Stoney Creek Update
 

I am starting this new thread to be similar to the Downtown Update thread.

Seeing as there are small projects going on in Stoney Creek that don't always need a seperate thread and have nowhere else to be posted, I thought it was a good idea.

Just like the Downtown Update thread, we could dedicate this thread to new food / drink / retail shops.

Also any updates like road work, renovations to buildings, and just Stoney Creek developments in general can be posted here.

So update away!!!

New Downtown Parkette Will Compliment Fountain Design
 

A new parkette will be built in downtown Stoney Creek on the western corner of Jones St and King St E. The parkette has been planned since the 1990s and was part of the Stoney Creek Old Towne Urban Design Plan approved by the former city council before amalgamation (Olde Towne Urban Design Plan pdf). The parkette design will mimic the design of the arbour structure at the fountain area on the opposite corner of Jones&King E. The parkette will feature a new clock tower, open green space, a circular walkway with benches, and a mixture of trees and shrubs. The project is expected to cost $400 000 and construction is expected to begin in spring 2013.

http://i47.tinypic.com/2uq0ye1.jpg

How the site currently looks:
http://i46.tinypic.com/2pqvms3.jpg

Fountain area in the foreground that the parkette design will mimic, with the future parkette location in the background to the left:
http://i49.tinypic.com/jrxyz6.jpg

Image Source: Google Maps&Google Street View

From the streetview image it looks like the current space already has Open Green Space, Shrubs and Trees, Benches.
Guess I'll have to wait and see the $400,000 "Olde Town Parkette" version to compare!

An update for anyone who hasn't been to Stoney Creek in a while...
 

Here is an update on a few things that have happened in Stoney Creek (Mainly Olde Town/Downtown Stoney Creek) within the last few years for anyone that hasn't been to Stoney Creek in a while.


__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The old Fire Hall, built in 1931, was demolished.

Before:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-w.../DSCN1920c.jpg
After:
http://i50.tinypic.com/2yn423d.jpg
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This convenience store on the corner of Lake Ave Dr and King St W was recently demolished to make way for a new doctors office.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-e.../DSCN3133c.jpg
Construction of the new doctors office...
http://i50.tinypic.com/11ikabb.jpg
Completed building...
http://i46.tinypic.com/33wbjgk.jpg
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After the bar/restaurant on the south-east corner of Queenston Rd and Lake Ave Dr burned down, this new building for a law firm replaced it. (I believe the old bar/restaurant was called the Day N' Night)

New building under construction...
http://i49.tinypic.com/et61r8.jpg
Completed new building...
http://i50.tinypic.com/5v19go.jpg
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Another new building on the corner of 2 St N and King St W was built on an empty lot...
http://i48.tinypic.com/2h4fhuq.jpg
And this lot next door has been zoned for a 4-floor residential/commercial building...
http://i45.tinypic.com/15x2qx.jpg
A sign currently on the empty lot...
http://i46.tinypic.com/2hey2ab.jpg



Sources:
Old Fire Hall Picture
Old Convenience Store Picture
& Google Street View

"The owners of 120 King Street West (vacant lot east of the Police Station), Stoney Creek, have submitted an application for a zoning change to permit a four storey apartment building (69 units) and 10 lots for condominium townhomes. The City's Planning Department is currently examining the plan, and a notice will be mailed to adjacent property owners advising of the date, time and place of the Planning Committee where the application will be heard." - Source

http://i47.tinypic.com/ogvwox.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/33tjct4.jpg
Image Source: Google Street View

Maybe someone in this thread can answer a question for me: Where is (or was) the Stoney Creek Town Hall building within the old town? I figure it has to be somewhere near King & Lake. The old town had a very small area.

The last "city hall" was located at Hwy 8 and Fruitland Rd. The building is still there and in use by the city and I think the RCMP.

The last "city hall" is actually one block east of Fruitland Rd. It is on the corner of Hwy 8 and Jones Rd. When Stoney Creek became a part of Hamilton, the new multi-million dollar Stoney Creek City Hall became a Hamilton Public Library and a Stoney Creek Municipal Service Centre.

Here is a capture of it from google street view:
http://i49.tinypic.com/v5cxlk.jpg


The old "Town Hall" was located on top of the old Fire Hall on Lake Ave S in Olde Town Stoney Creek. It was just recently demolished.

1973:
http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseu...CZ00010293.jpg
Source

2010:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-w.../DSCN1920c.jpg
Source

2012:
http://i50.tinypic.com/2yn423d.jpg
Source: Google Street View

Old Photos of Stoney Creek
 

For anyone that wants to see some really cool old photos of Stoney Creek, HERE IS A LINK to a gallery with a bunch of them. I've looked through them all a few times. There are a lot of pictures and it takes a while to go through them all, but there is a lot of cool stuff to see.

Actually, I was wondering about the pre-Region Town of Stoney Creek, which wouldn't extend that far out. All the redevelopment shots got me wondering if the building still exists and - either way - what's there now.

Hmmm, kinda curious as to the administrative centre for Saltfleet Township as well, since most of it was absorbed by the Town (later the City) of Stoney Creek.

Heh. Figures I'd find out right after it was torn down. I've gone by that building many times.

Thanks for the info.

Downtown Stoney Creek Demolition
 

I noticed today that the McGlashon's Martial Arts building (pictured below) had just been torn down as well as the abandoned "Your Grocery Depot" store that was attached to the back of the building and faced Mountain Ave N. The building next to it was also torn down a few years ago so now there is one big open lot in between the Shoppers Drug Mart and Britannia Cleaners. There is a fence along the sidewalk so you can't walk on the lot and there is a "D-CAM Construction" sign behind the fence (same one as the picture below). If I get a chance this week I'll take a picture of what it looks like now.

A google streetview snapshot of the McGlashon's Martial Arts building a few months ago (view from King St):
http://i49.tinypic.com/24ngv36.jpg
Source: Google Street View

A Google Street View snaphot of the "Your Grocery Depot" store that was attached to the back of the McGlashon's Martial Arts building and faced Mountain Ave N:
http://i48.tinypic.com/2zdr7s1.jpg
Source: Google Street View

An old picture of the McGlashon's Martial Arts building from when it was a grocery store (view from King St):
http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Yn7InO24am4/TF...%2520copyc.jpg
Source

An old picture of the building that used to be in between Shopper Drug Mart and McGlashon's Martial Arts Building (view from King St):
http://lh6.ggpht.com/-i30CqfOKl2o/TF...%2520copyc.jpg
Source

In the picture below, outlined in red is the McGlashon's Martial Arts building and the "Your Grocery Depot" store that was attached to the back which were both just torn down. Outlined in blue is the building that was torn down a few years ago:
http://i47.tinypic.com/2v8mhyt.png
Source: Google Maps

Just thought of a reason as to why that building ^ was just torn down. A few years ago Shoppers Drug Mart was suppose to expand their downtown Stoney Creek location and that is why the one building that was next to it was demolished, but then the new parking meters were put along the streets in downtown Stoney Creek so Shoppers Drug Mart cancelled its expansion plans. The parking meters have since been removed so the Shoppers Drug Mart expansion plan could be going forward...

Here is a picture from the other day of the site where the McGlashon's Martial Arts building used to be before it was demolished a few weeks ago.
http://i50.tinypic.com/34nqtqp.jpg


And a photo update for anyone that hasn't seen what is going on at Battlefield park recently. A new sign is being built at the corner of King Street West and Centennial Parkway South.
http://i45.tinypic.com/1grnrn.jpg

Major Stoney Creek Projects
 

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

- $400,000 will be spent every year up to 2022 to implement the Olde Stoney Creek Urban Design Plan, a blueprint that was approved by the former City of Stoney Creek prior to amalgamation

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


- $200,000 has been allocated to begin renovating King Street from Battlefield to Applewood starting in 2013

- $1.7 million is scheduled to be spent to improve King Street from Battlefield to Lake Avenue in 2014

- $2.6 million earmarked for King Street to Applewood in 2015

- $150,000 set aside for a renovation of the bridge at King Street East and Elm Avenue

- A portion of Lake Avenue is expected to be reconstructed with $100,000 identified in 2013. Another $1.4 million will be spent in 2014 to complete the project

- $1.11 million will be spent in upper Stoney Creek where Highland Road West will see major construction beginning in 2013

- $330,000 will be used to create a roundabout at Isaac Brock and First Road West in 2013

- $400,000 will be used in 2014 to complete the Heritage Green Phase II project

- $250,000 will be used for the bridge at Collegiate Avenue and Donn Avenue and the project is expected to be completed by 2015 over a 2 year period.

- $9.5 million will be spent replacing the bridge at Centennial Parkway. The project will begin in 2013 and take more than two years to complete.

- $2.7 million will be spent redeveloping Barton Street from Nash Road to Centennial in 2013

- $2.6 million will be spent improving Centennial Parkway from Arrowsmith Road to Goderich Road in 2013

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Dominic Agostino Riverdale Community Centre Expansion:
- $250,000 set aside for the expansion in 2017, with another $2.1 million in 2018

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Valley Park Expansion:
- $300,000 going toward the Valley Park Community Centre expansion in 2014, while another $2 million has been identified for the project in 2015
- $100,000 for the Valley Park Library renewal in 2014, while another $1.6 million is slated for the library in 2015

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Winona Recreation Centre:
- $2 million set aside for 2016 for the project
- $19 million is scheduled to be used for the centre in 2017
- $250,000 will be spent on phase two of the redevelopment of Winona Park in 2016

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Stoney Creek Gateway
 

Stoney Creek councillors are hoping that some sort of welcome facility can be constructed at the Stoney Creek entrance to the city near the QEW. The 2.9 acres of land at 1400 Baseline Road is where the facility could be built. The facility would cost up to $7 million to build and the annual operating cost would be about $200,000.

A new proposal 2 doors west of the Stoney Creek Dairy redevelopment:

121 King St E | ? | 2fl | Proposed

Another new proposal:

120 & 124 King St W | ? | 6fl & 2fl | Proposed

Egg & I - Demolished
 

I forgot to post about this the other day. The Egg & I restaurant on the corner of Mud Street West and Upper Centennial Parkway was just demolished.

The Egg & I before being demolished:
http://i48.tinypic.com/11tlfh2.jpg
Source

Interesting, didn't even know Stoney Creek had its own sub topic until now. I have a friend in the area I visit often, so I'm there frequently.

The Egg and I got demolished? Weird. Did they move to a different location?

I don't think so, I think they went out of business.

Interesting. Any idea what's going in there?

Stop me if you think you've heard this one before.


Ministry mothballs Taro dump’s government inspector
(Stoney Creek News, Richard Leitner, Mar 14 2013)

Upper Stoney Creek’s Taro industrial dump won’t see the return of a government inspector to check loads going into the site as part of licence changes that now allow it to take waste directly from anywhere in Ontario. Geoffrey Knapper, district manager at the Ministry of the Environment’s Hamilton office, said inspections will instead continue to focus on owner Newalta Corp’s two transfer stations in the city’s north end. The ministry scrapped the on-site position, which was funded by Newalta at a cost of about $80,000 per year, in December 2011 and initiated a pilot project that saw inspectors do one random visit to the stations every three months.

Knapper said the company does its own inspections at Taro which are audited by the ministry. Newalta says it does at least five random inspections of the 1,666 loads the site receives on average each month. The government inspector did nine. “We found it worked,” Knapper said. “The inspections at both the landfill and our transfer stations did not show any environmental issues, so we’re satisfied that the strategy that we put in place is appropriate.”

The change is one of three amendments to Newalta’s operating licence for the dump, approved in July 1996 without public hearings despite vociferous community opposition. The site had only been allowed to accept waste from within Hamilton, but this included imported loads received at the transfer stations, located on Brant and Imperial streets. It can now also take up 750,000 tonnes of waste in any 12-month period, rather than just within a calendar year.

Unlike with the inspector’s position, Newalta had sought the latter two licence changes and conducted an environmental screening process last summer and fall that included sparsely-attended open houses. Knapper said the changes give Newalta greater flexibility while maintaining all existing rules on acceptable waste, which can only be what the province classifies as solid, non-hazardous waste – a designation that can include treated hazardous wastes.

Efforts to reach Stoney Creek Councillor Brad Clark for comment were unsuccessful, but he spearheaded a motion passed by city council last spring that demanded the on-site inspector be kept in place.

None of the amendments have been posted on the province’s environmental registry, which allows for appeals of the decisions.

Newalta communications director Greg Jones said little has changed from the company’s perspective and plans are underway to hire a third party contractor to do on-site inspections to address Clark’s concerns. “We continued to do at least five random inspections per month on our own, as we did previously while the inspector was in place,” he said. “We continue to follow the same rigorous operating procedures in terms of analyzing incoming materials to ensure they are acceptable for receipt, as well as ongoing monitoring of the conditions at the site.” Jones said the ministry found “no just opposition” to the other licence changes, which he said will reduce traffic and improve air quality by the transfer plants.

At open houses last year, Newalta said requiring imported loads to go to the transfer stations lengthened the haul route by 12.5 kilometres for about 35,000 trucks per year, the equivalent of 135 tonnes of carbon dioxide. It argued this made it less competitive because most other dumps have Ontario-wide service areas. According to the company’s annual report for 2010, the site received about 334,000 tonnes of outside waste from the transfer stations, out of a total of 560,000 tonnes dumped there.

edit

They do have one on Upper James just South of Rymal.

There's also one on Garner Rd in Ancaster. Just before Wilson St.

New commercial development at Barton and Fruitland in Stoney Creek.
http://i49.tinypic.com/3fzp1.jpg
Source

Battlefield Park - Public Art
 

"PUBLIC CONSULTATION - What is your opinion?

The City of Hamilton is currently conducting a public art competition to select a work of public art for Battlefield Park in Stoney Creek as part of the commemoration of the bicentennial of the War of 1812.

A jury of volunteer citizens, artists and representatives of the aboriginal community has reviewed nine artists’ submissions and has short-listed three. Before they make their final decision we want to provide them the public’s opinion and comments"


Here are the options:
http://i46.tinypic.com/2q1bdqs.jpg
Source

CLICK HERE to review the artist's proposals and vote for you favourite

Votes & comments must be submitted before Sunday April 14th, 2013

The drywall on the commercial developement on barton and fruitland are all up and they have started painting the walls. also around the doors they are using stone. it actually looks quite nice.

The new medical office building that is under construction on Barton near Grays Rd is nearing completion.

http://i46.tinypic.com/1z4ijig.jpg
Source: My Photo

The former Carmen's paintball arena beside player's paradise is being converted into an Ultimate Exotics store. They have a Ferrari f430, Lamboroghini Gallardo, Maserati Grandturismo, Dodge Viper, and a Shelby GT500 which you can either test drive or preform in track days. ALSO!!! (yes it gets better!) every monday there are going to be holding car shows!! opens May 1st I have to admit, im pretty excited!

Eroding dreams on the shore near Stoney Creek
(Hamilton Spectator, Jeff Mahoney, April 29 2013)

In a way it’s worse than buying that proverbial swampland in Florida.

You can drain swampland.

But what’s happening in the Cherry Beach area of Stoney Creek, on the lakeshore near Millen Road, is like buying up property in the old city of Atlantis after it’s been submerged.

You can’t drain Lake Ontario.

Realtor Steve Ribaric takes me out to the “beach.”

He points out to the lapping of the lake immediately beyond us. Buildings used to stand there. People lived there.

The lot plan map says there are lots where he points. There should be. The city paid for them. But there aren’t. The de facto zoning? H2O.

All that property, once the playground of cottagers, is literally underwater, a big scoop taken out of the shoreline.

Soil erosion. Steve says we lose four feet of shoreline a year.

“The point from the original beachfront to the new, is well over 30 feet. In the last storm alone, at least four feet lost. There’s absolutely no protection.”

“It (the rate of beach erosion) is two to three feet a year, but he’s in the ballpark,” admits Steve Barnhart, manager of landscape architectural services for Hamilton’s public works department.

It’s a matter of “the position on the lake of that piece of shoreline and its exposure to wind and wave action and the material the shore is made of.”

The waste of tax money represented by the submerged property, acquired over the years to position the area for conversion to parkland, is one thing, says Steve the realtor.

But the erosion of the city property is compromising his client’s own efforts to keep back the lake. He represents the owner of a strip of land that runs between Cherry Beach Road and the shore, sandwiched between city-owned lots.

The client’s property, at the shoreline, is fortified by massive heaps of boulders and rocks and other materials piled up as a breakwater.

But beside his barrier, on city land? Nothing. The waves have their way.

“My client is about to lose his breakwall, and his house will be next,” says Steve the realtor. “They (city hall) are unresponsive, and he (the client) would like them to either put up breakwall protection or buy him out.”

The site is fenced off and construction is starting on the new parkette and clock tower.

Update
 

An update on projects happening in and around Downtown Stoney Creek:


1) There is construction going on at the Stoney Creek Plaza (where Boilers restaurant was). They are either starting the demolition of the building from that side, or they are renovating that side.

2) On the site of where the McGlashon's Martial Arts building use to stand (in between Britannia Cleaners and Shoppers Drug Mart), I saw some construction workers on the site. Something could be starting construction there soon.

3) Construction of the new parkette and clock tower on the corner of King St and Jones St is moving fast. The whole site is ripped up right now.
- Interesting fact: The sidewalks that surround the lot, where the new parkette will be, have been ripped up and will be replaced with the Hamilton styled sidewalks. The sidewalks that were ripped up were only 10 years old and they were part of the 1990s Olde Towne Urban Design Plan. The entire downtown Stoney Creek was suppose to get that style of sidewalk, but the only place they were ever built was around the new parkette site and around the fountain across the street. Now the sidewalks around the fountain across the street are the only remaining ones from the Olde Towne Urban Design Plan.

4) At Smiths Knoll (the memorial across the street, and a bit east from battlefield park) they are adding a memorial for the American soldiers. All of the walkways on the site have been built and some kind of statue may be built on the site soon.

5) The Target at Queenston Place is getting closer to completion, and all of Queenston Place is getting a renovated exterior.

Winona slams development
(Stoney Creek News, Mike Pearson, May 23 2013)

Winona residents shouted down a development plan that could see their community expand by 17,000 people over the next two decades.

More than 300 residents packed the former Stoney Creek council chambers on Thursday, for a community meeting hosted by Ward 11 councillor Brenda Johnson.

City planning staff will present a proposed secondary plan for the Stoney Creek Urban Boundary Expansion (SCUBE) for approval at a June 4 meeting. The SCUBE area is bounded by Fruitland to Fifty Roads and Barton Street to Highway 8.

The proposed plan will include realigning Fruitland Road and open up land for residential development throughout Winona, starting with the properties east of Fruitland Road.

But members of a citizens advisory committee said the proposed secondary plan going to the planning committee is not the plan they endorsed.

Cal Di Falco, advisory committee chair, said the plan threatens Winona’s small town character by allowing high density development, with stacked townhouse units up to six storeys.

“The plan you’re seeing here today has lost its way,” said Di Falco. “I can’t stand here today and support this.”

Residents expressed a litany of concerns, including the new placement of the Fruitland Road bypass.

Grant Cook, advisory committee vice chair, said the new bypass route would re-direct heavy truck traffic into a residential area at the corner of Barton Street and Sunnyhurst Ave.

Other residents were concerned by the impact of large scale development on property values.

Michelle Sergi, city manager of community planning and design, said the SCUBE area will be designed with a goal of 70 people and jobs per hectare, to ensure the community meets the guidelines of the province’s Places to Grow legislation.

Johnson plans to oppose the secondary plan when the document is presented to the planning committee.

“I’m not recommending this; the city (planning) staff is recommending this,” she clarified for the audience.

The Stoney Creek Plaza is being demolished. This is where Boilers was.

http://i42.tinypic.com/2yv6t4x.jpg
Source: My photo

Boilers restaurant
 

The owner retired and was just tired of it, wanted to just spend time with grand kids. It will be an LCBO building.

Clark blasts Taro dump redesign as ‘mountain of crap’
(Stoney Creek News, Richard Leitner, June 6 2013)

Stoney Creek Councillor Brad Clark is warning neighbours of the Taro dump that they will be staring out at “a mountain of crap” if owner Newalta Corp. gets permission to raise its final grade by nearly a third at its highest point.

Clark lashed out at Newalta officials in several testy exchanges on Monday after they unveiled the proposal at a meeting of the community liaison committee for the site, rejecting their suggestions people won’t notice the difference.

The plan, which requires approval from the Ministry of the Environment, would see all dump elevations rise by 4.5 metres, raising the final grade from ground level to between 11.55 and 18.45 metres from the existing range of 7.05 to 13.95 metres.

In return for being allowed to pile waste higher, the company is proposing to limit the site to its existing footprint. This would scrap the original plan to expand it toward Green Mountain Road and create a new entranceway off Mud Street.

Clark said the proposal is all about saving Newalta money, calling it a “complete betrayal” of promises made to the community when the dump was approved in 1996 over the objections of 10,000 people who wrote letters of opposition.

He criticized Newalta for not raising the height issue with the city as it planned the new entrance and surrounding housing developments like Penny Lane Estates.

“I’m absolutely stunned that this suggestion is even being made,” Clark said.

“To just dump it like this is so irritating, especially given all the money that was invested in all these houses around here,” he said. “You think they want to see a mountain of crap?”

But Newalta communications director Greg Jones said the proposal will only result in a “slight increase” to the dump’s height while eliminating the nuisance from constructing five new waste cells on 18 hectares of land by Green Mountain Road.

The new design will also increase the distance between the dump and homes planned to the north by 275 metres, keep the Upper Centennial Parkway entrance and reduce leachate volumes going into the sewer because of a smaller waste footprint, he said.

“We’re not going to deny that this project will result in cost savings, but we believe there are a number of benefits,” Jones said, estimating the dump will remain open for another 10 years.

“Frankly, we don’t think that four and a half metres are going to make any difference to anybody,” he said. “We’d be able to keep the access where it is. We believe that not having an entrance across from Penny Lane Estates would be beneficial to those people.”

But Randy Valchuk, a community member of the committee, said the increase in height “does sound rather high” and could affect the view from neighbouring homes.

“You’re talking about pretty well a two-storey house (higher),” he said. “Some of those people, if it was cut down to a reasonable thing, they could probably see over the city. You might actually block their view.”

It could always be worse.

The Stoney Creek Urban Boundary Expansion was approved :yuck:

Get ready for Fruitland-Winona to be turned into more awful suburban sprawl :(

[LINK] Plan pdf.


[LINK] More Info

Eastgate Sqaure reclad/renovation
http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/...psa4fa08ec.jpg

Stoney Creek Gateway Ice Centre
http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2425b011.jpg

Old Stoney Creek Dairies site soon to be condominium.
http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/...psdd6c0efa.jpg

Pictures by me.

Green space delayed
The Hamilton Spectator
By: Dave Churchill

Stoney Creek residents have been waiting a long time for improvements to a downtown parkette.

Now it seems the wait is going to be a little longer.

The small but prime piece of land at King Street East and Jones Street has been awaiting some improvements for years, said area Councillor Brad Clark, who has publicly laid the blame for recent delays on a contractor from Concord.

The $400,000 project includes an open green space area, a circular walkway with benches, and a mix of trees and shrubs. The work should have been completed by now, Clark said.

"There is a lot of frustration from the community. It's really a small parkette."

Clark said Pine Valley Enterprises had the lowest bid to complete the work but added, "I guess they've had trouble getting a subcontractor."

He said it was his understanding that a subcontractor hired to do stormwater, water tap connections and concrete work walked off the job before the project got under way.

Calls to Pine Valley Enterprises to ask about the delays weren't returned Friday.

While the delay is frustrating, Clark said he is enthusiastic about the impact the project will have on downtown Stoney Creek. Once the parkette is complete, the next big step will be rebuilding King Street, which will be done in consultation with the BIA and local residents.

Clark said the changes to King will help retain a small-town feel. "It's really quite exciting. It will make the downtown much more walkable for residents and tourists."

Ed Strecker, the head of the Olde Stoney Creek Business Improvement Area, said some of the merchants have grown tired of looking at the construction site surrounded by fencing.

"We're trying to tell people we're going to have a beautiful area when it gets done," Strecker said. "We've seen the pictures and it looks great but we just want to see it get done."

Work has been spread out over a number of years with the bulk of the capital cost set for 2014 and 2015.

Draft plans of the streetscape will be unveiled later this year to the BIA's merchants and residents. In 2014, public works will begin upgrading the sewers in advance of the rebuilding of King Street in 2015.

David Zimmer, a senior landscape architect for the city, said the parkette project has had some delays because of weather and other unexpected issues related to stormwater connections at the site.

Getting a subcontractor to complete the concrete work has also been a problem, he said.

"The site is all serviced and the water is in," he said. "Once the concrete gets done, things will move along quickly."

Zimmer expects Pine Valley to be back at the site in the next two weeks.

CLC defers to others to critique Taro dump redesign
(Stoney Creek News, Richard Leitner, Sept 12 2013)

The Taro industrial dump’s community liaison committee won’t take a stand on owner Newalta Corp.’s bid to pile waste higher at the site, leaving it to others, including the city, to weigh in on the plan’s technical merits.

Citizen members on Monday agreed instead to simply inform the Ministry of the Environment they’re satisfied the public has been consulted and given the chance to comment – although only 10 people have done so thus far.

“We’re not considered to be experts on any of this stuff. We’re here to represent the community,” said Brad Hart, one of three citizen reps. “It wasn’t asked that all of a sudden we become environmental engineers and understand it.”

Area councillor Brad Clark suggested the neutral stand as a way “out of a box” the CLC was in because it didn’t have independent experts to critique the plan, which would limit the site to its current footprint but pile waste 4.5 metres higher than allowed by existing approvals.

He said the CLC has done all it can to ensure people are aware of the plan, including by holding a special meeting in July, insisting all documents be made publicly available and pushing Newalta to extend an initial Aug. 5 deadline for commenting to Sept. 30.

The company also advertised the proposal twice in the Stoney Creek News and circulated flyers to residents within 1.5 kilometres of the site, located at the southwest corner of Upper Centennial Parkway and Green Mountain Road.

“I don’t know what else the CLC could do,”Clark said. “We did reach out as best as we could, and the company did, but the CLC has pushed them to do it.”

Clark said the city is still assessing the proposal, but will likely raise concerns about the new height, potential odor and dust impacts on new homes being built to the north and south, and the scrapping of a planned new entrance off Mud Street.

He said the city’s lawyers are already objecting to the ministry’s view that the redesign is exempt from the Environmental Bill of Rights, which would require broader public consultation and allow any decision to be appealed.

“We think the EBR is being flushed. It’s slowly being dismissed,”Clark said, accusing the provincial Liberal government of putting business interests ahead of the public’s.

“More and more instruments (proposals) are not being filed on the EBR. I don’t even know what it’s worth anymore.”

Work set to begin on Taro leash-free dog park
(Stoney Creek News, Sep 12 2013)

Eighteen years after it closed, the former Taro west quarry industrial dump is finally being put to a promised community use with the announcement that work is set to begin on converting the site into a passive park that will include a leash-free area for dogs.

Lorenzo Alfano, site manager for owner Newalta Corp., said the first phase of the project will take about six weeks and start with the creation of pathways at the 23-hectare grassy wasteland, located at the northwest corner ofMud Streetand First Road West.

Work will then turn to the two-hectare dog park, he told the Taro community liaison committee on Monday.

Alfano said if “the weather cooperates,” the entire park will be open by the spring.

The city will maintain both the park and leash-free area, which will be fenced and the biggest ofHamilton’s eight dog parks.

“The biggest thing is obviously the plantings. We want to make sure we don’t put plantings into the ground too late,” Alfano said, citing a bad experience at the neighbouring Heritage Green sports park.

“They (once) planted about 2,000 trees in November and pretty much they were twigs the next year. We do not want the same thing to happen.”

New light, speed limit eyed for Upper Centennial Parkway
(Stoney Creek News, Richard Leitner, Sept 19 2013)

Stoney Creek Councillor Brad Clark says he hopes to see Upper Centennial Parkway add a new stoplight at Green Mountain Road by the end of the year as part of an overall plan to slow traffic by new residential development in the area.

Clark said he is preparing to introduce motions at city council this fall for the stoplight and a reduction in the speed limit on Upper Centennial and Mud Street to 60 km/h because the existing limits are no longer appropriate.

The new stoplight is needed, he said, to accommodate traffic generated by the Empire Homes survey being built to the northwest of the intersection on the former Chris Utter Farms property.

“If I had my way I’d have them done before the end of the year, but I don’t think we can get that accomplished,” Clark said of reducing the speed limits on Upper Centennial and Mud to 60 km/h from 80 km/h and 70 km/h, respectively.

“I hope to have the stoplight put in before the end of the year because the issue now is it’s not the people living there, it’s people coming in to consider buying. The fact that they’re not living there is irrelevant, they’re still coming in, lots of customers.”

Clark revealed his traffic plans for the area during discussion of Newalta Corp.’s plans to redesign the Taro dump at last week’s meeting of the site’s community liaison committee.

The redesign would pile waste 4.5 metres higher than allowed by existing approvals in return for limiting the dump to its current footprint – a reduction of 18 hectares.

It would also scrap plans to replace the existing entrance off Upper Centennial with a new one on Mud Street by the new Penny Lane Estates survey.

Clark said the city and Newalta had agreed to the proposed new entrance as a way to reduce the accident hazard posed by slow-moving waste trucks turning into the site on Upper Centennial.

He said the new entrance would see trucks “disappear” into the site via an internal road so that they wouldn’t be lined up on Mud.

Citizen members of the committee were divided on the new entrance.

“If I was in Penny Lane Estates and I lived in that area, I’d prefer that the entrance stayed out on Centennial,” Brad Hart said. “To me, it just makes so much more sense to keep the entrance out of a residential area.”

But Randy Valchuk said in his discussions with neighbours he’s found that how people feel about the entrance’s location depends on how often they use Mud or Upper Centennial, formerly known as Highway 20.

He said he’s concerned the redesign will only add traffic to the dump because of a plan to fill the foregone 18 hectares of quarry with clean fill.

“When I come up Highway 20 and almost see somebody slamming into the back of the truck all the time, especially when they’re turning just before the Pioneer (gas station) when people are coming up, it’s actually scary coming up Highway 20 with those trucks coming up there,” Valchuk said.

Newalta communications director Greg Jones said the redesign is projected to result in an additional 12 truck trips to the dump per day for a total average of 97.

That’s still well below the 250 allowed by the site’s licence, he said.

Clark said afterwards he believes Newalta is using opposition to the new entrance to “leverage” community support for the redesign, which he fears will only increase dust and odour issues, especially at the Empire Homes survey.

“It’s really not fair for that community,” he said. “If I had known as a councillor that they were going to be doing that before we approved Empire, I would have fought vigorously to not approve Empire for 10 years.”

The public has until Sept. 30 to comment on the redesign. Newalta has posted more information on the plan at www.newalta.com\landfilldesign.

And the final stages of the Upper James-ification of Upper Centennial begin. :cool:

Officials unveil $25-million arena complex
(Stoney Creek News, Mike Pearson, Oct 7 2013)

After six months of user feedback, the reviews are looking good for the Gateway Ice Centre.

The 128,000 square-foot, three pad facility held a grand opening on Saturday to showcase its three NHL-sized ice rinks, 8,000-square-foot Five-Star Fitness and Nutrition Centre plus a Don Cherry’s Sports Grill with a panoramic rink view.

Gateway co-owner and president Danny Trombetta has heard many positive comments from users so far.

“It’s spectacular. It’s beautiful. Its a go-to destination,” he said.

Located at the corner of South Service and Fruitland roads, the $25-million complex will host the 2014 Esso Cup, which will feature the country’s best midget girls hockey teams next April. Sports tenants include the Stoney Creek Girls Hockey Association, Steel City Hockey Development Program, the Gateway Ice Centre Figure Skating Program and the new Senior AAA expansion franchise, the Stoney Creek Generals. Local fans will get their first opportunity to see the Generals in action when the team faces off for its first preseason game on Oct. 20. The Generals will play the majority of their home games on Sunday afternoons.

Gateway officials are already poised for further expansion. The current three pad complex can be expanded to four. A three-storey commercial addition is also in the works.

Gateway project manager Tony Falasca said the commercial space would be marketed towards sports-related tenants. Falasca’s goals include attracting a hockey development school, sports agency and a sports injury rehabilitation centre. The commercial expansion would also feature a community meeting room.

Trombetta hopes to have the fourth ice pad built by September, 2014....

Gateway’s rink one includes a skybox viewing area, a professional style overhead scoreboard, 7,000 watt sound system and a glassed viewing area from Don Cherry’s Sports Grill. Rink one has a seating capacity of 1,400 in a bowl shape around the ice. Rinks two and three seat 400 each. Bleacher style seating is arranged in two rows with safety glass and netting to protect fans.

Infrared indirect heating is used for climate control, with an oversized dehumidication system to reduce fog in the viewing areas.

Rink two features a rubberized wraparound running track with five sprinting lanes. A pro shop includes skate sharpening and free WiFi access.

Rink three is slightly smaller than the other two NHL-sized surfaces. It is used primarily as a figure skating practice rink.

Hamilton begins to transform Confederation Park
(Stoney Creek News, Kevin Werner, Oct 7 2013)

The multi-million-dollar makeover of Confederation Park, which may include honouring the iconic War of 1812 ships, the Hamilton and Scourge, should begin later this year.

Members of the public works committee approved at their Oct. 7 meeting, cutting down 76 existing trees at the park’s Stoney Creek Pond area. An additional 28 trees that are in poor condition or are invasive species will also be cut down.

The work will allow city staff to build another kilometer of trail, which is an important aspect to the $80-million Confederation Park master plan project that council approved earlier in 2010. A public information session to outline the draft uses of the project was presented to the community in December 2012.

The plan includes constructing a Class ‘A’ 6-metre asphalt paved trail that would connect with the Lake Ontario Trail system. The new trail will provide an additional 790 metres of trail and an accessible observation platform. An existing 1.5-metre granular trail along the eastern shoreline of the Stoney Creek Pond will be maintained. It’s expected to cost about $5,000 annually to maintain the trail.

About 80 per cent of the trail will be constructed on existing roadways within the park. A portion of Confederation Drive, for instance, will be converted into trail and to for service vehicle use only. About 20 per cent of the trail will be constructed through the forested area.

Ward 5 councillor Chad Collins said construction on the trail should begin later this year, and be fully available to the public by next year.

It’s expected to cost just over $100,000 to remove the trees, but $36,300 will be offset for the new tree plantings.

But the trail project is only the beginning of what will be a multi-year project to rejuvenate the 93-hectare Confederation Park so it becomes a destination point for people.

“I want to have something going on every year at the park,” said Collins.

He said about $3 million has been allocated in the 2014 budget for the park.

Collins said he will be securing the estimated $7 million to construct the sports park around the 5.8-hectare Stoney Creek Pond area, and eradicate the former campground site, identified in the master plan. The sports field area, which will include a cricket pitch, two intermediate soccer fields that can be changed into a junior cricket pitch, an on-site parking lot, washrooms, and new tree plantings, was one of the new additions to the uses of the park that had area residents applauding.

The Stoney Creek Pond is near an adjacent forest and is designated as a local natural area under the city’s urban official plan.

Collins said the cost for the sports park will be comparable to the Heritage Green sports complex on Upper Stoney Creek.

But the $7 million will only be a portion of the $80 million that will be spent on renovating Confederation Park. The master plan recommends creating a year-round, multi-use facility for the public that proposes relocating the go-kart facility from the west end to a more central facility; eliminating the greenhouse; building a new main entrance at the end of Centennial Parkway; allowing public transit access within the park; partnering with the private sector to open some commercial ventures, such as a restaurant; and allowing winter activities, such as an ice skating area.

The park attracts about 1,200 visitors a day, and about 250,000 people in a year. Collins suggests that as the park transforms into a more user-friendly area, it could conceivably see over 1 million people take part in activities in the facility.

He will also be securing money for a new entrance from the North Service Road, and the relocation of the park’s main entrance. Collins said he will be talking to residents along Grays Road to mitigate any parking and traffic issues in their area.

What Collins also envisions is to redevelop the park to honour the War of 1812 ships Hamilton and Scourge, which he says have been forgotten by the city and residents.

“We have undervalued the importance of those ships,” said Collins.

He said there was initial excitement within the community when the ships were discovered in Lake Ontario in 1975. And that positive feeling remained when they were featured on the cover of the National Geographic magazine. But Collins said over the years, even during the War of 1812 celebrations, the Hamilton and Scourge have been, if not forgotten, at least muted in their importance to the community. A memorial area in the park for the Hamilton and Scourge sailors who lost their lives is tucked away, hidden from view by the trees and buildings.

Collins is suggesting a design contest be held to create a new entrance to the park. He wants to keep with the nautical theme throughout the park, and incorporate the new design into signs, and information areas.

Collins helped to create the nautical theme entrances to Bayfront Park, and along the Waterfront. The sculpture design at Pier 4 with the sale being held down by individuals has become a distinctive scene for the Hamilton area. Collins wants the same thing to happen for the newly designed Confederation Park renovation.

“It’s important to have a significant gateway entrance for the park,” said Collins.

“I would like to see the park celebrate the Hamilton and Scourge, and identify with it.”

Ontario's Environment Minister responds to Mayor Bratina's concerns regarding developments at Newalta Corp.'s Taro landfill.

Devil’s Punchbowl to get brighter, energy-efficient cross
(Stoney Creek News, Nov 13 2013)

Tony Goemans loved to hike the Devil’s Punchbowl Conservation Area, making it part of a daily round trip that he and his dog took from their Battlefield Drive home for nearly 15 years – one that took precisely 42 minutes.

Now, the upper Stoney Creek park’s iconic cross will burn more brightly in the memory of Goemans, founder of the successful appliance-store chain that bears his name, thanks to a $50,000 donation from his family.

The money will allow the Hamilton Conservation Authority to replace the deteriorating cross with a brighter, more energy efficient one and make other improvements to the surrounding landscape and amenities.

Son Jason Goemans said the donation on behalf of his dad, who died from melanoma in August at age 66, acknowledges the joy the Devil’s Punchbowl brought his entire family.

He said an annual, supplemental donation will keep the cross powered and help remove the parking meter to make the area more of a visitor destination.

“That area represents a lot of good times, a lot of good memories and we just want to offer a small token of our appreciation,” Jason Goemans said.

“It really is un underutilized resource that a lot of people don’t know. There’s all kinds of wildlife, birds,” he said. “The vistas of the city really are fantastic.”