Winnipeg Construction VIII

[Cyro]

^ Thanks for these photos, I realize I am straying from the thread topic somewhat, but they do remind me of the amount of time I spent at the Pritchard Boat Yards. Re Fueling, Motor repairs, etc.
It was quite the place. Great memories. I use to walk across Main St and head over to this Marina.
They had teeth from a shark In the top window of the middle picture.(reminded me of the movie Jaws)

Times have changed along the Red. The lack of Marinas and easily accessible facilities to Dock, launch and repair have dwindled. A major factor in the decreased boating traffic along our River System.

[viperred88]

So what is going on with the SOPO project south of the MTS Centre?

I believe there would be an appetite for a condo development like Montréal 'Tour des Canadiens' near the Belle Centre albeit a smaller version.

Condo owners would receive many perks that are listed in condo listing link:
http://tourdescanadiens.com/en/perks/

And build another practicing facility like they are doing with Edmonton Oilers new downtown arena.

[Winnipeg Architect]

[QUOTE=Cyro;6577782]^ Thanks for these photos, I realize I am straying from the thread topic somewhat, but they do remind me of the amount of time I spent at the Pritchard Boat Yards. Re Fueling, Motor repairs, etc.
It was quite the place. Great memories. I use to walk across Main St and head over to this Marina.
They had teeth from a shark In the top window of the middle picture.(reminded me of the movie Jaws)

My uncle Don Bernhardt owned that yard. The city expropriated it many years ago for a park.

He did have a lot of stuff in that old place.

He had that old boat the Golden Condor and we went for many boat rides. He sold it and the buyers made it into a "play house" for their kids. That motor really burned lots of oil.

We also used to go ski-doing from that place too.

He passed away in 1996 from diabetes.

His wife is still alive (my mother's sister)

The Concrete Boat: Don had stored that boat for over 20 years for a fellow that was building it but it was never finished.

He had a lot of fun family parties on the 2nd level facing the river as he lived there for many years.

Guess it was sort of a cool place.

[cllew]

Originally Posted by viperred88

So what is going on with the SOPO project south of the MTS Centre?

I believe there would be an appetite for a condo development like Montréal 'Tour des Canadiens' near the Belle Centre albeit a smaller version.

Condo owners would receive many perks that are listed in condo listing link:
http://tourdescanadiens.com/en/perks/

And build another practicing facility like they are doing with Edmonton Oilers new downtown arena.

I believe that MPI management / Prov Govt are still looking at the latest plans.

There was talk at one point that they may be moving out of their other rented locations (Kennedy St and Century@Ellice) into part of the project to try and make it viable.

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by esquire

So where did the boaters all go?

Considering that the city has in many ways grown closer to the rivers over the past 30 years with the development of riverside streets and pathways, it seems that the culture of boating on the rivers has dropped off significantly.

For instance, cruise ships used to be a big attraction and are now barely surviving. I cruised on the River Rouge last year on a long weekend, and there was just a small handful of people on board, well below capacity. Same with personal boats... it seemed like there were many more of them on the rivers back in the 80s.

The unpredictability of the river levels has caused most boaters to find other locations. I was part of a discussion for a study of regulating the river levels in the city using the floodway and it was noted that the Forks has seen a massive drop in boaters because of this. They are considering getting rid of the dock even. The water taxi has been shut down for this reason and the profitability of the cruise boats tanked because of unpredictability. Until about a decade ago the river was reasonably stable. The river walk at the Forks was designed for something like a 1 in 10 year flood, and as we know it is flooded every year, often several times.

I hope this study moves using the floodway forward.

[1ajs]

wonder wats changed in the watershed to cause the problems were having?

[1ajs]

was down waterfront this eve and was blown away when i looked across the river at the festival grounds to see 7 new houses being built :O

[WJG]

Originally Posted by trueviking

The unpredictability of the river levels has caused most boaters to find other locations. I was part of a discussion for a study of regulating the river levels in the city using the floodway and it was noted that the Forks has seen a massive drop in boaters because of this. They are considering getting rid of the dock even. The water taxi has been shut down for this reason and the profitability of the cruise boats tanked because of unpredictability. Until about a decade ago the river was reasonably stable. The river walk at the Forks was designed for something like a 1 in 10 year flood, and as we know it is flooded every year, often several times.

I hope this study moves using the floodway forward.

This is really interesting.

I've always dreamed of how amazing it would be if we could control the level of the rivers. Imagine all the possibilities with unflooded docks, harbours, riverwalks, etc. like other big cities have. Imagine if Winnipeg Transit had boats that could connect the Forks to the University of Manitoba and other major hubs along the way. Having two major rivers running through our city is a resource we could really take advantage of.

Just curious TV, did anything come out from that discussion? How much control of the river level could we see?

[bomberjet]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

was down waterfront this eve and was blown away when i looked across the river at the festival grounds to see 7 new houses being built :O

I assume this is what you seen?

http://www.pointehebert.com/location/

[wags_in_the_peg]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

was down waterfront this eve and was blown away when i looked across the river at the festival grounds to see 7 new houses being built :O

priced at $600k-$900k

[The Unknown Poster]

Certainly lots of boaters in cottage country. Im more of a Grand Beach guy myself and that place has drastically dropped as far as recreational boaters go. Its odd because they are working on a multi-year plan to revitalize Grand Marais which includes a marina (probably pie in the sky) and yet the Beach has all but chased boaters away. They stopped dredging the channel which means boaters cant get on the lake. Used to be that there would be many boats anchored off the beach on warm weekends. Looked cool. Now they're up at Victoria I guess.

[Biff]

Originally Posted by viperred88

So what is going on with the SOPO project south of the MTS Centre?

They are still working out some leasing deals. There was an outside chance that there could be some work starting before the end of the year but that is looking more unlikely.

[Cyro]

Originally Posted by Winnipeg Architect

My uncle Don Bernhardt owned that yard. The city expropriated it many years ago for a park.
He did have a lot of stuff in that old place.
Guess it was sort of a cool place.

Thanks for the history and connection to the Boat Yard. I appreciate it even more with you sharing your connection and past to it.

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by WJG

This is really interesting.

I've always dreamed of how amazing it would be if we could control the level of the rivers. Imagine all the possibilities with unflooded docks, harbours, riverwalks, etc. like other big cities have. Imagine if Winnipeg Transit had boats that could connect the Forks to the University of Manitoba and other major hubs along the way. Having two major rivers running through our city is a resource we could really take advantage of.

Just curious TV, did anything come out from that discussion? How much control of the river level could we see?

This was just a few weeks ago. The province is studying it. The hindrance is that it floods some land used for gardens. It didn't sound like a big deal but the people who own the land are opposed so it's easier to just ignore it. They are interviewing stake holders and others right now to formulate some recommendations. I'm not sure when that is done. I'll probably write an article in the WFP about it next month so hopefully I'll be able to get more details about the study. It seems like a no brainer but the province is anti-city. As always.

[cllew]

I am sill amazed that Prov / City don't want to try pumping to the Floodway from the river in the summer.

5 or 6 of big electric sewerage pumps like used at the north end treatment plant should be able to make a dent in the river level without flooding the market gardens etc south of the Floodway entrance.

[ediger]

Originally Posted by trueviking

This was just a few weeks ago. The province is studying it. The hindrance is that it floods some land used for gardens. It didn't sound like a big deal but the people who own the land are opposed so it's easier to just ignore it. They are interviewing stake holders and others right now to formulate some recommendations. I'm not sure when that is done. I'll probably write an article in the WFP about it next month so hopefully I'll be able to get more details about the study. It seems like a no brainer but the province is anti-city. As always.

What sort of gardens are these? Seems like a fairly simple thing to relocate, if necessary.

[cllew]

They are market gardens, i.e. acres of fertile land used for growing vegetables and other crops. Not that easy to relocate as the land gets worse the further away from the river.

They also put a good chunk of cash back into the local economy as a lot of them sell to Peak of the Market. If Peak can't get them here, then the crops have to come from out of Manitoba, mostly the southern US.

[ediger]

Originally Posted by cllew

They are market gardens, i.e. acres of fertile land used for growing vegetables and other crops. Not that easy to relocate as the land gets worse the further away from the river.

They also put a good chunk of cash back into the local economy as a lot of them sell to Peak of the Market. If Peak can't get them here, then the crops have to come from out of Manitoba, mostly the southern US.

ah, fair enough. I was thinking more along the lines of community gardens.

[Riverman]

Originally Posted by trueviking

Until about a decade ago the river was reasonably stable. The river walk at the Forks was designed for something like a 1 in 10 year flood, and as we know it is flooded every year, often several times.

Longer than that. The continual summer flooding started in 1992.

Originally Posted by trueviking

I hope this study moves using the floodway forward.

A group of us discussed this with Doer before the start of the floodway expansion which would have been the best time to consider the possibilities. What is needed to make this happen is an inlet control structure at the south end of the floodway. We got a flat no, not going to happen.

I'd like to know who this "group" consisted of. Was anyone included that had a hot clue about the river or was it just a bunch of NDP windbags?

[Riverman]

Originally Posted by cllew

I am sill amazed that Prov / City don't want to try pumping to the Floodway from the river in the summer.

5 or 6 of big electric sewerage pumps like used at the north end treatment plant should be able to make a dent in the river level without flooding the market gardens etc south of the Floodway entrance.

No, not even close. The only practical and possible way to divert water into the floodway at levels under 15 feet JAD is by gravity.