Official Fredericton, NB projects thread

[xxFamilyGuyxx]

Originally Posted by cl812

If Im not mistaken I dont think they do own that property as Im pretty sure the bulk storage tanks are still operational.

Yeah, I think so too, you occasionally see some truck filling up or filling the tanks up.

[caveat.doctor]

I was wondering how a new-ish building like that Sobey's could've gotten away in Downtown with having such an un-Downtown-like huge parking lot and setback from Regent St. A commercial building facing Regent to hide the carpark would definitely improve the streetscape. As long as it doesn't end up like what they did at the Corbett Centre, and put the blank windowless ass-end of the building along Regent and make the centrepiece of the development the parking lot. Just 3 blocks north on Regent we know traditional storefronts work best, no reason to not have the same here.

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UNB students voted on a $100/yr mandatory bus pass last week (story) - 908 for, 955 against. I was disappointed, but not really surprised. I didn't see much on-campus campaign for or against, though the Student Union website had a reasonable thought-out pro-con list. Didn't get the feeling Fredericton Transit was doing anything to drum up support for it - I don't see much transit marketing at all generally, but if they were going to get $100 x 5500 full-time students = $550 000/yr you'd think they'd put some effort in designing some kind of proposal.

Some say the high price of a parking pass was why the bus vote failed; I don't really get that, because if cost was an issue, people would be clamouring for a bus pass to get away from the expense driving and parking. My old school (Queen's) - similar parking issues, similar student ridership (23%, exactly the same as UNB and STU combined, according to the Fredericton Transit plan), similar student population relative to the city - actually just renewed its mandatory bus pass with a 79% vote last fall. Though the student contribution at Queen's is less ($43.50/yr; the University admin also chips in $62k/yr), it's way more useful: staggered schedules to keep wait times short, quick routes from campus across town, to the grocery, malls, cinema and the train station (but not the airport - yet). Kingston Transit really took the promotion and product more seriously.

Hopefully Fredericton Transit will use the rejection to come up with something more useful to win next time around - there's so much potential here.

[cl812]

Group wants to save arena
Published Thursday April 2nd, 2009
York | 'City will still need ice surface'
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
[email protected]

A public meeting will be held Monday at 7 p.m. at Willie O'Ree Place to talk about the future of the York Arena.

The northside hockey rink is slated for demolition when the city opens the Grant * Harvey Centre, but that facility is two years behind schedule.

It's still in the design stage and a decision on a construction start date is expected in the fall.

Chris Mabie, who has been active in hockey for a number of years, is a northside resident who wants to see the arena saved.

He said even when the Grant * Harvey Centre is built, the city will still need another rink to meet demands for ice time.

"We have talked to some of the local groups and I think there's a definite shortage of ice time," Mabie said.

The Coliseum, which was used for hockey, has been the domain of Fredericton curlers for the past two years and that's taken away another surface from ice sport users.

The city demolished the Nashwaaksis Arena when it opened Willie O'Ree Place. Users groups said even with the refurbishment of the Lady Beaverbrook Rink, the city can't meet the demands for ice time.

"Our two duplexes are great, but if the York Arena comes down ... We believe that one additional ice surface will not suffice," Mabie said.

He said there's been a groundswell of interest in retaining the York Arena.

"Obviously, we want people involved and we want to hear from many of the arena users," Mabie said. "We've got time on our side ... If the York Arena was going to be demolished, it would probably be something like two years from now."

A city study of rink facilities suggests it would cost $1 million to modernize York Arena and bring it up to modern building codes.

"That is still not a bad number in terms of another surface. If you sit down and do the math on what it costs the city for four (new) surfaces and then consider what it would cost for a fifth, it's still not a bad number," Mabie said.

"The meeting is just to see who else wants to come on board and then we'll map out a plan."

Tim Gillies is working with Mabie on the cause.

Gillies, president of Fredericton Sports Investment, said his group supports keeping the York Arena, but he's involved with the arena on his own initiative.

"I've met with the mayor and councillors on it," Gillies said. "We're very open about it. I'm a southsider, but I'd love to see that rink stay open. I've played hockey there all my life and there's a lot of history there for a lot of people in the city."

Gillies said he believes city councillors are willing to hear the group out if it can do its homework and show a viable way to keep the York Arena.

"I think most registrations are increasing. The need for ice time is increasing," he said. "It's all very positive. We'll see where it goes. There may be things we haven't thought of."

Mayor Brad Woodside said he's willing to listen to the group once it sorts out its objectives and proposals.

But Woodside said any decision involving the York Arena would have to entail a full discussion with city council.

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New community college facilities depend on federal cash
Published Thursday April 2nd, 2009
A5
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
[email protected]

Work will begin this year on new facilities for the Fredericton campus of the New Brunswick Community College worth up to $20 million if an application to Ottawa for co-funding is approved, says Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Donald Arseneault.

He said the provincial government has been working with senior Conservative leaders in New Brunswick and Ottawa on the issue.

"I think everybody is on the same page," he said.

The deadline for applications for the federal program is Monday and the province submitted its application in March. It hopes to get an answer soon.

"Within the new initiatives that we've provided, it (the Fredericton campus) is our No. 1 priority," said Arseneault.

The federal economic stimulus package includes $1.4 billion for community colleges nationally. A rough rule of thumb is that New Brunswick gets $25 million for every billion dollars in federal spending.

But Arseneault said last month the money is being doled out on a case-by-case basis, not on a per-capita basis, so there's no guarantee the province will get anything.

At first there was no money in the Liberal government's capital budget to upgrade Fredericton's community college campus this year. But that was before the federal economic stimulus package came out.

There's $100 million for other community college campus upgrades in the provincial capital budget this year and if the federal government comes through with matching funding, that would make the provincial money go further, said Arseneault.

He said work would "definitely" start this year if the province gets the federal money.

"One of the criteria for the federal government, which is no different from the provincial government, is we want shovel-ready projects, and we feel we are ready to go ... with the Fredericton campus," Arseneault said.

The plan is to locate new facilities on the campus of the University of New Brunswick, he said.

Arseneault made the comments about the Fredericton campus of the New Brunswick Community College after he tabled his department's $298.2-million spending estimates.

That's up $58.3 million over last year. The budgets of most government departments were slashed to hold down the provincial deficit.

Arseneault said the increase for his department shows post-secondary education is a priority for the Grits.

His budget reveals that the University of New Brunswick is getting $10 million of the $20 million allocated for the University Infrastructure Trust Fund. St. Thomas University is getting about $1 million.

The Liberals are freezing university tuition for a second year at a cost of $6 million, doubling the former tuition rebate for post-graduate students living in New Brunswick from $10,000 to $20,000 and spending $11.1 million to cap student debt at $26,000 per person.

Arseneault said the cap combined with the tuition rebate means the maximum debt for a university student who works in the province will be $6,000.

The province is also spending $10.2 million to create 500 community college seats.

About $6 million will be spent on international student recruitment, improved credit transferability, increased research and graduate studies, enhanced collaboration between institutions, improved access for under-represented groups and making the system more responsive to student needs.

The province is also spending $2.8 million on an income-based repayment assistance plan to ensure no individual pays on their student loan for more than 15 years.

Tory Leader David Alward said he's worried about cuts to Arseneault's department.

He said $1.3 million has been cut from a program that provides university students with summer jobs.

"The government has chosen not to support community organizations that support these kinds of services," he said.

Another program cut by $1.2 million, or 40 per cent, is designed to help the unemployed find jobs, said Alward.

"Right off the bat those are certainly two large concerns," he said.

[kirjtc2]

Originally Posted by caveat.doctor

UNB students voted on a $100/yr mandatory bus pass last week (story) - 908 for, 955 against. I was disappointed, but not really surprised. I didn't see much on-campus campaign for or against, though the Student Union website had a reasonable thought-out pro-con list. Didn't get the feeling Fredericton Transit was doing anything to drum up support for it - I don't see much transit marketing at all generally, but if they were going to get $100 x 5500 full-time students = $550 000/yr you'd think they'd put some effort in designing some kind of proposal.

The idea of a bus pass comes up every few years at UNB....I was a student there last time and I voted against it for one simple reason: I don't want to subsidize other people's bus rides.

[mylesmalley]

I'm not disappointed at all. I voted against it!

As it's been pointed out, this money would really just go to subsidizing the small minority of students who live a long way from campus. Most students either live on site or adjacent to campus. Hell, I live all the way up on Priestman and my walk is only about 10 mins to class.

Secondly, the routes to and from campus are pretty poor in my experience. The bus authority wouldn't commit to improving service if the plan went ahead either.

Third, the cost! $100, really? I don't know what the regular bus passes cost but for the average student who would probably hardly ever use it, that's the cost of 20 cab rides around town. I'm pretty sure the busses don't go out to the airport either, so thats no help on the high cost of a ride from Lincoln.

Third, tuition is already hard enough to pay for. If my fees are going up by $100, i'd much sooner see it going towards hiring professors or fixing the dilapidated buildings on campus.

[kirjtc2]

(The Daily Gleaner)

Coming soon: the construction of the Richard J. Currie Centre on the University of New Brunswick campus is progressing. Above, workers work amongst the rebar and concrete forms.

[cl812]

I dont know if anyone noticed or not, but there is a second tower crane up in the city at the Shannex seniors complex construction site. I think that must a record for the city, 2 and i would think possibly a third at the convention centre or the new kileel office building downtown.

[cl812]

Community college a 'key strategic priority' for expanding the economy
Published Saturday April 4th, 2009
A3
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
[email protected]

The largest chamber of commerce in New Brunswick is throwing its weight behind a call for a new Fredericton campus of the New Brunswick Community College.

On March 27, Dale Dunphy, president of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, sent a letter to federal Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities Minister John Baird, urging funding support for the project.

"We believe that the community college in Fredericton is a key strategic priority for the community and expanding our economic capacity," Dunphy said Friday.

Earlier this week, Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Donald Arseneault said the provincial government has applied for a new national federal funding program for the Fredericton campus estimated to be worth between $15 million and $20 million.

But there's no guarantee that the province will get any of the new federal funding for community colleges and work on the new Fredericton campus won't begin this year without it, he said.

Chamber CEO Anthony Knight said the organization wrote the letter to reinforce the government's application.

"We wanted to certainly reiterate the level of priority that the community college is for the business community," he said.

The chamber released a copy of Dunphy's letter to Baird, which says Fredericton businesses continually report difficulty in finding suitable candidates for trade and technologist positions.

"The presence of a community college in Fredericton would provide local employers with access to a greater pool of skilled labour which would in turn increase productivity, efficiency and help alleviate existing shortages in the city's workforce," he wrote.

"Funding for this project would also generate significant short-term stimulus to our local economy and provide a wise investment in Fredericton's economic recovery.

"We urge you to consider the social and economic benefits that this project would bring to our community and ask you grant Minister Arseneault's request for funding to construct a community college campus in Fredericton."

The chamber president also sent copies of the letter to Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency Minister Keith Ashfield, Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson, the premier and Fredericton's MLAs.

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UNB students take pass on city's transit pass
Published Saturday April 4th, 2009
A3
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
[email protected]

University of New Brunswick students have voted against negotiating a universal bus pass deal with Fredericton Transit.

Fredericton Transit manager Sandy MacNeill said he was contacted by UNB Student Union vice-president external Jon O'Kane with the results earlier this week.

"The numbers were 955 to 908 against. It represents about 30 per cent of the student body, the undergraduates, who turned out for that vote," MacNeill said.

"We're going to continue to provide a quality service to the campus and the student population."

St. Thomas University students purchase a $100-a-year student pass, with university administration chipping in $25 of the total cost. The pass gives STU students unlimited year-round access to the transit system.

UNB students could have had the same deal, although UNB administration said it didn't have the financial means to underwrite any of the bus pass cost without hiking tuition.

Negotiations with UNB have been ongoing for a number of years and the city is willing to resume talks at different junctures with UNB's student leadership.

"I'm sure we'll talk about it again," MacNeill said.

The university's graduate student association held a separate vote. The results of that vote haven't yet been released.

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N.B.'s share of gas tax to double to $46 million
Published Saturday April 4th, 2009
A6
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
[email protected]

Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside said he's delighted that New Brunswick is getting twice as much in federal gasoline tax transfers if that means his city is also getting more.

"I am very pleased that we are getting more money," he said.

The announcement that New Brunswick's share of the federal gasoline tax transfer was doubling to $46.4 million a year and that the first installment was coming three months early was made Friday morning by federal Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson, who's also the government's regional minister for this province.

Thompson said the move is to jump-start infrastructure projects.

Advancing the first payment for the year by three months means the city will get funding in April and that's also good news, said Woodside.

The mayor said he got a call about the change Friday morning from Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency Minister Keith Ashfield, who also represents the riding of Fredericton for the Conservative Party.

But Coun. Mike O'Brien, chairman of the city's finance committee, said he still wants to see confirmation that Fredericton's share of the gasoline tax revenue is doubling, too.

"The present five-year agreement ... was $9.7 million that we received," he said. "This is the final year of it.

"This year we are receiving $1.9 million in July and another $1.9 million in December."

The city is spending that money on infrastructure and water projects, said O'Brien.

"What we knew we were getting over the next five-year program, which was 2010-14 ... was $15.7 million," he said. "We built that into our revenue projections.

"What we are trying to find out is if that is literally doubled right down to each municipal level."

If so, $15.7 million becomes $31.4 million, said O'Brien.

"That is a great thing. It's phenomenal," he said. "But we have no confirmation of that yet."

He said he hopes to know over the next few days.

Woodside said it's too soon to say what the city might do if its gasoline tax transfer is doubled.

"There are a number of places where that (extra) money can go," he said. "Our finance organization will be looking at that."

[frinkprof]

I can see the points about the U-pass (universal transit pass) not being practical. I'm a huge proponent of transit, but in my 3 years here have never taken it. I purposely sold my car before I moved here and got a place close to campus, and the rare time where my feet can't take me where I'm going, cabs are readily available, convenient, and cost effective.

Nevertheless, I voted for the U-pass on principle. I think it would be good to know I could hop on the bus for cheap when I want. That being said, hopefully they come back with a proposal that involves better service to campus.

Also, a route going up down Regent and Prospect would serve me well and I'm not sure why one doesn't. The York <=> Priestman <=> Prospect routing is puzzling to me. Also puzzling is the lack of service on Regent between Beaverbrook and Montgomery, although I guess it's a tradeoff in order to serve campus.

[kirjtc2]

Is the Princess Margaret Bridge safe?
Published Saturday April 11th, 2009

Bridge | Province hands over engineering reports
A1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
[email protected]

Never-before-published engineering reports obtained by The Daily Gleaner show the condition of the steel and concrete in the 50-year-old Princess Margaret Bridge is much more serious than the provincial government has publicly acknowledged.

Some of the steel supports beneath the sidewalks on the bridge are so badly rusted that they might not support the weight of a truck if one mounted the curb after an accident.

The concrete of some of the sidewalk slabs has deteriorated so badly that nets and plywood barriers are hung beneath the bridge to catch rubble breaking off and prevent it from falling onto people and vehicles below.

Most alarmingly, several of the main steel beams that hold up the bridge are so badly corroded that they should have been repaired two months ago.

All this information is contained in an independent engineering report dated Feb. 11, 2008, and obtained by The Daily Gleaner using the province's Right to Information Act.

Transportation Minister Denis Landry said the Princess Margaret Bridge is safe because the weight limit for trucks was reduced from 62,500 kilograms (62.5 tonnes) to 43,500 kilograms (43.5 tonnes) in November.

"The bridge is very safe," he said. "When I need to cross the bridge, I do cross it."

Landry also said his son lives on the north side and drives across the Princess Margaret Bridge every day.

"If I (did) have some concerns, I would tell him to go to the Westmorland Street Bridge," he said. "I don't have any concern about him crossing that bridge."

The province has announced it will spend $12 million repairing the bridge, starting this year.

When the weight reduction for trucks was announced, The Daily Gleaner immediately requested any and all engineering studies that have been done on the safety of the Princess Margaret Bridge. The newspaper was told there was no overall engineering study.

After Christmas, a Right to Information application was filed by The Daily Gleaner.

At the end of March, the newspaper received more than 700 pages of documents, including several engineering studies, one of which is entitled Structural Condition Survey, Princess Margaret Bridge, dated Feb. 11, 2008.

That study was done by Eastern Designers and Company Ltd.

"The condition of the deteriorated sidewalk concrete and its corroded support truss is of considerable concern," states the engineering report on page eight.

"At some locations it is doubtful that the sidewalk could support the weight of a truck that has mounted the curb."

The report said 40 per cent of the steel trusses that support the sidewalk must be completely replaced and 50 per cent require significant repairs.

"If repairs are not undertaken promptly, the deteriorating concrete sidewalks will soon become unsafe even for light pedestrian traffic," stated the report.

Fred Blaney, executive director of engineering services for the Department of Transportation, said the province takes the engineering report's warnings seriously, but it's not as bad as it sounds.

"There would not be a catastrophic failure," he said.

"The truck would not go in the river."

Blaney said the major steel beams that hold up the bridge are located underneath the sidewalk and would catch any truck that went through the sidewalk.

The report also said concrete slabs that make up the sidewalk are in poor shape.

"The concrete has spalled (cracked and peeled off) and is in danger of dropping debris on highway and pedestrian traffic below," said the report on page four. "Netting and plywood ... has been erected to capture debris falling from the deteriorating sidewalk slabs."

Almost all of the original sidewalk concrete will have to be replaced soon, said the report.

The engineering report also noted that the bridge's 1.2-metre-wide sidewalks don't meet current highway planning standards.

A bridge structure on a major arterial roadway shouldn't permit the passage of pedestrians, stated the report. If it does, the sidewalk should be separated from vehicular traffic by a sturdy traffic barrier, it said on page six.

But the report said there's no room for such a barrier on the narrow, two-lane Princess Margaret Bridge.

"The low observed volumes of pedestrian traffic suggests that there may be little need to provide for pedestrian traffic on this bridge structure," stated the report.

A possible solution would be the elimination of the sidewalks, the report said.

"It is something we are keeping an eye on," Blaney said about the sidewalks.

"We do regular inspections of the bridge. If the bridge became a concern, we would shut it down."

The Princess Margaret Bridge roadway sits on seven plate girder spans, nine deck trusses and one 23-metre through-truss navigation span, all made of steel. Some of that steel is deteriorating.

"Already, corrosion has progressed to the point where a number of major truss members have experienced a significant reduction in strength," stated the engineering report.

The report separates the supporting steel into three categories: Condition A, which only needs sand blasting and repainting; Condition B, which has suffered 15-25 per cent corrosion damage and needs further detailed study and analysis; and Condition C, which is the most serious.

"It is estimated that Condition C members have experienced a 25-35 per cent loss of material in the region of greatest corrosion damage," stated the report. "A section loss of this magnitude will require a major repair effort."

About two per cent of the steel girders in the bridge fall into Condition C, including two on the upriver side near pier six, and three on the downriver side between piers four and seven.

"Repairs to Condition C members should be carried out as soon as possible and certainly within the next 12 months," stated the report.

The report is dated Feb. 11, 2008, or 14 months ago, and the tenders for the repairs haven't been awarded yet.

"The bridge is safe for the weight that is on it," said Blaney.

"The public should not be alarmed. We are holding regular meetings (about) the bridge."

On Monday, The Daily Gleaner will look at how and when the Department of Transportation intends to repair the Princess Margaret Bridge, as well as how much it will cost.

[caveat.doctor]

Originally Posted by kirjtc2

The idea of a bus pass comes up every few years at UNB....I was a student there last time and I voted against it for one simple reason: I don't want to subsidize other people's bus rides.

Originally Posted by mylesmalley

I'm not disappointed at all. I voted against it!

As it's been pointed out, this money would really just go to subsidizing the small minority of students who live a long way from campus. Most students either live on site or adjacent to campus. Hell, I live all the way up on Priestman and my walk is only about 10 mins to class.

Another reason why I think Transit needs to put more effort into the proposal - it's hard to fight that "if it doesn't help me, I'm not helping" mentality. Other than coming up with a more useful product, promoting Transit as a "public good" might've gotten more support too. From my experience, I wouldn't say Queen's students (or any other university with a bus pass programme - where most students also live on/near campus) are inherently more generous or civic-minded than UNB students, but when promoted properly, services in the public interest can generate mass support, even among people who don't necessarily personally benefit. Good citizenship, civic pride and all that jazz.

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Two new building pics around Downtown: the Knights of Columbus building now has its signage up



and I only just noticed this apartment building just south of the Sobey's (spotted it from the parking lot)





Looks like they deleted the ground-level decor on the final product, but at least they didn't just blank-wall stucco the sides and rear of the building. I'm impressed that new rental apartments are being built at all; most of the cities I've seen, only condos go up.

-

I also only just noticed the extras on the NB Archives building - not much to notice from a distance





but closer up there's some detailing





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There was a little blurb in today's Gleaner about Jane's Walks - named in honour of urban activist Jane Jacobs, "a series of free neighbourhood walking tours that helps put people in touch with their environment and with each other, by bridging social and geographic gaps and creating a space for cities to discover themselves", tours about history, architecture and such - going on 2-3 May in cities across Canada... except Fredericton.

But maybe some of you locals (who actually know the city) might be able to host one (contact info) - I'd totally be there in a heartbeat.

[mylesmalley]

Your point is quite valid, Caveat.doctor. I normally am a strong supporter of projects that are of benefit to the community as a whole, even when I'm not a direct beneficiary.

My real beef with the proposal was just how few people would actually stand to benefit from it. If the program had made it easier for students living off campus to get to school, I would have been more supportive. A route to the major apartment complexes, better access to Regent Mall or downtown etc. None of that would have happened. All this program would have done is give the bus agency a half million dollars, and a free ride for those students who already used the bus.

For that much money, you could buy five 15-seat vans and hire drivers to shuttle students to wherever they wanted 24 hours a day. Not as good for the environment but we'd get a much better return on our investment and probably faster service.

[cl812]

Originally Posted by kirjtc2

Mexicali bids adios
Published Saturday March 21st, 2009
A1
By ADAM BOWIE
[email protected]

One of Fredericton's longest-running eateries abruptly closed its doors for good Friday evening, leaving many local residents disappointed.

Popular restaurant Mexicali Rosa's is finished in Fredericton, according to a staff member who asked not to be named.

"It's tough. But it is what it is, right? So we can't really change it now," said the disappointed employee.

The worker wasn't sure if ownership group Ross Ventures Ltd. will be opening a new business in the space, or expanding the Back Nine restaurant into the former Mexicali Rosa's location.

Representatives from the ownership group weren't available for comment Friday afternoon.

Fredericton's Mexicali Rosa's franchise opened in 1992. The popular chain began in Ottawa in 1979 and has 20 locations across Canada.

Longtime patron Sarah Lewis said she was shocked to hear the news and is disappointed she wasn't able to visit the establishment before it hung up its sombrero for the last time.

"I liked the food and I liked the atmosphere as well. It's so weird to me because I haven't heard anything about it before now," Lewis said.

Anthony Knight, CEO of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, said he was sad to see the restaurant go, but he's hopeful the move is a sign of another business opportunity for the ownership group.

"Certainly, Mexicali Rosa's was an integral part of our downtown restaurant culture," he said.

"But as time progresses, we see change and new opportunities. We expect the ownership of the property to re-invest and expand as they see fit."

Mexi's has reopened under new ownership, I guess the owners of the franchise in Moncton have taken it over.

[cl812]

Costco opponents, supporters get chance to express views
Published Monday April 13th, 2009
Store | Facility planned for Corbett Centre
A3
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
[email protected]

A public hearing of objections will be held at city hall Tuesday as citizens get to state their case for or against a Costco store in Fredericton.

A handful of individuals and interest groups has signed up to address councillors.

As of late last week, city clerk Pam Hargrove was sifting through a lot of letters that her office received to be able to report how many support and how many oppose the project before Tuesday's council meeting.

Hargrove said letters and comments can still be submitted Tuesday and will be added to councillor information packages.

Groups such as the Friends of the UNB Woodlot and Fredericton chapter of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick are gearing up to fight the project. They oppose any development of the marshy area atop Regent Street and will have representatives at Tuesday's session.

City council is expected to follow its typical pattern on rezonings Tuesday night. Councillors will hear the public, then give automatic first and second reading to the rezoning bylaw.

Councillors make their final decision on the application April 27. They will either support the project or kill the concept on third reading.

Moncton-based engineering and planning company Terrain Group Inc. is applying on behalf of the University of New Brunswick for the rezoning to allow the store to be built on Regent Street at the Corbett Centre retail development.

UNB is the property owner that's leasing land to stores such as Winners, Home Depot and Dollarama.

It's working with its consultants, Trinity Development Group, and its partner, RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust, to add the Costco store.

Costco signed a letter of intent with UNB last fall, but it hasn't announced a construction date.

Costco Canada spokesman Ron Damiani has said the company continues to have an interest in entering the Fredericton and Saint John markets.

The provincial Environment Department has asked the developers to submit modified plans to manage storm water or surface runoff from the additional big-box store site at Corbett Centre.

A student group in late March called for an immediate moratorium on further development of the woodlot. Students handed a 650-signature petition to outgoing UNB president John McLaughlin. Incoming UNB president Eddy Campbell has been made aware of their concerns.

Mayor Brad Woodside sampled public opinion in March after he launched his Costco For Fredericton site on Facebook. Woodside quickly saw more than 6,000 members join the site and 1,300 people express their opinions.

The majority of those who joined the Facebook group supports a Costco store. Fredericton has many shoppers who are members of the wholesale, bulk grocery and household goods store and who routinely drive to Moncton to pick up buys.

Opponents of the development suggest the store should seek a different location.

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Bridge repair work expected to start soon
Published Monday April 13th, 2009
Problems | Princess Margaret Bridge not aging well
A1
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
[email protected]

The Liberal government has budgeted $12 million this year for critical repairs to the aging Princess Margaret Bridge and expects to award tenders for that work within a month.

But doing the work will require that the bridge be closed for months, probably at night.

"The sooner the better," said Transportation Minister Denis Landry, about when the repair work will start. "We don't have any choice. We will start the work. But we still have to talk to the municipality ... about work that is going to be done through the night.''

Landry said the department doesn't want to close the bridge during the daytime.

Fred Blaney, executive director of engineering services for the Department of Transportation, said city council will be briefed Thursday on a proposed closure schedule for the bridge repairs.

He declined to go into any detail about the schedule before then.

"There will be some requirements for closures but traffic patterns will be taken into consideration," he said. "We will not shut the bridge down (completely)."

He said tenders for Phase 1 of the repair work to address the most serious concerns will be awarded within a month.

As The Daily Gleaner reported Saturday, the bridge has serious problems with its railings, the steel supports that hold up the sidewalks and some of the main steel beams that hold up the deck of the bridge.

In November, the province slashed by one-third the weight allowed on the bridge and Landry insisted the bridge is safe for that weight.

"I trust my staff," he said.

In this year's repairs, all the bridge railings will be replaced. They're too weak to stop a vehicle from plunging over the side of the bridge in case of an accident.

Blaney said new, much stronger, barriers will be installed, either steel or concrete, that will be reinforced with steel rebar connected directly to the bridge deck.

There are also problems with some of the bridge's rocker bearings that connect the main body of the bridge to its 22 concrete piers.

Imagine two pencils lying on a table and a book resting on the pencils. The bridge's rocker bearings are the equivalent of the pencils.

The rocker bearings let the bridge move back and forth a little bit as the steel structure expands and contracts in the heat and the cold, said Blaney.

Without those bearings, the bridge spans could roll off their piers.

"The expansion bearings at the truss spans (approximately 30 roller nests) are in poor condition and will require major rehabilitation or replacement," states an engineering report dated Feb. 11, 2008, and obtained by The Daily Gleaner under Right to Information legislation.

"With the exception of the through-truss navigation span, all of the roller nests supporting the Princess Margaret Bridge have experienced alignment difficulties including bent or missing linkage bolts, bent or broken alignment lugs, misaligned rollers and a general build up of dirt, grease and corrosion by-products," states the engineering report.

The bridge will have to be jacked up and the old rocker bearings removed and new ones installed.

The corroded steel beams that hold up the bridge deck will be replaced but the province hasn't yet decided how to fix the sidewalks.

A consulting engineer's report says a modern highway bridge wouldn't even have a sidewalk.

"A possible solution would be the elimination of the sidewalks," states the report.

There are also problems with the concrete on the piers of the bridge.

Final test results aren't in yet, but one solution might be encapsulating the old concrete inside new concrete, states the engineering report.

Blaney said Phase 1 repairs will be done this summer and fall and the requests for qualifications are out for Phase 2 repairs.

Future phases of repairs will include fixing steel that's not as badly damaged as the spans being replaced this year and repainting the bridge.

DOT wants the bridge to last another 50 years.

"We are dealing with what the report said we should deal with," said Blaney. "This is a pretty vital link."

----

Concrete may contain air pockets
Published Monday April 13th, 2009
Concerns | Princess Margaret Bridge needs repairs
A3
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
[email protected]

The concrete deck and 22 piers that hold up the 50-year-old Princess Margaret Bridge may have the same flaw that has plagued the Mactaquac Dam for years.

It's called alkali silica reaction or ASR and it can create air pockets inside concrete.

In a worst-case scenario, it can cause serious expansion and cracking problems

that can lead to major structural problems or even necessitate demolition, according to the website understanding-concrete.com.

ASR is caused by a reaction between the hydrioxyl ions in the alkaline cement pore solution in the concrete and reactive forms of silicia in the aggregate.

It creates a gel that increases in volume by taking up water and exerting expansive pressure.

The Department of Transportation commissioned Atlantic Infrastructure Monitoring Inc. of Upper Sackville, N.S., to do a $17,000 study of the concrete bridge

deck with ground-penetrating radar in July 2008.

DOT also ordered another study by a Fredericton company called Gemtec to drill six core samples two metres deep in several piers. That analysis cost $50,000.

Fred Blaney, executive director of engineering services at DOT, said in a recent interview the province is awaiting the final test results.

"It is a condition and you manage it," he said, if test results show the bridge has ASR. "It is not going to suddenly crumble and fall down."

But documents obtained by The Daily Gleaner seem to indicate that the department already knows there is at least some damage to the bridge piers caused by ASR.

An email dated Oct. 29, 2008, between two DOT officials states, "(name blacked out) was able to confirm that ASR was present in this core and was causing damage. The gel was extruding from cracks in the aggregate," the email continued.

"This indicates that the ASR was causing damage."

The email goes on to say that the DOT official will be meeting with an individual to map out a strategy for a more extensive program to define the ASR involvement and look at how extensive the ASR reaction is within the main mass of the pier and what pressure is being exerted by the expansion.

[caveat.doctor]

Originally Posted by mylesmalley

For that much money, you could buy five 15-seat vans and hire drivers to shuttle students to wherever they wanted 24 hours a day. Not as good for the environment but we'd get a much better return on our investment and probably faster service.

Funnily enough, there was a system like that when I was undergrad. It too, however, was poorly promoted, and lasted all of 2wks. The one time I used it me and 5 others were rushing from rez caf to class 10min late (about 1km, uphill); this white unmarked van coming in the opposite direction slams on the brakes, yells "WANT A RIDE!!!" in a thick Quebecois accent (this was in Montreal). He reverses, up a one-way, dodging traffic - in Montreal, "one-way" only refers to the direction the car has to point. We had no idea about the service, we just thought it was a random crazy delivery guy. The other problem was despite the efforts of the death-wish drivers to beat Downtown traffic, it was still faster to walk anywhere anyway. Good effort though.

Anyway, the "no" vote does put students in a better position for next time there's a vote; hopefully Transit isn't discouraged from the loss, and will actually come back and /try/ next round.

-

Originally Posted by cl812

Costco opponents, supporters get chance to express views
Published Monday April 13th, 2009
Store | Facility planned for Corbett Centre
A3
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
[email protected]

A public hearing of objections will be held at city hall Tuesday as citizens get to state their case for or against a Costco store in Fredericton.

A handful of individuals and interest groups has signed up to address councillors.

As of late last week, city clerk Pam Hargrove was sifting through a lot of letters that her office received to be able to report how many support and how many oppose the project before Tuesday's council meeting.

Hargrove said letters and comments can still be submitted Tuesday and will be added to councillor information packages.

...

Opponents of the development suggest the store should seek a different location.

Though the Corbett Centre is a disappointment right now and probably needs the Costco to justify its existence, I threw something together and sent it in - never wrote anything like this before, but something to do on a day off, and they did say they're still taking letters:

My name is c.d and I am a physician recently moved to Fredericton. I read in today's Daily Gleaner that Council will consider tomorrow the placement of a Costco in the city's south end, and you are still accepting submissions.

For reasons of public health, and based on personal experience with urban planning best practices in varied places from Kingston to Toronto to Victoria to Vancouver to Singapore, I suggest Council reject such placement in favour of a more central location.

Let me make clear I don't oppose the establishment of a Costco in Fredericton - on the contrary, I believe it will be a useful addition to the city's retail scene, and in particular know many of my patients desperately need any opportunity to find cheaper options for their shopping needs. However, because a Costco would be such an important commercial "magnet", its location in the city must be carefully considered.

The proposed placement in the city's extreme south end will exacerbate Fredericton's urban sprawl. Its pronounced disconnection from the city's centre of mass undermines an efficient, compact urban form. As a retail anchor, it will have a snowball effect and encourage further commercial encroachment in the area, forcing residents to travel even greater distances. The site is accessible only by car; it is beyond walking distance from any established residential community, and any potential bicycle routes force users through heavy, high-speed traffic.

Urban sprawl is associated with several public health risks. The Ontario College of Family Physicians recently completed a review of research illustrating the hazards cities impose on residents when they fail to restrain such development, and the benefits individuals and communities can enjoy when alternate plans are made. The complete "Report on Public Health and Urban Sprawl in Ontario: A review of the pertinent literature" is available at http://www.ocfp.on.ca/English/OCFP/UrbanSprawl/default.asp?s=1 and indicates:

- Urban sprawl leads to increased motor vehicular use not only because of greater distances, but also because it makes adequate public transit services less financially feasible;

- Greater dependence on personal vehicle use leads to an increase in air pollution. The effects of air pollution include increased respiratory diseases (such as asthma) and cardiovascular disease;

- Air pollution has also been linked to reproductive health problems and rare cancers (such as childhood leukaemia);

- Compared with people in more efficient and higher density communities, people in car-dependent communities walk less, weigh more and are more likely to suffer from obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular problems;

- Longer commuting distances lead to increases in traffic fatalities (one of our population’s leading causes of death), injuries and disabilities to motorists, pedestrians and cyclists; and,

- People in sprawling communities are more likely to suffer from mental health problems due to long commutes, isolation and loss of social capital than people in better planned communities.

Four brief summaries emphasise the health impact Council should consider in its decision:

1) Air Pollution - http://www.ocfp.on.ca/local/files/Urban%20Sprawl/UrbanSprawl-AirPollution.pdf
2) Road Injuries and Fatalities - http://www.ocfp.on.ca/local/files/Urban%20Sprawl/UrbanSprawl-RoadInjuries.pdf
3) Obesity - http://www.ocfp.on.ca/local/files/Urban%20Sprawl/UrbanSprawl-Obesity.pdf
4) Social and Mental Health - http://www.ocfp.on.ca/local/files/Urban%20Sprawl/UrbanSpraw-Soc-MentalHlth.pdf

Because of the importance a Costco will have on the city's commercial scene and overall development, choosing its location provides an opportunity to implement good planning practice. Alternative sites should be considered, such as the Two Nations Crossing complex, or the abandoned train station Downtown - sites within close, convenient proximity to established neighbourhoods and readily accessible to the greater area.

They would make use of already-open areas, reinforce existing focuses of development, and are more consistent with a compact, environmentally-sensitive urban form. They are already reached by transit, would not require expensive extensions of city services such as sewage or refuse collection, or strain emergency response times due to distance. Moreover, they would not entail the ecological damage of the current proposal at the Woodlot.

Other cities, such as the ones I have lived in above, are actively curbing sprawl and directing projects away from suburban/decentralised development, with direct health benefits to the community, and I believe Fredericton can and should do the same. For example, Vancouver's EcoDensity (http://www.vancouver-ecodensity.ca/) and Kingston's Urban Growth (http://www.cityofkingston.ca/residents/development/urbangrowth/index.asp) strategies have measures that would relocate projects like our Costco proposal.

In medicine, we often talk about "evidence-based" decisions: research and known outcomes must inform our treatment choices. And of course, to "first do no harm" to those for whom we are responsible. As a physician and city resident, I believe the same mindset should guide Council in its decision - and leads to the conclusion that this development, as currently located, is not good practice.

I will try to attend the hearing tomorrow evening, and would be happy to provide any further information anytime.

Thank you,

No idea if those alternative sites are actually feasible (I've never been to TNC - probably the same situation as the Corbett Centre?), but I think the point should come through.

[Lamespotting]

Originally Posted by caveat.doctor

No idea if those alternative sites are actually feasible (I've never been to TNC - probably the same situation as the Corbett Centre?), but I think the point should come through.

I actually think that TNC is more "in the middle of nowhere" than the Corbett Centre. As for the train station, you'd be facing a storm of heritage advocates and NIMBYs who won't want it there. They had a hard enough time getting the Sobeys in a few years back.

As for the Corbett Centre location, it does offer a few advantages:

• It's close to two highways. Many of the clients will be from out of town, that will keep traffic out of the rest of the city
• It's already in the main shopping district, why not keep all the "drive-to" destinations in one place?
• It may be far to walk, but not too many people would want to walk there anyway as they'd have to lug super-sized boxes of groceries down the hill

I have many more reasons on my blog: here

I do actually agree that urban sprawl is a bad thing, however, the entire municipal plan would need to be redone for that to be prevented. There would also need to be amalgamation of outside areas (Hanwell, Lincoln, Noonan, Douglas) to stop those 1 acre unserviced lots from being created. The biggest challenge would be to ignore the NIMBYs who keep high density development from happening.

[caveat.doctor]

Originally Posted by Lamespotting

I have many more reasons on my blog: here

I do actually agree that urban sprawl is a bad thing, however, the entire municipal plan would need to be redone for that to be prevented. There would also need to be amalgamation of outside areas (Hanwell, Lincoln, Noonan, Douglas) to stop those 1 acre unserviced lots from being created. The biggest challenge would be to ignore the NIMBYs who keep high density development from happening.

Thanks - I agree with most of your points on your blog too, except that this is still urban sprawl at work. Just because it is within city limits doesn't mean it won't have the same effect as spreading development the other side of municipal lines - it's still basically as far away from the centre as you can get.

Originally Posted by Lamespotting

As for the Corbett Centre location, it does offer a few advantages:

• It's close to two highways. Many of the clients will be from out of town, that will keep traffic out of the rest of the city

Yes, Corbett Centre is more easily accessible to out-of-towners, but that's exactly the "convenience" we need to discourage - by making it easy for the neighbours, it only enables them to sprawl more. If it's going to be built in Fredericton, and supported by Fredericton municipal services/taxes, it should serve Fredericton's plans first. Fredericton has a vested interest in making "life in the country" less appealing than it is.

Originally Posted by Lamespotting

• It's already in the main shopping district, why not keep all the "drive-to" destinations in one place?
• It may be far to walk, but not too many people would want to walk there anyway as they'd have to lug super-sized boxes of groceries down the hill

Being a retail anchor, it will encourage more commercial development in the area - including non-"drive-to" strip-mall storefront types that would be better placed closer Downtown, ones that people would like to have close by to walk to. Small business will be drawn out of the city, just to be close to the Costco. Thus, sprawl.

Originally Posted by Lamespotting

As for the train station, you'd be facing a storm of heritage advocates and NIMBYs who won't want it there.

It would take some effort to design a Costco to fit in the area and respect the character of the neighbourhood, but it's been done before - big box-type stores can be made to fit into Downtowns. I mentioned Ottawa's planning directives before - big red X for middle-of-nowhere single-use:



there's also Vancouver: a Pier One as the first floor of an apartment building



and of train stations: Montreal turned its abandoned north-end train station into a development with an !ndigo bookstore, and now an haute-couture liquor store. With the right design a big-box could be integrated into the site, and provide some drive to get that station restored and into something useful. Better than letting it rot abandoned as is.

And as you said in your blog, it's smarter land use:

Demand better use of the land we currently have. Demand that buildings downtown have minimum heights instead of maximums. Demand that the train station be torn down and replaced with high density buildings. It is actions like this that will slow down development by making the woodlot less valuable.

(BTW - thanks for the link to my blog. I guess that means maybe I should start writing again?)

-

The Council meeting went well (was anyone else there? I was the short Asian boy with glasses with a "McGill" sweater). The Mayor prefaced the open mic period with a "behave yourselves, mind your manners", and it pretty much turned out that way - straightforward, no frayed nerves or tension. I didn't realise a big-box store on the site was already approved by Council in '05; this was just supposed to be about some variance related to a gas station on the site. But even then, if there's any chance Council might approach urban planning differently today, it can still tighten the reins on what's yet to come.

I think the best speaker was Kerry Krawick (sp?), a UNB student who warned of the precedent an approval would set. Saying yes to even this small chunk makes it inevitable future developers will come up and ask for more; and when they do, future Councils will be locked into signing off.

Most everyone used an environmental argument - either because of the Woodlot's important ecology, or that the project encroaches on an 80m buffer that's required in the plan, or the dangers of having a gas station over wetlands that lead to our water supply, climate change and "death by a thousand small cuts" like this, etc. Some tried to remind them of the spirit of the "Green Matters" commitment Council made, to protect irreplaceable resources like wetlands and woodlots. You can always put a Costco somewhere else, but you can't rebuild a forest.

Someone mentioned big box stores just pacify us with cheap imported goods we don't need, but otherwise not much ideology or anything far out. Another speaker whose grandfather was a councillor recalled there were plans to develop Odell Park into housing way back when, but at the 11th hour Council rejected the proposal; the Mayor replied something like "Your grandfather certainly made the right decision then..." [pause] - and it looked like he was about to say something prejudicial to the Woodlot development - but continued, "and we would uphold the decision to keep /Odell Park/ today". Phew!

I thought by submitting a letter they'd automatically ask me to talk too, but they didn't, and when I went up to ask if I could, they said it was too late. Oh well. I would've liked to add this isn't just an environmental thing, since it seemed so one-horse-issue the way the speakers were talking. Plus Council seemed to appreciate hearing from people who've chosen to move to Fredericton, eg the students who were still deciding to stay or leave, people from away commenting how the city looks compared to elsewhere.

No doubt - Fredericton is sprawling. And urban sprawl is a health issue too; I definitely see people here less healthy than where I've worked before. 64% of men and 45% of women in Fredericton area are obese or overweight (vs 40% nationally); only 50% of residents themselves feel they're in good health. This is part of the cost that Council is imposing on citizens by allowing sprawl to continue.

("Fredericton area" = Health Region 3 data. I guess StatsCan doesn't collect much data specific to the city.)

Though the debate was just about the gas station, sprawl's still an issue that needs to be addressed. (Since it's Hanwell/New Maryland/Lincoln/etc doing it too, maybe the province needs to take the lead on that.) I guess we'll see what happens when this goes to vote in 2wk.

-

About bus passes: UNB grad students are going for it (story). Doesn't seem like Transit had to do anything to win them over; from the story you'd think it's adding a burden: the Transit manager "expects the city will be able to absorb the graduate student ridership within the schedule, although there will have to be some tinkering."

[magee_b]

I think the best speaker was Kerry Krawick (sp?), a UNB student who warned of the precedent an approval would set

It was Kerri Krawec, who is part of a team that recently won a national competition based on a business proposal for a more environmentally friendly woodlot development approach
http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/rss/article/612898

[cl812]

Costco opponents make last stand
Published Wednesday April 15th, 2009
Development | City to conduct vote April 27
A1
By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
[email protected]

Move it to another location. Don't build a gasoline bar. Don't build any kind of big-box store. Put a moratorium on any further development of the University of New Brunswick woodlot.

That's what the 38 environmental groups and opponents of big-box stores are telling city council about a proposed Costco.

Another five individuals, plus a group of citizens that signed a petition, stated their support for the development.

"This is an emotional issue for a lot of people," said Mayor Brad Woodside after the nearly two-hour public discussion. "You have been very respectful and I appreciate that very much."

Councillors gave first and second reading Tuesday night to a rezoning bylaw to allow a proposed Costco Wholesale store to be located at the Corbett Centre retail development on the University of New Brunswick woodlot atop Regent Street.

Much of the property needed for the store and its parking area is already within an approved zoning envelope.

But one corner at the Regent Street end of the property has to be added to the site plan for a proposed gasoline bar and that has put project developers at city hall's steps for tweaking of its zoning.

It won't be until April 27, when councillors vote on third reading of the zoning amendment, that the city's verdict will be delivered.

Coun. Bruce Grandy has asked for a staff report on surface water runoff and the potential impacts on the city's drinking water supply from the project prior to third reading.

Friends of the UNB Woodlot, the Fredericton chapter of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, UNB students and a couple of UNB professors revisited most of the same arguments that the public has heard about the development.

"Putting a gas bar next to a wetland probably isn't a good idea," said UNB Prof. Charlene Mayes. "It shouldn't be about how much risk we can tolerate, but how much risk we can avoid.''

She said councillors have a golden opportunity to uphold the environmental protection goals that are stated in the city's environmental plan.

"We need to consider whether it's right and correct to roll out the red carpet for them by allowing them to expand their project, expand their parking lot and construct a gas bar," said Julie Michaud of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.

UNB Prof. Rick Cunjak takes his fish biology class to the Corbett Brook marsh area because the upper part of the brook is the only place where brook trout are found.

"What's the significance of brook trout? They're like a canary in a coal mine. They're a very good indicator of environmental sensitivity ... There's still something right here. Let's not mess with that," Cunjak said.

"What's the likelihood of a problem occurring with a gas bar? I don't know. I would say is it worth the risk?" Cunjak said. "I would suggest not."

Professors at UNB and St. Thomas University are working behind the scenes to try to change UNB's approach to the woodlot plan into a more environmentally sustainable model, Cunjak said.

Wolfgang Faig, retired dean of engineering at UNB, said groups and individuals that want to revisit UNB's plan for its woodlot had the opportunity to speak when the university prepared its woodlot plan.

"To hear that students didn't have input is incorrect," Faig said. "I'm a little frustrated to see now that members of the university community object while they could have objected all through the process."

Terrain Group Inc., the engineering and site planning group hired by UNB to plan the property layout, has been working with the Environment Department on modifications to minimize intrusion on the marsh.

"Previously on the site plan, we had shown encroachment in these areas (the 30-metre buffer zone) ... but the Department of Environment has prohibited any encroachment into those buffer areas,'' said Scott Fash, a planner with Terrain Group Inc.

"We've agreed and will be putting retaining walls so that the development will no longer be encroaching.''

The gasoline bar fuel pumps have to be moved an additional 30 metres away from the buffer, he said.

"There are significant monitoring programs that are going to be required by the Department of the Environment," Fash said.

"In terms of water supply, this wetland and the proposed gas bar is outside of the city's wellfield protection zoning."

In 2004, UNB adopted a land management strategy to turn half of its 1,526-hectare (3,815-acre) woodlot into future development lands. Because its land is an endowment from King George III dating back to 1800, the university can't sell it, but can lease it.

At the time the strategy was drafted, the university held stakeholder and public talks about the proposal.

"Forcing Costco out of Fredericton would be a tremendous loss for this city and its inhabitants. I would not like to see that happen," Faig said.

The first chunk of UNB woodlot carved out for development, kitty-corner to the Regent Mall, is home to large stores such as Michaels, Petcetera, Winners, Home Depot, Dollarama, restaurants and other smaller retailers.

Costco has long been an intended retailer for the site and the original development plan always included space for the store.

[mylesmalley]

1000 posts