Coming down

Posted January 12, 2012 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in News | No comments yet

It was the home of champions, but on Thursday the former Thunder Bay Curling Club was reduced to rubble to make way for an 88-unit condominium unit.

A pair of excavators moved in to begin the work at 9 a.m., to begin the demolition of both the curling club and the adjacent clubhouse, a move that is expected to keep the nine-hole Thunder Bay Country Club viable for another 100 years. The plan also includes a new 10,000 square foot clubhouse.

Club president Bob Swan called it a fantastic day.

“This has been a project that’s been going on for a couple of years and this is the culmination of the first step and I can’t wait to see super structure go up,” he said. “We’ve got a great project going on here.”

Swan, who said the club is still going strong after 102 year of operation, said it was simply time to revitalize the facilities on the Golf Links Road property.

“We haven’t used it as a curling club for about seven years. You know, it was kind of starting to look like a bit of an eyesore.”

Several years ago the club had sought to expand to 18 holes, and had even considered purchasing Centennial Golf Club, building an 18-hole course on that property and shifting locations. But that deal fell through and this more than makes up for it, Swan said.

The members are thrilled to see the development take shape, he added.

“It just shows that we’re committed to being here and we’re happy being in the middle of town,” Swan said.
“We have a real gem right here. And we have a very strong membership. It’s almost full. We don’t have a lot of room for new members.”

The new clubhouse is a bonus too, despite how well the existing one has served the members over the years.
Golfers will have to make do without for a summer, he said.

“There will be one year with a little bit of upheaval, but after that, it’s going to be fantastic.”

Club officials partnered with real estate mogul Robert Zanette on the project, which is expected to be completed by fall 2013, with the clubhouse opening in time for that summer’s golf season.

Zanette, pointing to the new Quality Market store across the street, the proximity to Lakehead University and the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, called it a trophy location for condominium development in Thunder Bay.

The demand certainly proves his point.

“We’ve been building condos for 20 years across North America and it’s pretty hard to beat a site like this,” he said.

“We’ve never had a project that was virtually entirely spoken for prior to breaking ground. That doesn’t mean everybody’s going to come on board, but we basically have more names than units and we’ve never been in that position, so we’re pretty happy with that,” said Zanette, noting that the condo market in Thunder Bay has nonetheless likely reached its saturation point, with this and other planned developments in place.

Units are expected to sell for between $275,000 and $600,000.

Thunder Bay Curling Club was home to the Helen Sillman rink, the 1971 and 1972 provincial women's curling champions. Bill Tetley (1972) and Al Hackner (1992) won Northern Ontario crowns on the men's side.
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Down to three

Posted June 28, 2011 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in News | No comments yet

The site debate on a proposed events centre is down to three locations.
City council is looking for a detailed site inspection on Innova Park, land near the Thunder Bay International Airport and the downtown northcore. But some councillors were asking why three sites were necessary when preliminary reports point to the north core site, where the current Water Street bus terminal is located, as the cheapest and best option.
Coun. Brian McKinnon said the city has been talking about the proposed centre for over a year.
“We can go to twelve (locations) if you want to do that,” McKinnon said. “We can get into paralysis by analysis. Nothing will get done.”
Coun. Aldo Ruberto agreed. He said administration should be focusing on the downtown location. While some members of the public have cited parking issues, Ruberto said he has other considerations such as the beauty of the waterfront area and its close proximity to shops and restaurants. Sites like Innova Park would take 18 acres of land off the market to make way for a parking lot Ruberto said.
“Are we trying to get more people to drive there. Is that good for our community,” said Ruberto. “Don’t waste our money on other areas Let’s get it done.”
But other councillors were reluctant to reduce the amount of locations included in the detailed study.
Mayor Keith Hobbs said while he wants an events centre as much as anyone, there’s no need to rush into a location just yet. With a need for an anchor tenant to support the proposed 6,500 seat arena, Hobbs said discussion needs to take place with partners like that to make an informed decision on the location. The city needs to learn from its mistakes with rushing development.
“We’re rushing all of a sudden. There’s no urgency in this,” said Hobbs. “If we haven’t learned form the waterfront (development) experience then you know what, why are we even here?”
City manager Tim Commisso said that’s exactly why a shortlist of sites is needed. With economic spin-off a major priority for the project, Commisso said although the downtown north core might look like the best location a detailed study might prove otherwise.
Development manager Mark Smith said the city was told by members of the public that they preferred other sites even though the north core is by far the most preferred. There is a debate shaping up between an urban project or a greenfield one like the airport location and both options should be explored.
Members of business improvement areas for both sides of the city made cases for both downtown cores as well.
Waterfront District BIA’s Stephanie Ash said the downtown north core location would fit with the city’s plan for an entertainment district, enhance existing infrastructure and support urban infill. And with over 2,500 public and private parking spaces available downtown, Ash said the north is better for the city.
“After business hours the parkades are empty,” Ash said. “”I think we’re willing to walk five minutes to an event centre.”
Banding together, the Victoria Avenue and Simpson Street BIAs said the city would be contributing to the negative image of the south ward if it didn’t consider a location there. Victoria Avenue BIA’s J.P. Fraser said it’s not about a Port Arthur versus Fort William debate but what’s best for the city. The Fort William Gardens has been Thunder Bay’s mutliplex for over 60 years and the south should continue to be looked at that way.
“What the citizens are asking is it for to continue its current status,” Fraser said.
Coun. Iain Angus said there is no public land available in the south ward that’s available to the city. And while the south BIAs are disappointed to be looked over for a new events centre, members of the north bias were upset when the District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board decided to move across town to Arthur Street and Brodie Street.
“Part of our job is a balancing act,” said Angus.
The city also decided Monday to move ahead with a request for funding for the project through the federal government’s Public Private Partnership fund. That could fund up to $20 million of the estimated $80 million cost for the centre.
A request for proposal to move ahead with a phase two feasibility study was also approved.
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Lang to step down

Posted September 26, 2010 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in Thunder Bay News | No comments yet

Pat Lang says it feels like she’s graduating after 40 years. Confederation College’s long-serving president on Friday announced she will step down from her post and into the world of semi-retirement, effective next July, ending a 10-year term at the school’s helm.
Lang said the timing just seemed right to make the move. “We’ve got record enrolment numbers and with our new building opening, I think it’s a great time for a new president to come in commission (it). I also think it’s the right time from a political perspective. We have municipal elections this fall, we have a provincial election in the fall of 2011 and who knows when there may or may not be federal elections,” Lang said. “I think it would be a great time for a new president to come in and forge those relationships very early with our political leaders.” Lang, who has spent four decades working in education, from her native northern Quebec to southern Ontario to Sudbury, said it won’t be easy to walk away nine months from now. She said she loves everything about Confederation College – the staff, the students, the energy and excitement. “Every day it’s a privilege to come to college … I can’t think of a better place to graduate from than Confederation College,” she said, smiling. Lang and her husband, a banker, plan to stay in Thunder Bay after she walks away, though Lang promised she won’t stay idle long. “My husband is afraid I’ll dust him, so I’ll be doing something to keep myself busy and to use all this energy. I just haven’t decided what, yet,” she said. Lang arrived at Confederation College at a pivotal time in the school’s history. When she landed in Thunder Bay the forestry sector was still functional, but that soon changed. It ushered in a whole new era of learning, as out-of-work foresters sought retraining as their jobs disappeared. At the same time the city began its push toward becoming a knowledge-based economy, centred around medical research and bio-technology. Not one to be left behind, it was Lang’s vision and perseverance that led to the creation of the Regional Educational Health Alliance for Community Health building, a 40,000 square foot structure that will house the school’s health and community services programs, complete with state-of-the-art labs, clinics and simulated learning experiences. Lang isn’t one to take credit for the work needed to make the project happen using federal and provincial stimulus funds. “All of the things that we’ve accomplished as a team, I really can’t take any accountability for that, in terms of being the only one who did that. Everything that we’ve done here at the college has been a result of this incredible team of people with all these creative and innovative ideas. I just happen to be the leader at the time who gets to shepherd the processes,” Lang said. Marilyn Gouthro, president of the college’s board of governors, said it won’t be easy to replace the school’s longtime leader. Gouthro said the decision came as a shock, but in afterthought, she’s happy for her colleague. “When we are able to think about this logically, we are able to realize we’ve had a tremendous gift at this college and for Northwestern Ontario for a long time. We know that Pat has given this college her heart and her soul, and she will leave a legacy that is incredibly powerful here,” Gouthro said. Gouthro added the school will start an immediate nationwide search for Lang’s replacement, though admitted they won’t be easy shoes to fill.
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Talks break down

Posted August 22, 2010 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in Thunder Bay News | No comments yet

Transit workers could head to the picket lines as early as mid September after conciliation talks broke down the day they started, a union leader said Thursday. The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 966 and the City of Thunder Bay met with a conciliation officer from Toronto Thursday morning. Talks between the two sides broke down quickly, bringing transit workers a step closer to a labour disruption. “The bottom line is the city is not changing its position and neither are we, so I guess that’s the end of that,” said Charlie Brown, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 966. “We’re looking for a contract and I guess the city’s looking for a strike.” The conciliation officer will head back to Toronto where she will take between seven and 10 business days to file a no-board report. Following the filling of that report the union will be in a position to exercise legal strike action. Transit workers could also face a work-to-rule or a lockout at that time. Brown didn’t detail exactly what the union was after in terms of a contract, but said the union wants to negotiate. Meanwhile the union president said the city is looking for a number of concessions, which include changes to the employee’s benefits packages, working conditions among other things. A specific issue the union has a problem with is a city-tabled concession that would allow transit to go to an unlimited part-time work force, which the union believes would erode its full-time workforce. “We haven’t even begun to start talking money, and we really haven’t had any negotiations in the last year-and-a-half as far as we are concerned,” he said. “The city came to the table the first day and they really haven’t moved on any issue from day one. We are really not in a negotiation, we are in a position where the city is trying to bully something down our throats and bus drivers are finally tired of this and we are not going to take it anymore.” The union will hold a strike mandate vote at its union hall Aug. 29. Brown said he expects the turnout to be high and the outcome to be overwhelmingly in support of giving the union a strike mandate. “I think the city is going to wait to see what happens at that meeting,” Brown said. “Then maybe we can see if they will come back to the table and be a little more compromising. Until then I guess we are going to have to do what we have to do. Officials with the City of Thunder Bay have been contacted, but could not provide immediate comment. View full post on Tbnewswatch.com – News

Community centre could be coming down

Posted August 19, 2010 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in Thunder Bay News | No comments yet

A neighbourhood landmark might be coming down if council votes to demolish the Westfort Community Centre Monday night.
City construction manager Gerry Broere said the 66-year-old building has long past the point of being rehabilitated and its roof could be in danger of collapsing should the city experience a heavy snowfall this winter.
“If there was a heavy snowfall there is the potential for collapse,” said Broere. “Some serious work probably should’ve been done on that building almost 30 years ago. It’s at a condition now where it’s not feasible to even try to salvage the structure it would have to be totally torn down and rebuilt.”
Broere said buildings like the Westfort Community Centre are built with wood frames and lack a real foundation which usually needs major repairs after 40 years. The building was inspected five years ago and was said to be in poor but stable condition. After a recent inspection though, Broere said age has finally taken its toll on the centre. The cost of a complete rebuild would be $825,000 compared to at most $30,000 to demolish and level the site he said.
All programs and salvageable equipment will be relocated to other community centres such as West Thunder or Vale. Broere said it would be sad to see the centre go but wants to have it gone before winter so it won’t pose a danger to anyone. Everyone involved with the centre has been notified and relocation for some programs has already begun he said.
“I’m sure they’re sad to see the community centre potentially go but the programming has been and will be accommodated at other locations,” said Broere.
Should council vote to tear the centre down, a closing celebration has already been tentatively planned for Oct 2. The building would be closed to the public and demolished by the end of October.
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Fires down

Posted August 4, 2010 by ThunderBayClassifieds.ca in Thunder Bay News | No comments yet

While British Columbia is battling hundreds of forest fires, Thunder Bay is experiencing a temporary reprieve says an Ministry of Natural Resources official.
MNR fire management supervisor said although fires in the region got an early start, some in March which Manol said is unheard of, the past month has been slower than average. Thanks to a humid air mass from the Southern United Staes, Manol said the wet weather has helped keep fires under control. Thunder Bay has had 54 fires this year with four active fires which the MNR is letting burn Manol said.
“We’ve been successful on initial attack for all of those fires we don’t have any escaped fires right now,” Manol said. “We do have four fires that are burning way up in the far North but we’re taking advantage of the ecological roll of fire to renew the Boreal forest so we’re managing those and allowing them to burn naturally they’re not anywhere near any valuables or people not bothering anybody.”
But Manol said the region isn’t out of the woods yet. In the next few weeks he said the weather will get drier which means more fires.
“Things start to dry up in August again and we start to pick up lightning fires mid to late August,” Manol said.
Until then, 200 fire fighters from the province are helping British Columbia with its fires and another 100 from Ontario are expected to head West this Thursday.
With 330 fires in the region so far this year, Manol said the number of human caused fires has been higher than average due to drier weather in the Spring.
“Unfortunately there are still people that are careless around their rural residences and while recreating in the forest who start fires,” Manol said.
Still, he credits the people in Northwestern Ontario with being very helpful in preventing forest fires during dry spells.
The forest fire hazard is low to moderate in the region right now.
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Erwin shuts down Huskies in 4-3 Border Cats win

Posted June 4, 2010 by admin in Thunder Bay News | No comments yet

Drew Erwin’s second save for the Border Cats wasn’t as clean as his first, but it was enough to earn his club its second straight victory over rival Duluth Huskies Thursday night. The successful close, his second of two opportunities, allowed the Border Cats (2-0) to walk away from Port Arthur Stadium with a 4-3 come-from-behind win. While Erwin allowed the Huskies to get runners on first and third in the ninth, the closer kept his cool and his team was able to turn a double play to shutdown the potential Duluth rally. “I’m going to stick with him and I have confidence in him. It wasn’t the clean, but it was still a save,” said Border Cats manager Mike Steed. “He’s a returning player and I told him right when he signed with the Border Cats again that he would be our closer.” The Huskies had more offensive success than they did in Wednesday’s outing, which saw the Border Cats snag a 1-0 win. The Minnesota squad drove in three runs before the Cats touched the scoreboard. The Huskies struck first, scoring a run in the second. Border Cats’ starting pitcher John Tatum found a grove after allowing that run and was able to retire eight straight Duluth batters. But a hit from the Huskies’ designated hitter Ben Hughes kick started a Duluth rally in the fifth. Tatum allowed another two runs to score before the Cats went to their bullpen for relief. Unfortunately for the Huskies, they weren’t the only team at the field that made offensive improvements. The Cats found their bats in the fifth and broke ahead of Duluth in the sixth thanks to a two-run single by designated hitter Ken Beaman. “It was just different pitching, we’re getting used to it and during the first game last night everyone was a bit shaky,” Beaman said of his team’s improved offensive performance. “Everyone’s just more comfortable.” While the offense came alive in the sixth, the Cats’ defence remained solid through the entire game. Third baseman AJ Schugel robbed Duluth of a base hit in the second when he snagged a hard hit line drive, while left fielder Ken Balliston made a highlight-reel worthy diving catch that kept his team on top later in the game. “To win a championship this year our defence is going to have to be the strongest part of our game,” Steed said. The Border Cats will eye the series sweep as they take on the Duluth Huskies for the third time Friday night at Port Arthur Stadium. The game is scheduled to start at 6:35 p.m.

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