The Official Saint John, NB Project Thread

[Helladog]

I need to take some photos soon.. I am no longer in SJ but an hour and a half away. I will be around tomorrow and will try to get some new shots.

[MonctonRad]

Helladog, by an "hour and a half away", I take it that you have moved to Moncton (as you said might be a possibility)..........welcome!

I hope you contribute a bit to our thread as well as the SJ one.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Southpaw78

That would be great Greg, much appreciated. I'll be home at Christmas, but am hoping to get a sneak peek beforehand

This week's been really bad for my workload. Hopefully i'll be able to get some pictures up for next weekish.

[Helladog]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Helladog, by an "hour and a half away", I take it that you have moved to Moncton (as you said might be a possibility)..........welcome!

I hope you contribute a bit to our thread as well as the SJ one.

Actually, I'm closer to Fredericton now than either SJ or Moncton. I moved to Chipman in September.

[MonctonRad]

So, you're going to be Skyscraper Page's official Chipman reporter........now that's going to be a low stress job!!!! ............just kidding, I hope you're new job goes well.

[kwajo]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

So, you're going to be Skyscraper Page's official Chipman reporter........not that's going to be a low stress job!!!! ............just kidding, I hope you're new job goes well.

That's right, I expect an Official Chipman Development Thread any day now; "We're still waiting on the start of construction of Mr. Dingle's new rain gutters, rumor has it that the delay is due to a switch to aluminium from the traditional sheet steel"

[Helladog]

Originally Posted by kwajo

That's right, I expect an Official Chipman Development Thread any day now; "We're still waiting on the start of construction of Mr. Dingle's new rain gutters, rumor has it that the delay is due to a switch to aluminium from the traditional sheet steel"

Haha, you guys make me laugh!

That wouldn't be far from the truth, but actually, Chipman's tallest building is under construction. It is a biomass boiler at Grand Lake Timber, six stories tall. Not the most beautiful structure in the village, however.

Anyone see the new articulated buses running around yet?

[Pugsley]

Hey! Wake Up! I love reading posts from the locals in SJ on what is going on...no news in a while...what gives? Siesta? (Laughing out loud)...I am sure youa re all busy but if someone has a local update...love to see one soon. Need something with my morning coffee!

[magee_b]

Here's an article on Spacing Atlantic - spacingatlantic.ca

http://spacingatlantic.ca/2009/11/13/tur...rsh-creek-renewal-and-watershed-banking/

Turning sewage into gold: Marsh creek renewal and watershed banking
BY LINDSAY BIRD

SAINT JOHN - The east side of Saint John is ruled by three things: the refinery, retail and rain. Every time a big storm rolls in, businesses and basements get soaked. And the problem is only getting worse.

That’s because this sprawling side of the city is built on top of its largest urban watershed — Marsh Creek. It’s a 4100-hectare patch of wetlands, but it’s a far cry from looking like a Ducks Unlimited commercial.

That’s because Saint John flushes 16 million litres of raw sewage into its harbour every day, with Marsh Creek a major dumping ground. “Whatever disease you want — it’s there,” says Colin Forsythe, a community wetlands coordinator with the Atlantic Coastal Action Program.

That's where his organization steps in. The Saint John chapter is proposing to rejuvenate the area, with dreams beyond a new Costco and its discounted vats of mixed nuts.


Their Marsh Creek Renewal Initiative aims to restore key areas of wetlands to ease flooding, with walking and biking trails interlaced throughout. They envision these trails connecting the east side with uptown so people can travel through the city without relying on cars. Add kayaking and canoeing to the mix in order to get the citizens of one of Canada's fattest cities off their couches and you're officially creating a neighbourhood exercise program.

Not that this is going to be easy. "We've changed the landscape so much we don't know what's natural anymore," says Forsythe. But after years of study, they've broken down the monster into 27 projects.

It's ambitious—ACAP bills it as the largest sustainable development project ever proposed for Atlantic Canada—and it's expensive.

Saint John being an industry town, you can pretty much smell the money in the air. So why shouldn't The Man pay to freshen up the stench? ACAP says it can be done through environmental compensation projects—legislation that requires corporations to replace any areas they alter through developments with an equal amount of ecosystem elsewhere.

ACAP is taking it one step further, with what Forsythe calls "watershed banking." They identify the various projects needed to revitalize Marsh Creek and big industry foots the bill now, in advance of their future construction. With no shortage of industrial activity in the area, ACAP Executive Director Tim Vickers thinks this could shorten the amount of time to restore the area to under a decade.

It's never been done in the Maritimes before, and it also lets taxpayers off the hook.

[JHikka]

Whether they "rejuvenate" Marsh Creek or not, it's not going to stop the east-side from flooding.

[fundygal]

When Rocca was doing the original footings for McAllister Place - the original part closest to Parkway Mall - they dug the trenches and found the water in them rose and fell with the tide. Any policeman can tell you that the worst time of the recent flooding was during high tide.

The Bay used to come in from the beginning of the Red Head Rd. - Little River - through the Refinery , across what is now Loch Lomond Rd., in Commerce Dr. and spread out in the mall areas. This was joined by Majors Brook which is a branch of Marsh Creek. The original name for Rothesay Ave. was "Marsh Rd". The whole valley was a marsh which now houses the malls and other stores and the flood prone neighbourhood.

Next time you are sitting at the lights at the intersection of McAllister Dr. and Westmorland Rd. notice how you are in a valley surrounded by hills.

You can't hold back the Bay!!!!!!!! Those who think working with Marsh Creek will help are dreaming. They will only clear the way for more water to channel back into the flood area.

[JHikka]

The entire shopping area is seven-feet below sea level, so if any logistical thought had been put in this buildup of retail could have been avoided.

Imagine if all of those stores were uptown.

[michael_d40]

[kwajo]

Originally Posted by fundygal

When Rocca was doing the original footings for McAllister Place - the original part closest to Parkway Mall - they dug the trenches and found the water in them rose and fell with the tide. Any policeman can tell you that the worst time of the recent flooding was during high tide.

The Bay used to come in from the beginning of the Red Head Rd. - Little River - through the Refinery , across what is now Loch Lomond Rd., in Commerce Dr. and spread out in the mall areas. This was joined by Majors Brook which is a branch of Marsh Creek. The original name for Rothesay Ave. was "Marsh Rd". The whole valley was a marsh which now houses the malls and other stores and the flood prone neighbourhood.

Next time you are sitting at the lights at the intersection of McAllister Dr. and Westmorland Rd. notice how you are in a valley surrounded by hills.

You can't hold back the Bay!!!!!!!! Those who think working with Marsh Creek will help are dreaming. They will only clear the way for more water to channel back into the flood area.

It's true the tides used to come up into what is now the shopping centre area of the East side, but they did not come up from Little River - which is in a separate watershed - they came up Marsh Creek itself.

I don't see how working with Marsh Creek is a bad thing. We've been working against it for decades and now a proposal exists that says, let's start admitting to ourselves that this whole basin wants to be a tidal marsh, but we have already developed the area as an integral part of our city, so how can we manage to accommodate both? Maybe it isn't possible, but the concept of remediating wetland areas in the interest of habitat restoration and making significant increases in stormwater storage capacity is a sound one, and it would do the community a lot of good to invest in it.

And RE:GregHickman, the shopping district is not all seven feet below sea level, much of it is actually above sea level, just not by much.

[Helladog]

Originally Posted by GregHickman

The entire shopping area is seven-feet below sea level, so if any logistical thought had been put in this buildup of retail could have been avoided.

Imagine if all of those stores were uptown.

All those box stores and power centres/malls would gobble up the entire peninsula. I get your point tho.

[Helladog]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1w-JyZyi2U

[JHikka]

Kwajo: You know what I mean though, right?

And Helladog: Well, take for example Sears, which used to be at Lansdowne, or the Wal-Mart that used to be at Loch Lomond. Loch Lomond mall used to be a semi-decent destination when it had actual stores in it. And if the box stores were desperate they would have been all built on the west-side, or some other possibility not pertaining to them being built on the peninsula.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by fundygal

When Rocca was doing the original footings for McAllister Place - the original part closest to Parkway Mall - they dug the trenches and found the water in them rose and fell with the tide. Any policeman can tell you that the worst time of the recent flooding was during high tide.

The Bay used to come in from the beginning of the Red Head Rd. - Little River - through the Refinery , across what is now Loch Lomond Rd., in Commerce Dr. and spread out in the mall areas. This was joined by Majors Brook which is a branch of Marsh Creek. The original name for Rothesay Ave. was "Marsh Rd". The whole valley was a marsh which now houses the malls and other stores and the flood prone neighbourhood.

Next time you are sitting at the lights at the intersection of McAllister Dr. and Westmorland Rd. notice how you are in a valley surrounded by hills.

You can't hold back the Bay!!!!!!!! Those who think working with Marsh Creek will help are dreaming. They will only clear the way for more water to channel back into the flood area.

Yes, and Champlain Place in Dieppe is built on a marsh as well. The high water mark from the Saxby Gale is well above the foundations of the mall.

Just think, the next Category 3 hurricane to hit the region at high tide could wipe out the entire retail industry in the province!!

[kirjtc2]

Not Fredericton's.

Or Trinity Drive, for that matter.

[Southpaw78]

McAllister Place finishes renovations
Published Saturday November 14th, 2009
B5
APRIL ROBINSON
TELEGRAPH-JOURNAL

SAINT JOHN - Under bright skylights, McAllister Place held its grand reopening Friday, after a six-month, $13-million renovation.

Peter Walsh/Telegraph-Journal
Duncan Davidson enjoys the new seating at McAllister Place.

"We've certainly embraced what's happening in the city of Saint John right now," said Tanya McCluskey-Kelly, marketing director of the east side mall. "It's perfect timing."

Highlights of the renovation include the food court with 35 per cent more seating, new floors, bright ceiling treatments and touchless washroom facilities.

"We're getting a lot of 'wows'," McCluskey-Kelly said after a ribbon-cutting ceremony and breakfast. "As soon as they walk in, they notice the lights."

The mall opened in 1978 and had expansions in 1989 and 1996.

"To keep up with what's happening in the city, we wanted to make sure we enhanced our shopping centre the best we could," McCluskey-Kelly said.

That included opening a host of new stores over the past year, including Boathouse, Freshly Squeezed, Mappins and Yves Rocher, and renovating a few others.

The mall has a new logo and updated entrances.

The renovations fit with company's Green at Work program, which includes a goal of emitting zero emissions, diverting 65 per cent of waste from landfills, and using environmentally friendly products and supplies. Workers installed 19 new natural gas heating and air conditioning units - changed from electric - reducing their carbon footprint. Workers also installed energy efficient lights, and the new washrooms use less water.

Imelda Gilman, the president of the Saint John Board of Trade, said McAllister Place's new face will help Saint John's east side become a more attractive shopping destination - for both residents and visitors to the city.

"It shows their commitment and their optimism for what's going on in Saint John," Gilman said.

"It's really nice to see existing businesses reinvesting in the community."

After months of renovations, McCluskey-Kelly said this weekend, "it's all about the customers."

"We're getting them back into the shopping centre, showing them what we've done, and we've got some really great sales going on," she said.

"It's kind of a thank you for the inconvenience that's taken place in the last six months."

The average shopper visits six times a month, for 63 minutes, spending $70 per visit, according statistics provided by McAllister Place.