Saskatoon Construction

[Ruckus]

The bobcat and Saskatoon Light and Power crews have left and have been replaced by a drilling crew from AMEC - Earth Drilling.

I'm quite sure the site had been cleaned up years ago, however the current activity might be a 5 year update (or something along those lines) on the state of the soil

Here I thought they might be prepping the site for something more...still a possibility though.

[Migs]

Chili's restaurant coming to Saskatoon

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/n...86eb-1397-4789-9877-8f7f31067b05&k=49742

[Jerry]

Originally Posted by Migs

Chili's restaurant coming to Saskatoon

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/n...86eb-1397-4789-9877-8f7f31067b05&k=49742

Rumor was that it was slated to go into the old Burger King on 8th street but it looks like ORIGINAL JOE'S is taking that spot. >>http://www.originaljoes.ca/

[Rob D]

Chili's has been in Calgary and Edmonton for many years. I have eaten there on a couple of occasions and they're nothing special. Original Joe's is another one that has been in Calgary for many years but I have never eaten there.

There does not seem to be any Chili's anywhere in B.C. at this time. However, there are tons of fabulous local restaurants in Vancouver. From what I recall, Saskatoon has (had) a fair number of really good local eateries.

I prefer to support good local spots rather than American chains any day.

[Ruckus]

Condo conversions face fewer barriers in Saskatoon: report
Lori Coolican, The StarPhoenix
Published: Tuesday, February 26, 2008

If it happened in cities like Vancouver, Abbotsford, Victoria, Kelowna or Ottawa, the real estate boom underway in Saskatoon would not include such a massive number of condominium conversions -- because it wouldn't be legal to force so many apartment tenants out of their homes in a tight rental market.

That's the upshot of a report delivered to city council's executive committee Monday.

Councillors, however, aren't ready to talk about it while the city's top lawyer is preparing to "vigorously oppose" a court challenge launched by a group of tenants whose downtown highrise recently won council's permission to convert.

The committee deferred discussion of two proposed amendments to the city's condo conversion policy until after March 11, when city solicitor Theresa Dust is expected to argue in Court of Queen's Bench against a motion from tenants of the Milroy Apartments to quash council's approval of the conversion of their building.

The building's prospective owner -- Lloyd Hedemann -- has applied for status as an interested party in the court challenge, which has delayed the Queen's Bench hearing from Thursday to March 11, Dust told the committee Monday.

Meanwhile, civic staff checked out the condo conversion policies in other Canadian cities with low apartment vacancy rates, and found major restrictions aimed at protecting tenants when the market is tight.

In Victoria, for example, no conversions are allowed when apartment vacancies drop below two per cent. In Vancouver, conversions of buildings with more than four units are not allowed when the vacancy rate is below four per cent. Kelowna does not allow any conversions if its vacancy rate is below four per cent, and Ottawa does not allow any when its vacancy rate is below three per cent.

According to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., Saskatoon's vacancy rate plunged from three per cent to 0.6 per cent between April and October last year -- while rents skyrocketed and more than 1,500 local apartment-dwellers received notice their buildings were going condo.

"This is the lowest (vacancy) rate on record," the report states. "While your administration remains of the view that condominium conversions have an overall positive effect on the community during normal market conditions, the drop in vacancy rates does raise the question as to whether the City of Saskatoon should continue to approve condominium conversion applications in the foreseeable future."

The report recommends changing the current policy so no conversions can be approved when the city-wide vacancy rate is below 1.5 per cent. It also recommends city council, rather than administration, make the final decision on buildings with more than 50 units. The current policy requires a council vote on buildings with more than 100 units.

Administrators also suggest city council consider creating a new "approval fee" -- somewhere in the range of $10,000 per unit -- to be levied against building owners who apply for conversion when the vacancy rate is between 1.5 and three per cent. The money collected through the fee would be added to a reserve fund for development of affordable rental housing.

Ten local buildings containing 224 units have already received final approval to convert, and civic staff are in the midst of processing applications for about 1,300 more units, according to the report.

The owners of about 900 of those have already received "preliminary approval" and started construction work to meet building code requirements for condos, with the expectation that their applications will ultimately be approved, it adds.

If council decides to amend its policy, the applicants on the remaining 400 units could be allowed to withdraw, or they could be invited to argue their individual cases in front of city council, "where they may outline their unique circumstances or measures which they intend to implement to mitigate the impact of the conversion on existing tenants, and demonstrate that the conversion will not significantly reduce the availability of rental accommodation in the area," it suggests.

Saskatoon's condo conversion craze is not over, the report warns.

"Based on discussions with prospective applicants, it appears that there are a significant number of individuals contemplating condominium conversion applications in 2008."

[email protected]

Source

[Ruckus]

Home Ownership Conference in Town
Wednesday, 27 February 2008

Over 120 delegates and housing experts will be dealing with topics such as partnerships, innovative financing tools, home ownership trends and research on home ownership delivery methods at the National Affordable Home Ownership Conference.

The conference which is being held today (wed) and tomorrow (thurs) takes place in Saskatoon and Chair of the conference Jim Wasilenko says the current boom in the province makes Saskatoon the perfect location to discuss innovative affordable home ownership options.

Wasilenko says they will be looking at two innovative models for Aboriginal housing, developing affordable housing solutions on high cost land, and will be introduced to information products and tools.

(db.feb26.08)

Source

*******

Solutions for aboriginal housing and affordable housing on high cost land (core area?) would be very useful, I hope the findings/information will be released publicly in a very short time.

[Ruckus]

Former Esso Station - soil testing???




Student activists - Keeping the pressure on governments and the market to find a student housing solution...the media will cover the scheduled protest and run a story on the issue tomorrow IIRC (Lindsey Levesque, Vice President (External Affairs) informed me that Global and CBC had dropped by earlier in the day). Two of the University Students Union representatives will be spending the night in the makeshift shelter (they are furnishing the interior ).

I also learned that in order to build the snow fort the USSU had to get approval from U of S Groundskeeping services. The U of R is doing something similar but are using tents, they couldn't do tents at the U of S because it would be difficult to mark where electrical/gas lines were and driving the tent stakes into the ground might be too risky (according to U of S administration)...WTF So they built a snow fort instead? (I'd hate for it to collapse, how tragic would that be. I believe they have engineers (red jackets) constructing it, not sure if they plan to do structural analysis though ).





Windows for the 6th floor of the Murray Building (U of S Main Library)




Cameco is awaiting completion of their downtown offices...there's also another tenant but I can't recall the name???


Cameco 11th Street head office additional property and building.


The E4 and S6 tags are obviously elevator shaft and stair case, but I wonder if the numbers reflect something too... 4 or 6 levels???


Random Viterra Terminal


Tommy Douglas public high school and Bethlehem catholic high school joined via Shaw Centre


Tommy Douglas public high school and Bethlehem catholic high school joined via Shaw Centre




Tommy Douglas public high school and Bethlehem catholic high school joined via Shaw Centre


Tommy Douglas public high school and Bethlehem catholic high school joined via Shaw Centre


Tommy Douglas public high school and Bethlehem catholic high school joined via Shaw Centre

[Ruckus]

Just reading over The Meewasin Valley Project (Raymond Moriyama Architects and Planners) and felt like sharing some images. I have yet to find time to read the entire plan, but just skimming through some of it today had quite an effect on me, a really inspiring vision (much of the vision agrees with my own personal view of what role the river should play).

















Source

[drm310]

Indigo books site for first Saskatoon store
Retailer building Eighth Street location near competitor

By Cassandra Kyleof The StarPhoenix
An Indigo Books and Music store headed for Saskatoon this year now has a home.

The largest book retailer in Canada will move into a building on the edge of The Centre mall property on Eighth Street and Circle Drive, the shopping centre’s marketing director Leanne Tameling confirmed Wednesday. The store will occupy 18,000 square feet of space and is set to open in the fall, she said.

The building is currently under construction on the site where a strip mall burned down more than one year ago — a property mall management had planned to rebuild.

The appearance of an Indigo Books and Music turns the page on McNally Robinson Booksellers’ reign in Saskatoon. The family run, independent bookstore hasn’t had competition from a major book retailer since opening on Eighth Street in 1998. The two locations will be separated by the Circle Drive overpass.

Thecompany’sco-ownerPaulMcNally said his business is able to offer a greater regional perspective than the Torontobased Indigo. McNally Robinson’s dedication to Prairie authors and readers, along with a strong events program, makes it one-of-a-kind the West, he said. “Those are all things that are unique to McNally Robinson that a Toronto company can’t emulate,” McNally said from his Winnipeg office. “I think there is a very strong differentiation.” McNally’s Saskatoon store manager Ian Goodwillie isn’t concerned about a national chain moving to the neighbourhood. There’s more than enough room for both companies to do well in the city, he said.

“It was sort of an inevitability. They’ve been talking about doing a store here for years and I think they finally found the right place at the right time,” he said about Indigo. “Obviously, they’re doing something right if they’re expanding stores across Canada — but then again, so is McNally Robinson.”

When Indigo sets up shop on Eighth Street it will be good for both businesses, Goodwille said. The retailer would rather see competition two blocks away drawing people to the area rather than have customers drive to the edge of the city to go book shopping.

McNally’s property covers 23,000 square feet and has a full-service restaurant, Prairie Ink. There’s no word on whether a restaurant or coffee bar will be included in Indigo’s store.

In an earlier interview with The StarPhoenix, Indigo spokesperson Lisa Huie said the company — which also runs Chapters, Coles, Smithbooks and World’s Biggest Bookstore — is always looking for promising new markets. Huie was unable to comment Wednesday about the location.

According to Statistics Canada, the average urban Canadian household spent $273 on reading material in 2006, the last year for which data is available.

In April 2007, Indigo announced its Love of Reading Fund chose Pleasant Hill Community School as one of 10 schools across Canada to receive $150,000 over three years for books.

[email protected]

[midnightrambler]

I have yet to find time to read the entire plan, but just skimming through some of it today had quite an effect on me, a really inspiring vision (much of the vision agrees with my own personal view of what role the river should play).

It looks as though that plan was concieved some years ago. The Idea of developing the land southeast of the University into A large lakefront development is a good one. I'd like to see some student housing there.

The area North of The University lands looks a little less possible, since Silverspring is already encroaching much of the area. I do, however, like the idea of a golf course adjacent to the river north of the freeway, I doubt there is enough room south of the freeway. The University is still the biggest land owner in the city, and to think of how much money all their land is worth is really mind boggling. If they sold the land north of the freeway to some crafty developer, say golf course / residential development, I'd think it would be possible to use those funds for additional housing in the southeast lands the University owns, plus upgrades to griffiths... etc.

Remember the City is loosing a Golf Course (Saskatoon Golf & C.C. West), so the prospects at another golf course development will likely improve for the next 5 years. To have it within city limits would be beneficial, and may fall in the Meewasin Plan.

[joelpiecowye]

i wonder when those were made, i like that riverlandingmaster plan much better than the one we have now with the enclosed walkways for the winter. And the ski hill at cathedral bluffs ski hill would be nice because blackstrap wont open in the near future.

[midnightrambler]

Originally Posted by joelpiecowye

i wonder when those were made

I read parts of the plan, it looks like it was 1977... on page 6 or so.

[Ruckus]

I believe the MVA plan was attempting to bring together a collective vision of the relationship between the city, river, and the people (city officials often mentioned the Moriyama plan during discussion of Riverlanding, now you know where many Saskatonians reflect or reference ideas from ).

Many of the ideas discussed in the MVA plan have already been implemented (new river trails), some are ongoing (River Landing Phase I and II), and some have yet to materialize or develop further conceptually or physically (winter garden, u of s lands, ski hill...I don't recall the MVA plan mentioning a whitewater park, but it is something that is currently being discussed and relates wonderfully to the Moriyama plan).

If your interested in more information, the entire MVA Plan is available in PDF format here.

[Ruckus]

Originally Posted by drm310

Indigo books site for first Saskatoon store
Retailer building Eighth Street location near competitor

By Cassandra Kyleof The StarPhoenix
An Indigo Books and Music store headed for Saskatoon this year now has a home.

The largest book retailer in Canada will move into a building on the edge of The Centre mall property on Eighth Street and Circle Drive, the shopping centre’s marketing director Leanne Tameling confirmed Wednesday. The store will occupy 18,000 square feet of space and is set to open in the fall, she said.

[email protected]

I'm glad we're finally getting more competition among book stores.

My sociology professor often laments Saskatoon's lack of book stores (he hails from Chicago-Milwaukee), so I'm sure he'll be happy about this announcement.

[midnightrambler]

NEWS · FEB 28 2008

Bumpy Landing
REMAI PULLOUT CAUSES FURTHER QUESTIONS OVER COUNCIL’S GOAL OF RIVER LANDING HOTEL
by Kelly Brownlee

In Mayor Don Atchison’s self-described “working office,” the mood is upbeat: the room is littered with poster boards full of enticing visions of a vibrant riverfront, abuzz with arts and entertainment and attractive to all ages. Unfortunately, a big piece of the artist’s conception of the project is now AWOL in terms of whatever the eventual reality turns out to be. But while some might consider the recent news that Remai Ventures have pulled out on plans to develop a hotel-spa on the former Gathercole site a devastating blow to the River Landing project, Atchison looks anything but worried.

Ellen Remai, president and CEO of Remai Ventures Inc., informed City Council in February that, as the only private investor locked into plans to develop at River Landing, she was withdrawing her project due to rising costs.

“It is disappointing but we still have the chance to move ahead,” says Atchison of Remai’s decision. “With [Remai Ventures] committing it created all of this interest. Before their commitment there had only been four inquiries into the site; that number has gone up to 16. The value of the land has gone up considerably. Even with Remai pulling out [we have] to start working it out; you just can’t drag your feet.”

Council is continuing to follow through on their River Landing commitment by meeting very shortly to resolve what kind of facility could be built in place of the Remai project. Atchison understands Remai’s concerns about the economical issues surrounding construction costs—and says he realises the overall project is daunting, as evidenced by the work that’s already been put into the River Landing by previous councils.

“In defense of other councils these are major projects,” explains Atchison, “Back in the day [council was] only elected in two-year increments [as opposed to three-year increments now]. Mayor A.W. Macpherson started to plan for the River Landing in 1948.

“There is just a shortage in a lot of those construction areas and it’s difficult to get contractors,” he says of the current situation. “Previously we had thought about a 200-250 room hotel but that’s not necessarily the case at all. It could be a 50-room hotel… that’s for the people in the industry to determine. It’s going to be more than a hotel with a condo or residential component and I still see there being a need for these items.”

But local developer and planner Lenore Swystun is not at all convinced by Atchison’s ‘all is well’ approach to the River Landing’s progress—and she certainly wasn’t surprised by the Remai decision.

“It is predictable that Remai would most likely not be able to get this [riverfront development] kick-started,” she says. “You don’t start with a hotel. You start with the public attractions and then you start to develop other things.”

Moreover, Swystun and more than a few others have long questioned why Atchison and others on council seem almost obsessed with the notion of a hotel on the land. She’s convinced that Council is moving forward on a platform of ‘manufactured consent’ from citizens, pushing a project that the general public is not in agreement on. And for this, she blames the Mayor.

“I point directly at [Atchison]. This is his vision,” she says. “[With the loss of Remai’s hotel/spa] he’s put himself in the corner.” Little to no public input will be the downfall of this project, says Swystun, regardless of a hotel.

“At the end of the day it still doesn’t work. We need to have a riverbank that is open. That’s what draws visitors in, a sense of ownership. With a good planning process and stakeholders reaching a consensus it ultimately always results in success.”

Riverfront development across the country has been built on a basis of community consent, and has been kept in control by the public and municipal governance—and some places in the world would die for what Saskatoon has, says Swystun. But Atchison, along with City Council, is going in the wrong direction by selling off public lands.

“What makes [a] river development successful?” she asks. “We’re going to have to work together. If you’re going to create a destination it’s not about building an icon like a hotel. Atchison had a real concrete vision; the first thing he did instead of working with citizens was thinking, ‘I think we need to sell this off.’”

Indeed, Atchison himself has alluded to what impact an iconic building would have on the River Landing project. Citing changes at the 80-year-old Bessborough, which originally operated with a bar and cafeteria, Atchison points to the effectiveness of evolving landmarks.

“That hotel continues to evolve. And over time, River Landing will too by reinventing itself,” he says. “With a common theme overall, the pieces will change and it will keep evolving. The structures may still be there but what’s inside may change.”

But Swystun is not convinced that building landmarks is the way of the future for Saskatoon—and certainly not for River Landing. In any case, she proposes moving the project into a forum for public discussion that could answer some of those concerns, as the cancellation of Remai’s plans may allow for revisiting what River Landing will mean to the city.

“Let’s [work] together on this collaboration as a way of moving forward,” suggests Swystun. “Open up that process and get citizens involved. It’s not about 11 people sitting in a room; we’ve moved past that. Come on, Saskatoon. We’re all mindful, we’re all connected; let’s use the positive lessons right here in our own community.”

Swystun refers to the examples of publicly-ran operations such as the Centennial Auditorium or Mendel Art Gallery. She is urging Council to consider that kind of model as a totally “do-able” option in the River Landing development.

“This will be costing a lot more money,” predicts Swystun. And Atchison, she warns, “has lost any real control over that area” in regards to what may happen to some of the public land that is already sold off.

Originally scheduled to be on ground by 2008, a new hotel/residential project could still be realised by that date, says Atchison, if Council can get a plan together in time. That plan includes many other components that are in motion—with construction of the new Persephone Theatre and Farmer’s Market already underway.

“People would like to see restaurants. People would like to see retail. We have to ask ourselves, ‘What is the public attraction?’” says Atchison. With construction of the walking path, plans to light up the bridge, creating green space, vantage points, docks, and incorporating the exhibit Prairie Wind last year, Atchison sees the River Landing project taking shape quickly.

“It’s coming along very nicely. A lot of people from Saskatoon are taking visitors to the river and bringing people down to see what’s going on,” he says. “I think you’d be hard pressed to find any negative feedback.”

Source: http://www.planetsmag.com/content.php?vn=5&is=18&an=248&sc=2

Isn't this old news about Remai Pulling out?

I thought the Lake Placid proposal was a go. Are they talking about parcel Y, or are they talking land south of persephone?
Should Planet S quit quoting Lenore Swystun? I mean if it were up to her the Gathercole builing would still be there.

Atchison is right. Destination Complex in Saskatchewan = Bar/Pub/Eatery

Quite Sleepy Destanation Complex = Mendel Art Gallery

[Ruckus]

$19 M contract awarded to build new mental health centre
By Lana Haight, TheStarPhoenix.com
Published: Thursday, February 28, 2008

A new mental health facility in Saskatoon is one step closer to being built.

"It's been 12 to 15 years since we first started talking about the need for a new mental health facility," said Saskatoon Health Region vice-president of community services, Shan Landry.

"Now there's no going back."

On Thursday, the Saskatoon Regional Health Authority awarded to Quorex Construction Ltd. the tender to build the $19.2 million mental health unit adjacent to Royal University Hospital on the University of Saskatchewan campus. Crews will begin work on the 64-bed in-patient facility within a month. Ten of those beds will be for youth.

Saskatoon-based Quorex submitted the lowest of four bids.

In addition to the $19.2 million construction cost, the health region will spend almost $4 million on equipment and furnishings as well as design fees and land, according to a report received by the health authority at its regular public meeting.

The provincial government will pay almost $15 million toward the building construction. The remaining $8 million will come from donations through local hospital foundations. Most of that has already been raised due, in large part, to a $3 million donation from Les and Irene Dube, after whom the mental health facility will be named.

Currently, patients requiring hospital treatment for mental illnesses are admitted to Saskatoon City Hospital's 18-bed unit or the 32-bed Hantelman building adjacent to Royal University Hospital. The Hantelman unit was opened in the 1980s as a temporary home for in-patient mental health treatments.

"It's falling apart," said Landry.

"It was never designed for close observation of those patients who needed that or opportunity for others who needed more privacy or the opportunity to do more group programming."

Landry anticipates the new mental health facility will be built by the end of 2009 with staff members and patients moving into it early in 2010.

Source

[Ruckus]

My responses in bold.

Originally Posted by midnightrambler

Isn't this old news about Remai Pulling out? Not entirely.

I thought the Lake Placid proposal was a go. Are they talking about parcel Y, or are they talking land south of persephone? I believe they are referring to the former Legion Hall site, which Remai sold to Lake Placid (the city and Lake Placid are looking to incorporate the site into the project...anyone's guess what they might put there).

Should Planet S quit quoting Lenore Swystun? I mean if it were up to her the Gathercole builing would still be there.

Atchison is right. Destination Complex in Saskatchewan = Bar/Pub/Eatery

Quite Sleepy Destanation Complex = Mendel Art Gallery

While cruising around on Planet S, I found another article which provides some insight into the ongoing development of our inadequate downtown library.

NEWS · FEB 28 2008

Booking Space

MUCH-NEEDED LIBRARY EXPANSION REMAINS ELUSIVE DREAM
by Joel Cherry

front.jpgIt’s no secret that Saskatoon’s main library has long been feeling the squeeze of space constraints — the Frances Morrison Library has been overwhelmed for some time by the rapidly growing city it serves. Nonetheless, the scale of the problem is shocking: Saskatoon’s central public library is currently 78,000 square feet, and estimates based on need indicate that the library needs roughly double in size, to a total of 150,000 square feet.

“It’s based on population growth, not only what’s happening today, but what’s expected over the next 20 or 30 years,” says Saskatoon director of libraries Zenon Zuzak. “The building we’re in right now opened in 1966, so that’s 40 some years there, and we certainly have outgrown the building.”

The population of Saskatoon has nearly doubled in that time, and over the next 25 years it’s expected to increase to as many as 400,000 residents.

It’s a big problem, indeed — making fact that the library’s expansion plans have been stuck in developmental limbo over the past few years all the more frustrating.

The collection of books, magazines, CDs and DVDs has expanded throughout the four decades of the library’s history, making for cramped storage space and limited room for display. The Local History Room also requires more area to display and store its historical collections, and more space is required for staff work areas and resource storage. Lastly, parking is a big issue, and Library officials say any plans going forward need to take underground parking into consideration.

Over the years, discussions for the expansion of the library have included both on- and off-site options, says Zuzak.

“Seven or eight years ago we were already pursuing locations for a new library, so there’s some history here over the last decade,” Zuzak says. “On the site itself we’ve been actively pursuing it for more than two years.”

Recently, plans hit a snag when it became apparent that city council would not likely support an expansion that blocked off 23rd Street — an option Library officials felt was valid. However, Zuzak is still reasonably optimistic that something can be done at the present downtown location.

“Closing off 23rd street entirely is not something I think council would support, but we’re looking at other options that would allow us to expand on-site,” says Zuzak. “My understanding is, council is open to looking at any plans we may have for expansion on site — [and] if there’s a way to expand without closing 23rd Street, there might be some support there.”

One problem is that the existing structure would certainly be stressed by an additional floor. Libraries require a heavier load capacity than most office buildings, because of the massive weight of the books.

A second option would be to demolish the building and build new, with that stress factor in mind — but at the moment expansion options on-site remain the board’s preferred option, as examining alternatives for moving to one new prospective site or another has thus far been a futile task, says Zuzak.

“We no longer want to miss opportunities, federal, provincial infrastructure grant opportunities. You need to designate a site in your application and we felt that we’re simply going to stay put where we are — and if we can find a way to expand the building that’s exactly what we’re putting our energy into right now.”

It’s a frustrating situation all round, but Zuzak isn’t laying blame.

“I wouldn’t point fingers anywhere,” he says. “When we were looking at Block 146, where the Galaxy theatre is now, we spent a large deal of time and energy working on plans in regards to that site, but again when the government grants came down — it [became clear] that the priority was cleaning up in preparations for River Landing. So it’s not a reflection of slowness on council or anyone else, it’s a reflection of all the city’s needs. It’s a matter of priority.”

The search for adequate funding is also a major stumbling block, says Zuzak — not least because of the fact that a lot of the required renovation wouldn’t be visible to the public eye.

“When you have some money for renovations you have to address costs for building codes first of all in order to accommodate that renovation,” he says, “and you’re spending a lot of taxpayer dollars, and it isn’t visible to the public and it isn’t addressing your real issues.”

Nevertheless, the public is supportive. Two open houses late last year had turnouts of over two hundred people, says Zuzak .

“The vast majority of them were very supportive, and the focus of that was expanding on this location.”

Still, the question of when something will actually be done with the library remains unanswered.

“You know, three years ago I was asked that question and I was giving responses to it,” Zuzak laughs. “I’d hesitate to do that now, because three years later we’re still in the same place,” he says.

“[But] we need to do something over the next couple of years or else we’re going to have to put a lot of money into this building just to stay afloat.”

***

5 Fast Facts
ON LIBRARIES AT HOME AND ABROAD

Perhaps the most underrated of all public institutions, the health of a city’s library system is generally a good indicator of the health of that city overall. For five more interesting, library-related facts, read on!

ORIGINS

The Saskatoon Public Library was established in 1913. The Library moved often in its first few years — from the basement of the Independent Order of Oddfellows Hall to the former Great War Veterans Association’s headquarters, and from there to the basement of Central Chambers – until in 1928 a new building was erected on 23rd Street East. By 1964, plans were underway for a new central library, to be erected on the same site. In 1966 the new central library opened, at a cost of $1,475,000.00.

STRUGGLE FOR EXPANSION

Saskatoon’s main library has seen its share of plans for renovations throughout its history. Overcrowding issues were already recognized in1980, when the Library Board approved a Long Range Planning Report. In 1982, the Library Board approved the construction of a third floor — to be built within five years — but the plan was abandoned by 1984. Throughout the current decade, possible destinations for relocation have included the old Bay building, Block 146 in the south downtown, and the King George Hotel, none of which have panned out.


THE FUTURE

If all goes according to plan, the new central library in Saskatoon would include an Internet centre, laptop stations with wireless Internet access, a coffee shop-Internet café, and an expanded fine arts area, as well as clustered information areas such as a career centre, learning centre, First Nations centre, local history centre, and cultural centre. Also included would be a children’s museum and hands on ‘discovery centre,’ a library store and increased workspace.


ASSISTANCE

In 2000, Saskatchewan public libraries received a grant of $950,000 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to provide increased access to computers, the Internet and digital information to library patrons in low-income communities. The grant to the Saskatchewan public libraries is part of the Gates Library Program, a $200 million commitment to provide public libraries throughout the U.S. and Canada with computers, Internet access and technical training, with the goal of improving the lives of people by providing increased access to information.


THE BIGGER PICTURE

Data gathered from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics in 1999 estimated that over seven billion books were borrowed worldwide that year. A notably high rate of books borrowed per person per year was recorded for the Russian Federation (7.7), which also had the greatest total amount of books borrowed. There were also high rates of borrowing in Western Europe, Japan and Eastern Europe, but North America borrowed only .694 books per person. Finland has the highest number of registered book borrowers per capita in the world. Over half of Finland's population are registered borrowers.

Source

[Hawker]

Originally Posted by midnightrambler

Isn't this old news about Remai Pulling out?

I thought the Lake Placid proposal was a go. Are they talking about parcel Y, or are they talking land south of persephone?
Should Planet S quit quoting Lenore Swystun? I mean if it were up to her the Gathercole builing would still be there.

Atchison is right. Destination Complex in Saskatchewan = Bar/Pub/Eatery

Quite Sleepy Destanation Complex = Mendel Art Gallery

It is old news...this isn't a current story in Planet S. The header at the top of the story is just a current date, not the date of publication of the story. If you, for example check googles cached version of the story, the date on it is Feb 14th.

[midnightrambler]

Originally Posted by Hawker

It is old news...this isn't a current story in Planet S. The header at the top of the story is just a current date, not the date of publication of the story. If you, for example check googles cached version of the story, the date on it is Feb 14th.

Yeah I went through the Planet S archives, looks like it was May of last year. I'll leave the outdated post up just as a reminder of the crazy people that get in the way of development. Pretty good website for Planet S, I was unaware they were on the web and was rather impressed. Now if it could become slightly less of a commie rag

[babo]

Good grief. Saskatoon has those hideous bus benches, too. How very sad.