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IMAGINE NORTH BAY 2006 |
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Dear Friends, On April 20th, 2006, Community Waterfront Friends (CWF) launch a presentation at the Capitol Centre to illustrate what the new Waterfront Park will look like in 3D, from a bird’s eye point of view, highlighting each attraction and their associated costs. This was a very colourful and exciting presentation. Let me recap some of the old, and some of the new information with ‘loose’, yet targeted dates. When we started out in 2000, the CWF group laid out a vision, magic marker on big sheets of paper that we took around to show to various groups who made suggestions and comments. As fewer and fewer changes had to be made, we digitized the vision so we could easily make copies. On that vision, we showed that if a park was created between the downtown and the actual waterfront, we would see a lot of development and redevelopment around the park on already serviced land. That was back in 2000. Progress continues. The Marina Point project is going ahead, a large number of buildings have been renovated on Oak Street, adjacent to the future park, the new city bus transit terminal has begun construction (just to name a few). A completed business plan and design work, with funding from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, Fednor, the City of North Bay, and Community Waterfront Friends brings us to December of 2005. These efforts also resulted in a completed, Site Specific Remediation Assessment, which has been accepted by the Ontario Ministry of Environment. It lays out how environmental concerns on the rail lands will be dealt with, in accordance with provincial regulations. It also gives us finished designs ready for tender for the pedestrian underpass, the mini-train underpass, and for the second carousel’s permanent building. This was a huge step forward. The CP Station renovations are now complete, and we completed the hands-on exhibits for both children and adults which open to the public in the summer of 2006. You have to see a photo of the building taken in 2000 to appreciate the amazing metamorphosis that has occurred. Marina Point is now under construction, and will have approximately 184 units, some for independent living, and others for assisted living. Many rooms will enjoy a view of the lake. Being close to the park, it will also be a great residential addition to the downtown. Oak Street will undergo renovations from Fraser to Foran Street during the summer of 2006, to allow for new underground services. These will supply the Marina Point building, and improve Oak Street by creating much wider sidewalks and lovely promenade areas. A number of the storefronts have been renovated, and the face of Oak Street is starting to look absolutely cheery! Historic ties to the waterfront will draw visitors and residents to enjoy hospitality services, shopping, @Discovery North Bay Centre (formally the North Bay Area Museum now located in the CP Station) and the sheer enjoyment of the beautiful Waterfront Park. In 2000, CWF suggested that the best location for the new transit terminal was at the corner of Oak and Wyld, the former Venture Power Products/Union Energy building. The City has now purchased that property. The concrete building at the front of this property (parallel to Oak Street) has been demolished and the Venture Power Products/Union Energy building will be renovated to become office space for the transit management, as well as a transit facility for bus passengers. This new building will include a heated waiting room, handicapped-accessible washrooms, and hopefully a coffee kiosk. The strategic direction for the transit terminal focuses on facilitating the ease of traffic flow at the intersection of Oak and Wyld Streets. Improvements will include underground hydro, new sewer, water and other lines between Wyld and Ferguson Streets. These improvements allow for the widening of Oak Street with 5 meter (15ft.) wide sidewalks on each side of the street. This pedestrian-friendly area will encourage patio restaurants in the summer, and a place to relax and enjoy the park. We hope to see this completed by 2008. More exciting news, is that all of these projects have been added to the City’s five-year budget, and a specific timeline has been laid out. Completing each one, will of course, depend on funding support from the provincial and federal levels as well as from the City, but it’s the first actual timeline to be put down on paper. As a result of the waterfront plan, other buildings around the perimeter of the park have been purchased privately, and have adopted the waterfront theme for their renovations. This creates new commercial, office and residential space for the downtown core. Once the new transit terminal is opened, the previous transit shelters and the two-story AT&T building presently being leased by the City to house the management of the city’s transit system (at the corner of Ferguson and Oak Street) will be torn down. The goal for completion here is the end of 2008. The plans for Oak Street to be widened and the installation of larger sidewalks between Ferguson and Fraser will not be done until approximately 2010. The biggest project to be completed is the pedestrian underpass and the mini-train underpass below the CP tracks. What we’re hoping for at this stage, is to have underground pipes installed in the fall of 2007 on the carousel side of the CP tracks. These will be conduits to house sanitary sewer systems, hydro lines, irrigation systems, and that sort of thing. This will all be installed later when the park is in place. The summer following the conduit installation, 2008, will see the installation of an extra temporary railway track over the area where the conduits exist. This track is called a “Shoo Fly” by the railroad people, and once it’s in place, the CP trains will be re-routed along that track. The mainline will then be removed, and for the next three or four months, the pedestrian underpass will be built. It is going to be approximately 22 feet wide, and about 9 feet high. At the other end of the park, the mini-train underpass will be installed as well. If complete by the end of summer 2008 as targeted, the main line track will be re-installed, and the Shoo Fly track taken out. In 2009, the walkway leading down to the underpass will also be dug out, shaped and landscaped. Targeting the summer of 2009, the grading will be done for the mini-train pathway which will lead to the tunnel on the lake side, and continue up and out of the tunnel on the rail lands side. In 2008 and 2009, the parking lots along Oak Street will be reconstructed with new underground drainage systems, underground wiring, and they will also have a nicely landscaped appearance to them. In 2009, once the pedestrian and mini-train pathways are installed, the entire rail lands will be reshaped, with the plan being to finish it with a grass covering. This opens the door for a very exciting 2010, when all of the waterfront attractions we have been planning and aiming for will possibly be a reality. The children’s amusement area, with the water feature, playground area, labyrinth, spiral mound, children’s theatre, and children’s gardens will begin to take shape in 2010. The pedestrian area between the @Discovery North Bay Centre (the CP Station) and the downtown will also, with any luck, begin installation with a central water fountain, and trellises for shade. This will create an Italian style piazza, or town square, something entirely new for North Bay! We also hope to have the second carousel building finished, several picnic gazebos and pathways, as well as the beginnings of some spectacular botanical gardens, and the Heritage Gardeners Pavilion and greenhouses. A grand presentation of what the future will look like was held on April 20th, 2006 at the Capitol Centre. After that, CWF will be making presentations to as many groups and individuals as possible to show what attractions will be available for adoption, and what the costs will be. There will be something for everyone, big and small! We have four years to design these attractions for our Community Waterfront Park and raise the money to make them possible, and you can be sure we will be looking for continued community sponsorship. North Bay is very fortunate to have the ongoing support and commitment from people such as Mayor Vic Fedelli, City Council, the City staff - Dave Linkie, CAO, George Elliot and John Simmonds, John Fior and Mike Burke, as well as MP Anthony Rota, MPP Monique Smith, Heritage North Bay and all our wonderful volunteers and supporters. These folks are pillars without whom, this project could not move forward. It’s a thrill to see how we are achieving our goals by coordinating the energy and talents of so many people. Together, we have a common vision. Residents of North Bay have a tremendous passion for Lake Nipissing and the downtown waterfront. It is truly a jewel in the north. The Community Waterfront Park is going to be unique. It will serve our families for generations. It will be a wonderful tourist attraction, resulting in a very active downtown. It will have a huge impact on the future of North Bay. This park will be something that all of us will be very proud of, because we saw what we could do together and, together we made it happen. So, that is the latest from CWF! A great deal is going on, and we appreciate all of your support! Sincerely, Rod Johnston Chairman Community Waterfront Friends |
