The Official Moncton, NB Project Thread

[BlackYear]

Nice parking! :tup:

[mmmatt]

personal note - the new Lawton's Pharmacy next to the new Sobeys also opened on the weekend. It's really a zero sum gain for Elmwood Drive however, because the old Price Chopper closed with the opening of the new Sobeys and the old Lawtons further down Elmwood is also now closed. When the new NB Liquor location opens, the old store on Elmwood will also close. This will leave some significant vacancies on the street.....

I wouldn't exactly say its a "zero-sum" gain for Elmwood as a whole...as the new Lawtons and Sobeys are both significantly larger than their predecessors. That being said the bottom end of Elmwood is losing out big time...especially with the loss of Lackluster Video on top of it. There was a crew out painting the former price chopper today...hopefully they will be able to lease it soon.

[MonctonRad]

I wouldn't exactly say its a "zero-sum" gain for Elmwood as a whole...as the new Lawtons and Sobeys are both significantly larger than their predecessors. That being said the bottom end of Elmwood is losing out big time...especially with the loss of Lackluster Video on top of it. There was a crew out painting the former price chopper today...hopefully they will be able to lease it soon.

Oh, it's no question that the new Sobeys/Lawtons (and soon to be NB Liquor) plaza on Elmwood is two giant steps forward for the residents of north central Moncton, but the profusion of resultant empty storefronts further down Elmwood is at least one step back.

If a new tenant for the Price Chopper location could be found, this would certainly help! :)

[MonctonDowntown]

Regarding the Botsford/Wheeler intersection, something definitely has to be done. Wheeler is a main thoroughfare and to be forced to stop at the Botsford/Lewisville Road intersection is far from ideal!!

Due to the nearby train overpass issue already noted, I think the best solution is to create a subway whereby the traffic going between Botsford and Lewisville would go under Wheeler Blvd easing traffic congestion on Botsford ,and more importantly, making Wheeler 100% traffic light free between the traffic circle at Halls Creek in Dieppe all the way to the traffic circle at West Main Street (Causeway) area. MD.

[David_99]

If a new tenant for the Price Chopper location could be found, this would certainly help! :)

Take with a huge grain of salt, but I've heard rumblings of a Bowling Alley. Rumours from some of the old Price Chopper staff.

[mylesmalley]

Regarding the Botsford/Wheeler intersection, something definitely has to be done. Wheeler is a main thoroughfare and to be forced to stop at the Botsford/Lewisville Road intersection is far from ideal!!

Due to the nearby train overpass issue already noted, I think the best solution is to create a subway whereby the traffic going between Botsford and Lewisville would go under Wheeler Blvd easing traffic congestion on Botsford ,and more importantly, making Wheeler 100% traffic light free between the traffic circle at Halls Creek in Dieppe all the way to the traffic circle at West Main Street (Causeway) area. MD.

You wouldn't be able to with the creek right next to Wheeler.

[macas539]

I dont think the Wheeler/Lewisville intersection will be changed anytime soon. Any potential reconfiguration would be too expensive and I don't think the city or province will dole out any big bucks in the forseeable future. Traffic is bad at that intersection but it's certainly not unbearable. There are other streets that need attention before this area. The Berry Mills rd for instance...that absolutely needs widening up to at least Edinburgh. I drive that area every morning and the traffic sucks! If the province can't afford to improve this simple area then they certainly can't afford flyover ramps and the like.

[MonctonRad]

There are other streets that need attention before this area. The Berry Mills rd for instance...that absolutely needs widening up to at least Edinburgh. I drive that area every morning and the traffic sucks! If the province can't afford to improve this simple area then they certainly can't afford flyover ramps and the like.

Agreed. It was sheer unadulterated idiocy on the part of the Department of Transportation that they didn't widen Berry Mills to four lanes when they improved the Berry Mills/Horsman intersection. :brickwall:

I mean, they widened that intersection to five lanes and then inbound, it's back to two lanes within 200m. Talk about being penny wise and pound foolish!!!!! :censor:

In the mornings, the traffic inbound on Berry Mills is still backed up to the Horsman intersection. It can take 8-10 minutes to go the km to Edinburgh Drive.... :grrr: :hell: :duh: :tantrum: :twoguns: :rant: :pissed:

[mylesmalley]

I don't know if it was the province or the city that paid to have the road widened at the intersection. I assume it was the city though, because it was all part of the Horseman/Industrial Park project.

[JHikka]

I'm under the impression that Berry Mills (H 128) is provincially operated. I know nothing of the area itself, but I agree in regards to widening. Berry Mills is typically the exit I take to enter Moncton and i've noticed it getting much busier and built up over the past few years. Perhaps the provincial and municipal governments can agree on some sort of deal to have that road widened furthermore.

[MonctonRad]

I don't know if it was the province or the city that paid to have the road widened at the intersection. I assume it was the city though, because it was all part of the Horseman/Industrial Park project.

It's a provincial highway and I'm pretty sure that the province was responsible for this half-assed solution. I'm pretty sure that they know they made a mistake. A couple of weeks ago, there was an article in the paper where they quizzed local MLA's about their priorities for the city, and one of them (I forget who) mentioned that one of the priorities should be widening Berry Mills from Horsman to Edinburgh to four lanes.

[mmmatt]

Within the next 10 years I would love to see:

- Mapleton 4 lanes from Mountain to the TCH

- Berry Mills 4 lanes from (at the very least) Edinburgh to Horseman

- Harrisville 4 lanes from Caledonia to the 15

[macas539]

In regards to Mapleton I do agree it should be four lanes from Mountain to the TCH, however I did see an article a while ago in the Times and Transcript in regards to the road and the improvements already done to it. I believe the paper quoted Alcide Richard as saying there were no plans to ever widen Mapleton past Plaza as that area is residential and the city wants to keep it smaller. The reason also had something to do with the city not wanting to encourage drivers to use it as a main thoroughfare through the residential section between Mountain and Plaza Blvd. I wish I could come across that article again, I remember chuckling to myself when I read that statement.

[Sunnybrae]

I wonder if some of the traffic problems could not be solved by simply using proper signalling or different patterns at busy times of the day. For example, the causeway should be two lanes in for the morning and two lanes out for the evening. Maybe Lewisville/Botsford should be closed between 430pm and 530pm with only on/off ramps used. Other roads could be turned into oneways to get traffic into the city and industrial parks in the morning and reverse in the evenings. Just some thoughts.

[mylesmalley]

In the grand scheme of things, I think traffic at Botsford could be greatly improved just by lengthening the lights so more traffic can move per light on Wheeler, at least at rush hour.

There are much more pressing traffic snarls in the city which should be dealt with first. namely: Dieppe Blvd at Route 15, Paul/Acadie/Champlain, Berry Mills, and the ramps around Trinity Drive and Mountain.

[Sunnybrae]

:previous:

Well "Pressing" usually means the lineup your in at 5PM. :) The traffic line at the causeway traffic circle around 5pm can reach up Wheeler past the St. George overpass. I think all traffic within the city needs to flow together and all roads should be utilized to the maximum.

[mylesmalley]

The problem there is that people don't' know how to use a traffic circle :).

People are supposed to yield to drivers already in the circle, but otherwise continue unimpeded. What happens all too often is that the guy in the circle stops to let someone on Wheeler go in. In principle you think, 'Hey, they're alternating and everybody gets to move', but in practice, you just clog up the circle causing backups everywhere leading up to it.

It would help if there was a dedicated lane off Wheeler that went directly to Salisbury Road. Unfortunately that would involve widening the underpass, and now that the city has narrowed Salisbury Road, would only create headaches down the line.

[BlackYear]

Agreed. It was sheer unadulterated idiocy on the part of the Department of Transportation that they didn't widen Berry Mills to four lanes when they improved the Berry Mills/Horsman intersection. :brickwall:

I mean, they widened that intersection to five lanes and then inbound, it's back to two lanes within 200m. Talk about being penny wise and pound foolish!!!!! :censor:

In the mornings, the traffic inbound on Berry Mills is still backed up to the Horsman intersection. It can take 8-10 minutes to go the km to Edinburgh Drive.... :grrr: :hell: :duh: :tantrum: :twoguns: :rant: :pissed:

I never use this road, but I have used it 4 times in the past week to unload some garbage at the dump. On my way back, it doesn't take a genius to see the complete nonsense to not have completed the 2 lanes all the way to Edinburgh drive. I'm sure 40% of the drivers are turning right anyway! :koko:

[Sunnybrae]

The problem there is that people don't' know how to use a traffic circle :).

People are supposed to yield to drivers already in the circle, but otherwise continue unimpeded. What happens all too often is that the guy in the circle stops to let someone on Wheeler go in. In principle you think, 'Hey, they're alternating and everybody gets to move', but in practice, you just clog up the circle causing backups everywhere leading up to it.

It would help if there was a dedicated lane off Wheeler that went directly to Salisbury Road. Unfortunately that would involve widening the underpass, and now that the city has narrowed Salisbury Road, would only create headaches down the line.

The problem is not Wheeler to Salisbury Road. Most people take the St. George or Baig Blvd. exit for that. The problem is Wheeler and west Main converging into one lane heading for Riverview. If west Main traffic did not let Wheeler traffic merge, Wheeler traffic would reach back to the Killam Drive overpass.

[MonctonRad]

Abridged from today's T&T
http://nbbusinessjournal.canadaeast.com/transcript/article/1456018

Kent to open new store in Riverview
Published Tuesday November 15th, 2011

Building supplies chain to take over former Sobeys location
By Eric Lewis
Times & Transcript Staff

A new Kent Building Supplies store will open in Riverview in the coming months.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=716632&size=600x0
GREG AGNEW/TIMES & TRANSCRIPT
This former Sobeys location in Riverview is being converted into a Kent Building Supplies.

The store will open in the former Sobeys location on Coverdale Road, which was vacated last year when the grocery store chain opened a new store on Findlay Boulevard.

Riverview's director of economic development Shane Thomson confirmed that Kent was moving into town, filling a large vacancy on Riverview's main road. The store is expected to open in the spring, and a job fair will be held soon to fill positions.

Calls to Kent officials in Saint John yesterday were not returned, but numerous trucks were spotted outside the Coverdale Road building yesterday.

The former Sobeys location is actually a relatively new building. It initially opened in 2000, replacing an older Sobeys building on the same land. The building will likely have to undergo renovations to suit Kent's operations.

Riverview Mayor Clarence Sweetland said the town is happy to welcome Kent to town.

Sweetland also said that a few businesses have expressed interest in possibly moving into the town-owned Chocolate River Station. Meant to be a tourist attraction, the centre on Coverdale Road has taken a hit in recent weeks as two tenants - Ganong Chocolates and Olivier Soapery - closed their stores.

Briggs Maples, Gateway Gallery and Change of Pace Pottery are still operating, however, and Business Riverview's offices are located in the centre.

Sweetland says the town is still optimistic the Chocolate River Station can be a success. A weekly summer market drew large crowds on Friday evenings.

Sweetland said some of the centre's tenants depended on tourism business, which was down this past summer.

"Things are still looking promising for the Chocolate River Station," he said. "We have other people knocking on the door who are interested in moving in there."

The mayor wouldn't name any particular businesses that are considering moving to the station, but he did acknowledge the Riverview Art Centre's proposal to operate out of the building, saving their location in Riverview High for larger events.

personal note - It was already speculated on our forum several months ago that Kent might move into the old Sobeys location on Coverdale Road. This will be the third Kent store in metro Moncton. It will be most welcome to see this empty storefront filled.

I wonder though if this is a pre-emptive strike against any new potential competitors (Rona, Lowes) trying to enter the Moncton market. If the market is already saturated by Kent, then it will be less attractive to any potential competitor. It's the same sort of tactic used by Shoppers Drug Mart and Sobeys in Moncton. They have a dominant market share compared to their competitors (PJC, Lawtons, Superstore, Co-op or, in the case of Kent - Home Depot).

[cormiermax]

That Sobey's almost looks brand new, any particular reason why it closed? Also I wonder how Kent plans to change the exterior, iv never seen a Kent move into a store designed for another brand.

[MonctonRad]

That Sobey's almost looks brand new, any particular reason why it closed? Also I wonder how Kent plans to change the exterior, iv never seen a Kent move into a store designed for another brand.

It was almost brand new. For some reason, corporate management in Stellarton decided to open a new Riverview store in Findlay Park instead.

If I was to guess, I would say that Sobeys wanted to:
1- locate in a mini retail power centre to maximize customer traffic
2- build with a standardized floor plan (all new Sobeys look the same).
3- have a location where they could have an adjacent NB Liquor outlet

The old store however was less than 7 years old, so in economic terms, I was never sure that this move made sense and it left Coverdale Road with a large vacant storefront.

With Kent moving into the old location however, all will be right with the world again. :tup:

[JasonL-Moncton]

Within the next 10 years I would love to see:

- Mapleton 4 lanes from Mountain to the TCH

- Berry Mills 4 lanes from (at the very least) Edinburgh to Horseman

- Harrisville 4 lanes from Caledonia to the 15

I'd also like to see the widening of Connaught from Mountain to Morton to 4 lanes...the traffic on this street justifies it (especially at rush hour) and with Morton being 4 lanes from the overpass to Elmwood it makes sense. Then it would be four lanes from Mountain Rd. to Elmwood which would be awesome.

Also with the Vision lands being developed Mclaughlin Drive needs a TCH on-ramp and off-ramp! This will also contribute to the amount of traffic on Connaught.

JL

PS> I agree, most don't have a clue how to work the Causeway traffic circle...

[josh_cat_eyes]

The best solution would be to replace the causeway with a 4 lane bridge and replace the traffic circle with a simple overpass. Again that damn railway f**ks everything up so it would cost a fortune. I think within 10 years, Berry Mills, Ryan Road, Champlain and Harrisville will all have to be improved. Also the aforementioned intersections will have to be addressed as well.

[MonctonRad]

The best solution would be to replace the causeway with a 4 lane bridge and replace the traffic circle with a simple overpass. Again that damn railway f**ks everything up so it would cost a fortune. I think within 10 years, Berry Mills, Ryan Road, Champlain and Harrisville will all have to be improved. Also the aforementioned intersections will have to be addressed as well.

Champlain/Lewisville is being improved as we speak. The work should be finished before the snow flies.

I have no doubt that Berry Mills will be four laned between Horsman and Edinburgh within the next couple of years. As I have previously mentioned, I think the government realizes they have made a major error here. Also, widening this section of the road should be fairly cheap. Personally, I think they should widen Berry Mills to four lanes as far inbound as the Coliseum and Millenium Blvd. Millenium is becoming a major shortcut to downtown and they could easily establish a dedicated right turning lane there. Also, the exits from Wheeler onto Berry Mills should be signalized and perhaps realligned. The current situation is plain out dangerous when traffic is heavy.

Ryan Road will be completely redone within the next 4-5 years. Major work has already been done to the east of the new roundabout as well as to the north of the new Northrup Frye School.

I think the most urgent bit of infrastructure not currently being addressed is widening the Harrisville/Dieppe Blvd overpass over Veterans Highway to four lanes. Harrisville should also be four laned between Veterans Highway and the TCH. Harrisville/Dieppe Blvds are the major crosstown connector for the eastern part of the metro area and this infrastructure is currently badly underbuilt.

[MonctonRad]

Not previously mentioned, but there is major work going on in the Mountain Woods subdivision across from Crandall University and adjacent to the Magnetic Hill Golf Course.

They are building a large condo or apartment building(s) in the back of the subdivision, which will back on the golf course itself. They are doing the underground parking garage now, and the footprint of these buildings is such that it should be as large (if not larger) than the Bella Casa complex adjacent to the Moncton Golf Course. The work currently underway corresponds to #4 on the site plan below.

Also, they appear to be building a new access road to Mountain Woods, directly from Mountain Road, across from the Homestead Road intersection (Magnetic Hill McDonald's location). I remember that this was in their plans, but it appears that they are now proceding with this. This road will be to the rear of the Magnetic Hill Golf Course.

Site plan:
http://www.mountainwoods.ca/images/siteplan.jpg

[mylesmalley]

Jesus... that's going to be quite the development when it's done.

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

Just found an updated site plan:

http://www.mountainwoods.ca/images/uploads/Master-Plan_Apr-21_11-01-650.jpg

The access road leading to Mountain Road (at Homestead) passes through the "orange" area to the west of the subdivision. This will be a signalized intersection. There have been mounts for traffic lights at the Mountain/Homestead intersection for some time. They have just never been installed.

I see that they have renamed Magnetic Hill Golf Course to Mountain Woods Golf Course. The connector road to Mountain Road at Homestead will be called "Glen Eagles Drive". I have a strong suspicion that the club house will be relocated to being off Glen Eagles.

[mylesmalley]

Interesting how they seem to have changed their plans for the section with large presumably condominium buildings from the first rendering.

[MonctonRad]

One last thing, they mentioned in the paper today that UPS is going to start direct delivery services in both Moncton and Halifax in the new year. This will mean we will shortly begin to see the brown UPS trucks on Moncton streets within a few months.

The article stated that about 250 jobs will be created. They didn't state however how many of those would be in Moncton and how many in Halifax....

[Sunnybrae]

:previous:

Interesting.... I wonder how much that will impact Purolator. Also, will we see a flight into the airport just for UPS or will they go with the existing 727 that Kelowna Flightcraft uses.

[macas539]

So much for limiting development to south of the TCH. Moncton is really sprawling northwards. I had no idea this was going to be such a substantial development.

--I just drove by the intersection tonight. They have trees cleared and heavy equipment building up the roadbed. It will be nice to be able to access Gorge Rd from this part of Mountain Rd. --

[mmmatt]

UPS will hurt Puro badly...as about 1/5 to 1/4 of their business right now is handling UPS freight. It will also hurt us at FedEx as well, although not as much because we don't currently handle any UPS freight. It will also be more difficult for UPS to steal our business as we offer a different product (higher cost, higher value). In other words Puro and UPS are virtually the same in terms of cost and product, so Puro will lose out more when something new and shiny (albeit brown) comes to town. I would imagine that there will be layoffs at Puro around the same time as the hiring at UPS...thus making it a "zero-sum" game as MonctonRad would say. :P

The 250 job figure is for all of Atlantic I think, as they will start in Moncton and Halifax in spring 2012 but by the end of the year they will be in more markets.

It will be interesting to see if they will bring in their own aircraft, or use a third party like CargoJet or something to do it for them.

Also interesting to see what kind of infrastructure they build and where...there is the much touted extension of aviation blvd after all. Or will they set up next to us and Puro for more visibility? Only time will tell I guess! Exciting times in the air freight business haha don't mind me.

[JHikka]

Is the introduction of UPS going to put pressure on Midland? I heard somewhere that Midland is handling UPS freight much like Puro is at this point.

As well, that new Mountain Woods development is something else. There's a lot more development north of the TCH than I imagined. :sly:

[mylesmalley]

That's just one residential development of many, unfortunately. Throw in construction at Caledonia Industrial Park, and all the stuff Crandall University is hoping to build in the next year or two, and the TCH won't feel like a Moncton Bypass for much longer. We don't talk about it as much, but the south side is doing the same thing. Just about all the land inside the triangle between Mountain, Mapleton and the TCH is filled with housing and commercial now (granted Mapleton Park is a big chuck of that). The east side of Mapleton is probably around half full now and is going steady.

[MonctonRad]

that new Mountain Woods development is something else. There's a lot more development north of the TCH than I imagined. :sly:

The thing that will spur development north of the TCH even more will be when existing developments become even more interconnected.

Glen Eagles Drive will be the first direct connection between Mountain Road and Gorge Road north of the TCH (and south of Front Mountain Road). This will make it eminently easier to move back and forth between these two neighbourhoods. Now, imagine if Glen Eagles in the future also connected onwards to Mapleton Road as well. This could be quite easy as Glen Eagles intersects Gorge Road at the northern perimeter of Crandall University.

All of a sudden, people in this area would have tremendous mobility, allowing access to hotels, restaurants, amusement parks, a zoo, golf course, a university and also direct access to the shopping district on Mapleton Road while never having to go anywhere near the traffic chaos on Mountain Road!!!

Once this happens, this area north of the TCH will become a very desireable neighbourhood to live in.

I think any plan to limit sprawl to the south of the TCH is already a lost cause. Probably in 20-25 years, there will be even further connectivity (north of the TCH), including between Mapleton Road, McLaughlin Road and on to Elmwood, including Royal Oaks and the Caledonia Industrial Park.

Then people will be able to live, work, play, go to school and shop without ever having to venture south of the TCH.

[mylesmalley]

Put together a really rough map showing what parts of the city are actually developed. Light brown is more or less built up today. Light red is what I expect will be added to the city in the next ten years...based on current developments around town and a healthy bit of conjecture.
http://i.imgur.com/M4S2L.jpg

[MonctonRad]

Nice map Myles, but I think you're being a tad conservative in your projections..... :D

[macas539]

I'm sure the entire "vision lands" area between Wheeler and the TCH off Mapleton will most certainly be almost fully developed within the next ten years. Work on the planned community there is already underway and will march on as the years go on.

[mylesmalley]

Nice map Myles, but I think you're being a tad conservative in your projections..... :D

Maybe in places - namely around Dieppe Blvd, but I don't think I'm way out to lunch.

If StatsCan's estimated population for the city turns out to be accurate, we're at almost 140,000 right now (137,000 in 2010, growing by 2,400 or so per year). Even if that falls back to 1,500 per year, it isn't unreasonable to think we'll be around 150,000-155,000 ish. I think a lot of that growth is going to take place inside the currently developed area. Mind you, we could get a big shock when the census is released and find out we're only at 130k, but even still. It's clear the city has grown and there's no strong indicator that will stop any time soon.

The city is going to continue expanding in physical terms, but we're starting to see real progress on the infill front. For the firs time in a long time, Downtown is actually one of the busiest parts of the city in terms of construction. Dieppe is growing quickly too, but there have been just as many apartment and condo units built there in the past few years as housing. Dieppe is also experimenting with sustainable higher-density single family housing in a few neighbourhoods. If you look at the major developments that have been proposed in the last year, just about all of them are either entirely medium-high density, or have some significant component of it. Just look at the Mountain Woods plan-sure, there's lots of single family lots, but it appears they're eventually planning on 13 buildings in the 32-64 unit range. Dieppe's big developments along Gauvin are all large apartments or condos. Even along Dieppe Blvd, there are as many apartments as houses going up. Even Riverview is on board!

In the last 1-2 years, Moncton and Dieppe have opened up close to 500 acres of industrial land. It'll take a few years before that land is filled. And now we have the added competition of the Scoudouc park which will also compete with cheaper land.

As for retail. As I've stated before, I don't expect we'll see much large-scale retail growth beyond population growth once the Mapleton project is done. We'll probably see some stuff go up along Harrisville pretty soon, but that'll start off as businesses that service the local area, like a grocery store or Canadian Tire.

[mmmatt]

Mind you, we could get a big shock when the census is released and find out we're only at 130k

Dont be surprised if its somewhere in the middle...maybe 133,000...look at the estimate for 2006 compared with the actual census number. For some reason the estimates are always high Ive found.

[mylesmalley]

The growth numbers aren't way off, but there was a big undercount in the last census that pushed us up by like 5k overnight. I don't' remember how StatCan came to that conclusion, but I'm sure they have some complicated models and formulas to do it.

[JHikka]

Then people will be able to live, work, play, go to school and shop without ever having to venture south of the TCH.

Sounds like a fairly similar problem you have there. :haha:

Not to add to the whole problem of sprawl, but I wish New Brunswick cities would become larger so it doesn't feel like an hour and a half drive between Moncton & Saint John. What I mean by this is that there's a difference between a drive through the woods and a drive with things on the side of the highway to look at.

For example, the 401 in Ontario is very boring in Eastern Ontario because of it being mostly rural, but once you hit Oshawa it's malls and home and businesses all the way to Toronto and beyond. It makes for a more enjoyable drive. I guess what i'm saying is that I wish there was more infill between the larger cities in New Brunswick. I can dream, alright? :jester:

[MonctonRad]

Then people will be able to live, work, play, go to school and shop without ever having to venture south of the TCH.

I think I should clarify what I mean by my thesis here.

I have lived in the Kingswood area of Moncton since 1989. There have been many changes in the northwest end during this time. The population in this section of the city has likely trebled in the last 20 years. When I first moved here, the northwest end was mostly a group of disconnected subdivisions, and to get from one house to another, you frequently had to deke out onto Mountain Road. Over time, the subdivisions grew together and a network of interconnecting neighbourhood streets developed, giving the area a sense of community. This sense of community strengthened with the establishment of Evergreen Park School, and more recently with Northrup Frye School.

At the same time, commercial growth along the western portion of Mountain Road also made a difference in the feel of the neighbourhood. When we first moved here, it seemed we were always going over to Champlain Place or Highfield Square. Now, with Wheeler Park and the commercial corridor on Mountain Road, we don't go cross town nearly so much.

At the same time, traffic congestion on Mountain Road became oppressive during rush hour. Thankfully, as the subdivisions deepened and became interconnected, other commuting options came into play. In particular, once Evergreen connected through to Ryan Street, and they built the roundabout and upgraded Horsman Road, it opened up a whole new series of travel options. I find that if I am going downtown, I will usually take Horsman to Berry Mills to Millenium. If I am going to BMHS, I will turn off Berry Mills and cut through the industrial park. I only routinely take Mountain Road if I am going to work or going shopping. Since most of my shopping is local, it's become apparent to me that aside from work, I am living most of my life outside of the Wheeler ring road.

I guess my point is that things change over time. I can see the same thing happening in the areas north of the TCH eventually as well. As the subdivisions become interconnected and as local shopping, cultural and educational options develop in the neighbourhood, then people will become more insular. You see this in larger cities all the time. Even in Halifax, there are people who virtually never venture over the bridge into Dartmouth. Why should they if everything that they need is in their own neighbourhood......

Four lane divided highways serve as natural barriers between neighbourhoods, in just the same way as a river does. The only way across a river is via the bridge. Similarly, the only way across the freeway is the interchange. Wheeler Blvd divided the northwest end from Moncton West. The TCH will be a similar barrier between the northwest end and Magnetic Hill.

In 20 years time, Magnetic Hill will be an entirely new section of the city, extending north of the TCH all the way from Mountain and Gorge Roads (and I predict also to Mapleton). It will have it's own schools and shopping district and will have it's own recreational and cultural options as well as a university. It will be a complete community in it's own right.

This new section of Moncton will grow, develop and become semi-autonomous just like the northwest end has since I moved here 20 years ago.

[MonctonRad]

And one other thing.....

For what it's worth, there was a provincial survey team out on Berry Mills Road between Horsman and Edinburgh this morning making all sorts of measurements.

I wonder if something could be afoot for the next road construction season! :D

[macas539]

And one other thing.....

For what it's worth, there was a provincial survey team out on Berry Mills Road between Horsman and Edinburgh this morning making all sorts of measurements.

I wonder if something could be afoot for the next road construction season! :D

I can only hope something is being planned there! Reading that just brightened my day a little.

[mylesmalley]

Probably going to narrow it to 1 suicide-lane to add bike paths on either side. :haha:

[C_Boy]

With the new developments at Magnetic Hill and the new road being put in, this could improve flow and options for the concert site...:yes:

[macas539]

Probably going to narrow it to 1 suicide-lane to add bike paths on either side. :haha:

You might be kidding but if the city did do something like that it's sad to say I wouldn't be the least bit surprised. After the whole Shediac and Salisbury Rd fiasco over the summer nothing about road planning (or the lack thereof) in this city would shock me.

[MonctonRad]

Some colour for the page.....

A few pics from around Assomption Blvd today.

http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z411/MonctonRad/Snapbucket/Moncton%20Construction%202011/e6e200c9.jpg

http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z411/MonctonRad/Snapbucket/Moncton%20Construction%202011/13e81138.jpg

http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z411/MonctonRad/Snapbucket/Moncton%20Construction%202011/efadc3ff.jpg

[MonctonRad]

Abridged from today's T&T

UdeM expanding medical training centre
Published Friday November 18th, 2011

$7-million facility to be completed next August
By Aloma Jardine
Times & Transcript Staff

Med students at the Centre de formation médicale at Université de Moncton will step into a brand new building when they return to their studies next fall.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=717279&size=600x0

The university held an official ceremony yesterday to mark the construction of an 18,000 square foot (1,675 square metre) addition to the Pavillon J.-Raymond-Frenette, the one building on campus located on the north side of Morton Avenue. Work on the addition began in July and is expected to be completed by August 2012, in time for students to begin using it during the next school year.

The addition will include study space for students, offices, research and laboratory space and an amphitheatre and will double the amount of space available for the medical school.

The $7-million facility was funded by the province.

UdeM president Yvon Fontaine says the new space is badly needed.

"In terms of our ambition, we were never modest, but we started in terms of our infrastructure, very modestly," he says. "The building that is being used for the program now was an existing building, we kind of recycled it, and it was a small building not built for that purpose. It served us well, but we knew right from the start that eventually we would have to expand."

The students have very limited study space in the current set up and there is no amphitheatre where all students can attend a lecture or presentation simultaneously.

Fontaine says they were able to work with the limited space in the early years of the program because they did not have their full complement of students. The program, which began in 2006, accepts 24 students each year. Now that the full 96 students are at the school, space has become more of an issue.

Dr. Aurel Schofield is the director of the Centre de formation médicale and the associate dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Université de Sherbrooke.

He says the school has seen much development over the past five years, including increased research

Post-secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Martine Coulombe says with this building all the pieces are in place to assure the future of the study of medicine in French in New Brunswick.

She says the province also wants to support and encourage research in the province in all disciplines.

"Education is at the root of economic development in the province," she says. "With infrastructure like this, that meets the needs of the training centre and is more comfortable for students, it will offer a chance to help increase research in the province, which I believe is necessary."

Fontaine is hoping the new facility will help the university in that respect.

"This also is a springboard for us to grow our research capacity in the health sector," he says. "We want to step to another level in terms of research in the biomedical area."

He expects UdeM to be at the heart of the province's push for more health research.

"I think this university, the potential to grow its research in the next five to 10 years, I think on the health side is very promising," he says.

Personal note - medical education in Moncton has come a long way in a short time.

The U de M program has 96 undergraduate medical students. I am not sure how many post graduate family practice and specialty residents are at the Dumont at any one time, but I would hazard a guess at about 16-20. On the anglophone side, there has been a family practice residency program at the Moncton Hospital for some time, with a total of 12 residents in the program. The Moncton Hospital will also be a base for third and fourth year medical students out of the medical school program at UNBSJ. I think we will have about 16 third and fourth year medical students at the Moncton Hospital. When you throw in elective medical students and specialty residents, I expect that there will be about 32-36 medical students and residents based at the Moncton Hospital at any one time as well.

So, when you total up the francophone and anglophone sides, there should be in the vicinity of 150-160 medical students and residents based in Moncton. :tup:

One thing that is screwy about the medical school building at U de M is that it is at the exact opposite side of the campus from the Dumont Hospital, and if anything, is almost closer to the Moncton Hospital!.

[mylesmalley]

I hadn't thought of that. If they'd built it closer to Lafrance residence, you would have been within easy walking distance of the Dumont.

[flyer99]

Morning.

Any idea what the construction is in Moncton behind the YMCA on Flanders Court? It's sure been busy with ground work the past week.

[MonctonRad]

Morning.

Any idea what the construction is in Moncton behind the YMCA on Flanders Court? It's sure been busy with ground work the past week.

Greetings and welcome to the forums flyer99!! :tup:

There was a variance request for that lot to allow for the construction of an "educational building" which was approved by GMPDC. Since I had no further information regarding this project, I decided not to post anything about it.

Does anybody else have any information on this?

[mmmatt]

Couple notes:

1. Welcome to the forum flyer99! I noticed that lot the other day but I dont know anything about it more than what MonctonRad mentioned...it looks like a fairly large lot, so lets hope for info soon!

2. Work has started on a lot on Carson Dr. (behind Rallye Hyundai) and according to this: http://www.gmpdc.ca/webcura/files/790.pdf... I gather it will be at least two residential buildings built by Sira (they own Mapleton Village and Chateau Mapleton behind Future Shop).

3. Just wanted to mention that there is some renovation work going on in the "mid-mountain rd" area. The small "Econo Rental" building on the corner of Vaughn Harvey and Mountain, and the "Bennys" convenience store a bit further up. These (along with the recently renovated "Viet Bistro") Were what I felt to be the ugliest properties in the area, and I am VERY happy to see them get a facelift of any kind! :) While it is nice to have new buildings popping up all the time, I hate it when the old ones are neglected to this point.

[BlackYear]

Anyone know what's going up at the corner of Mt-Rd & Oakland, across from Sun Sun? I don't recall seeing any business names being tossed around on here.

The foundation is poured and the footprint looks kinda small.

[MonctonRad]

from today's T&T

Moncton's tourism numbers 'remarkable'
Published Tuesday November 22nd, 2011

Industry analyst says Moncton's room rentals best in eastern Canada
BY BRENT MAZEROLLE
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

The first meeting of Moncton city council since the death of Ian Fowler began with a moment of silence in honour of a city hall employee whose impact on the city has been so large, people are still bringing up contributions that somehow got missed in all the tributes heard since Fowler died two weeks ago.

But despite the touching gesture and the warm words of councillors last night, the real tribute came much later in the meeting, when a tourism industry consultant named Rod Cunningham gave a report that proved a dramatic vindication of much of what the city's late general manager of economic development, tourism and culture did in his decades of service to the city.

"Moncton has certainly led the Maritimes (in hotel room sales) over the past decade," Cunningham said as he delivered his annual report to council, something he's been doing since N.B.'s three largest cities first hired him to measure their tourism achievement back in 2002.

"Moncton's performance in 2010 was simply remarkable. I just couldn't believe it," he said, explaining to council that "no city from the Manitoba border to eastern Newfoundland compared."

Despite a lingering recession, Moncton managed to pick up 47,900 extra room night sales in 2010 - that's 10,000 more nights than Quebec City, the only eastern Canadian centre to come even close at increasing its overnight stays.

To put Metro Moncton's accomplishment into an even better context, Cunningham explained that the greater Quebec City area has more hotel rooms than all of New Brunswick combined.

He identified what he though were the reasons for our community's success, listing five. "The city understands the business. It is creative. It takes risks. It does things right. It invests the money."

Councillor Paulette Thériault pointed out "the city" could have easily been replaced with one man's name in that list. "I do believe there is someone who isn't with us who's contributed to so much of this - our colleague Ian Fowler."

To that, Cunningham quietly noted it was Fowler who was instrumental in convincing his counterparts in Saint John and Fredericton nine years ago to seek a consultant who could use the same methodology to measure their successes and failures and give them feedback.

Cunningham also noted that while most cities pursue tourism in three segments - summer tourists, the travel trade, and conventions - Moncton pursues 12, which besides the above three he counted as sporting events, escape weekends, the casino, attractions, tournaments, festivals, shopping, concerts, and trade shows. While Fowler's hand isn't really visible in the casino or necessarily visible in the area's success as a retail and escape weekend destination, he was closely involved with all the others, in fact pioneering the idea that sports tourism could be a key segment of a region's tourist revenues.

On the matter of shopping, despite growing competition from other New Brunswick centres now offering more shopping options, "you still are the shopping destination in the province," Cunningham told council.

In fact, while room night rentals is a valuable indicator for the sort of market research Cunningham and his associates do, he noted room rentals only represent 15 per cent of tourist spending in the city. A full 51 per cent of the money spent by visitors goes 26 per cent toward restaurants, bars and entertainment and 25 per cent towards shopping. Fuel sales and transportation fares make up the rest of the spending, each accounting for 17 per cent of all tourist dollars spent in Metro Moncton.

personal note - this would appear to bode well for the future of the hospitality industry in the city and one wonders if there will not be further hotel construction in the city based on this outstanding performance. :tup:

One thing I have always wondered is why there is not a hotel near the CN Sportsplex/4-Ice Centre. In particular, the northwest corner of Vaughan Harvey/Millenium across from the new YMCA would make an excellent location for a hotel if you ask me....

[mylesmalley]

There was indeed talk of a hotel going at that very intersection back when the new Y was built. I guess nothing ever came of it. You're absolutely right though. A hotel there would be a quick trip to both the Commons, 4-Ice Centre and the Coliseum/Agrena. I expect hotels are a lot like gas stations though, in that they tend to cluster around one another.

[Nashe]

Deleted, meant to put it in the CFL thread.

[mmmatt]

Anyone know what's going up at the corner of Mt-Rd & Oakland, across from Sun Sun? I don't recall seeing any business names being tossed around on here.

The foundation is poured and the footprint looks kinda small.

I've mentioned it a couple of times as the "Moncton Flatiron" project...just because of the sharp triangular shape of the lot. MonctonRad and I have guessed it will be a drive-thru coffee shop of some sort (Second Cup or Starbucks hopefully) but I haven't seen anything official about the site yet.

There was indeed talk of a hotel going at that very intersection back when the new Y was built. I guess nothing ever came of it. You're absolutely right though. A hotel there would be a quick trip to both the Commons, 4-Ice Centre and the Coliseum/Agrena. I expect hotels are a lot like gas stations though, in that they tend to cluster around one another.

That was around the time that there was a mini-boom of hotel construction in the city...Marriott, the Casino, Motel 6, Hampton Inn etc all sprung up within a matter of 2 years...The addition of 500 or so hotel rooms so quickly in a city our size is tough to absorb, I forsee there will be more hotel construction to come but only after a couple more years of "absorption".

[MonctonRad]

Anyone know what's going up at the corner of Mt-Rd & Oakland, across from Sun Sun? I don't recall seeing any business names being tossed around on here.

The foundation is poured and the footprint looks kinda small.

The footprint is small, and it sort of reminds me of the new Second Cup further out Mountain Rd. Both mmmatt and I have speculated that this might be another coffee shop but we don't have any inside information.

Edit - mmmatt beat me to it by one minute! :)

[mmmatt]

haha I win! :P

[SeBo]

The new building coming up behind the Y is Oulton's college new campus. They will be moving out their building behind main before September 2012:yes:

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

Thanks for the info SeBo and welcome to the forums! :tup:

Well, this fits with the GMPDC information about this being an "educational building". It's good to see Oulton's getting a new building. This location next to the YMCA should be very attractive for them.

This will free up some prime development land along Assomption Blvd. There was some talk the other year about a large condo project on Assomption - I wonder if this could be related?

[bam63]

The footprint is small, and it sort of reminds me of the new Second Cup further out Mountain Rd. Both mmmatt and I have speculated that this might be another coffee shop but we don't have any inside information.

Edit - mmmatt beat me to it by one minute! :)

Its a Petro Lube..from what I understand its similiar to a Mr Lube. One of the first in the Maritimes.

[mylesmalley]

Isn't Oulton's current building only a couple of years old?

[NBNYer]

Isn't Oulton's current building only a couple of years old?

that might lend credence to MonctonRad's theory that they may have been bought out for something else.

Anyways, with the realignment of Assumption, they had their back up the the street front, kind of an eyesore for such a prominent location if you ask me.

[mylesmalley]

Too bad they're moving from downtown though.

[C_Boy]

Codiac Transpo adds buses


Cathy LeBreton - StaffNov 22, 2011 17:17:12 PM

MONCTON, N.B. - Codiac Transpo is getting some new rides.

Senior Transit Planner Marie-Claire Pierce says the City of Moncton has approved the purchase of five additional buses, two brand-new demo models and three used buses.

The new buses come from Montreal, which recently upgraded its entire fleet.

Pierce says the new buses have low floors and ramps, and will likely be added to the routes most often used by seniors.

The Town of Riverview has also purchased one of the accessible buses to replace one that is worn out.


Recently we were talking about the ugly colours of Codiac Transit but the new Codiac Tranpo logo is different and the accordion bus matches the logo... Looks like they have finally got rid of the ugliness! :banana::D
http://www.iWebPhoto.com/iWebPhoto_free_upload_photo/222599/Album1/Codiac.jpg

[Sushi Guy]

The Valmond Robichaud "condo project " is finally starting to go up. However, I am surprised that the first floor is in 2x4 and plywood!?:???:! I doubt that it can support more that 3-4 floors. I thought that the original plans were 2 buildings, 6 to 7 floors high??

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

Still supposed to be two buildings as far as I know, but they are only working on one building at present. It has been suspected for some time that the project has been scaled back, but I was hopeful that it would still be a high quality project. It might still be - they certainly spent enough time on the underground parking.....

[Lrdevlop]

From today's T&T (http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/news/article/14582180)

Plan Moncton seeks to map city's future
Published Wednesday November 23rd, 2011


Update provided on project which is aimed to help develop a new municipal plan
A7
by cole hobson
Times & Transcript Staff


With the help of public consultation and feedback, the Plan Moncton committee has adopted five key themes to help guide the city's future development.


Bill Budd, executive director of the Greater Moncton Planning District Commission, explains a zoning map to some citizens following the Plan Moncton session on Tuesday at Moncton City Hall.
Plan Moncton is a public-consultation process aimed at developing a municipal plan and zoning update, in mapping out a long-term vision for the city and guides as to how and where development will take place in the future.

Over the past six months, the committee has been reviewing existing municipal plan policies, studying recently approved plans by city council and exploring new ways of addressing the priorities expressed by the community earlier this year. The public consultation process saw over 700 participants submit thousands of ideas.

"Your ideas varied between colourful and attainable, wild and realistic, caring and exciting," city councillor and Plan Moncton chair Merrill Henderson said to the group of citizens gathered at City Hall yesterday for an update on the project.

The five key themes of the Plan Moncton exercise, that will form the basis of a new municipal plan, are: Embrace Nature, Complete Streets, Complete Neighbourhoods, Balanced Density and Downtown.

Ginny Cosgrove, a senior planner with GMPDC, outlined each of those themes yesterday.

For Embrace Nature - which deals with such items as watershed protection, urban forests, climate change and parks - Cosgrove said implementation of the city's recently-adopted Parks Master Plan will be key. She also noted that the city's Integrated Community Sustainability Plan identifies a number of ways to help green the city.

"We want to create a more sustainable city, one that is more walkable and transit-oriented and where people can meet more of their needs closer to home," she said.

Cosgrove highlighted the importance of the complete streets concept, which consists of avenues that "cater to everyone, to walkers, to cyclists, folks taking the bus and those who are driving." She said the city is soon going to be developing a new Sustainable Transportation Plan, which will allow the city to address many of the concerns expressed by residents.

Further to the concept of complete streets, Cosgrove also touched on the complete neighbourhoods concept, which would allow citizens to meet most of their daily needs close to home. "We heard from seniors in this process, about a real desire to be able to stay in the neighbourhood, to age in place and have the supports in the neighbourhood to help ... Having the right kind of housing, having the right kind of care and not being isolated," she said.

The balanced density theme focused on population growth, density, urban/rural boundaries and infrastructure. Cosgrove said Moncton's population is expected to grow by 19,000 people over the next 25 years and that there is sufficient land within the existing urban boundary to accommodate that growth. She said the focus for the future will be on ensuring density targets are at sufficient levels, with residential development downtown being a key goal and driver.

That also touched on the final Plan Moncton theme, which is downtown and, in particular, getting more density and growth in the city's core.

Of course, the often-mentioned downtown Metro centre could be key to the city's development and growth and when the floor was opened to questions, the executive director of the Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce wanted to know where that project fit into the Plan Moncton initiative.

"We've been talking about the multi-functional centre and we still hear about it, we still hear talk about it, but yet it's always in the talk, but nothing yet is happening," said Nancy Whipp.

Kevin Silliker, the City of Moncton's business development officer, provided an update.

"The City of Moncton has prepared a business plan. We've been working with the federal government, and the agency (Public-Private Partnerships Canada) for over a year now in creating the business plan. We've also been working with the province of New Brunswick and also partners in the project such as the local hotel association, as well as downtown Moncton," he said.

"We've submitted our business plan to the province and also the federal government and that is essentially what we're waiting for, a response on details from the federal government on whether they are going to support the project. The City of Moncton, our job is done. It's complete at this time."

Bill Budd, executive director of the GMPDC, provided an update on the zoning by-law review. He said they have been reviewing their zones in order to make a simpler and more efficient system that will help support Plan Moncton's overarching goal of promoting more growth in the city.

"We're hoping as a committee to review all the feedback and be in a position early in the new year to present a new plan and zoning by-law to city council," he said.

Moncton resident Jeff Arsenault also rose to the mic yesterday to question what the city plans to do to bring more affordable and quality housing into the downtown.

"I think you could do all the things that are in everybody's dreams and nothing is going to happen until there is a really good residential downtown," he said.

Budd countered that the city has been on the right track in that respect and simply needs to stay the course.

"In terms of municipal, we're trying to target I think 80 to 100 residential units each year into the downtown. When we look at what the commission and city have been working with over the last year or two, we're starting to see real progress in attracting new development, which will bring more people and which will help support a more revitalized and vibrant downtown," he said.

As part of yesterday's exercise, citizens were also asked to fill out a survey, saying if they liked or didn't like various ideas presented by the committee. The survey is not yet available online, but will be available for those who attend the next Plan Moncton consultation, which takes place tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. at city hall.

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

Cosgrove said Moncton's population is expected to grow by 19,000 people over the next 25 years and that there is sufficient land within the existing urban boundary to accommodate that growth.

I'm sure this growth rate of 19,000 over the next 25 years refers only to the city proper. If you throw in Dieppe (as well as Riverview and surrounding unincorporated areas of the CMA), I would imagine the population growth estimate would be more like 35-40,000. This would bring the Moncton CMA to about 170-180,000 by 2035.

[mmmatt]

Its a Petro Lube..from what I understand its similiar to a Mr Lube. One of the first in the Maritimes.

oh yes you mean Pro Oil...http://www.prooil.ca/...they list Moncton as a new expansion. They just built one in Charlottetown, they look really nice actually! They are mainly in the Toronto area now...this will be their 2nd location in Atlantic Canada. Thanks for the heads up bam!

[mmmatt]

The Valmond Robichaud "condo project " is finally starting to go up. However, I am surprised that the first floor is in 2x4 and plywood!?:???:! I doubt that it can support more that 3-4 floors. I thought that the original plans were 2 buildings, 6 to 7 floors high??

Ya I saw that too, kind of disappointing, however Bella Casa is 5 floor wood construction, so there is hope yet!

[MonctonRad]

Abridged from today's T&T

EGM Launches New 5 Year Strategy


Community leaders say EGM's work complements what each municipality does
By Eric Lewis
Times & Transcript Staff

Representatives from the three communities that make up Metro Moncton applauded the release of Enterprise Greater Moncton's five-year economic development strategy yesterday saying that the plan complements what each municipality is already doing on their

Moncton's Deputy Mayor Kathryn Barnes said she is confident that the plan "charts the right course for Greater Moncton," and her words were echoed by the mayors of Riverview and Dieppe.

"Greater Moncton continues to be at its best when the community unites to work toward a common vision," Edmond Koch, chair of EGM's board of directors, said during a press conference announcing the strategy.

The five-year plan was created through consultations with each of the three municipalities that fund it, business leaders and academics.

There are five objectives: ensuring Metro Moncton has the labour capacity to support economic growth, supporting and promoting regional growth, ensuring the area remains a top place to do business, increasing competitiveness through improvement and innovation and focusing on developing key sectors.

John Thompson, CEO of Enterprise Greater Moncton, said many factors make Metro Moncton the "economic engine of the province." He cited the area's population growth, said more than 8,500 new jobs had been created in the last five years in the area and noted that the region serves as a major cargo hub with an international airport.

Thompson said the population of southeast New Brunswick is expected to continue to grow over the next several years.

"Within the next five years, we'd like to see another 8,000 to 10,000 jobs added to our economy," Thompson said. "With the sectors we've identified, the health and science sector, that's an area we feel there's opportunity for growth. We also see there's an opportunity for growth if you look at the retail sector."

Asked for an example of what EGM is doing to achieve its goals, Thompson noted that the agency has been creating links between Metro and the Korean and Vietnamese communities in Toronto. Job fairs are planned for those communities in the coming months.

Ben Champoux, Moncton's director of community business development, said the key to Metro Moncton's success has been the continued co-operation between the three communities.

Asked if anything in particular stands out in EGM's new five-year plan, Champoux said the fact that it is focused on bringing people to the market is key.

"We've talked about businesses, but I think we've reached a point in our history where it has to be about people as much as about businesses," he said.

"The game is all about people, and if you do get people, you will get businesses."

Enterprise Greater Moncton also launched a new initiative yesterday aimed at fostering more innovation in the regions small and medium-sized businesses.

The Innovative50 program will see the agency work with 50 local companies to support them in the productivity and innovation efforts over the next five years.

He said EGM is presently working on developing the list of companies to be included in the project.

[MonctonRad]

abridged from today's T&T
http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/news/article/1459136

(Petitcodiac) River report lists changes
Published Saturday November 26th, 2011

Petitcodiac River has undergone major changes since opening of causeway gates, says report
By Aloma Jardine
Times & Transcript Staff

The first official report looking at the impact of opening the Petitcodiac River causeway gates is now complete.

The Times & Transcript has obtained a copy of the executive summary of the report submitted to the Department of Supply and Services by AMEC Environment and Infrastructure.

The 18-page report outlines the changes to the river itself, but also looks at the impacts on tourism, fisheries, archeological sites along the river, water quality, and how well erosion protection is working.

With the gates open, the tide now flows all the way to Salisbury.

Anyone who has been watching the changes can tell you that in the Moncton and Dieppe areas, the river widened visibly and rapidly in the first few months after the gates were opened, something the report backs up. Although that widening continues, the report says it appears to be slowing. It says the river widened the most in the area from Dieppe to Saint-Anselme.

The report found there have been major physical changes to the river both up and downstream from the causeway.

The river has gotten significantly deeper downstream, with the riverbed about three metres (10 feet) lower at a point about halfway between the causeway and the Gunningsville Bridge. Just past Hall's Creek, about five kilometres (three miles) downstream, the channel bed has eroded about four metres (13 feet), though it has not really widened any.

The biggest changes came a little further downstream in the Chartersville area, where the riverbed is six metres (20 feet) lower than it was before the gates were opened and the deepest portion of the channel moved about 150 metres (490 feet) toward the left bank, looking upstream. The left bank itself has also moved by about 40 metres (130 feet).

The opposite has been happening upstream.

About a kilometre (0.6 mile) from the causeway there has been significant change to the channel near the left bank, with the riverbed elevation increasing 1.5 metres (five feet) as of June 2010. On the right side, the report estimates one to two metres (6.5 feet) of sediment had built up by September 2010. The same was true of a point about six kilometres (3.7 miles) above the causeway and at about 15 kilometres (nine miles) upstream, two to three metres (6.5 to 10 feet) of sediment were recorded, though by November 2010 about half of that had eroded away.

The mudflats (upstream of the causeway) have also built up significantly, from about 3.5 metres (11 feet) before the gates opened to about six metres (20 feet) by the spring of 2011.

Mud initially also built up near the former railway bridge in Salisbury, but most of it had eroded by December 2010.

The report estimates that between May 2009 and September 2010, a total of 4.8 million cubic metres of sediment was deposited upriver from the causeway, but about 1.4 million cubic metres of that had eroded back out by November 2010.

Some buildup is also occurring further downstream, near Hopewell Cape, where one to two metres (three to 6.5 feet) of sediment was deposited by November 2010 on one side of the river, while the other side saw 0.5 to one metre (1.5 to three feet) of erosion. The report says a mid-channel bar may be forming there.

There was buildup of up to one metre (three feet) as much as 42.8 kilometres (26.6 miles) downriver from the causeway, but there were no changes noted from Cape Enrage through to Alma.

Overall, the report says between November 2009 and November 2010 about 19.3 million cubic metres of sediment were washed out of the section of river between the causeway and Hopewell Cape. Little change was detected below Hopewell Cape.

The erosion protection put in place was found to be working as hoped, with only some minor issues arising such as rip rap material shifting. The dykes and aboiteaux also appear to be functioning properly, the report says.

Personal note - this report affirms my prediction of what would happen once the gates were opened. There is now silt being deposited upstream with each incoming high tide and this will ultimately completely extirpate the original headpond. What will be left will be a narrow (but healthy) river channel bounded by extensive marshlands. The river upstream will therefore ultimately resemble the river downstream.

Now, I'm not saying that this is a bad thing, and in fact I enjoy the walking trails along the marshlands below the causeway. This also makes a great urban wildlife habitat. The issue for the future should be just how wide a river channel we want. If we are happy with the river at it's present width, then the causeway can stay as it is. If we would like a wider river then a partial bridge should be built. The decision to do this though needs to be taken in the next couple of years. After that, the mudflats in the former headpond will be covered in marsh grass and the river channel thus stabilized, meaning that it would be very difficult for the channel to widen without significant dredging.

Maybe we should just leave things alone.... What do people think?

[MonctonRad]

Codiac Transpo adds buses
Recently we were talking about the ugly colours of Codiac Transit but the new Codiac Tranpo logo is different and the accordion bus matches the logo... Looks like they have finally got rid of the ugliness! :banana::D
http://www.iWebPhoto.com/iWebPhoto_free_upload_photo/222599/Album1/Codiac.jpg

Found a couple of photos of the new articulated bus with the updated Codiac Transpo colours and logo.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6180/6178367234_84017a1f79_z.jpg

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6168/6177845007_979a6f2138_z.jpg
photos by JarvisEye on Flickr

[bobcage]

abridged from today's T&T
http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/news/article/1459136

(Petitcodiac) River report lists changes
Published Saturday November 26th, 2011

Petitcodiac River has undergone major changes since opening of causeway gates, says report
By Aloma Jardine
Times & Transcript Staff

The first official report looking at the impact of opening the Petitcodiac River causeway gates is now complete.

The Times & Transcript has obtained a copy of the executive summary of the report submitted to the Department of Supply and Services by AMEC Environment and Infrastructure.

The 18-page report outlines the changes to the river itself, but also looks at the impacts on tourism, fisheries, archeological sites along the river, water quality, and how well erosion protection is working.

With the gates open, the tide now flows all the way to Salisbury.

Anyone who has been watching the changes can tell you that in the Moncton and Dieppe areas, the river widened visibly and rapidly in the first few months after the gates were opened, something the report backs up. Although that widening continues, the report says it appears to be slowing. It says the river widened the most in the area from Dieppe to Saint-Anselme.

The report found there have been major physical changes to the river both up and downstream from the causeway.

The river has gotten significantly deeper downstream, with the riverbed about three metres (10 feet) lower at a point about halfway between the causeway and the Gunningsville Bridge. Just past Hall's Creek, about five kilometres (three miles) downstream, the channel bed has eroded about four metres (13 feet), though it has not really widened any.

The biggest changes came a little further downstream in the Chartersville area, where the riverbed is six metres (20 feet) lower than it was before the gates were opened and the deepest portion of the channel moved about 150 metres (490 feet) toward the left bank, looking upstream. The left bank itself has also moved by about 40 metres (130 feet).

The opposite has been happening upstream.

About a kilometre (0.6 mile) from the causeway there has been significant change to the channel near the left bank, with the riverbed elevation increasing 1.5 metres (five feet) as of June 2010. On the right side, the report estimates one to two metres (6.5 feet) of sediment had built up by September 2010. The same was true of a point about six kilometres (3.7 miles) above the causeway and at about 15 kilometres (nine miles) upstream, two to three metres (6.5 to 10 feet) of sediment were recorded, though by November 2010 about half of that had eroded away.

The mudflats (upstream of the causeway) have also built up significantly, from about 3.5 metres (11 feet) before the gates opened to about six metres (20 feet) by the spring of 2011.

Mud initially also built up near the former railway bridge in Salisbury, but most of it had eroded by December 2010.

The report estimates that between May 2009 and September 2010, a total of 4.8 million cubic metres of sediment was deposited upriver from the causeway, but about 1.4 million cubic metres of that had eroded back out by November 2010.

Some buildup is also occurring further downstream, near Hopewell Cape, where one to two metres (three to 6.5 feet) of sediment was deposited by November 2010 on one side of the river, while the other side saw 0.5 to one metre (1.5 to three feet) of erosion. The report says a mid-channel bar may be forming there.

There was buildup of up to one metre (three feet) as much as 42.8 kilometres (26.6 miles) downriver from the causeway, but there were no changes noted from Cape Enrage through to Alma.

Overall, the report says between November 2009 and November 2010 about 19.3 million cubic metres of sediment were washed out of the section of river between the causeway and Hopewell Cape. Little change was detected below Hopewell Cape.

The erosion protection put in place was found to be working as hoped, with only some minor issues arising such as rip rap material shifting. The dykes and aboiteaux also appear to be functioning properly, the report says.

Personal note - this report affirms my prediction of what would happen once the gates were opened. There is now silt being deposited upstream with each incoming high tide and this will ultimately completely extirpate the original headpond. What will be left will be a narrow (but healthy) river channel bounded by extensive marshlands. The river upstream will therefore ultimately resemble the river downstream.

Now, I'm not saying that this is a bad thing, and in fact I enjoy the walking trails along the marshlands below the causeway. This also makes a great urban wildlife habitat. The issue for the future should be just how wide a river channel we want. If we are happy with the river at it's present width, then the causeway can stay as it is. If we would like a wider river then a partial bridge should be built. The decision to do this though needs to be taken in the next couple of years. After that, the mudflats in the former headpond will be covered in marsh grass and the river channel thus stabilized, meaning that it would be very difficult for the channel to widen without significant dredging.

Maybe we should just leave things alone.... What do people think?

"each incoming high tide and this will ultimately completely extirpate the original headpond"
"mudflats in the former headpond will be covered in marsh grass and the river channel thus stabilized"

The silt buildup upstream has stopped to a crawl and it's actually slowly erroding again in certain areas - the buildup happen quickly with each incoming tides during the first year the causeway opened....but not so much anymore.

A bridge needs to be build so the channel is wider and everything will eventually wash back out downstream.

If new marshes appears upstream, it will be no match to the Petitcodiac's tidal power if a wider channel is build, it will wash right back out -- just look downstream where new marshes have been growing for the past 40 years and it's being washed out easily.

I flew over the Petitcodiac river last weekend(upstream portion) and I'm surprise to see that the "former" headpond was not that big! The former lake quickly narrows to a small river just a couple Kilometers after the gates.

I was shocked too see the river deepened by as much as 20 feet in chartersville/dieppe area. That is simply insane to me! 20 feet!! holly crap :-)

[bobcage]

"each incoming high tide and this will ultimately completely extirpate the original headpond"
"mudflats in the former headpond will be covered in marsh grass and the river channel thus stabilized"

The silt buildup upstream has stopped to a crawl and it's actually slowly erroding again in certain areas - the buildup happen quickly with each incoming tides during the first year the causeway opened....but not so much anymore.

A bridge needs to be build so the channel is wider and everything will eventually wash back out downstream.

If new marshes appears upstream, it will be no match to the Petitcodiac's tidal power if a wider channel is build, it will wash right back out -- just look downstream where new marshes have been growing for the past 40 years and it's being washed out easily.

I flew over the Petitcodiac river last weekend(upstream portion) and I'm surprise to see that the "former" headpond was not that big! The former lake quickly narrows to a small river just a couple Kilometers after the gates.

I was shocked too see the river deepened by as much as 20 feet in chartersville/dieppe area. That is simply insane to me! 20 feet!! holly crap :-)

Oh and new tourist visiting the tidal bore is $$$$ for the city of Moncton.

this could be huge for the city.

[JasonL-Moncton]

Been a long time since we've seen this:

http://youtu.be/2jaT5T7ZGco

J

PS> Still firmly believe it is in the best interest of everything to remove the gates completely and put in a partial bridge and widening the channel further at the current choke point.

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

Oh, in a perfect world I would agree with you absolutely.

A partial bridge though would cost ~$100M and given the current fiscal realities of the province, I imagine that there will be considerable reluctance to do anything about it. Also, Prime Minister Harper has been influenced by the pro-lake faction, so I don't think any federal funds to legitimatize the opening of the barrier gates will be forthcoming either.

We may be stuck with the current situation and a permanently narrowed river channel....

Nice YouTube video of the tidal bore BTW!

[Nashe]

Yes, a lot more impressive than a few years ago!

[BlackYear]

Someone tweeted out this link with some vintage photos of Moncton, including several river pics. Amazing stuff!

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.320154084662535.86745.100000038392960&type=1&l=dddfe5b515

[David_99]

:previous:

Those side by side shots are actually from this very thread.

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

Some of those vintage pictures I have not seen before. Thanks for posting! :)

A couple of Mapleton Road notes:
- has anyone else noticed the avant garde lighting in the lobby of that new medical/dental building next to Future Inn. It's very exotic and eye catching. This will be one of the most interesting commercial buildings in the city.
- they are busy curing the concrete pad of the new Cleve's/Golf Town building in the Mapleton Power Centre. I think the structural steel will be going up soon.

[mmmatt]

^ Nice collection of pics!

A small rant on downtown...in the last few months we have seen a few activities on the central part of Main...We have unfortunately seen the closing of Candy Chameleon, however we have seen the opening of Relish Burgers, the Native Art Gallery, and this week there is a new Tea/Chocolate shop which has opened next to the Garden House Resturant.

So we are 1 down and 3 up as I see it...while this is an improvement, this area is still floundering as far as I can see...and It is my belief that it will remain that way until we see a major "after hours" draw enter the area.

By that I mean the area does well primarily during two times...mon-fri from 9am-5pm...this is due to the employment draw of the area...this is great for restaurants, but not retail stores. The other time the area does well is during Friday and Saturday evening between 10pm-2am primarily due to bar and club activity.

The primary issue (as we are all WELL aware) is the Events Center. This will bring in the Wildcats, the Miricles, along with many concerts and other shows. I would say the Center would be used approx 100 nights of the year (about 1/3 of all nights). That would bring in thousands of people to the downtown area on nights not normally busy for the street.

My prediction (a hopeful one) is that the center will start in 2013 and will be completed by 2015. My belief is that (based on our very positive hotel occupancy rates over the last 10 years) we will see a new downtown hotel development to go along with it.

I also predict that this will lead to increased occupancy on the central part of Main. And (very hopeful now) will lead to the filling in of the vacant lot with plywood fencing!

I know I am repeating myself here but its been a while since it was discussed and I just looked over the citys Capital Budget for 2012 and they mention the center on a full page. They show they are expecting it to cost $104M which is made up $48M from the feds and the province, $2.5M from fundraising, and $53.5M from the city.

link: http://www.moncton.ca/Assets/Government+English/Budget+English/2012+Capital+Budget+Highlights.pdf

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

I firmly believe the 2013-2015 timeline is exactly what the city is looking at.

I think the province is on board for funding of this project. I bekieve the city is also committed. The wild card is the feds, but I think federal money will also be made available, but will be limited to $20M through the public private partner initiative.

Like you, I feel an integrated hotel and small downtown convention facility would be a big boost to the project. The recent hotel occupancy numbers really do help this idea along.

Just how much the events centre actually helps Main Street really depends on where it is located. While I tend to support the Highfield Square site, I do believe that the larger impact on Main Street would come from locating the centre on Assomption Blvd between the new courthouse and the Blue Cross Centre. Any new convention component to the facility couldd then be shared between a new hotel and the Hotel Beausejour.

A true downtown location would also give impetus to replacing the oceans of downtown surface parking with at least 2-3 enclosed multistorey parking structures. We also can't forget the concept of including an integrated downtown transit terminal.

[mmmatt]

:previous:

I firmly believe the 2013-2015 timeline is exactly what the city is looking at.

I think the province is on board for funding of this project. I bekieve the city is also committed. The wild card is the feds, but I think federal money will also be made available, but will be limited to $20M through the public private partner initiative.

Like you, I feel an integrated hotel and small downtown convention facility would be a big boost to the project. The recent hotel occupancy numbers really do help this idea along.

Just how much the events centre actually helps Main Street really depends on where it is located. While I tend to support the Highfield Square site, I do believe that the larger impact on Main Street would come from locating the centre on Assomption Blvd between the new courthouse and the Blue Cross Centre. Any new convention component to the facility couldd then be shared between a new hotel and the Hotel Beausejour.

A true downtown location would also give impetus to replacing the oceans of downtown surface parking with at least 2-3 enclosed multistorey parking structures. We also can't forget the concept of including an integrated downtown transit terminal.

I agree, my ideal location would be between the courthouse and Blue Cross. This would provide the maximum benefit to downtown I believe. For once we would have a full solid block of high density development! It would be the end of that ocean of parking back there, and as you said, would make way for at least 2 large parking structures. I feel like this center could be the catalyst for getting the city used to parking garages. Right now we have one public garage...and most people never use it. The public needs to get used to the idea of parking in a garage, because very soon they will (thankfully) be required for new development downtown.

Dont get me wrong Highfield Square would still be a great location and I think it will likely be the choice in the end...primarily because it would be cheaper and easier...crombie is looking to offload the property and it sits in an ocean of parking. I live very close to Highfield Square, so personally it would be better for me if it was there, but I still feel its 2nd best for the city.

[nwalbert]

:previous:

I think the province is on board for funding of this project.


What gives you that indication? I cant see any money even being discussed during this term which doesn't end until 2015. The province is getting ready to cut provincial pensions, wouldn't it be political suicide to then give out money for a hockey arena?

[mmmatt]

What gives you that indication? I cant see any money even being discussed during this term which doesn't end until 2015. The province is getting ready to cut provincial pensions, wouldn't it be political suicide to then give out money for a hockey arena?

No,

1. there are 200,000 people in Monctons direct catchment area that want this. thats more than 1/4 of the electorate in NB.

2. The previous government and this one both indicated in their platforms they support the arena project.

3. This is much more than a "hockey arena" it is the main attraction in a downtown overhaul.

4. If the Feds, the city, and the fundraisers are all ready to go ahead the province will look pretty foolish if they are the only thing holding it back.

5. The main reason some things just need to be done...its not as though we are just trying to get a new arena for the heck of it...this will be replacing an arena that has LONG outlived its expiration date. The coliseum is very old, and it shows...we have had some blunders recently due to *terrible* climate control (World Curling Champ. ice melting etc). And we have missed out on major events often because of its low ceiling (Cirque, Metallica etc). Just because the province is in a bad way doesn't mean they can stop fixing the roads.

[MonctonRad]

What gives you that indication? I cant see any money even being discussed during this term which doesn't end until 2015. The province is getting ready to cut provincial pensions, wouldn't it be political suicide to then give out money for a hockey arena?

I claim no special inside information, but the city has been working on this file for the last 3-4 years. The province has always seemed supportive. This includes the new Alward administration.

If the feds contribute $20M, this would be on the understanding of matching provincial funding (plus civic and private participation). The province would likely make the investment in order to ensure federal partcipation. That is the way these things usually work.

Plus, this project will be an important piece of civic infrastucture providing significant employment to the construction trades for at least two years. The project can also be viewed as a necessary investment in the city's growing sports and events tourism niche. It's no different than the provincial involvement in the new convention centre that just opened in Fredericton.

This is an investment that will produce economic growth and will lead to improved tax revenues to the province. This is why the province will want to get involved.

Capital dollars are always seperated from operational funding in any budgetary analysis. In general, salaries (and certainly pensions) are considered liabilities. I'm sure that trimming a bloated civil service and seeking relief from pension liabilities will still carry on while at the same time the province invests in needed infrastructure.

[MonctonRad]

I see that mmmatt and I said much the same thing in our responses to nwalbert:haha:

In other news:

- I dropped into the new Toys R Us Express on Mountain Road and I was pretty impressed by the quality of the stock that they were carrying. I talked to one of the employees there and he confirmed that it is a "trial" location set up for the holiday season. If the store does well however, he said that the location would be made permanent. He said that they got off to a slow start, but now that people know that they are there, that business has been quite good recently. They have exceeded their sales targets on most days for the last two weeks and he seemed hopeful for the future of the location.

- I also see that Bella Casa 2 in Riverview is coming along like gangbusters. The footprint is the same as Bella Casa 1 and the roof trusses are now being installed. It makes a significant addition to the Riverview skyline.

- If I was to guess, I would say that the Valmond condo project on Dominion might end up looking a lot like Bella Casa.

[nwalbert]

If the feds contribute $20M, this would be on the understanding of matching provincial funding (plus civic and private participation). The province would likely make the investment in order to ensure federal partcipation. That is the way these things usually work.


The Feds contributing at this time is a pretty significant IF. Harper has been pretty clear on his feelings on supporting Arena's.


Plus, this project will be an important piece of civic infrastucture providing significant employment to the construction trades for at least two years. The project can also be viewed as a necessary investment in the city's growing sports and events tourism niche. It's no different than the provincial involvement in the new convention centre that just opened in Fredericton.

This is an investment that will produce economic growth and will lead to improved tax revenues to the province. This is why the province will want to get involved.


Interesting point, but should the provincial government be responsible for providing economic activity? Shouldn't that come from Private enterprise? One could debate this for years. :)


Capital dollars are always seperated from operational funding in any budgetary analysis. In general, salaries (and certainly pensions) are considered liabilities. I'm sure that trimming a bloated civil service and seeking relief from pension liabilities will still carry on while at the same time the province invests in needed infrastructure.

I understand budgets very well, but perception is reality unfortunately. A provincial employee or the family of one who loses their pension is not going to be happy to see money going towards a new hockey arena anyway you put it.

Don't get me wrong, I think Moncton will get a new events center, I just don't suspect the project will get any commitment until the next provincial election. Then 1-2 years after that the federal government will come on board. This may be a blessing cause by that time you will need a bigger arena and may have some private capital to go with it.

[mmmatt]

Also of note, I was on St. George today and I noticed the former Westley United Church on the corner of St. George and Cameron has been sold. So hopefully we will see some sort of fruitful development transpire! There is another old church nearby which became the home of DancEast school a while back.

The sold building I am speaking of is this one:

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/1218/westlychurch.jpg
source: google maps (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=moncton&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&sa=N&tab=wl)

[mmmatt]

The Feds contributing at this time is a pretty significant IF. Harper has been pretty clear on his feelings on supporting Arena's.





Point taken...however Harper was mainly concerned with supporting professional sports arenas like one in Quebec city aka for an NHL team. In Moncton its a bit of a different situation, we have the Miracles yes, but really its an amateur league in which the players make a bit of money...its FAR from the $$$ made by an average NHL franchise.

I, like you, am concerned with the provincial financial situation, and I'll admit it worries me RE: the center. That said I have watched city council meetings and every time its brought up they are very optimistic about it, so I am as well. Like I said this is necessary infrastructure. It will be used heavily and will bring in lots of $$ for the next 30+ years. I hope the province will look past their current issues which will be very distant memories by the time the new centers lifespan is complete.

[Mattyyy]

Hi all, first time post. I likely won't post often, but enjoy reading your updates on the city!

On the topic of the events center, I just came across this article on the CBC. Can anybody shed on light on how this may impact the request for funding in Moncton? I fully support the center, and hope to see some news on this in the near future.

Gatineau mayor angry as Feds won't fund arena
City asked for about $20 million to help build the new $67 million Robert Guertin Arena
CBC News
Posted: Nov 30, 2011 8:34 AM ET
Last Updated: Nov 30, 2011 1:26 PM ET


Gatineau city council responded with disappointment Wednesday after hearing the federal government will not provide funding to help rebuild Robert Guertin Arena.

The City of Gatineau requested federal help with the costs after it was determined a new 5,000-seat arena would be built on the same site where the old building would be demolished. The city was asking for about $20 million to assist in completing the work.

Originally, the city had planned to build a brand new arena at another downtown site but that idea was quashed in April.

In a letter sent Tuesday, the federal Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Denis Lebel explained the federal government 's position is not to help finance facilities used for professional sports or junior hockey.
Interim NDP leader sends letter to infrastructure minister

The City of Gatineau argued junior hockey would only count for about 10 to 15 per cent of the arena's usage but the government said the amount of use did not matter.

Mayor Marc Bureau told Radio-Canada Wednesday he is outraged at Lebel's rejection, as the minister added no funding would be provided.

Also on Wednesday, interim NDP leader Nycole Turmel sent a letter to Lebel, a federal Conservative, about the Guertin arena, which is in her riding of Hull-Aylmer.

At the NDP caucus meeting, Turmel said Lebel replied to her saying the Guertin arena is not the only arena project not getting the stamp of approval.

The city and Quebec provincial government have already promised to cover the other two-thirds of the estimated $67 million needed for a major overhaul of the building.

The current Robert Guertin Arena at 125 de Carillon Road was built in 1952 and seats less than 4,000 people, which falls short of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's requirements.

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

It ofter depends on how applications are finessed through the approval process. There are also differents pots of money available and if you fail with one bid, you might be able to secure funding if you apply under a different program.

The city is applying through a special public private partnership funding program as far as I know. This may not be the route that Gatineau took.

EDIT - I just noticed that the Gatineau arena is in the riding of interim federal NDP leader Nycole Turmel. This could have some bearing on the federal government decision. Meanwhile, the MP for Moncton is Robert Goguen who sits on the government side of the house, is a parliamentary secretary and recently helped to negotiate an end to the impasse over the 10% rebate for the Codiac Regional RCMP. This might also have some relevance to this story. :)

[Lrdevlop]

Hello everyone!

I don't know if any of you noticed it but a couple of days ago they were pouring concrete at 2 spots on the lot at the intersection of King - Main. If you look closely, you can also see big bolts/rods sticking out. After hearing several rumors from good sources, I suspect that it might be for a sign announcing the construction of a... hotel! (well, that's what I heard). And with the good results of the hotel industry in the city, it wouldn't be suprising... :tup:

Thoughts?

[MonctonRad]

:previous:

Interesting.......

I have not seen or heard anything about a new hotel in that location, but I am certainly not all knowing in such matters and you could be right. How good are your sources? Are they in the hotel industry or are they involved in city development?

For the time being, I will file this under "unsubstantiated rumour", along with my rumour of a new Sobeys in the Magnetic Hill area. :)