The Official Saint John, NB Project Thread

[Helladog]

Sunny Corner Enterprises gets multi-million dollar contract

April 14, 2008 - 6:43 pm
By: Terri Wallace - News 88.9 Staff

SAINT JOHN - A multi-million dollar contract was awarded to Sunny Corner Enterprises in Saint John today for the refurbishment of Point Lepreau.

The 9.6 million dollar contract will result in 75 jobs for tradespeople and engineers.

Sunny Corner Enterprises is a Miramichi-based company and President, Gordie Lavoie said Saint John is a catalyst for growth, not just for his company but the entire province.

Lavoie said the contract will provide general electrical services for the 1.4 billion dollar refurbishment at Point Lepreau.

[Lamezia]

Originally Posted by Seely32

I am afraid of rocca's development on prince william. The rest of his developments seem uninspired and not well drawn up. I really hope this is not an eyesore on our city for years to come. If there is Vinyl siding with little glass or all cheap material I will and I hope the rest of the city will be pissed, let's hope it turns out well or it could send us backwards. leinster ct. moved us forward lets not take another leap back.

I am surprised by your comment given the fact that the Rocca Group 's awards include a Heritage Canada award for restoration of three downtown properties in the 1970s' when others were demolishing historical buildings and an international award for excellence in design for its Market Square project.

[michael_d40]

Originally Posted by Lamezia

I am surprised by your comment given the fact that the Rocca Group 's awards include a Heritage Canada award for restoration of three downtown properties in the 1970s' when others were demolishing historical buildings and an international award for excellence in design for its Market Square project.

In re: to heritage restoration. I honestly could not care less. I feel thats a huge reason why that has held this city back. Too busy trying to hold on to the past.
Its time for new things, new buildings, new people.
Its a very exciting time here in Saint John.

[PersonPlaceorThing]

Rocca is a businessperson who will react to the market and work within regulation. I imagine the project that will go up on the site will look good - it is easier to get approvals and to sell units when you have a good looking project.

[michael_d40]

Originally Posted by PersonPlaceorThing

Rocca is a businessperson who will react to the market and work within regulation. I imagine the project that will go up on the site will look good - it is easier to get approvals and to sell units when you have a good looking project.

Definately, I think it will be a good looking modern project that will truely make the area THE place to be.

[Seely32]

Originally Posted by Lamezia

I am surprised by your comment given the fact that the Rocca Group 's awards include a Heritage Canada award for restoration of three downtown properties in the 1970s' when others were demolishing historical buildings and an international award for excellence in design for its Market Square project.

Restoration is an entirely different than a completely new building. Anyone with a little tlc and some money can restore building's. It is not an impossible feat, but building one is. Look at rocca's site and see his project's around town, none are too inspiring. If these buildings look similar to robertson's warf then I would be upset. It's a nice building but will not last the test of time.

Some building needs to be demolished for growth I agree with michaeld_40. I really dont care in a lot of cases who lived in them or why they are important. If they are unsustainable then why do we continue to marvel at 120 yr old pos buildings.

If I was a business and wanted to build a tower here and I bought the property, but the heritage board came and told me that I couldnt because the buildings was historic even though it was out of the preservation area it would leave a sour taste in my mouth. It's an easy way to loose business to be constantly thinking of the past and not for future generations.

end rant for today

[Wishblade]

Originally Posted by michael_d40

In re: to heritage restoration. I honestly could not care less. I feel thats a huge reason why that has held this city back. Too busy trying to hold on to the past.
Its time for new things, new buildings, new people.
Its a very exciting time here in Saint John.

Yeah, Halifax shares your pain. It's nice living in a city with a lot of history, but obviously theres unneeded and unwanted pains that go along with it. Hopefully things will pick up in regards to downtown development in our cities.

[kwajo]

To me the issue with Uptown and its heritage buildings is that right now there are tons of empty lots and derelict buildings that can be replaced with new structures before we even consider tearing down some of the old jewels this city has. Trinity Royal should remain 90% the way it is because so much of it is in fantastic shape and sets the tone for the whole city. Also, there are a handful of areas outside of the designated heritage zone which are also very well maintained, and I would strongly argue in favour of saving. I'm not saying that we shouldn't consider some overhaul if a developer comes along with a brilliantly designed 25 floor condo tower for Trinity Royal, but let's be honest here, no one is going to do that.

Outside of that area though, many of the old wooden structures (you know the ones I mean, with their sideways slants and rotting roofs), parking areas or gravel-covered vacant lots should be looked at to develop. Its the South End that needs to see a lot of new money, and I'd rather see the quality of the whole peninsula be improved before we go about re-inventing the look of the city. That whole peninsular area isn't very large as downtowns go, so it should not be much of a stretch to hope that we could see the majority of the empty lots and slum lord buildings replaced within the next 15 years.

We don't need to get ahead of ourselves and tear down buildings in the heart of Uptown, what with the new Coast Guard site development coming, North of Union being planned and the work on Water Street progressing. The only things I would argue that need to go sooner rather than later are the horrible buildings on King Square, like the Bargain Shop and the empty Paramount Theatre. We need to make King Square a real focus, maybe have a well-designed new office tower (even if it were only 7-8 floors) to replace the Paramount, or get an in-fill development on the parking lots near the Imperial.

[random11]

The same cat who owns the old Paramount also owns the old Pascal building on King St. and while the Pascal building now looks presentable, we all know how many years it took for him to finally do something. It will be the same deal with the Paramount. This fella laughs at the City and moves on things only when he is good and ready.

By the way - he has a substantial piece of property on Germain (right near Horsefield) that is a private parking lot and has been for years. The City has been telling him for years that he cannot operate a private parking lot and not pay the City the required taxes. He has yet to pay - he laughs them off and the saga continues. That lot on any given day will park 50 cars and at & at $80 a month times 8 years we are looking at $384,000. Truth is, how can you blame him? He gets away with it. The City needs to get tough - not just with this issue but with derelict buildings as well.

[Ottawa]

Originally Posted by random11

The same cat who owns the old Paramount also owns the old Pascal building on King St. and while the Pascal building now looks presentable, we all know how many years it took for him to finally do something. It will be the same deal with the Paramount. This fella laughs at the City and moves on things only when he is good and ready.

By the way - he has a substantial piece of property on Germain (right near Horsefield) that is a private parking lot and has been for years. The City has been telling him for years that he cannot operate a private parking lot and not pay the City the required taxes. He has yet to pay - he laughs them off and the saga continues. That lot on any given day will park 50 cars and at & at $80 a month times 8 years we are looking at $384,000. Truth is, how can you blame him? He gets away with it. The City needs to get tough - not just with this issue but with derelict buildings as well.

One of the problems is that the city doesn't need this parcel of land right now. As soon as some of the other undeveloped areas start to fill in and peninsula land gets to be more valuable, whoever this guy is will be forced to s..t or get off the pot. Right now there is too much land available.

The good thing is that the tax bill clock is ticking away and this guy will lose in the long run. He will be stuck with some humongous tax bill he absolutely has no hope of paying and the property will be handed over to the city for little to no real cost. The city is probably thinking right for the long term on this one.

[random11]

On a semi-non-rleated note, has anybody taken note how stongly the Telegraph Journal is backing Hooten for Mayor? Frankly, I have not decided who I will vote for Mayor but I have to state that when a see a media entity completely throwing it's full support behind one specific candidate, it's scary. It's a complete embarrassment what the TJ is doing and what they have become.

[Seely32]

"hooton hits a homerun"
"Will other mayoral candidates follow Hooton's lead on tax rate?"

I wonder who there voting for. This has to be the most biased newspaper in the province.

The sad part is she has a poor record on taxes.

[Helladog]

Originally Posted by random11

The same cat who owns the old Paramount also owns the old Pascal building on King St. and while the Pascal building now looks presentable, we all know how many years it took for him to finally do something. It will be the same deal with the Paramount. This fella laughs at the City and moves on things only when he is good and ready.

By the way - he has a substantial piece of property on Germain (right near Horsefield) that is a private parking lot and has been for years. The City has been telling him for years that he cannot operate a private parking lot and not pay the City the required taxes. He has yet to pay - he laughs them off and the saga continues. That lot on any given day will park 50 cars and at & at $80 a month times 8 years we are looking at $384,000. Truth is, how can you blame him? He gets away with it. The City needs to get tough - not just with this issue but with derelict buildings as well.

Yeah, that Paramount is falling apart quick, and what makes it worse, it's smack dap in the middle of town. Any given day, there is broken glass and brick strewn about; the city needs to make him do something before someone gets hurt.

[Helladog]

More good news at St Joes...

St. Joseph's day surgery service to expand

SANDRA DAVIS
Telegraph-Journal
Published Wednesday April 16th, 2008
Appeared on page C1

SAINT JOHN - St. Joseph's Hospital is looking to more than double its capacity to perform extended day surgeries.

Right now, the hospital can handle up to four a day; ideally, staff would like to have the ability to perform nine.

"With the bed crunch in some cases, there have been some problems in getting those procedures done," says Dianne Brown, operating room manager.

Extended day surgeries include procedures such as gall bladder, tonsil and disc removal and shoulder and hernia repair and generally require a stay of four to six hours.

For typical day surgeries, including bladder exams and eye surgery, patients leave the hospital about an hour after the procedure.

In the past, patients having what is today classified as extended day surgery would have had to be admitted to the hospital, says Brown.

"The other thing is that technologies have changed a lot so a lot of procedures can be done and they don't require an overnight stay," she said.

"But what they do require is a stay of a period of four or five hours in the hospital to make sure that everything's OK."

Which extended and day surgery procedures can be done on any given day depends on the workload, she said.

"Sometimes it can get crowded. On the days we do four, we look at our numbers in the other types of day surgeries," she said. "It's a matter of what we can manage."

Some days, up to 18 bladder exams are performed at St. Joseph's, while eye surgeons could do as many as a dozen.

Expanding the extended day surgery program is the priority project for this year's Dragon Boat Festival, set for Aug. 23. Organizers hope to raise $250,000 to increase operating-room staff and surgery capacity, thereby decreasing waiting lists.

"The way it is right now, the day surgeries and the extended day surgeries are all together," said Brown.

"Sometimes that can be a problem if you don't have space."

An expanded extended day surgery department would result in a potential increase to 2,000 procedures each year from 500. A total of 7,405 surgical procedures - including both day surgery and extended day surgery - were completed at St. Joseph's in 2006-2007.

A significant initiative will be announced next month by the St. Joseph's Foundation Hospital board.

And ER expansion at SJRH...

Chief of Staff pleased with ER expansion funding

April 16, 2008 - 1:42 pm
By: Denise Barkhouse - News 88.9 Staff

SAINT JOHN, NB - The Regional Hospital Chief of Staff is pleased the province has set aside eight-million dollars to begin the E-R expansion this year.

Dr. Brian Wheelock tells us the project will last two to three years and involves expanding the hospital toward the front parking lot.

"It goes forward into the area, which currently is the hill under the parking lot in front of it," said Wheelock. "So there is a considerable amount of rock removal that must take place to allow that to happen."

He expects construction to begin this summer.

The expansion carries a thirty million dollar price tag.

[Helladog]

I'm excited/curious to see how they get the One-Mile Interchange across the rail yard AND Marsh Creek. Obviously it will go over it all, so it will either have to be one really long span, or they'll have to be creative as to where the footings go (pretty lame thing to be excited about, but I'm weird).

[PRELIMINARY WORK UNDERWAY ON MAJOR INTERCHANGE]

City works commissioner Paul Groody says work on the one mile interchange is well underway.
He says the final details of the design work are still being worked out --and-- the province has set aside two million dollars for work to begin this year.
Groody says plans for an off-ramp between Staples and the Superstore on Rothesay Avenue may be changed but that wont delay the project.
The 40 million dollar interchange is scheduled for completion in 2011 and will be one of the largest bridges in the province.

I guess that answers your question about the rail yard...a big bridge!

[random11]

I saw City crews - several trucks and and other equipment - in the area behind Staple's this afternoon. They were digging and there were land surveyors on site. From what I can piece together on the info we have so far - unless they plan to remove Staples (which I understand is a definite possibility) - this is the area where the ramp will connect with Russell Street. Logistically, it seems to make sense. While waiting for the lights to change, I took note of the sheer distance from the throughway. As mentioned earlier, this project might be a "bore" comestically but one must be impressed at the sheer level of engineering to accomplish this project.

[random11]

BRUCE BARTLETT
TELEGRAPH-JOURNAL
Published Thursday April 17th, 2008
Appeared on page C1

SAINT JOHN - Putting the right projects in the right locations brings people together and enhances creativity. This is the next challenge facing the city, according to a report on creating urban wealth, released Wednesday by Uptown Saint John.

Glen Murray, a former mayor of Winnipeg credited with turning that city around, and now an urban development consultant, was hired by the group six months ago to come up with a plan.

His report lists six things the city can do to bring together the creative energies needed to make Saint John a more attractive place to live and connect people who will create more wealth.

"The next steps are already happening. Uptown Saint John is convening the working groups and they are going to get these things in place," said Murray.

In Winnipeg, Murray was able to reduce property taxes after attracting more activity into city centre buildings. A similar tax reduction plan was put forward this week by Deputy Mayor Michelle Hooton as a promise if she is elected mayor in the May 12 municipal election.

Murray's recommendations to help the city reach a more vibrant state are to create a cultural portal on the Internet, look for a new festival opportunity, increase higher education and research opportunities, develop policies to bring people back to live in the upper floors of the city centre, plan to improve the look of commercial streets and set up a creative convergence centre to continue to bring people with ideas together.

His 64-page report found that Saint John already has four strong business sectors, including cultural, financial services, technology and professional, and law and education. Within the uptown area, he found seven geographic locations with various combinations of the four sectors in place.

Many of the upper floors of 19th century buildings in the city are empty because it is too expensive for the owners to do the needed renovations. Murray has devised a property tax rebate program that could reduce taxes by half on buildings where renovations are underway.

"I did that," he said. "When I became mayor of Winnipeg it was the most indebted city in the country and had the highest taxes and we had a 60 per cent vacancy rate in our historic district."

Murray hopes that when he comes back to visit in five years he will find that the obstacles to investing in upper floors have been removed, there will be a well-known restaurant row in the city and there would be other precincts of the city well-known for their own grouping of economic activities.

Murray's vision is based on the understanding that more people will be attracted to the city. He sees the cruise ship industry that brings in visitors from the U.S. northeast as one opportunity.

Both Glasgow, Scotland and Reykjavik, Iceland are communities that turned themselves around by becoming more attractive to creative endeavours and are more isolated than Saint John, he said.

Saint John already has many of the things it needs to go to the next level, including strong financial, legal, ICT and design sectors. The only thing it needs is a strong major education centre, which a city of this size normally would have, he said.

[mylesmalley]

You'll all have to excuse my ignorance on this, but how much is that train yard used? Because one would think it would be a lot simpler (and cheaper) to remove a few rail spurs that aren't being used to capacity to make room for bridge piers. This would save them from having to engineer a particularly long span over the yard and creek.

...but if the tracks are used heavily, this probably wouldn't be an option.

Did they consider moving some of the track?

[michael_d40]

They are used heavily.

[Helladog]

I'd say we should have an update on the first page:

-NB Power Point Lepreau Generating Station Refurb
-Cyr Holdings' 9 story hotel for St. Paul Street
-Ellerdale Investments Condos on Water Street - 8 storey
-Dobson Chrysler dealershoip new building
-Somerset Square Offices - 2 Story
-Apartments on City Road
-SJRH ER expansion