General Updates and News

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Phalanx

Lighthouses are all the rage these days... Or so I've been told.

Yes I know......We're getting a giant fake lighthouse to put on the entry to the new casino here in Moncton; really emblematic of our city!

[Dmajackson]

Originally Posted by eastcoastal

Maybe what it needs is an international design competition and some lighthouses! LOL.

Speaking of lighthouses;

Georges Island to become tourist destination

By EVA HOARE Staff Reporter
Tue. Jun 23 - 8:33 PM

If you look out over Halifax Harbour this August, you’ll likely see construction crews busy at work on Georges Island.

That’s because Parks Canada intends to open the national historic site to the public, and plans starting the necessary work Aug. 1, the agency said Tuesday in papers filed with the Canadian Environmental Assessment Registry.

The move comes after Parks Canada opened the island to an enthusiastic public on June 13 and 14.

It will be March 31, 2010, before the work on the island is completed, the development documents state.

But sewage disposal on the island could result in major delays in the $3.5-million project, spokeswoman Carla Wheaton told CBC News.

She said Parks Canada is going to hire consultants to try to solve that problem.

Halifax Harbour has been marred by raw sewage since the Halifax treatment plant broke down earlier this year. The harbour’s waters have been littered with sewage and other floatables for the past few weeks, after screens installed at various outfalls had to be removed.

The Georges Island project is set to include the construction of a sewage treatment pumping station and accompanying sewage stations, Parks Canada said.

Water will be distributed to the island by way of an underground line from Terminal Road in Halifax that must be installed, along with a 27,000-litre underground storage tank and pumping chamber, the documents said.

A new electrical building will also be constructed, and existing transformers on the island will be upgraded.

Eventually the multi-phase project will include a new wharf and other buildings the public can enjoy, the documents state.

Before the project can go ahead, an environmental assessment must be done, Parks Canada said in its filing.

Aside from the limited visitor opportunity in mid-June, the island has not been open to the public “due to the fragile condition of resources,” Parks Canada states in a description of the site on the Internet.

Because of its position in the middle of the harbour, Georges Island became a key defence position for the military.

From 1750 to 1815, the island went from being a “simple earthen battery to a sophisticated masonry fortification, Fort Charlotte, with a Martello tower in its centre,” the website says.

Technological improvements eventually made it non-essential to the armed forces, according to the website.

The island was turned over to Parks Canada, and became an historic site in 1965.

( [email protected] )

[Barrington south]

that's great news,
I went for the afternoon last year and had a very pleasant time.
there are some great spots for picnics and the fortifications are very impressive.
Hopefully all the tunnels and artillery room's will be open to the public too. there are some Massive breach loading guns, huge ramparts,WW2 AA gun emplacment's and massive ditches
definatly an asset for the city and after the citedel probably the coolist piece of history remaining in hali.......I like the Martello tower in PP park to, partly because it is so old, but also because it's very unique compared to what most of northamerica's city's can boast
there used to be a Martello tower on georges Island's, but the Island has been totally rebuilt multible times as military tecnology and fortification design evolved. and at times in the 19th century, what was state of the art only 15 years previos, could be compleatly out dated due to the pace of advancement's

[kph06]

A. W. Leil has actually had one of their big mobile cranes there twice recently putting new machinery up on the roof.

[Jonovision]

Great news about the island. It's about time. I wonder if they still plan to use the Woodside ferry or will they have a private ship to go over?
I do have to say though that the article was quite poorly written.

[hfx_chris]

Originally Posted by Barrington south

that's great news,
I went for the afternoon last year and had a very pleasant time.
there are some great spots for picnics and the fortifications are very impressive.
Hopefully all the tunnels and artillery room's will be open to the public too. there are some Massive breach loading guns, huge ramparts,WW2 AA gun emplacment's and massive ditches
definatly an asset for the city and after the citedel probably the coolist piece of history remaining in hali.......I like the Martello tower in PP park to, partly because it is so old, but also because it's very unique compared to what most of northamerica's city's can boast
there used to be a Martello tower on georges Island's, but the Island has been totally rebuilt multible times as military tecnology and fortification design evolved. and at times in the 19th century, what was state of the art only 15 years previos, could be compleatly out dated due to the pace of advancement's

I was there too last year, and it was nice, but I think I'll still always enjoy McNab's more.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by spaustin

I wonder then if they'll spring for a crane to take the sign down from the roof?

I guess they must have, since it was gone today when I drove past. It was still there earlier in the week.

[kph06]

I drove by yesterday and they actually did it using a platform lowered from the roof, the same as window cleaners use, for some reason the name of the rig is escaping me at the moment.

[Takeo]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Either that, or the Holiday Inn people demanded they invest money to upgrade the place that they didn't want to spend.

Bingo

[Dmajackson]

Burnside News Tidbits:

• Brewdebakers isn’t just a Burnside treat anymore. The popular eatery recently opened a second location across the Harbour at 287 Lacewood Dr. Although the new location is designed to capture some of the same feel as the original, it definitely has its own personality stemming from the fact it doesn’t have a brewery attached.

• The long awaited pedestrian bridge across Highway 111 to Highfield Park has finally gone to tender. By the time you read this, the tender should be closed and city council may well have chosen the winning bid. For a project that was supposed to begin construction in 2007, it has been a long haul. With any luck, work might even be completed by this winter.

[hfx_chris]

More work for Dexter.

[hali_toones]

Originally Posted by hfx_chris

More work for Dexter.

They seem to be winning most of the work this year...

[hfx_chris]

They always bid so much lower than everyone else, but as we all know you get what you pay for.

[hali_toones]

Originally Posted by hfx_chris

They always bid so much lower than everyone else, but as we all know you get what you pay for.

It definately helps when you are also the largest supplier of sand and gravel in the city.

[Barrington south]

Gerrald Hall.....

the ugly yellow brickwork has now been completely striped of the south face, and the scaffolding remains,
The scaffolding on the north face is complete.
The work has started on the north face as you can hear the bricks being dropped down the shoot, into the dumpster, 2 blocks away.....anyone know if there is any renderings available?
.....I asked my Dal connection and he was unaware of any

[kph06]

This job is very similar to what is happening at the VG, they will just strip the brick and put on metal cladding presumably of a similar color. As far as I've heard only the north and south faces will be done this summer.

[Dmajackson]

Innovative cold energy storage project to continue under HRM direction

(July 7, 2009) - The Alderney 5 Energy Project on the Dartmouth waterfront will be completed.

Halifax Regional Council voted this evening to direct staff to complete the innovative cold energy storage project at a cost of $589,545, money that will be recovered through energy savings related to the cooling system. The first phase of the project, heating and lighting retrofits, was completed last year and has saved over $250,000 in operating costs.

“We remain committed to the project and look forward to reaping the benefits of this unique and 100 per cent renewable energy source,” said Mayor Peter Kelly.

The Alderney 5 project will use harbour water to provide cooling to five buildings: Alderney Gate, Alderney Library, Alderney Landing, Dartmouth Ferry Terminal, and the former Dartmouth City Hall (now used by the Halifax Regional School Board).

The first large-scale application of geothermal seasonal cold-energy storage anywhere in the world, the project harvests cold energy from seawater during winter months to chill an underground rock mass. It then uses the stored thermal energy to meet air conditioning needs in the warmest summer months.

On May 21, 2009, Halifax Regional Municipality notified High Performance Energy Systems (HPES) that its August 2007 contract to build and operate the facility was being terminated with cause. Work at the site came to a stop in February.

With council’s endorsement, HRM will now act as the general contractor hiring subcontractors as needed. It is expected that completion costs will be less than originally anticipated, but the termination of the HPES contract will delay turning on the cooling system until the end of summer. Once completed, the project is expected to result in over $2 million in incremental cooling savings over 20 years.

[Barrington south]

Ahhh yes....

the former Deco resturant...
turned Sebastions Bistro...
now open as......a Greek restaurant!!
....called Estia....
Hmmmm...
I Looooove Greek food, and this is the only one on SGR......
but they have serious competition....
especially from Opa ( Argyle location) and It's all Greek to me (crap name)...
then there is also...Athens....and Spartan resturant......that trashy place called the Greek village... ...then there is also cousins restaurant and island Greek, but those last three won't be a factor...and then there is Opa DC and Opa Bayer's lake....and probably others I do not know exist

[Dmajackson]

I was just checking Provident's website and apparently they are planning to construct three new single family houses on Harbourview Drive.

[Barrington south]

on my daily walk I noticed the house that used to be The Gradhouse Café on the Dal campus,
is totally surrounded by fencing,
and the windows are all covered up.

I talked to one of my Dal connections and she said the Gradhouse will move across the street,
and the former Dal Grad café will be torn down....
however, She did not know what will be developed in it's place...
I will check with other connections, to try and find some info...