Official Fredericton, NB projects thread

[kirjtc2]

Flying to Boston? Find other options
Airline | Flight at city airport may end earlier than expected
By ADAM BOWIE
bowie.adam@dailygleaner.com
Published Friday December 21st, 2007
Appeared on page a1

The CEO of the Greater Fredericton Airport Authority says flights between Fredericton and Boston have likely been grounded for good.

The president of Big Sky Airlines has said services will be terminated by Sunday, but it now seems unlikely that even flights scheduled before that date will happen.

The company, which operates the twice-daily flights for Delta Air Lines, had said two weeks ago the service would continue until Jan. 7.

Fredericton airport CEO David Innes said a recent announcement from Big Sky Airlines’s holding company has him concerned about the airline’s future service commitments.

MAIR Holdings announced Wednesday the Montana-based airline would be shutting down its entire East Coast operation in early January because of poor revenues and high fuel costs.

Innes said the announcement and a series of recent service interruptions might foreshadow the immediate end of the service.

“It wouldn’t surprise me not to see another Big Sky airliner in Fredericton,” he said.

“From day to day here, we’re seeing a lot of cancellations.”

Innes said the Greater Fredericton Airport Authority’s main concern is providing travellers with as much information as possible. He said any traveller experiencing problems with the service should start working on a backup plan.

“We’re operating in a vacuum with respect to hard information,” he said.

“And we can only imagine what travellers are trying to deal with. I guess we would encourage them to contact a travel agent or Delta Air Lines to make alternate arrangements.”

When The Daily Gleaner tried to book a flight through Delta Air Lines’ website for Friday, a message said no flights were scheduled between Fredericton and Boston on that date.

Fred deLeeuw, president of Big Sky Airlines, said he’s uncertain when the flight service will be cancelled officially.

“It could be that we’re completely done in Fredericton,” he said.

“I just haven’t been informed of it yet.”

DeLeeuw said today’s flight service was cancelled because of weather conditions.

“Today, we’re not operating because of a big snowstorm in Boston again,” he said. “And I’m not sure what’s happening for the days after this.”

A message on the website for Boston’s Logan International Airport said conditions were breezy with a light snowfall and, “there are no major problems or delays to report at this time.”

Comair, a Delta Air Lines connection partner, announced Wednesday evening that regional jet services will return to Bangor International Airport when Big Sky Airlines ends flight services from that airport.

Innes said the Greater Fredericton Airport Authority is searching for another service provider that could provide direct flights to Boston.

[kirjtc2]

Province to rent space in new Fredericton development
Last Updated: Friday, December 21, 2007 | 2:41 PM AT
CBC News

The New Brunswick government has signed on to be a tenant in a major development in downtown Fredericton.

The government will be the anchor tenant of a new office building, while the 40-year-old Centennial Building it currently occupies undergoes renovations.

Once the two-year renovation project is complete, some government workers will move back to the Centennial Building while others will stay in the tower.

The province will begin renting more than 145,000 square feet of space in the new office building in 2010 at an annual cost of approximately $5 million.

"This relationship will be a long-term relationship and one that will be beneficial for all concerned," Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside said at a press conference on Friday.

Former premier Bernard Lord had announced in 2006 that the government was interested in using the office space as well as participating in Fredericton's $69-million redevelopment plan, which includes the office tower, a new convention centre and parking garage.

But at that time there were no firm details or a financial commitment from the government.

"It's one thing to get your picture in the paper. But when the announcement is made and the money is on the table, that's an entirely different story," Woodside said.

The government's participation in the project will help the capital city invest in strategic infrastructure and bring more economic development to the region, said Premier Shawn Graham.

The mayor said he is confident that when the project begins in June, the federal government will also have stepped forward with funding for the convention centre project.

City council approved the redevelopment project before securing funding from either the province or Ottawa.

The city is also still in negotiations with the province to secure further support for the convention facility portion of the complex.

[kirjtc2]

It's official -- convention centre project a go
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com
Published Saturday December 22nd, 2007
Appeared on page A1

Using a build-it-and-they-will-come strategy, Mayor Brad Woodside announced Friday the city will borrow as much as $69 million to construction a convention centre, office building and parking garage in downtown Fredericton.

"This is a great day for Fredericton and the downtown east end development project," said Woodside.

"It makes good economic sense for the convention centre and the office building projects to be designed and constructed at the same time."

Premier Shawn Graham revealed the province will lease all 13,500 square metres (150,000 square feet) of the new six-storey office building for $4.5 million to $5 million a year when it is completed in 2010.

"Our participation in this project is evidence of our government's effort to build the relationships and work co-operatively with our municipalities to create a more self-sufficient province," said Graham.

The new office building will be built on King Street behind The Playhouse and opposite the Centennial Building.

The plan calls for an underground parking complex beneath the two buildings and a $7 million above ground parking structure.

Graham said that the new building will house government employees currently working in the 40-year-old Centennial Building, which will be completely refurbished beginning in 2010.

Those employees will move back into the Centennial Building when the renovation is complete in 2012, he said.

But the premier and the mayor insisted the province will be a long-term tenant in the new building.

"We are working on the logistics of how long term that lease will be," said Graham.

"We are going to come to a successful negotiation on this."

He said there's a shortage of office space in the Fredericton downtown core.

The premier said the Department of Supply and Services will prepare a long-range strategic plan for its building inventory in the capital.

Government offices are scattered across a number of buildings in the downtown.

The city may not have to borrow the entire $69 million.

Graham and Woodside said they still expect to work out a tri-government financing deal next year to pay for the convention centre, which is projected to cost about $21 million, including underground parking.

That would knock $14 million off the total the city needs to borrow if it's split three ways, which is tradition.

"I am very optimistic in my discussions with the government of Canada," said the premier.

Woodside said the new building will be an ultra-modern, class A office space with the highest possible energy efficiency and be as environmentally friendly as possible.

The mayor said there will be no retail space in the building beyond a coffee shop.

Woodside said he wouldn't be surprised if a hotel chain jumps on board the project now that the office building is finalized.

City design drawings show room for a hotel.

Bruce McCormack, general manager of Downtown Fredericton Inc., said Friday the project will have a major impact on the downtown.

"This will activate and spring board a lot of other developments in the downtown core that are similar and just waiting to see who is in and who is out," said McCormack.

Anthony Knight, general manager of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, said the project is important to the business community.

"It will revitalize our downtown," he said.

"Our downtown is literally bursting at the seams in terms of (need for) office space."

ADI Ltd. has already been awarded the city contract to design and construct the project, and the ground will be broken this spring.

[kirjtc2]

Fredericton to begin work at sports complex site
Last Updated: Monday, December 24, 2007 | 9:56 AM AT
CBC News

The City of Fredericton has received the green light to begin drilling on the site of the southside sports complex.

Core drilling to determine where to lay the foundation was delayed over concerns about wetlands protection.

Community services chair, Coun. Bruce Grandy, said the provincial Environment Department has given the OK for work to proceed on the condition that the city builds culverts or bridges to protect the wetlands.

The price tag for the extra work could top $150,000, he said.

"It's hard, because if we have to design one culvert or two culverts or crossings, you can imagine the costs will go up quite significantly," said Grandy. "You know, at first, we thought this was basically a $150,000 problem. But it could be a little more."

Once core drilling is assessed, the architect will draw up plans for the sportsplex to be submitted to the Environment Department for further approval.

The southside sports complex will be named in honour of Fredericton-born NHL star Danny Grant.

Grant played for all or part of 14 NHL seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota North Stars, Detroit Red Wings and Los Angeles Kings. In 1969, he won the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie and at the height of his career scored 50 goals in the 1974-75 season for Detroit.

[kirjtc2]

Council predicts another hot year
By SHAWN BERRY
berry.shawn@dailygleaner.com
Published Wednesday January 2nd, 2008
Appeared on page A1

Fredericton's development services committee chairman sees plenty of potential on the horizon for 2008.

"It's an exciting time," said Coun. Mike O'Brien. "The city is prospering, we're debt-free, interest rates are low and it's time to help grow the city."

Despite seeing development break the $100-million mark again in 2007, there's no sign that momentum will slow this year.

The city plans to break ground on major projects such as a $69-million downtown complex that will house a convention centre, office building and garage.

It's also planning to build two fire stations, and a southside sport and leisure complex.

The downtown convention centre is expected to have the biggest impact.

"Transformational change" will come to the downtown because of it, he said.

"We can't attract conferences of 500 to 1,000 delegates right now," O'Brien said. "This is going to allow us to welcome them.

"The restaurants will be full, and the hotels will be even fuller."

The convention centre will encourage further downtown development and it will snowball from there, he said.

A healthy dose of residential and commercial construction is also expected this year, but O'Brien is most anxious about pending word on another major project.

He expects paperwork to be filed soon on the $35-million Richard Currie Wellness Centre at the University of New Brunswick.

Construction of the ambitious project including gyms and a pool would have an immediate impact on the city, he said, but it's the people who will work there who will help Fredericton beam brighter on the map for years to come.

There's bound to be spinoffs with experts on health and nutrition clustering their expertise in Fredericton, he said.

"This has the potential to create a whole new white-collar industry for the city," O'Brien said.

He likened it to previous rounds of innovation at UNB that helped spur the growth of engineering and information technology firms in the capital.

There are also new batches of residential developments that have been given the green light for 2008.

Among them are approval for 46 houses in Brookside West, 40 condo units at Rainsford Gardens, 30 townhouses at Sarah's Lane and 80 townhouses at Kimble Drive.

"That's just a sampling. There are plenty of others peppered around.''

Commercial development will continue in 2008.

Two new restaurants are set to be built at the Corbett Centre along Knowledge Park Drive. Construction on Montana's Cookhouse and East Side Mario's are set to begin in the spring.

At least three other units are being built there right now, but O'Brien doesn't know who the tenants will be.

And there's plenty of interest in the area along the intersection of Cliffe Street and Two Nations Crossing.

Work now underway includes a Kent building supplies store and a new Canadian Tire location.

And development in the city isn't just about adding buildings, he said.It's also about adding to the capacity to attract people to Fredericton.

"We hear from everyone that Fredericton is unmatched when it comes to arts, crafts and culture," O'Brien said.

The city's edVentures program beginning this summer will capitalize on that belief.

The program will cater to travellers looking to indulge their creative abilities. Participants will learn from accomplished crafts people and take in activities at cultural events around the region.

"They are going to go away being disciples for the city," O'Brien said.

[kirjtc2]

Southside complex delayed
berry.shawn@dailygleaner.com
Published Saturday January 5th, 2008
Appeared on page A1

The City of Fredericton has been given the green light to start work on the future site of the southside sports and leisure complex.

But delays caused by the recent discovery of a large wetland on the property mean the expected opening of the arena has been pushed back to 2010.

"This is the first permit of two permits,'' said Wayne Tallon, director of community services for the city. "It gives us the authority to go in and clear the land, grub the vegetation and also do some greening and in-filling.

"That will give us the opportunity to do our geotechnical and topographical analysis," he said.

After that, the city will need to apply for a second wetland and watercourse alteration permit for the construction phase.

Work on the site was delayed last year after a large wetland that had been previously gone unnoticed was identified.

"We still have to avoid wetland H, which is the wetland identified in the middle of the property. "We're avoiding it completely as far as construction (of the building) is concerned," he said.

That means the arena will need to be sited at the back of the property close to the Vanier Highway.

"We have access to the property from the new Knowledge Park Drive," Tallon said.

"The driveways will have to cross the wetland, so we have to provide them with a design of the crossing to get to the building. That will be part of the second wetland and watercourse alteration permit."

The city estimates the additional costs incurred by the discovery of the second wetland will be about $150,000.

"We were going to have the facility ready for September of '09, but this whole process and the environmental issues have delayed that by a full year, so it will be September of 2010," Tallon said.

The new complex will carry the name of NHL veteran Danny Grant.

The property is near the intersection of Kimble Drive and Alison Boulevard.

[xxFamilyGuyxx]

Not much going on in Freddy lately...

[BradMacD]

Well finally I got my account activated. Some reason it wouldn't work but I re-registered and it works now. Frederictonians unite. B-)

I have a picture from January 5 of the site of Frederick Square II.


It looks like there are only 8 floors...

[mylesmalley]

Originally Posted by BradMacD

Well finally I got my account activated. Some reason it wouldn't work but I re-registered and it works now. Frederictonians unite. B-)

I have a picture from January 5 of the site of Frederick Square II.


It looks like there are only 8 floors...

Soooo...same size as the other one?

[xxFamilyGuyxx]

This shows how much bigger FS2 is compared to FS1

[BradMacD]

It almost looks like there is more to that 2 floor connecting plaza ro whatever it's called. It looks longer than it is in real life in that picture.

The new tower seems wayyy wider and taller than the 7 floor one.

[xxFamilyGuyxx]

Actually I think the whole bottom part is one floor according to one of the plans on the kileel development site.

[kirjtc2]

I don't know...if you compare the plan to the Google Earth image, it looks like the entire connecting part is there already. Notice the 4 "steps" already in place.

[xxFamilyGuyxx]

Is the connecting part 1 or 2 floors? Because when you walk in to the bank it seems like the ceiling is prety high.But maybe its not i havn't been there in a while..

[kirjtc2]

King Street liquor store to close
By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN
llewellyn.stephen@dailygleaner.com
Published Thursday January 10th, 2008
Appeared on page A1

The King Street liquor store in Fredericton is closing Jan. 26.

The closure is part of a retail shakeup announced by Alcool NB Liquor on Wednesday.

President and CEO Dana Clendenning said no jobs will be lost when the King Street store closes.

"Everyone will be transferred to other Fredericton stores," he said in an interview Wednesday afternoon.

The provincially owned liquor corporation is also closing a store in Saint John and converting corporate stores in Minto and Cocagne to agency stores.

Fredericton, Saint John and Moncton will each have four corporate stores when the changes are completed.

The move will save the corporation $600,000 a year, said Clendenning.

"The retail network hadn't been studied since 1991 so we felt it was time," he said. "Part of the rationale is to identify efficiencies in the network."

There will be 45 corporate and 72 agency liquor stores in the province after the changeover.

The Minto and Cocagne stores will remain open until an agent is selected. A request for proposals to select an agent for both locations will be issued today.

The four Fredericton liquor stores are Prospect Street, Smythe Street, Devon and Brookside Mall.

"We believe based in our analysis that those stores can handle the traffic that currently goes to King Street," said Clendenning. "We are going to watch this closely to see where that traffic goes."

He said the first three stores listed have been recently built and the Brookside Mall store will be upgraded in the next few years when the lease expires.

The King Street store had the second to worst sales of the five stores in Fredericton, he said.

"The lease is up for renewal next year and we would have had to commit to another 10 years," said Clendenning.

The store needed a major refurbishment, he said.

Clendenning said the corporation is also watching developments in downtown Fredericton, particularly in the east end.

"We haven't ruled out coming back to the downtown at some point," he said.

Clendenning said the efficiency review was necessary because next year the corporation is looking at wage increases. The savings from the closures will help offset those increases, he said.

The corporation currently spends 11.5 per cent of its total revenue on operations. That's the best expense-to-sales ratio in the Atlantic provinces and one of the lowest in Canada, he said.

The corporation's total revenue this year will be around $384 million, said Clendenning.

When the Liberals came to power last fall they ordered NB Liquor to increase its profit -- which goes to the government -- by $13 million to help pay for a projected deficit.

[ErickMontreal]

Good new for Fredericton, the city will get Costso !

https://riocan.com/_bin/investor/retailDevelopment.cfm

[xxFamilyGuyxx]

Thats good!

[BradMacD]

Thank you god XD

[cl812]

wonder when construction will start?

[xxFamilyGuyxx]

Sometime around July I think.