Official Fredericton, NB projects thread

[cl812]

Company formed to capitalize on defence, aerospace
Published Thursday May 13th, 2010
A7
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
[email protected]

The Fredericton International Airport Authority Inc. and Enterprise Fredericton have formed a company to manage a proposed aerospace and defence park.

The name of the company is ADP Park Inc. and the first phase of the development plan has been created and approved to start marketing land for new businesses.

With Canadian Forces Base Gagetown nearby, there are excellent opportunities for defence-sector private enterprise to thrive alongside the airport property and the airport authority owns substantial acreage surrounding the airstrip, partly for business and partly to buffer the airport from residential growth, said airport authority president and CEO David Innes.

One potential tenant is eager to start a defence and security-related venture in the park, Innes said.

The airport authority is also eager to start deriving revenue from the property it owns as it continues to look for money for close to $33 million in capital projects.

There's an urgent need to rebuild Runway 15/33 which is 1,800 metres (6,000 feet) long, Innes said.

He told the annual general meeting of the airport authority Wednesday that it will cost $10.5 million to fix the runway. Drainage and electrical systems are 50 years old. The runway pavement is a 25 years old and by 2011, the runway upgrade will be critical.

Fredericton is trying to convince Transport Canada that the runway is a project that should be funded under a federal Airport Capital Assistance Program.

"Discussions are going very well. We're optimistic," Innes said. "If we were in it, we'd be very good long term. If we're not in it, then we're going to be struggling like this every time we have a major project."

A consultant's report said the 4,200-square-metre airport terminal should be increased to 5,800 square metres in order to accommodate growth.

The narrow centre portion of the airport terminal gets congested, especially when security checks are being done for passengers entering the boarding lounge area.

"It was configured at a time when security wasn't an issue," Innes told board members and guests at the Oromocto Days Inn meeting.

"If we get additional capacity in here and a couple of more flights a day, then our terminal is going to be too small," Innes said in an interview after the meeting.

The terminal project would be an expansion of the structure. The airport authority has already improved interior amenities, including food service and a snack area within the secured boarding area.

There's no federal government funding in a national Gateway program, but Innes said he expects Ottawa may replenish that program later this year. The airport authority is looking for an estimated $22 million through the federal program, which requires matching commitments from the province and airport authority.

Financial statements presented at the meeting show that the airport authority is trying to squirrel away any spare cash it can to build a capital reserve account.

Through a combination of a virtual capital spending freeze in 2009 and by moving to a bare bones spending plan during the economic downtown, the airport authority has managed since 2008 to build up a reserve of $2.5 million for its major projects.

Despite the economic plunge in 2008-09, the airport authority managed to maintain reasonable passenger counts.

Following a record-breaking year in 2008, passenger traffic sat at 263,521 people in 2009, a dip of 2.6 per cent from the previous year.

Air Canada boosted its summer schedule with an additional flight to Toronto.

Fredericton has six flights a day to Toronto, three per day to Montreal, a daily Ottawa flight and four per day to Halifax. That's 1,074 passengers in and out the doors of the airport on a daily basis.

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Public Safety Training Centre is state-of-the-art
Published Thursday May 13th, 2010
D1
By ROBERT TOUCHIE
For The Daily Gleaner

The Fredericton Public Safety Training Centre is literally blazing new trails in the areas of innovative firefighting, police services and ambulatory services.


This is the Fredericton Public Safety Training Centre. “We’ve had seasoned and experienced firefighting professionals tell us they have garnered more knowledge in a day here at our facility than they have over their entire careers,” says Randy Tracy, training centre co-ordinator.

The classroom and scenario-based training centre is a state-of-the-art educational and exercise facility. It is owned by The City of Fredericton and run by the Fredericton Fire Department and is the only one of its kind on the East Coast. It opened its doors in September of 2009.

Located adjacent to the northside fire station, the complex was designed to meet a variety of public safety training requirements including simulations in fighting fires, search and rescue and ventilation or getting smoke out of a burning structure.

"The advantage of this facility is simple - you can safely run these simulated training scenarios in repeated real-life fashion, providing public safety agency professionals valuable experience that they can gain both effectively and safely," said Randy Tracy, training centre co-ordinator. "The benefit to the employee is derived from the controlled nature of the facility and the inherent benefit it provides public safety personnel - and firefighters specifically - to be able to perform experience-based exercises, which in turn gives those professionals increased confidence and ultimately increased competence."

Tracy says the basic premise in building the facility was "if you build it, they will come." Professionals from various North American locales now come to Fredericton to hone their skills.

The facility has proven to provide sustainable partnerships with established regional educational institutions.

"We have Holland College here presently and they have 24 cadets and two trainers in a classroom today and next week they'll be in the compound for the hands-on part of their training," said Tracy, speaking of the Prince Edward Island post-secondary educational institution. "We've got a formal partnership in place with them in the IFFAC training course (a required accreditation to be a firefighter) they offer, and we facilitate for them."

The facility is state-of-the-art; every classroom is armed with in-floor radiant heating, smart board technology, and broad band Internet outlets in a simultaneously wireless environment. Additionally, there is air conditioning throughout the offices and classrooms with green considerations addressed with skylights and large side-wall windows to allow natural lighting and heating.

Venturing out of the classrooms and into the training compound, which is completely fenced in and security locked/coded, the features and amenities become readily apparent: a vehicle extraction centre, a confined-space-and-rescue zone - a dedicated field area for public safety training.

A 40-foot steel container - similar to those used on cargo ships - houses three corridors: the middle for the training staff and the two side corridors to send trainees in opposite directions, up and back. Each passage has a choreographed cluster of ramps, declines, false passage ways and 24- and 30-inch conduits that need to be wiggled through with a heavy and cumbersome firefighting gear. Simultaneously the trainee is being exposed to rocking and moving apparatuses to simulate the professional firefighter's regular duties.

"The objective with this is to try and get the trainee to 'freak out' or lose their composure," said Tracy.

Beyond the steel container, there lie a bevy of other simulation apparatuses, such as a four-storey, all-steel fire tower to simulate, among other things, the use of hoses, hydrant and non-hydrant water source pumping, and the sources of fire that would be regularly encountered - beds, stoves, propane fuel tanks, electric engine and synthetic smoke.

This building's first floor houses the live propane burn unit while the top floor is the repelling station. Search and rescue and ventilation training (which include primarily the use of saws, ladders, axes and pike poles) comprise the remaining floors.

According to Tracy, there is no question the facility produces results, and in turn, saves lives.

"Clearly we are seeing immediate results with this facility," said Tracy, noting that incidents simulated at the facility are relatively rare on a day-to-day basis.

"We've had seasoned and experienced firefighting professionals tell us they have garnered more knowledge in a day here at our facility than they have over their entire careers.

"This statement is not to be taken lightly, because the experience and knowledge gained here absolutely saves lives and that is our bottom line, saving lives is our number one priority."

Forward Thinking is a Thursday feature that explores research and development, as well as new technologies in our community. Send your comments and story ideas to [email protected].

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[Pugsley]

Originally Posted by cl812

[B]

The Fredericton International Airport Authority Inc. and Enterprise Fredericton have formed a company to manage a proposed aerospace and defence park.

The name of the company is ADP Park Inc. and the first phase of the development plan has been created and approved to start marketing land for new businesses.

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I know I am probably sounding like a crusty old thing these days, but these types of announcements drive me nuts about Fredericton (and NB in general). Really...do you think this new corporation is going to do any better a job at recruiting businesses than the two looser groups forming it? As an active follower of what is happening in Freddy, I remember the day the so called "aerospace park" was created - some 6 years ago. It involved a poorly crafted one page brochure on the airport Web site with little appeal and information on the benefits of re-locating here. This was the work of the airport authority. Guess what, nobody came to the party and the land sits vacant.

As for Enterprise Fredericton, it again is a bit of a dogs breakfast. I regularly visit the site and I don't think I have seen a single new job annoucnement from them in the past 5-10 years. Only some networking breakfast or award ceremonies being announced. Hey Enterprise Fredericton...news flash, that is the Chamber of Commerce's responsibility. Your job is to promote the city as a place of doing busieness OUTSIDE of the city. Like past Lincoln Road maybe towards Toronto or another foreign place. But wait, there is another city-sponsored department that looks like it is better at this job. Or wait, is that you? Why do you exist again? Who is responsible for what? Why does it look like there are two busienss development agencies for Fredericton? If I am confused, just imagine how the outside investors feel.

I think this is just another decision designed to create a NEW agency that will hire more bureacrats to be paid six figures and not really have any metrics in place to justify their worth or performance. I think I want the job of Aerospace Park Sales Director...I am sure it pays well, will have few performance metrics in place, and if I don't actually do anything, I can always call for a new comittee or task force to be developed and then "re-strategize" and make it better without really doing anything.

C'mon folks, you have to demand more from these people...they are YOUR employees paid by YOUR tax dollars!

PS - If anyone here on the board is an employee of or has worked for either of the two agencies above and wants to challenge me, go ahead. Feel free to tell me something you did in the past 10 years to make Fredericton better and I will probably find an external economic or business decision outside of your sphere to deflate your claim of accomplishment.

There, done my rant, sorry folks.

[cl812]

'School of the future'
Published Friday May 14th, 2010
North side | School will replace South Devon, Alexander Gibson
A1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
[email protected]

In a few years, Erin and Aidan MacWilliam will be attending New Brunswick's first 21st century school.

Erin is in kindergarten and Aidan is in Grade 2.

Both were at the future site of the Fredericton North Elementary School off Cliffe Street with Premier Shawn Graham on Thursday morning.

Erin and Aidan's father is Peter MacWilliam, chairman of the South Devon Elementary School's parent school support committee.

"It is a great opportunity to get in a new school with the prospect of collaborative learning and hands-on learning,'' said MacWilliam.

South Devon is one of two schools that will be replaced. The other is the Alexander Gibson Memorial Elementary School in Marysville.

MacWilliam said the facility will have larger classrooms, a gymnasium, a stage and a cafeteria.

He said if all goes according to plan, Erin will be in Grade 3 when the new school opens and Aidan will be in Grade 5.

The interior design of the school will be different from the traditional layout of long corridors with classrooms branching off on either side, he said.

"Some of the plans that we have seen for the new school have areas for hands-on learning to get together and one-on-one learning," said MacWilliam.

"The prospect of having a new school wired for modern technology makes it a lot easier."

He said the South Devon school doesn't have an auditorium, stage or cafeteria.

Kim LeBlanc is the chairwoman of the Alexander Gibson parent school support committee. Her children are just a little too old to be able to attend the new school, but she's still excited about the project.

"This is something this area has needed for a long time," she said Thursday, adding the north side, especially Marysville, is growing.

"It is a new way of thinking, a new way of learning."

Right now, the school is nothing more than a wooded lot. A road will have to be built at the intersection of Cliffe Street and Two Nations Crossing to access the property.

Premier Shawn Graham said parents should be happy knowing their children will be learning in a state-of-the-art school.

"How we teach and what students need to learn have changed dramatically in the last decade and will continue to change at a rapid pace," he said.

The facility will replace schools built in 1926 and 1953, said Graham.

It will be built using a public-private partnership.

Governments like public-private partnerships (P3s) because they keep the full cost of a big project off the provincial books, reducing debt.

A private company will build the school and the government will lease it for several decades.

Critics of P3 projects claim they cost more money in the long run.

But Graham said P3s bring value to the taxpayers.

"Our top priority is building a state-of-the-art school using taxpayers' dollars as efficiently and effectively as possible," he said.

"What's important today is actually having a new school built in a timely fashion and that's what the parents want and that is what we are delivering on today."

The exact cost of the school and who will be the private partner weren't released Thursday.

But a school of the size planned for Fredericton North Elementary usually costs between $20 million and $30 million, said a government official.

Graham said the government will be able to talk about the detailed timeline for the school's construction soon.

"Our government today has made the most substantial investment in new school construction in the province's history," he said.

The school is located in the riding of Fredericton-Fort Nashwaak Liberal MLA Kelly Lamrock.

He said it will be one of two schools in North America identified by Microsoft Corp. as an innovation school.

"They brought together some of their top experts to work with our principals and our educators to design something that will be cutting edge," he said.

"It is just a real thrill to be able to work on it."

Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside said the school will be a great learning environment for kids.

"It will be a school of the future that is being built in Fredericton," he said.

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City hopes to examine merits of second indoor pool
Published Friday May 14th, 2010
A4
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
[email protected]

Fredericton's community services department plans to set aside money in its 2011 budget to conduct a feasibility and needs analysis on the merits of constructing a second indoor pool in the city.

The city commissioned a recreation master plan and has been working through the findings, said community services director Wayne Tallon.

The recreation master plan, which the city has accepted, suggests that there's a need for a second indoor aquatic facility, even with the university-owned Sir Max Aitken pool on the University of New Brunswick campus still open.

UNB has suggested to the city that it may be looking at decommissioning the poll by 2014.

"There is sufficient need out there because we do have quite a few different types of users, not only swimmers, but scuba diving, kayaking, canoeing, diving and synchronized swimming, so obviously they're going to need a facility to be able to practice their sport," Tallon said.

Tallon said the feasibility study will commence early in 2011.

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[cl812]

Duelling cranes
Published Saturday May 15th, 2010
a1



More pieces arrived for the crane that will assemble the parking garage for the convention centre project. Above, a worker uses a little body language to help guide the two crane operators who are lowering a large section of the crane into place.

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Developers show no interest in property on Limerick Road
Published Saturday May 15th, 2010
A4
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
[email protected]

The City of Fredericton hasn't had a single response from developers invited to submit development proposals on a Limerick Road property owned by the provincial government.

The city struck a deal with the province to acquire-in-principle the property. Ownership of the land hasn't yet changed hands.

The province, which owns the 1.6 hectare property, had the site in reserve for a school, but with the construction of Bliss Carman Middle School, it is now surplus to provincial needs.

The city asked the province to delay issuing its own proposal call for disposal of the land so that it could attempt to find a developer willing to build affordable housing as part of a large mix of housing styles.

The city even engaged Montreal architecture professor Avi Friedman to prepare three concept plans for the site. Friedman came up with three different designs for 13 townhouses, up to 54 triplex units and 48 apartments.

The city asked that 25 per cent of the units created would be reserved for subsidized housing under the province's affordable rental housing program.

Developers could qualify for up to $40,000 per unit.

But the May 7 deadline for proposals has failed to yield any interested builders, said Alex Forbes, assistant director of development services with the city.

Forbes said there could be multiple factors for the lack of a response.

"There's a whole number of reasons which may have impacted the proposal call to go the way it did," he said. "It could be bad timing, lack of available funding from the provincial government at this time. There's just a whole variety of reasons."

Developers may also be fully engaged on their own projects.

Forbes will report to the city's affordable housing committee, which has piloted the project, and it will be up to the committee to decide whether to renew the proposal call at a later date.

At an October, 2009 public meeting, there was strong opposition from the neighbourhood to the development proposal. About 70 residents attended the session, along with developers, realtors, and non-profit organization representatives advocating for affordable housing.

Some residents were opposed to the affordable housing component. Others said the provincial land is already being used by the public for recreation space. Still others raised concern about traffic issues.

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[Smevo]

Some residents were opposed to the affordable housing component. Others said the provincial land is already being used by the public for recreation space. Still others raised concern about traffic issues.

NIMBYs in waiting...

The traffic issues might be a little more valid here than on Station Rd, but considering my wife and I used to walk her family's dog up that street constantly, I can still say this will not turn Limerick Rd into a high volume st, Wetmore Rd, on the other hand, my encounter some issues at Kimble (I hate the sightlines at that turn) since traffic would most likely route through there, with the other major option being routing down to Wilsey, but I would expect Wetmore/Kimble would see more of this traffic (Uptown, universities, and some downtown traffic).

As an aside, I noticed my old car at the in-laws house in the satellite imagery.

[cl812]

Safety concerns regarding subdivision plans in Lincoln Heights to be discussed tonight
Published Monday May 17th, 2010
Concerns | Rezoning to be reconsidered
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
[email protected]

Concerned Lincoln Heights neighbours will meet tonight in advance of a Wednesday planning advisory committee meeting to figure out how to drive home their traffic safety concerns about a proposed six-lot subdivision.

James Morrison of Lincoln Road said even though a legal opinion from city hall said the only issue for the planning advisory committee to decide is the dedication of eight per cent of the total land area for park space, it doesn't change the fact residents object to the subdivision of 1530 Lincoln Rd. for safety reasons.

"A little piece of (park) land stuck somewhere in the middle of nowhere there is useless, so that's a silly decision ... but where do the citizens have their rights? We have a huge population there that all says they don't want it, it's not safe. Council has already said it's not safe by a unanimous decision and planning advisory committee last time said it's not safe," Morrison said.

City council has returned the subdivision request to the planning advisory committee after the city's legal department said the committee went beyond its legal authority by refusing the subdivision application from property owner Edouard Gebrael.

Gebrael's been before council trying to develop his property a few times.

He applied to the planning advisory committee in February for a rezoning that would allow him to subdivide a property at 1530 Lincoln Rd. to create seven lots.

When the application came to city council in March, councillors unanimously rejected the rezoning, all saying that adding seven driveways - five on Adams Street and two on Lincoln Road - would worsen an already dangerous intersection.

Adams Street is the main route in and out of Lincoln Heights subdivision and it ends in a T-intersection. Lincoln Road is a busy route and vehicles tend to drive quickly along the roadway.

Forty letters of objection and two petitions bearing 244 signatures went to city council in early March when Gebrael's application was considered. Residents also spoke at council's public hearing of objections on the rezoning application.

After his rezoning and seven-lot application was unanimously rejected by council, Gebrael returned to the planning advisory committee in April with a request for a six-lot subdivision. He didn't ask for a zoning change since the six lots can be accommodated within the R-2 zoning and the proposed lot sizes meet the bylaw.

Despite the fact Gebrael met all the legal criteria for creating the subdivision, the planning advisory committee refused to approve the development, which could have sent Gebrael to provincial planning appeal board for a ruling. That prompted city hall to seek legal advice from its staff.

Morrison said residents have only a few days to figure out how they can respond after it took a month for city hall to get its own legal opinion of the planning advisory committee's jurisdiction.

"The citizen doesn't seem to have any rights," Morrison said. "There's something wrong with the process."

He said if the planning advisory committee and city council felt the subdivision shouldn't be approved because it would make the intersection less safe, then they should stick to their beliefs.

"Somebody should be able to use common sense. They've already voted it down twice based on safety, but maybe safety should overrule the law that's there. The law doesn't fit every scenario," Morrison said. "There is a real safety issue at that corner.

"That should have some weight in the discussion. What has changed in the safety? Nothing ... Seven to six (lots) doesn't change the problem and if they (PAC members and council) all thought that was a safety issue up until now, then all the safety issues still exist," Morrison said.

"Nobody's really objected to four houses. At least it's safer," Morrison said. "But five is definitely wrong."

He said the city needs to redesign the intersection to make it safer, whether it's installing a traffic signal or a merge lane for Adams Street onto Lincoln Road.

Another Lincoln Road resident, Vivienne Jones, said she was nearly embroiled in a mishap when a driver on Adams Street drove into a snowbank and flipped at the intersection with Lincoln Road.

"It was very slippery that day. There's always big snowbanks at the corner there, which makes it worse for those coming up," Jones said.

"That (accident) was definitely related to the subdivision."

Jones said safety is her primary issue, but she said fewer houses in the new subdivision would fit in better with the surrounding landscape and homes.

Residents aren't against new housing or development, she said, but they object to Gebrael's plan.

"Two or three houses yes, but so many changes the pattern of this area, so I'm against that," Jones said.

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Looks like they changed the view on the convention centre webcam to show the parking garage construction and the hotel (once it starts).



City Convention Centre Webcam:
http://www.fredericton.ca/en/ConferenceCentreWebcam.asp

[cl812]

Perfect reflection
Published Tuesday May 18th, 2010
A6


The Richard J. Currie Center is taking shape now that most of the exterior glass on the north side of the building has been installed. Above, the clouds are reflected in the glass as a crew member works from a hydraulic lift in the lower right corner.

http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/cityregion/article/1056851

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Rehabilitation park expected to open soon
Published Tuesday May 18th, 2010
A1
By ADAM BOWIE
[email protected]

Officials from the Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation believe patients will be using Atlantic Canada's first therapeutic park by September.

Construction began last year, and Dr. Robert Leckey, the facility's medical director, said he believes it should be completed soon.

"At this point, we're probably about two months from having a fully finished park. Then our hope is to try it out and see if there are any little foibles, etc., and have an official opening in September," he said.

"The day after that, we plan to have therapists from around the province come to the centre - not only to tour what we do at this centre, but also to tour the park and see what we have there."

Leckey said the facility will feature ramps with various textured surfaces. It will also offer patients an environment they can use to improve their mobility, build the strength and stamina needed to get around in their communities, and a chance to heighten their sensory and perceptual stimulation.

"We rehabilitate people, generally, indoors. People can roll wheelchairs and walkers and use their braces on nice, smooth floors. But what happens when they go back to their home and face obstacles like a six-inch ramp, gravel, sand, decking, etc?" he said.

"We put all those features in the park - even a couple of potholes - to make sure they can navigate them when they go back to their community."

Premier Shawn Graham, acting Health Minister Greg Byrne and a troupe of guests visited with patients and toured the grounds Monday morning. The Liberals committed $650,000 towards the completion of the park in the last provincial budget.

Graham was given a tour of the ramps and surfaces that have already been completed, and spoke with patients about the mobility challenges they face every day.

"This is a functional park. It allows individuals who are undergoing therapy to be outside, to be in a better environment," he said.

"It's indicative that when one is going through the process of mobility (challenges) and learning to operate in a setting outside of the home, this park (is) going to pay dividends for years to come for those individuals."

The premier said he's visited the Stan Cassidy centre a number of times over the years and he believes it's an inspiring place.

"There was an individual from the area that I represent in Kent (County) the last time I was here," he said.

"She had struck a moose and was undergoing rehabilitation at the centre. It truly is the staff here that makes all the difference. And today, in investing $650,000 in this therapeutic park, it allows the staff to do their job even that much better."

Charters Settlement resident Kelly Hopkins was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis about 20 years ago. She said she has completed rehabilitation services at the facility many times.

Hopkins is again working with staff at the rehabilitation centre, after a recent heart surgery forced her to limit the use of her arms for six weeks.

She said she'll rebuild her arm strength when that time period is up, saying the terrain park will give patients the chance to face many of the ramps, curbs and obstacles they will encounter after they leave the facility.

"To go downtown is almost impossible. There are a lot of places that are accessible, but you've got some really challenging places where it's broken up and hard to get around," she said.

"Here, you've got all the different terrains that you'll be able to practise on. It's going to prepare me for when I leave. Anything I need to face, I can do it here first."



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Council terminates lease at library
Published Tuesday May 18th, 2010
Tough times ahead | Mayor warns the loss of $193,200 in annual revenue will hurt budget for 2011
A3
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
[email protected]

Fredericton's Public Library board was ecstatic Monday night as city council, meeting in a committee-of-the-whole session, approved a motion to terminate the lease of the York Provincial Library as of Dec. 31.

The provincial library, which runs the regional bookmobile service, is a tenant in the city-owned Carleton Street Public Library, but it occupies space the public library board needs for a major capital upgrade.

The library board has a $1.4-million renovation plan, which it plans to phase in over four years beginning in 2011.

The city decision means it's moving closer to that reality.

The decision, which will have to be ratified at a formal public council meeting, is going to call for some tough financial thinking for city hall.

By terminating the lease, the city will give up $193,200 in annual revenue from the province. Between the lost revenue and the capital cost of the library improvements, staff will have to do some hard number-crunching.

"I feel very happy. I'm probably the happiest person in Fredericton right now," said public library board chairwoman Cathy MacLaggan.

"Having been on council, I can appreciate the difficulty of having to deal with the revenue issues and all the other worthy projects and requests that come in."

The library has been preparing for a major upgrade for more than three years, MacLaggan said.

"It will be a huge benefit to the city. We'll have great improvements to the library collection, to the services and programing. We'll have double the space for children's programing. I'm very happy," MacLaggan said.

Downtown Fredericton Inc. president Linda Dolan sent a letter to city council Monday stating the business improvement area association supports the library expansion as good for citizens as a whole and for the downtown.

"We've got to have our eyes wide open," finance committee chairman Mike O'Brien warned.

The councillors said it's fine to approve the project, but the city will have to plan to replace the lost annual revenue, as well as use money from the capital fund for the library renovations.

For O'Brien, and for deputy mayor Bruce Grandy, the fact that 40 per cent of library users are non-residents continues to be an issue.

"It's time that people started to contribute to what they're using," Grandy said.

Coun. Dan Keenan said Saint John has created a facilities commission to seek regional funding support for major facilities such as the downtown aquatic centre, Harbour Station arena and the trade and convention centre.

Coun. Jordan Graham also supported starting a discussion about regional resources and costs.

But it was Mayor Brad Woodside who sounded the strongest voice on regionalization, saying successive governments - be they Conservative or Liberal - have failed to find the gumption to tackle regional financing and service sharing.

"Somebody has to have the courage to deal with regionalization, which is not a bad word. It's not a dirty word, but they're afraid of it," Woodside said of the province. "This is not an easy time for us. We're not fat cats."

The city has many different groups knocking on its doors for funding, and while there are many good causes, there's only so much money.

The most recent big-ticket wish for Fredericton is a second indoor pool, but that's going to come with a $30-million to $40-million price tag, Woodside warned.

The city's only source of revenue is property taxation and property owners have sent a clear signal to city hall that enough is enough.

"Nobody wants to raise taxes," Woodside said.

"(But) guess what? Everybody can't have a fire truck and we can't provide the kinds of things that people want. We're a small province. We don't have a lot of people.

"We've got airports all over the place. None of it makes any sense economically, and sooner or later, we're not going to have the ability to provide everything that we want to provide and do it by ourselves.

"Sooner or later, they'll wake up to the realization that this (regionalization) has to be done."

The mayor said the city was harshly criticized for only giving $250,000 to the YMCA for its new building project and that's unfair.

All councillors spoke in support of the library project, but they all warned that the 2011 budget will be tough.

"Once you take on something new, you're going to have give something up - that's just the way it's going to be," Woodside said.

"We're going to be looking at our budgets very, very carefully and that's just the way it's going to be."

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[cl812]

Transit garage to be completed in November
Published Wednesday May 19th, 2010
A6
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
[email protected]

The footing course for a new Fredericton Transit garage is starting to take shape on St. Mary's Street as Pomerleau Inc. of Saint-Georges, Que., works toward a November completion deadline on the building.


Construction has started on a new operations centre for Fredericton Transit. The $6.1-million project involves all three levels of government and will allow Fredericton to expand its capacity to 40 buses from 28. Above, from left are, Fredericton deputy mayor Bruce Grandy, National Revenue Minister and Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency Keith Ashfield and Social Development Minister and attorney general Kelly Lamrock ceremoniously break ground.

Federal, provincial and city officials met at the site Tuesday morning to talk about the benefits of supporting transit services.

Fredericton MP Keith Ashfield, the federal national revenue minister and the minister responsible for Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, is the man who delivered the cheque for the bulk of the project cost.

Total cost is $6.1 million, but Ottawa is kicking in $5.7 million from the 2006 public transit capital trust.

The city stashed the money away in a capital reserve account to prepare to construct the building this year. It will top up the fund with $423,000 from its own piggybank.

Fredericton has outgrown its transit operations centre and lacks space to park its 28 transit buses and three para-transit buses for the mobility impaired under one roof.

"It's designed to encourage better use of our transit system. We're building a garage here that's going to house all of the fleet, so in the wintertime, they don't have to worry about defrosting the buses and shovelling them off," Ashfield said.

New Brunswick Social Development Minister Kelly Lamrock said encouraging public transit is better for the environment and provides transportation options for folks working in low-income jobs.

"Obviously, when we use public transit it's greener," Lamrock said.

While funding for the transit centre comes from Ottawa, approval of the city's transit service capital plan and allocation of the funding is administered by New Brunswick's Regional Development Corporation.

Both the federal Conservatives and the provincial Liberals have bolstered their spending over the past two years to keep the provincial and federal economies buoyant as the country worked its way through a global recession, Lamrock said.

"The fact that Canada has had international press for how well they've come through a recession without being really affected either here in New Brunswick or in Canada has shown how sensible that stimulus idea has been to the economy," Lamrock said.

For Fredericton's deputy mayor Bruce Grandy, the fact that Ottawa has picked up the tab for the majority of the project cost is a welcome relief.

Just this week, the city opted to approve a $1.4-million Carleton Street Public Library retrofit, but in doing so will lose $193,200 per year in province revenue earned through leasing a portion of the building to the York Regional Library.

"I can't say enough about the funding that's come through on this and the co-operation of both levels of government," said Grandy.

"For us to have to only put $423,000 into this facility and the federal government's picking up the rest, it's just great. Our budget this year is probably going to be even more challenging than it was last year. We truly appreciate funding announcements like this and partnerships.

"The bus garage is badly needed. Our fleet is maximized. This new building will hold up to 40 buses, so we'll be able to work away and expand our system to hopefully encourage a lot more people to use more transit.

"It's all about the environment and all about getting people to ride the buses."

With the closure of the Princess Margaret Bridge this summer, Grandy is hoping that Frederictonians might eye public transit as a travel option and get hooked on the service.

"I think it will be a good eye-opener for the citizens to look at transit and see it as a good alternative.

"We're going to have an express bus going from Brookside over to the downtown, and one thing I'm hoping is that it gets a lot of ridership.

"I think it's going to be an interesting summer."

Fredericton operates eight bus routes.

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Tenant associations planned for Runway district
Published Wednesday May 19th, 2010
D1
BY HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
[email protected]

Creation of tenant associations within the city's Runway business district is a next step in promoting the city's key business districts.

The Runway business park network is an 18-kilometre corridor stretching from the Fredericton International Airport to Hanwell Road.

"It was created to help advance the city's major growth corridor and its strategic industry clusters and to help attract investment opportunities to the city," said development committee chairman Coun. Dan Keenan.

In 2004, the city kicked off a $1.8-million plan to landscape the business areas, install directional and information signs identifying the business areas, and launched a marketing and promotions campaign.

The Runway includes the industrial and business parks along Alison Boulevard, Vanier Industrial Park, Fredericton Industrial Park and Wilsey Road South; the retail commercial district, including shopping centres, along Regent and Prospect Streets and Bishop Drive; the research and knowledge sector including Knowledge Park Drive and Prospect Street; and the airport and aerospace and defence park areas in the city's east end.

City economic development officer Laurie Guthrie has pulled together new promotional materials for the Runway business areas and the city's 275 business ambassadors will be handing out those materials.

Through the creation of a tenant association, businesses in Fredericton will be asked to circulate promotional materials about the city to their clients.

"We're going to approach the tenants within those four areas and set up these associations and we hope they'll put their Runway logo on their websites and link to the city's web page to have better cross-promotion," Guthrie said.

"We'll also be undertaking a direct mail-out campaign using the Runway brochure. We'll be doing that in partnership with Enterprise Fredericton," Guthrie said.

A promotional CD made for the city also heavily promotes the city's business opportunities, quality of life and business-friendly environment.

Coun. Scott McConaghy said it's nice to see the landscaping improvements that have taken place to make the city's business areas, including busy Prospect Street, more attractive.

The city has planted trees and low-maintenance shrubs and rose bushes to spruce up what was a mass of asphalt and buildings. Many businesses have supported the city's efforts by landscaping their own properties from the public right-of-way onto their own lots.

Deputy-mayor Bruce Grandy suggested the city think about creating a business strategy that can be unique to this region.

The City of Moncton, for instance, has built its industrial areas into a transportation hub.

Keenan said the city's strength is its low cost of doing business and quality of life. It is also a gateway into the United States and that could appeal to businesses that want easy access to the northeastern seaboard of the United States.

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[Pugsley]

Originally Posted by cl812

[B]Creation of tenant associations within the city's Runway business district is a next step in promoting the city's key business districts.

The Runway business park network is an 18-kilometre corridor stretching from the Fredericton International Airport to Hanwell Road.

"It was created to help advance the city's major growth corridor and its strategic industry clusters and to help attract investment opportunities to the city," said development committee chairman Coun. Dan Keenan.

In 2004, the city kicked off a $1.8-million plan to landscape the business areas, install directional and information signs identifying the business areas, and launched a marketing and promotions campaign.
----

Here I go again folks, I cannot help it when I read stuff like this...

...2004...hmm, so it took 6 years to put up signs and landscape the place to be ready for so-called "aggressive" marketing efforts? What the hell? They built a convention centre, a major UNB expansion, and an entirely new big-box retail centre in 3 years - how could the addition of signs and grass take twice the time?

And now, according to this article, they are going to kick it up a notch by developing clusters of associations and creating a new brochure and sending out more DVDs. That was supposed to be done in the first year, from what I understood in the original press release I read back in 2004. Why is it happening again? Oh yes, the addition of little logos on the Web sites of companies based there.

Here is a bit of a reality check from a person who deals with marketing and engaging B2B all the time. Getting COMPANIES to put a logo on their Web site for something YOU believe in is next to impossible unless it has a direct impact on THEIR business. And larger corporations, have too many policies and decision makers in other cities to ever see this happen.

That being said, it also does nothing to attract larger-scale companies to the region. Sure, Mom's Towing Company may add the logo to their Web site but chances are that the people visiting the site are from Fredericton and already know where the "Runway" is - and does nothing to attract new business of a larger scale. Small entrepreneurial companies are great but rarely re-locate to another community if they are already planted in another city. To date, I have seen nothing done to bring in a real industry leader to get "international" exposure for the city.

Time to shake the people up at these "economic development" comissions me thinks....sloppy timelines and poorly executed marketing is going to keep Fredericton from really exploding.

[cl812]

I cant say im a big fan of the name they chose (Runway) for this supposed "Business Park Newtork" either. Kinda seems like a waste of money in my opinion.

[OliverD]

Not sure if it's been mentioned here but there are pieces of a crane at the property on Victoria Street where they are going to build that 8-storey apartment building. I assume construction is imminent.

[cl812]

Originally Posted by OliverD

Not sure if it's been mentioned here but there are pieces of a crane at the property on Victoria Street where they are going to build that 8-storey apartment building. I assume construction is imminent.

I noticed that as well.

[Freddypop]

Published Thursday May 20th, 2010

A1

By SHAWN BERRY

[email protected]

Fredericton's Q1 Labs will today announce that it's adding up 70 new jobs in New Brunswick.

The Daily Gleaner has learned that the jobs will be divided between Fredericton and Saint John.

The provincial government will provide $560,000 in loans to the company to hire people for technical and sales positions.

"These are good high-tech jobs for the province, certainly important for Fredericton," said Finance Minister Greg Byrne.

He said he's pleased to see the Massachusetts-headquartered company has opted to continue growing in New Brunswick, where it was founded.

Q1 Labs is a global provider of computer network security products. The company's technology monitors networks, giving customers insight into what's occurring with their networks, data centres and applications to better protect their assets.

The company has more than 500 customers around the world, including Liz Claiborne Inc., the State of Colorado and Wayne State University in Michigan.

The privately held firm was founded in 2001 by three staff members of the University of New Brunswick's integrated technology services department.

The company's Bishop Drive location has 79 employees. The Saint John location has seven.

A breakdown of where the new jobs will be created wasn't available Wednesday.

Provincial job-creation loans are typically forgiven over a five-year period.

[Freddypop]

Published Thursday May 20th, 2010

Development | Homeowners in the area say they don't want another four-unit building in their midst

A6 By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN

[email protected]

Dundonald Street area property owners say they have enough apartments on their street and they don't want another four-unit building in their midst.

But the city's planning advisory committee is recommending that council approve an application from Elzayat Ventures Ltd. to redevelop 247 Dundonald St. into a four-unit apartment.

Business owner Gabriel Elzayat said he could legally develop six apartment units with the zoning on his property, but that he would prefer not to have bachelor units due to their more transient tenants.

Elzayat told the planning advisory committee that his preference would have been to have a ground-floor office for his company and one apartment unit above, but he was advised by city planners that their preference is for the residential redevelopment of the property.

In 1985, the planning advisory committee approved a variance that allowed a law office on the ground floor of the building on the property, but in November 2007, city council approved a zone amendment that would allow the renovation of the existing building to create a six-unit non-profit housing project.

But that development application was strongly opposed by area neighbours.

Victoria Street resident Terry Fitzgerald told the planning advisory committee their downtown area is saturated with non-owner occupied apartment buildings.

"We don't feel that we need another four units in our area," she said.

"This is not good for the neighbourhood ... It will affect our property values again."

Dundonald Street resident Sandra Sutherland said it's exhausting to have to keep fighting city hall on the issue.

"We were here in 2007 for the same issues," Sutherland said.

"Why do we allow spot zoning to come in, instead of allowing two, two-units and have a beautiful place there for a family? ... The last time we were here we were perceived to be against low income. We are about the place. It should be a two-unit."

"We want to keep our neighbourhood as it is now," said Rene Legere, another Dundonald Street resident.

The property has had environmental issues, but Elzayat told the committee that he has a clean bill of health from environment officials on the property.

"The goal is to clean up the property. It's been like this for the past 10 years," he said.

"I just got an engineer inside to make sure everything is ready for the city. The oil. There's four wells dug around the building to make sure the building is safe for everybody. I have that report as well from the engineer and from the environment.

"A single family home or an apartment, they're family dwellings. So, it has nothing to do with a family neighbourhood, with all due respect to everybody. Maybe you should change your thinking on that.

"Just plain and simple, if this doesn't pass, I'm going to put six units in it and be done with it. Basically, I don't need the aggravation.

"I'm going to make sure I'm not renting to people that are partying."

Elzayat said he will make two-bedroom units to entice families.

Coun. Marilyn Kerton supported the application, saying that it would be better for the neighbourhood to have four units, rather than the six Elzayat could legally do.

"This neighbourhood has come before us in the past and they have very valid concerns," Kerton said.

"They want to maintain it as a family-oriented community and neighborhood.

"Given the situation, I think to go with the four units with the two-bedroom apartments is better than having a six-unit because you're going to get more of a transient population with your six units and the bachelor apartments."

Dundonald Street and Victoria Street residents will still get a chance to appeal to city council on the project when it goes to a public hearing of objections this summer.

[Freddypop]

Published Thursday May 20th, 2010

A5 By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN

[email protected]

It was a frustrating night Wednesday for Lincoln Heights area residents who were told the city's planning advisory committee has no say over the approval of a six-lot subdivision on Adams Street and Lincoln Road.

Residents convinced the committee in April that, based on traffic safety, the subdivision application from Edouard Gebrael at 1530 Lincoln Rd. should be rejected.

But when the subdivision came to city council for assent, councillors shipped it off to the legal department for an opinion. As a result of the legal opinion, city council sent the subdivision application back to Wednesday night's planning advisory committee meeting with strict limits on the committee's authority.

The only duty of the committee was to hear public opinion on whether the city should take an eight per cent land dedication in the form of land or cash. Whenever a new subdivision is developed in the city, the contribution is required in order to either provide land for a park or collect money to be spent on a neighbourhood park.

Committee chairman Dan Koncz explained to the public that when a subdivision meets all the requirements of the provincial Community Planning Act, the city zoning and the subdivision bylaw Z-4, then there is no basis to deny the subdivision.

"Meeting this criteria is what is generally referred to as 'as of right.' In that case, the only item we at PAC have for consideration before us is how to deal with the eight per cent land dedication for public purposes," Koncz said.

While he tried to encourage opponents of the subdivision to confine their comments to whether they want the city to take land or cash for public park purposes, frustrated residents kept trying to reiterate their concerns about traffic and safety.

Council members on the committee apologized to the public for creating the confusion, but at the end of the day, the only vote that could be conducted related to park land or cash.

Committee members voted five to two in favour of taking cash. Councillors Marilyn Kerton and David Kelly supported a call by some area residents to take land, but the council member representing the ward, Scott McConaghy, couldn't in good conscience cast his vote that way because it would amount to singling Gebrael out for different treatment than other developers in the same situation.

"It's frustrating," McConaghy said.

"I feel bad and my fellow councillors feel bad."

At the same time, McConaghy said if the city needs land to fix a traffic problem at Lincoln Road and Adams Street, it has other legislative tools to do that.

The city's community services staff said it wasn't their recommendation to take such a small scrap of land, but to take cash and use the money on enhancing the nearby community park.

Committee members were told that the eight per cent land dedication would amount to 252 square metres - equivalent to the size of a large bungalow.

By legislation, the city can't use park lands for street widening purposes or roads and streets projects. Kerton had suggested by taking a strip of land near the Adams Street and Lincoln Road area, it might reduce the subdivision's size to fewer than six lots.

But Koncz cautioned the planning advisory committee that in taking an eight per cent dedication in the form of land, the developer would still have sufficient property to develop six building lots.

"I'm attempting to compromise in terms of the neighbourhood," Kerton said.

"Marilyn, we're back to trying to negotiate and we have to deal with the application that is before us," Koncz said.

Lincoln Road resident Jamie Morrison said the whole experience has been disappointing to residents.

"We're not trying to be negative. We're not against development. We're trying to find a solution that's both safety-wise and meets regulations," Morrison said.

"Minimum standards do not fit all cases. Take the land that's been set aside in trust for the public and create a boulevard at Adams Street intersection with Lincoln Road.

"We do not believe a traffic study has been done at this intersection and one should be done at this spot."

"You have a moral and ethical right and a responsibility to step outside the guidelines for the benefit of all the citizens of Fredericton," Morrison said.

Kerton apologized.

"Somewhere the ball was dropped and I as a councillor apologize because I think we put you through a horrible process," Kerton said.

Committee member Jim McElman said the city can't use dedicated park land for street widening purposes.

"We're bound by the statute. The Community Planning Act is very specific ... It can't be used for street widening, boulevards, corners and so on.

"The PAC's desire to accommodate everyone's concerns developers and the residents at the last meeting, led us to be too broad in the discussion that took place," McElman said.

He said it has always been the city's practice for its staff to decide where the land is taken. To alter that long-standing practice, could raise additional questions, he said.

[Freddypop]

Published Thursday May 20th, 2010

Competitiveness: Hub City and N.B.'s capital beat out cities that are typically low-cost jurisdictions

B1 REBECCA PENTY

Telegraph-Journal

Moncton is No. 1 in overall tax competitiveness for business out of a list of 95North American cities studied by KPMG LLP for a recent special report.

The Hub City and New Brunswick's capital city Fredericton also feature prominently near the top of the audit, tax and advisory firm's look at tax rates for manufacturing, corporate and IT services.Fredericton leads in taxation on research and development spending, with Moncton at a close second.

Greg Wiebe, KPMG's Canadian managing partner for tax, said Moncton and Fredericton are the best out of the 95 cities he and his co-author looked at for the tax segment released last week, an addition to his organization's Competitive Alternatives 2010 report.

"They even beat out cities that are typically low-cost jurisdictions like Mexico. It's a great news story," Wiebe said.

Saint John was not included in the report.

The total tax burden examined in the KPMG report looked at corporate income taxes, capital taxes, sales taxes, miscellaneous local business taxes and statutory labour costs.

Overall, Mexico still remains the lowest-cost country when it comes to tax on average, with Canada falling in second place; the United States trails in sixth place.

The special report on tax followed a study released on March 31 on overall business competitiveness, which showed it's still cheaper to do business in Moncton or Fredericton than almost all other comparable-sized Canadian and American cities. For the third time in a row, KPMG ranked Moncton No. 1 in Atlantic Canada and New England in the March study.

Wiebe said the tax rate is one of the key costs that corporations eye when they're looking to set up a business.

"One of the things that's a competitive advantage for both of those cities is that they do have the HST (harmonized sales tax)," Wiebe said of Moncton and Fredericton, explaining that the harmonized sales tax is not borne by businesses.

"I think that's why you see some of the Atlantic cities scoring very well," he said, pointing out that Ontario and British Columbia are planning on adopting the harmonized sales tax.

Wiebe said the results are likely a function of the provincial tax regime, too. New Brunswick aims to be the lowest-cost jurisdiction for corporate taxes in the country; last year the government announced that by 2012, corporate income taxes would be reduced to eight per cent.

Michael Smart, an economics professor at the University of Toronto who has an expertise in Canadian tax policy, said tax is just one of many factors that businesses look at when they decide where to locate. Access to markets and a skilled labour force are among others.

But Smart pointed out taxation is one of the government's only policy tools to entice companies and lower corporate taxes are often what economists recommend to stimulate investment.

The professor noted there has been significant debate in Atlantic Canada as to whether governments should create special investment tax credits and subsidy programs or simply aim for lower across-the-board taxes on corporate income - dubbed the headline rate.

"My sense is that statutory tax rates are the thing to get down. That general rate is really what you should focus on when you're looking to attract business investment and corporate tax base into the province."

[corda]

Originally Posted by Freddypop

Published Thursday May 20th, 2010

Development | Homeowners in the area say they don't want another four-unit building in their midst

NIMBYism.... I can't understand why anyone on Victoria street would have a problem with this building becoming 4 apartments. There are already plenty of rented buildings on Dundonald and Victoria St and the owner could have not taken these neighbours in to consideration and made 6. He's met them half way which is more than he needed to do.
This busy downtown street close to stores is the precise location mulit-unit housing belongs in.... bachelor units or not... board up your windows.. the transients are coming!

[cl812]

Originally Posted by corda

NIMBYism.... I can't understand why anyone on Victoria street would have a problem with this building becoming 4 apartments. There are already plenty of rented buildings on Dundonald and Victoria St and the owner could have not taken these neighbours in to consideration and made 6. He's met them half way which is more than he needed to do.
This busy downtown street close to stores is the precise location mulit-unit housing belongs in.... bachelor units or not... board up your windows.. the transients are coming!

Yeah it is quite ridiculous what they are complaining about, and I think they are making an unfair generalization in the article (I guess they are quotes from city councilors, but thats even worse and at the same time not surprising) referring to all low income single people as "Transients".

[Freddypop]

Noticed a Federal Government Stimulus Fund sign placed on the Tannery Court project on Brookside Drive. Would assume that demolition of the current house will occur shortly followed by construction of the building similar to their property on Cliffe Street.

[cl812]

Company plans to develop lots off of Hanwell Road
Published Friday May 21st, 2010
Zoning change | Oakridge told to pay attention to the backyard of the proposed new lots
A6
By The Daily Gleaner

Oakridge Manufacturing plans to develop four commercial building lots on the east side of the Hanwell Road, south of Bishop Drive.

City council will be asked to approve a rezoning to highway commercial from service industrial,

The change in zoning has been recommended by the planning advisory committee in order to develop the four lots.

The City of Fredericton's planning staff is recommending that the developer pay special attention to the backyard of the proposed new lots since they abut on future townhouse development.

The city is requesting the company submit a detailed landscaping and fencing plan prior to building permits being obtained.

In other recent planning committee decisions, Caldwell and Ross Ltd. has been given subdivision approval to create 10 industrial park zone building lots at 195 Doak Road.

A new public street will be created for access to the industrial lots.

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