cross or could closely connect to roads that already have bike lanes and other trails: Vaughan Harvey; the riverfront trail; Elmwood & McLaughlin; Millennium Trail (Mill to Harrisville). Plus, it would solve the problem of people walking on railways, as they'd have a dedicated trail (ideally fenced off). This idea was also in one of the city's vision documents they'd published a few years ago, and I don't think it should be ignored.

--

Regarding council: What's wrong with how the city is run? The suggestion that a few people here can do better seems quite arrogant. It'll always be impossible to please everyone, no matter who's running the show, but anyone's free to run in the upcoming elections.

Well I am just saying that sometimes we have great ideas and nothing is done about them. They are not all related to the city but things like:
The jail being built in shediac
The new arena should pretty much be done by now, but they have just started the early "idea" work.
The causeway should be removed.
There should be actual "bike roads."
The work on Ryan St. is long overdue.
There shouldn't be a traffic light coming out of the Halls Creek Circle.
There should be parking structures downtown.
Don't hire someone to revitalize your downtown and let them build a Rogers Call Centre with a 400 acre parking lot.

I was not trying to be arrogant, just stating (I suppose I could have said it better) that while they do a good job running the show, they seem to miss some pretty big things on their way to achieving the big picture. They tend to do a lot of half-assed projects. I know some of that can be blamed on the province tho.

[MonctonRad]

There was a comment on the T&T site suggesting the conversion of the space freed by the removal of the second railway (a few years back) to a bicycle trail. This seems like a great idea as it would cover contentious roads including Salisbury, West Main, Botsford and Lewisville; it would also cross or could closely connect to roads that already have bike lanes and other trails: Vaughan Harvey; the riverfront trail; Elmwood & McLaughlin; Millennium Trail (Mill to Harrisville). Plus, it would solve the problem of people walking on railways, as they'd have a dedicated trail (ideally fenced off).

Unfortunately, CN owns that land and it is considered part of it's ROW. I am quite sure they would not want civilians on bicycles that close to their main line. This can't be an option.

The only solution that makes sense is to sacrifice one of the sidewalks on the main city collector roads in order to provide a dedicated ROW for cyclists. :yes:

[P Unit]

CN is notoriously difficulty to work with. As MonctonRad mentions, the chances of them ceding control of ROW land are negligible. It's too bad, though, because it would be a pretty ideal route from the Salisbury Rd area to downtown..

[MonctonRad]

New Moncton North Swiss Chalet

Here are a couple of pics from today's T&T showing what the new Moncton North Swiss Chalet will look like.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=691181&size=400x0
http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=691182&size=400x0

As I have previously reported, this will be one of their "new format" stores. It will feature three separate dining areas with different themes as well as pick-up and drive-thru facilities. It will be 6600 sq. ft., which is about 75% the size of their existing location on Champlain St.

The new restaurant will open in early November.

[Steelcowboy]

CN is notoriously difficulty to work with. As MonctonRad mentions, the chances of them ceding control of ROW land are negligible. It's too bad, though, because it would be a pretty ideal route from the Salisbury Rd area to downtown..

CN's previous CEO E Hunter Harrison absolutely HATED double track and eliminated it wherever he could've, including places that he should NOT have. Like here in Moncton, Truro, Windsor jct to Halifax to mention places around here. If the traffic continues to increase I could for see the double track being replaced in many places. Its happening as we speak in many parts of Canada where traffic has increased. The Vaughn Harvey bridge has been built to accomodate "double track" i've known cities were a single track span was built because CN's vision never included double track, in Brampton Ontario, for 20 plus years all the over passes were built for double track, it was only in the past 5 years that double and triple track was built, mainly to accomodate GO Transit. If Halifax and Canso Strait build what they say they'll build and create a container mecca on Canada's eastern seaboard. We will see an increase of rail traffic. Our new CEO is committed to making Halifax work, a HUGE difference compared to E. H. Harrison. One big difference between the 2 RR barons, US and Canadian.

The trains that are coming in and out of Moncton now (heading towards Montreal and Toronto) are no less than 10,000 feet and staying pretty close to 12,000 ft for the container trains. CN had tried 14,000ft trains a few weeks ago...It worked but, there were issues of loss communications between all the locomotives. The new technology on CN is the "DP" service. Distributed Power, which allows engines to be placed anywhere on the train, in many cases here its 3 engines in the front and 1 one half to 2 thirds back in the train. when they run these 14,000 ft monster trains its 3 in front, 1 in the middle and 1 at the rear of the train.

With that being said, I cannot see CN allowing a path to run along side of an active mainline and on its ROW.

I'm happy to say there are positive things happening to the rail industry in the maritimes. I do wish for increased VIA service but, I don't think i'll ever see that :(

STEELCOWBOY

[Taeolas]

I'd love to see more Via use too; but without service to the majority of the province's population (the St John River Valley effectively), it won't happen here. :(

Maybe some decade we might see a Saint John/Moncton commuter line; but since the tracks were torn up, Freddy will be cut out regardless.

[The Flash]

Mapleton Power Centre back in business
Published Tuesday June 28th, 2011
Work on retail hub set to resume after two-year halt
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by jordan parker
Times & transcript staff

On the corner of Wheeler Boulevard and Mapleton Road in north-end Moncton sits a hulking lone construct. The empty grey building, dubbed the Mapleton Power Centre, sits unfinished below the busy intersection.
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GREG AGNEW/TIMES & TRANSCRIPT
Work is resuming on the Mapleton Power Centre.

Construction on the project, worth nearly $40 million, stopped two years ago, and there was no information on when development would commence; that is, until yesterday morning.

Two weeks ago the lot was only partially paved, with grass and weeds growing out of the dirt ground. The entrances to the parking lot were blocked by two giant concrete slabs, signalling that the area wasn't open for visitation.

But now the chain-links to prevent car traffic have come down, the slabs moved, and those involved couldn't be happier the project is once again rolling along.

"We're ecstatic. This is a key sector, and retail is part of Moncton's brand for entertainment," says Ben Champoux, director of commercial and business development.

"That particular area is key for growth. We're pleased it's taking off, as it is key for our Vision Lands," he says.

"There are 1,500 acres of land at the heart of Greater Moncton that aren't developed, and this moving forward makes us very pleased."

Champoux sees the spot as a potential gold mine for Moncton's profits.

"It's a significant project, and it will bring a fair number of retailers to our already major retail destination," says Champoux.

"This will bring people from far away to shop here in Moncton."

Mayor George LeBlanc says now is as good a time as ever to start construction again.

"This is great news. They had some leads fall off the table with the recession, All those head offices are far away from New Brunswick, and they didn't realize the strength of our economy," says LeBlanc.

"This is all-around great news for Moncton and the retail sector."

After two years in a standstill, the building's developer is breathing a sigh of relief now that work is commencing once again.

"We put a bunch of money into it years ago, with no return," says Patrick Gillespie, developer with Ashford Construction.

The project began three years ago, with Dora Construction tasked with the building and Ashford and three other companies on as developers.

But the proposed strip mall hit a rough patch when the United States' recession affected the profitability of potential tenants Best Buy and Linens 'n Things.

"There were some retailers coming, co-tenants of Best Buy and Linens 'n Things. But after the recession, they decided to postpone indefinitely," says Gillespie.

"They began moving stores to the States, where they could pay half the rent," he says. "People just weren't buying linens or anything else like that at the time."

[mylesmalley]

This is excellent news about the power center!

Just to remind everybody though, we should all be careful to follow the article posting rules. I'd hate to see any of us (or SPP) get in trouble for copyright infringement.

[Lrdevlop]

Events centre progress continues
Published Tuesday June 28th, 2011

Moncton council provides Ottawa with more information for funding application
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BY BRENT MAZEROLLE
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

It would be tempting to describe Moncton's pursuit of a multi-purpose downtown events centre as moving at a glacial pace, except that glaciers have been picking up speed lately.

Moncton city manager Jacques Dube and Mayor George LeBlanc chat during yesterday's council meeting.
Unlike the glaciers though, the events centre idea is at least moving forward instead of retreating.

At a special public meeting of Moncton city council yesterday, the council inched the events centre forward again, though Mayor George LeBlanc made it clear the final decision on going forward is still something for another day.

However, had council voted against the motion before it yesterday, it would have essentially been the death of the events centre idea.

Yesterday's latest step was to provide P3 Canada with more information it has asked for after reviewing the application the city sent in April.

P3 Canada is a federal Crown corporation established to fund infrastructure projects through public-private partnerships at arm's length from the political process. If a successful bidder, the City of Moncton could receive up to $25 million toward the construction of a facility that has been years in the dreaming.

Besides wanting some elements of the business plan prepared for the city by Grant Thornton clarified or expanded, P3 Canada also wanted the city to name a specific site and better show the Province of New Brunswick's support.

Yesterday, the council voted to give the city staff the authority to accomplish those items in a revised application, as well as direct the staff to pursue federal and provincial money through more traditional infrastructure programs.

That one's a bit tricky, as city manager Jacques Dubé told them in April there is no program offering that traditional arrangement running right now. Nevertheless, he recommended council have staff prepare a parallel application for a more traditional three-way Infrastructure Canada arrangement to be ready when such a program is revived. Dubé said yesterday the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the federal government are currently negotiating the creation of a new fund that could be in place by 2014 or 2015. A successful amendment moved and seconded by councillors Daniel Bourgeois and Brian Hicks also directs staff to try and negotiate a longer commitment from Downtown Moncton Centre-Ville Inc. and the Moncton-area hoteliers' association. Both groups already have volunteered to help fund a facility over a 10-year period - the hoteliers through a room levy to the tune of $750,000 per year and DMCI to the tune of $250,000 per year. But with the City of Moncton looking at a 30-year funding commitment, Bourgeois and Hicks argued it was reasonable to ask the two groups to do the same.

Though council will seek more, LeBlanc was quick to point out the generosity and co-operative spirit the two organizations have already shown.

"It's important to emphasize DMCI and the hoteliers have come forward voluntarily with this unprecedented support."

While he seconded Bourgeois' amendment, Hicks ultimately voted against yesterday's overall motion. He emphasized it was because he didn't like estimates within the current business plan that saw the City of Moncton committed to $53 million of an estimated $100-million project, something that would tie the city to about $2.5 million per year for the next 10 years, and $3.5 million per year for the 20 years after that, when the present funding commitment of DMCI and the hoteliers' association would expire.

"What I'm voting against is those numbers," Hicks said, saying he could very well still vote to build a centre when that decision day finally comes, assuming the numbers are better.

LeBlanc, in turn, emphasized the numbers in question are "worst-case scenarios," and advised against getting too speculative with numbers when no one was being asked to commit to them at this point anyway.

Those numbers would, of course, improve if other sources of funding became available, be it private investment, other federal and provincial money, or even the roughly $2.5 million Moncton pays each year for RCMP services that every other Canadian city gets back in a rebate.

If he left his door open, Ward 2 Councillor Nancy Hoar closed hers yesterday.

"I still don't think a city of 65,000 people can afford to pay for and maintain a $100-million-plus or minus project," she said. "I'd love to have a new facility. I just don't think we can afford it."

Councillor-at-large Pierre Boudreau saw things differently.

"If previous councils had not taken a 20 and 30-year visionary approach to a lot of projects in Moncton (like) for example Wheeler Boulevard. There were people at the time who were opposed to Wheeler Boulevard because they said there was no way we could afford it and that it was going to take business away from businesses on Mountain Road and so forth and so on. There were all kinds of excuses."

The estimated cost range for a multi-purpose facility is from a low $75 million to a high $100 million. If all funding submissions are accepted and all goes as planned, council will hear from P3 Canada this fall, will announce its preferred building site and give a public presentation of all the financial information. It will finalize all the forms of funding by late 2011.

In mid-2012, the city would release a request for private-sector partner proposals to design, build, develop and finance the centre and would choose a partner the following year. Construct would start in the spring of 2013 and would likely be completed in early 2015.

[MonctonRad]

This is excellent news about the power center!

Just to remind everybody though, we should all be careful to follow the article posting rules. I'd hate to see any of us (or SPP) get in trouble for copyright infringement.

Indeed good news about the Mapleton Power Centre! :tup:

I think a major issue in the resurrection is that both Champlain Place and the Wheeler Park Power Centre are full. There are a lot of American retailers interested in Canada right now and the only option available in Moncton is the (formerly) moribund Mapleton Centre.

To ensure success however, they will need anchor tenants such as Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond and the Brick. These were all going to go into Mapleton initially. It will be interesting to see if they are still interested.