General Updates and News - Page 110

DigitalNinja · #**2181** Posted **Mar 31, 2011, 11:06 PM**

Yupp, its always been the commons

pblaauw · #**2182** Posted **Apr 1, 2011, 3:18 AM**

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/9020408.html

q12 · #**2183** Posted **Apr 1, 2011, 7:46 PM**

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/1236190.html

Quote:

City, province to unload downtown properties
Vacant, underused sites to be sold

Empire · #**2184** Posted **Apr 5, 2011, 2:40 AM**

Something that seems to get lost in the oval debate is the possibility of competitions on a national or international scale. The opportunity exists to help local speed skaters develop their skills to the highest level. Skate Canada has endorsed the oval as a great venue but as usual we have comments like "why not build several smaller community rinks instead"?

someone123 · #**2185** Posted **Apr 5, 2011, 2:45 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Empire

Something that seems to get lost in the oval debate is the possibility of competitions on a national or international scale. The opportunity exists to help local speed skaters develop their skills to the highest level. Skate Canada has endorsed the oval as a great venue but as usual we have comments like "why not build several smaller community rinks instead"?

Or the classic "we shouldn't keep it because some people won't use it". If universal usefulness were a requirement for government spending no public amenities would ever be created.

It's also worth noting what it costs to build rinks. The one in Bedford was $40M. The $4M or whatever it is for the oval isn't going to pay for rinks all over the municipality.

Dmajackson · #**2186** Posted **Apr 5, 2011, 3:25 AM**

Diamonds demolition:

EGS · #**2187** Posted **Apr 5, 2011, 7:10 PM**

This post sheds some light on decisions made about the oval:

http://halifax.infomonkey.net/blog.details.php?post_id=19633

-Harlington- · #**2188** Posted **Apr 6, 2011, 12:43 PM**

City staff: Sportsplex No. 1 on list
$22-million Dartmouth project would include gym, fitness centre
By CLARE MELLOR Staff Reporter
Wed, Apr 6 - 4:54 AM

The Dartmouth Sportsplex is the top priority when it comes to revitalizing some of Halifax Regional Municipality’s aging recreation and fitness facilities, says a city hall staff report.

The proposed $22-million project would include construction of a gymnasium, a new fitness facility and weight room, pool renovations and parking improvements, says the report, which was presented to council’s committee of the whole session Tuesday.

The renovation and expansion to the Sportsplex is not slated to get underway until 2013 and still requires regional council’s approval before it proceeds. However, council has set aside $250,000 for a preliminary study of the project this year.

"Staff’s opinion is that rather than having construction ongoing over four years, which would be very disruptive to the facility, we can do this in two phases," said Phil Townsend, the municipality’s director of infrastructure and asset management.

It is not yet known how the municipality will pay for the project. But councillors agreed the facility, built in 1982, is in need of an upgrade. The building, which serves a wide catchment area and is vital to the community, is losing money and members.

Revamping it would be more economical than building a new one, said Betty Lou Killen, a community planner with the municipality.

The renovation is going to change the Sportsplex’s whole vision and get it off "the lifeline of bingo" by making it into a "family-orientated wellness centre that is going to operate in the black," said Coun. Jim Smith (Albro Lake- Harbourview), who sits on the facility’s board.

Renovations to the Halifax Forum, proposed for a few years down the road, are expected to cost about $10 million, Killen said. Other proposed projects currently on the municipality’s radar include upgrades to the St. Andrews and Needham centres, and a replacement of the Bloomfield Centre’s gymnasium.

( [email protected])

DigitalNinja · #**2189** Posted **Apr 6, 2011, 6:03 PM**

22 million, that is a good chunk towards a stadium.

worldlyhaligonian · #**2190** Posted **Apr 6, 2011, 8:12 PM**

Yeah, like 1/3.

I'm for this revamp... but seriously, if we keep spending double digit millions on all these kind of projects we are just throwing away the opportunity to have maybe one larger, worthwhile project.

kph06 · #**2191** Posted **Apr 7, 2011, 12:20 AM**

Here's a bunch I snapped of the QEH demolition while driving by today:

Its interesting how this is what it would have looked like years ago before the modern addition.

RyeJay · #**2192** Posted **Apr 7, 2011, 4:32 AM**

http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/cruise...a-new-england/ports/halifax-nova-scotia/

Disney Cruises are now advertising Halifax as part of their 'New England Coast' package. This is because of this...

http://www.portofhalifax.ca/english/news-and-events/index.html#disney

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2011/04/06/ns-disney-magic-cruise.html

!!!!! OK HALIFAX !!!!! This would be a very, VERY good time to push through a lot more of these vital developments for our downtown. This is an amazing opportunity for our tourism, and far beyond! Halifax has many assets, particularly with its density of high quality post secondary institutions. This, combined with the developing Halifax Atlantic Gateway, provides a strong economic foundation for investment in ...again...I repeat: DOWNTOWN Halifax. The people are gonna be comin. Let's offer them a place to visit, and a place in which they dream of living.

worldlyhaligonian · #**2193** Posted **Apr 7, 2011, 5:07 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by RyeJay

http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/cruise...a-new-england/ports/halifax-nova-scotia/

Disney Cruises are now advertising Halifax as part of their 'New England Coast' package. This is because of this...

http://www.portofhalifax.ca/english/news-and-events/index.html#disney

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2011/04/06/ns-disney-magic-cruise.html

!!!!! OK HALIFAX !!!!! This would be a very, VERY good time to push through a lot more of these vital developments for our downtown. This is an amazing opportunity for our tourism, and far beyond! Halifax has many assets, particularly with its density of high quality post secondary institutions. This, combined with the developing Halifax Atlantic Gateway, provides a strong economic foundation for investment in ...again...I repeat: DOWNTOWN Halifax. The people are gonna be comin. Let's offer them a place to visit, and a place in which they dream of living.

Definitely... but you are making the assumption that the vocal minority against development wants people to come to Halifax. This is not the case and they only believe people come here for heritage, which is absolute nonsense.

I hope more opportunities like this for Halifax will tip the balance and silence the obstructionists.

RyeJay · #**2194** Posted **Apr 7, 2011, 9:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

Definitely... but you are making the assumption that the vocal minority against development wants people to come to Halifax. This is not the case and they only believe people come here for heritage, which is absolute nonsense.

I hope more opportunities like this for Halifax will tip the balance and silence the obstructionists.

I am not making any assumption at all. I did not even mention any political voice.

icetea93 · #**2195** Posted **Apr 8, 2011, 1:16 AM**

Speaking of people coming to Halifax, at least for the shopping side of things...

It looks like Hollister will be opening it's first store east of Toronto in Halifax this year:
http://dodgeprojects.construction.com/Ho...ctId130481538VVcatId547207VVviewprod.htm

This will be a BIG deal for Halifax in drawing people in to spend money here!

-Harlington- · #**2196** Posted **Apr 8, 2011, 2:33 AM**

id like to see something like that downtown because im not sure how many people visiting from other areas frequent the main malls here

plus it would be nice to have a draw like that downtown

But nonetheless glad to see something like that here, thats impressive that its not even in Montreal but its comming here.

alps · #**2197** Posted **Apr 8, 2011, 2:40 AM**

It'd be interesting if they left a couple small chunks of QEH standing as a sort of garden folly, at least until hospital expansion started.

resetcbu1 · #**2198** Posted **Apr 8, 2011, 4:47 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by -Harlington-

id like to see something like that downtown because im not sure how many people visiting from other areas frequent the main malls here

plus it would be nice to have a draw like that downtown

But nonetheless glad to see something like that here, thats impressive that its not even in Montreal but its comming here.

It's been a few years since I've been home , is "MILLS BRO's" still there? If not is there another tenant? That would be a prime location for that type of store.

resetcbu1 · #**2199** Posted **Apr 8, 2011, 4:55 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

Definitely... but you are making the assumption that the vocal minority against development wants people to come to Halifax. This is not the case and they only believe people come here for heritage, which is absolute nonsense.

I hope more opportunities like this for Halifax will tip the balance and silence the obstructionists.

Heritage,heritage,heritage....Hmmmm do you think in a hundred years people will flock here to see our historical holes in the ground? the tour would sound like "And here we have a hole from the turn of the millenium , during this time many holes were dug throughout downtown and remain ,generally as they were when dug. Because of this, development in this area of the city is restricted to protect historic value of these century old holes in the historic (HOLE DISTRICT)....."

icetea93 · #**2200** Posted **Apr 8, 2011, 10:12 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by -Harlington-

id like to see something like that downtown because im not sure how many people visiting from other areas frequent the main malls here

plus it would be nice to have a draw like that downtown

But nonetheless glad to see something like that here, thats impressive that its not even in Montreal but its comming here.

I agree, it would be better for Halifax to have these king of stores downtown. However, whenever I'm in the malls, there are a lot of PEI and NB license plates in the parking lot. The malls are usually very busy so I think that's why Hollister is opening in one of those, I don't think they have an outdoor-downtown type location in Canada yet, they are all in the big malls.