7 to 11 – that’s all you’re going to get in terms of time you can actually be out on the pier when it opens.

View from the end of the pier as a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker works its way across the lake minutes after leaving Burlington Bay.

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON.  June 3, 2013.  It’s here! – The Brant Street Pier – that’s the line the city is using to announce that after more than ten years of toil and $20 million, although the city is saying It cost just $14 million, the Pier is going to be open to the public and for a few days we can set aside the concerns about the mistakes and the cost over runs and celebrate what we have.  We are going to be paying for the mistakes for some time but for this one day let us eat, drink and be merry.

And without being cynical – the pier is going to be an absolute delight.  We have watched the construction from the day we got a look inside the electrical room looking for light standards that no one could find to the day when the new contractor began stripping away all the beams put in place the first time around

It is something to be out at the end of the pier and look out over the lake.  The ships that pass by seem just that much closer – it makes you feel as if you are part of a shipping town.  You can watch ships jut their bows outside through the lift bridge as they edge of out the lake from Burlington Bay.

While the node with the beacon on it isn’t all that high it certainly gives you a sense as to what the pier itself looks like.

You will find that you go through different stages as you walk out to the end.  It’s rather a nice wide open space at the front end and then narrows a bit as you walk through the twists in the S-shaped design.

Right at the very end, weeks before the construction neared completion, Pepper Parr, Publisher of Our Burlington and Craig Stevens, pier project manager for the city, stand looking back into the city.  Within two weeks thousands of Burlingtonians will have the same experience.  All the guard rails will be in place by then.

Once you are out over the water you will begin to see all kinds of barn swallows flying around – hundreds of them have taken up residence underneath the pier where they have made nests from bits of mud and grass they have picked up along the edge of the lake and created nests.  Over time we may see a very extensive colony of these birds – not sure how thy will co-exists with the gulls that have fouled the surface of the pier.

Every structure has its secrets and the pier, we have found, has its own delights that you discover over time.

The pier sings.  Yes, the pier sings.

The rails that run from the beginning of one side all the way around to the end of the other side of the pier are a brilliant blue – the colour is officially known as Burlington Blue – although some are saying it is Maple Leaf blue – they wish.  Beneath the rails are strands of steel wire roap that prevent anyone from falling over – it’s a long drop.

On a windy day, and it seems as if there is always a bit of a breeze out at the end of the pier there is a spot just behind the bottom on the node on the west side where the wind whistles through the steel wire rope and the aluminum balustrades and evokes different tunes.  Over time we are sure that visitors to the pier will discover other places where the pier will sing.

The amount of time you get to actually spend on the pier – appears to have limits – which is going to disappoint many.  There is a sign that will go up later this week setting out all the rules that apply to the place.  A pleasant walk to the end of the pier after a special night that included dinner downtown is going to have to take place before 11:00 pm.

The pier is a park and it has hours of admission apparently.   7 am to 11 pm – that’s what you get. So much for being out at the end and watching the sun rise with a thermos of hot coffee.

The design doesn’t appear to have fences or gates to keep people off the pier; there are bollards that narrow the openings to the pier to keep nut cases who decide to try and drive their cars out onto the structure.

The guard rails are not in place yet nor are the benches that will be put in place – a total of 16 benches are being installed. Additional benches could get put in place in the future if the need becomes evident.

There is no word yet on what kind of policing there will be on the pier.

It will take the city awhile to get used to the structure.  It is certainly an experience to walk out to the end and just experience the lake and the passing ships.

Return to the Front page

Mother and daughter will each read from their books at the Different Drummer.

By Staff

BURLINGTON, ON.  June 2, 2013.  A Mother – daughter pair at a book launch – each with their own title: certainly a first for Burlington.

The Different Drummer; always doing something different has two authors at the bookstore June 9th – at 2:00

Sylvia McNicoll, nationally renowned educator, activist for literacy and prolific author of fiction for young people, including the Silver Birch Award winning Bringing Up Beauty, introduces her compelling and timely new novel Dying to Go Viral.

Jennifer Filipowicz, artist and journalist, is Sylvia’s daughter.  Jennifer presents her first novel, a  work of science fiction, Wardroids.

Sylvia and Jennifer share a gift for hearty, imaginative storytelling and are rousing company.  A wonderful afternoon is in store.  Admission is free, everybody is welcome. Refreshments will be served. 

Return to the Front page

The Bandits need to begin winning more often – 2 in 7 at this point in the season makes playing in the finals look iffy.

By Staff

BURLINGTON, ON.  June 1, 2013.  The London Majors, one of xx teams in the Intercounty Baseball League, scored three key runs in the top of the ninth inning and staved off the Burlington Bandits 11-8 in one of three games played Saturday afternoon.

Burlington (2-7) rallied from an early 5-0 deficit to tie the game 5-5 heading into the fifth inning before London posted two runs in the fifth, one in the eighth and three in the top of the ninth for an 11-5 lead. The Bandits posted three runs of their own in the bottom of the ninth, but fell short of completing the comeback.

After starting the season with an 0-2 record, this is the Majors (7-2) seventh straight win.

Reliever Jacob Raffaele earned his first win of the season in what was his longest outing of the year, allowing just one hit and one walk with six strikeouts over four scoreless innings. Mike Mitro earned the save, flawlessly registering the final out.

The Majors boasted 12 hits on the afternoon, including a single and a home run from Cleveland Brownlee, who added three RBI and three runs scored. Jon Celestino also homered and drove in a pair. Paul Young singled, doubled, scored twice and had two RBI, while Derrik Strzalkowski had a pair of hits, an RBI and a run scored. Adwin Springer singled, scored and drove in a run, and Parris Austin and Ryan Lapensee each singled and scored. Paul LaMantia singled and added an RBI.

Matthew St. Kitts took the loss for the Bandits in relief, allowing six hits and two earned runs with one walk and three strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings.

The Bandits scored their eight runs all on just five hits, while also committing four errors on the afternoon. Brian Sewell had a three run home run in the fourth inning with two runs scored, while Daniel Peake singled, doubled, drove in a pair and scored. Darryl Pui had a pair of hits and two RBI in the loss.

The Burlington Bandits return to Nelson park in one week when they take on the Brantford Red Sox. Saturday marks BOMBA day, all BOMBA members are encouraged to wear their team colors! Many activities are available for kids including face painting, base running and much more! Game time 2:00pm.

Return to the Front page

Critical part of Burlington’s commercial eco-system now has to look for new digs: Regus shutting down.

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON.  June 1, 2013.  It started when Stuart Crawford told colleagues on the Business in Burlington web site that he was going to have to vacate the office space he had because Regus was shutting down their operation in August.  That was a bummer and Crawford wasn’t the only person in this situation.

ert

James Burchill, the guy that runs the Business in Burlington (BiB) MeetUp group, has maintained that the best way we have of communicating really effectively is to use the social media that is available to us.

Here is how this has worked this time.

Crawford puts up his note.  We at Our Burlington put in a call to Ian Cameron at the Economic Development Corporation who gets in touch with Crawford.

Others from the BiB site plug into the conversation.

Here is how part of it went:

Hi Everyone…The Regus office at 460 Brant Street is shutting down leaving many businesses without a business home at the end of August. We are looking for a new home for our IT marketing business. We need a small office for our 2 team members to work advises Crawford

Barb Keck, who runs a graphics operation in Burlington passes along a recommendation (Try https://www.ceoburlington.com/) for Crawford to follow-up.

Jose L. Ponce adds that the closest Regus will be Glen Abbey (Oakville). “Yesterday, I did receive an email with an interesting idea on co-working space for entrepreneurs / small business. I know it is not an immediate solution but I think it’s something that can be developed over time since I am sure there is demand for shared/flexible open spaces.”

Jason Calacanis comes back with: I started a co-working space in LA and passes along some detail.

“It was a co-working space in Los Angeles. Being an entrepreneur is sometimes lonely work, and having a bunch of founders around you makes it a lot easier. We’re calling it LAUNCH co-work, and it’s a 10,000+ square-foot, 30-foot ceiling space in Culver City with room for a dozen start-ups.

“We’re looking for awesome collaborators to learn, share and generally change the world with. I might angel invest in some of the start-ups, have them on “This Week in Startups” or just talk shop in the kitchen.

Rent starts at $50 a desk/month (unfunded) and tops out at $350 (funded). We’re not making a profit, we’re making a community!”

The Regus operation on the top floor of 460 Brant is shutting down in August.  The space recently had a major face lift done to the front of the building.  The movie theatre on the ground floor went out of business recently – they didn’t want to invest in an upgrade to their projection equipment.

Interesting idea but the tenants at Regus need to nail down new space now

Marie Copeland (Hryczynski) comes on-line and adds that she too is at Regus in Burlington and  “only needs very small space, even shared space as we are fully paperless and don’t even have a filing cabinet – most of our clients want to deal by phone and only occasional client wants to come to the office.”

She adds that she has a commercial realtor looking — how about we survey some people at Regus to see if we can get several businesses together and create a shared office.  Contact her if you’re interested: 905-308-8063

None of this could have taken place without the BiB site.  That crowd meets on Wednesday June 5th – at Ivy’s on the South Service Road; might be an opportunity for some ideas to get some traction.

The people that run the smaller, usually techie type operations but a number of service providers as well, meet monthly in the city. Business in Burlington now has a number of its members having to look for new space with the announced closure of the Regus operation on Brant Street.

What was a little on the disappointing side was that Regus didn’t appear to be doing much for their clients other than trying to get them to perhaps move to their Oakville location and the Economic Development people didn’t appear to be moving quickly to resolve the problem. For the people with small office space needs – having to find a new home in a couple of months is disruptive and it will be expensive.  Moving your computers and all your communications gear is not cheap.

Burlington’s Mayor Goldring wants to meet with the tenants and see what the city can do to help.  He leaves for a short trip to Germany next week, where he will be meeting with people in the water business.  More on that later.  His Chief of Staff will be making calls and pulling people together.

The Mayor will be traveling with the Executive Director of the Economic Development Corporation – perhaps they can have a chat about how one services the smaller operations.

The small operations are the base metal of every economy. They provide services or vital parts that the bigger guys need.  It is at this small, two, three five member shops that make the big wheels turn around.  The Mayor would do well to connect with these people and find a way to keep them in town.

Quite why Economic development has not taken the lead on this is – disappointing.

Let’s see what comes out of this.

Return to the Front page

Small companies in Burlington scramble to find space with closing of the Regus Centre on Brant Street.

By Staff

BURLINGTON, ON.  May 31, 2013 The Regus Serviced Office in Burlington on Brant street is s shutting down requiring a number of small companies to find new space – which is apparently at a premium in the city.

Scott Crawford of Ulistic, a an IT support company announced on the Burlington in Business web site that the “Regus office at 460 Brant Street is shutting down leaving many businesses without a business home at the end of August. We are looking for a new home for our IT marketing business. We need a small office for our 2 team members to work.”

“We may have to take space in Oakville – even though I live in Burlington”, said Crawford

Crawford can be reached at 416.840.9106 ext 101 if you have any leads of a new home for hid  business.

Ian Cameron, with the Burlington Economic Development Corporation has been in touch with Regus management and started the process of finding new space for their tenants.

Return to the Front page

Plains Road East gas line rupture still an active police and gas company scene.

By Staff

BURLINGTON, ON.  May 31, 2013  At 7:30pm, May 31st, police, fire and utilities personnel were still on the scene at Plains Road where an 8 inch gas line ruptured close to the ESSO station on Plains Road East.

The rupture is still active and efforts are still ongoing to rectify the situation“ report the police.  “Latest estimates are that this area will remain closed for the next several hours.” 

 Drivers and pedestrians are asked to continue to avoid this area as the following road closures will remain in effect:

 Plains Road (from Fairview to Brant)

Maple Ave (from Fairview to Plains) 

 Rail service remains unaffected and no additional safety concerns have developed.

 

Return to the Front page

Burlington law firm offers to give the city $1.3 million over 20 years to have their name on the Alton recreation centre.

By Staff

BURLINGTON, ON. May 31, 2013 – The city’s community services committee approved a staff recommendation to name the new recreation centre in the Alton community the Haber Recreation Centre.

Through a contract agreement, Burlington law firm Haber and Associates would give the city more than $1.3 million over 20 years for the naming rights. The name would become official following the signing of an agreement between the city and Haber if approved at the June 10 council meeting.

Haber and Associates have been aggressive advertisers using the space on city buses for public exposure.

Haber and Associates focus on wrongful death and personal injury law and advertise themselves as a full service law firm with nine lawyers as part of the 30 member firm. They have done business in Burlington for more than 40 years.

The new recreation centre is part of the city’s largest community construction project made possible through a unique, three-way partnership between the City of Burlington, Halton District School Board and Burlington Public Library. With construction on the project 85 per cent complete, the facility is on time to open in September 2013.

The staff report recommends the sponsorship money go into a newly-created reserve fund, which contributes to capital repair and renewals of the recreation facility.

The high school part of the complex that is to include the recreation centre and a library is to be named after Frank Hayden, founder of the Special Olympics.

The complex will become a little like the McMaster School of Business on the South Service Road where the DeGroote` s have their name on one part of the building and Ron Joyce has his name on another part.

Our buildings are beginning to look like those uniforms racing car drivers wear.

But the money is good – let`s just hope the signage is dignified and done with some taste.

The city brought in a consulting firm to guide them and determine what the market would bear in terms of setting a price and determining what wold be acceptable to the community.

The consultants did point out that Burlington missed out on a larger opportunity for sponsorship by not having some kind of policy co-ordination between the three organizations that are part of the complex.

The level of co-operation on the overseeing of the construction of the project has not been the smoothest.  The Board of Education took the lead on this one and – let`s just say things the city wanted to do didn’t get done – Board of Education said no.

Prior to these small recent incidents the project has gone particularly well.  The project is on target for a September opening, which is going to make a huge difference to the Alton community.

Facility gymnasium space has been offered to the user groups with approximately 90% of weekday evenings (up to 11:00 pm) and weekends booked for Fall 2013 – Spring 2014. Of that time, 68% is allocated to youth and 32% to adult play. Primary sports targets of basket ball, volleyball, badminton and disabled sports have been met with rentals. Tournament play consists of 900 hrs booked to date including large events with the focus on disabled sports, volleyball, basketball and kickboxing.

Community rooms will be booked for on – going programs Monday to Friday with current interest from a variety of service providers (i.e.Montessori program, yoga, fitness and educational services).

Weekend use will primarily connect to tournament use. Further marketing initiatives are planned to target rentals for the community rooms to maximize utilization.

With the support and direction of the consultant hired, staff developed a sponsorship strategy which included:

An estimated annual value the city may obtain for the naming rights of each component of the facility:

Name of the recreation centre

Name of the gyms (4 in total)

Name of the Multi-purpose room

Name of the Sports room

Name of the Sports Square

 No stones left unturned by this approach.

 Sixty to seventy thousand a year for the facility, Haber and Associates will get this if Council approves it on the 10th of June.  Haber has agreed to $68,000 a year for the next twenty years.

$15,000 – “20,000 to name a gymnasium – there are four of those.

Getting your name on the multipurpose room will cost you $12,000 to $15,000 a year and the Sports Square will cost you between $15,000 and $17,000.

What the city doesn’t want is buildings plastered with corporate decals and looking like the uniforms racing car drivers wear.

Staff within Parks and Recreation feels that broadening the Naming Rights project is important to help the City find new revenue sources to support future capital repair and

renewal requirements. The City has a large number of assets from facilities to parks to roads etc. that have the potential to generate additional revenue, through the sale of

naming rights. However to ensure a successful naming sponsorship outcome, time and resources will be required.

 If Council is interested in pursuing the sale of naming rights across the City, the assignment of this project, to a corporate department, through the direction of the General Manager of Community and Corporate Services, would be essential. The lead corporate department would determine the need for internal and external resources.

At a different city council meeting there was discussion on the number of personal injury legal claims the city is facing; several are in the more than a million range with at least one having to do with an injury that is reported to have taken place on a bus.

Municipalities are well insured and are seen as solid financial targets for those seeking damages.

 

 

Return to the Front page

Gas line ruptures on Plains Road East; road closure in effect.

By Staff

BURLINGTON, ON. May 31, 2013  Just after the noon hour police were notified of an 8″ natural gas line break at ESSO, 1254 Plains Road East, Burlington.  The cause of the rupture is unknown, but officials with Union Gas have been notified and are attending the scene.

The following closure is in effect:

 Plains Road East from Maple Avenue to Brant Street is closed to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

 Affected area businesses have been evacuated and officials are confident there are no additional public safety concerns.

 Rail service through the area is unaffected.

 A further release will be issued once incident is resolved.

Return to the Front page

Is the city going to bury some news on the legal fight over the pier in the hoopla that will surrounding its opening? Stay tuned.

This is the path people will walk down to get to the pier.  Contractors are completing the work and, unless there is a catastrophe, the pier will open on the 14th.  Expensive – yes but worth the wait.

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON.  May 31, 2013.  There appears to be some movement on the legal side of things with the pier.  It has been suggested to us that we might want to pay close attention to some comments, maybe even an announcement at the city council meeting June 10, that there is a resolution to a part of the legal dispute.

The city is in the middle of a law suite with a number of people, the most significant of which are the original contractor,  Harm Schilthuis and Sons Ltd. and AECOM, who were the contract administrators when the original contractor,  Harm Schilthuis and Sons Ltd., walked off the site.

There are millions of dollars on the table with this one.  While AECOM is going to be difficult to settle with, but we could be wrong on this, it is understood that HSS was interested in settling with the city but that opportunity may have passed.

The city is gearing up for a grand opening and really wishes the focus could be on the hoopla and speeches and create an opportunity for people to walk out onto the pier and see the structure for what it is – a really magnificent addition to the city.

All true – but to be as late as this project has been and to have to deal with the huge cost over runs, never mind the ton of money that is going to be spent on the lawyers the city has had to hire, is not being accountable or transparent.

Heads should roll for this one – unfortunately the heads that oversaw this monumental screw up have quietly left town.  Of the team that over saw this – there is just one poor soul left at city hall.  Tom Eichenbaum, Director of Engineering and the guy that has been sitting through hours of “discovery” with lawyers grilling him on who did what when.

All the others have found a more comfortable place to add to their pensions.         

The city recently set aside $10,000 to cover the cost of specialized communications people – the kind that know how to handle sticky legal problems.

There appeared to be an opportunity to settle with the original contractor but that slipped away; someone convinced the city this wasn’t a good idea.

 

Return to the Front page

First time pier walker says forget about the cost; enjoy the location and the views.

By Walter Byj

BURLINGTON, ON.  May 30, 2013.  First of all, let’s forget about the money and the multiple delays. 

I know that to some this is an important feature and must not be forgotten.  That is true. 

Correspondent Walter Byj: Enjoy the pier.

What will it do?  Add to the beauty of downtown Burlington. That was not only my thought, but also others from the media that took the afternoon tour.  It is not the longest pier in the world, but is one of the few curved piers around. It offers a picturesque view of not only Burlington, but also of Lake Ontario and the Burlington Skyway.

The pier as you will see it as you walk down from Brant Street. The last of the landscaping is being done, the LED lights that will illuminate the beacon at the top of the node are being installed and programmed. The one thing that will not happen here this year: the Sound of Music parade will not get out onto the pier.

In addition, the rock formation along the shore  is stunning. And this view will change depending on the time of day and time of year.

With 100 programmable LED lights, the pier will come alive at night and can easily reflect special occasions such as red and white lights on Canada Day. In fact, dusk or night-time could very well be the best times to visit the pier.

Scott Stewart, GM of Development and Infrastructure  for the City of Burlington is proud of the pier and feels that it would be a winner for downtown.  When asked about various problems that the pier might encounter, such as crowding and other activities that the pier offers. he did say that “it would be a learning experience and rules might have to be made up as circumstances dictate.”

 Should you run down on June 15th so that you can be the one first to walk the pier?  Perhaps not, it might be fairly crowded.    However, do make the trip and take in the surroundings without thinking of costs and overruns. For some this may not be possible, but the money has been spent, you cannot get it back.  Enjoy the results.

Return to the Front page

How NOT to communicate with your constituents; Ward 6 Councillor fails to communicate.

 By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON. May 29, 2013.   How do you keep the natives happy?  How do you answer all the phone calls, take care of the problems – big and small?  Get to the city council meetings, and then the Regional Council meetings and read all the reports? Burlington recently had a committee meeting that had a 1000+ page agenda.

Councillor Rick Craven once got a call from a new home owner complaining about the noise from the rail line that passed behind a berm near the home and wanted him to do something about the noise.  Apparently the home owner didn’t know there was a rail line behind the berm.  Councillor Marianne Meed Ward found herself out Christmas Day one year picking up a couple of bags of garbage.

Municipal politics are local and you get everything – wind rows from the snow plows, garbage not picked up, not being able to get your child into a Parks and Recreation class.  The Seniors’ in Burlington, and there are a lot of them, have their own special needs.

Did I mention transit?  The list goes on and on.  And yet Burlington has two Council members who have held their seats for 20 years and more .  One of the them did recently get himself black-balled by a community organization.

Councillor Blair Lancaster gets out to almost every photo-op there is and has served as the lead spokesperson at a number of NGTA community events with crowds of 250+. Her constituents are not happy with how she is handling the Air Park issue.

Blair Lancaster, one of the crop that got elected to Council for the first time last election has been around politics much of her life.  A former beauty queen, Lancaster has created a business and a personality that serve her well.  She can be tough when she chooses to be.  She brings her own personal style to the job and at times has difficulty fully grasping the details of an issue but she is pretty quick, most of the time, to get the sense of what is happening and follows along.

She brings a bit of that old Conservative Ontario sense of entitlement: you know that, “we deserve this” and the sense that she is here to serve is not always top of mind.  She means well.

Lancaster has in the past, held community events at the Air Park.  We attended one such event and thought it was something Lancaster had put together; it wasn’t.  It was an annual event the Air Park people put on for the community – Lancaster had just piggy-backed on the event.  For many in her ward that was getting just a little too close to a company many in the community had major issues with.

There is now a major issue with the Air Park that has ward six residents writing their council member.  Here is a sample of a couple of those letters and the Council members response.

My name is Teri Jaklin; I am a resident of Rural Ward 6. We have not yet met, which in itself may be telling given the note I am embarking on now.

Blair, I have been following the new activity that is percolating, once again between the air park and the rural community in your ward.  And I respectfully suggest that you have some serious work to do when it comes to effectively representing your constituents (in rural Ward 6) in a fair and balanced fashion.

Ward 6 is full of people who have made their homes and lifestyles here for the very treasures it holds. Greenbelt, an internationally renowned Biosphere, the beauty of the escarpment and the promise to protect these for generations to come.  These are people who are willing to fight harder than the politicians, it would seem, to protect same. And for the fourth time in less than eight years these very people were gathered in a private home, once again, discussing how to protect themselves from this area’s greatest threat, Vince Rossi and the Burlington Airport.

You can speak to any of the people on this distribution list, or anyone living in this area to learn how the noise and air pollution caused by years of fill activity has compromised safety and quality of life – you can speak to neighbours who have been hit head on by the very trucks carrying the fill, not to mention the countless near misses on Appleby Line, those whose properties have been used by rogue truckers as “alternate” dump sites when the airpark gates have been closed, those who have sustained direct property damage as a result of the sheer volume of truck traffic, and you can – and should – speak to one of our neighbours whose beautiful country home has literally been turned into a sink hole – with no regard or respect to her what so ever. Certainly there are personalities at play but wouldn’t you be upset Blair if mountains of fill surrounded your home, covered with weeds, with no landscaping or concern for your quality of life – and no reasonable response from the City?

For years and years this activity has gone on under the veil of “federal jurisdiction” and has been broadly supported by the City’s love affair with the prestige of having an airport in Burlington.  But who is talking to the people that live in Rural Ward 6? Who is managing the balanced and sustainable development of the airport? Yes, an airport is “federally regulated” but it is your job Blair to understand exactly what that means in every way and strictly manage this development so that it is consistent with Provincial and Regional environmental mandates in Burlington as well as the City’s commitment to the conservation of these unique and spectacular lands.

The City’s own words on their environmental commitment are “where people, nature and business thrive” – not where one thrives at the expense of the other.  Over the many years that the residents of your ward have been struggling to be heard, we have spoken with every level of government and the common answer has been that ultimately the buck stops with the City, yet when we have engaged the City on the subject, we get a “deer in the headlights” look and no authoritative response. Does the City even care about life north of the 407? Imagine how frustrated we are.

Blair, your job is no insignificant role. You represent rapidly expanding urban growth and the commercial interests therein as well as the uniqueness of environmentally sensitive lands, a rural community and a growing Airpark. This is a huge responsibility for a new councillor. It also begs the following questions:

What is your understanding of and experience in aviation? What aviation expert has the City of Burlington engaged to support you in airport matters and when will that individual sit at the table with the City, environmental agencies and other stakeholders?

Does the City truly understand the rights and responsibilities of the airpark to the City, or is it just taking Mr. Rossi’s word for it?

What are the 1, 3, and 5-year plans for the City with regard to the development of the Airpark and Rural north Burlington?

When is the City going to engage the passionate people of Rural North Burlington as allies in these plans?

There is more in them thar hills than an enthusiastic airport developer Blair.

Nobody here is opposed to the airport, it was here before many of us moved in, and mostly we maintain a civil relationship with Vince and his managers. But what is going on with the airport borders on negligent with respect to the greater picture, and specifically with regard to the environment and the lives of your constituents.

You are largely viewed as having partnered with the airport to the exclusion of any other stakeholders – and by that I mean the people whose lives are directly impacted by airport activity. What is your position and what are you doing for the residents of Rural North Burlington? When are you going to talk to us? How long can we expect our quality of life to be compromised – or is that your plan for our future?

Poor communication leaves a door wide open to speculation, gossip and frustration. We have come to the Ward 6 Councillor in the past and expressed a desire to work collectively, from a positive perspective, with the City and the airpark – to the point where we had several meetings together. Then came an election, and, well, here we are,  I guess we have to start all over again.

If I have missed information that would shed light on any of my concerns then I stand humbly corrected and welcome the new input. If not, then I look forward to hearing from you, as I am sure may of my friends and neighbours do. Please advise when that will be at your earliest convenience.

 I look forward to your response,

Councillor Lancaster responds with:

Thank you for caring so passionately about our rural residents.

I will address your concerns individually starting with your comments about not having met.  I thought Michelle introduced you and Mike to me at the first Niagara GTA meeting in December 2010 .  We really appreciated Mike offering to video and photograph the event for us.  Since then we have been in contact with Mike many times about the Airpark and NGTA.

I have also provided many other opportunities to network with Ward Six Rural residents such as: three Airpark open houses, The Rural Summit, The Rural Cycling Safety meeting and the “Ward Three and Six” Rural Open House at Conservation Halton.  Of course, all of my public meetings in the urban part of my ward are open to rural residents as well.

We regularly communicate with Ward Six Residents through our newsletter, facebook and my city webpage as well as special distribution lists for specific issues, such as the Airpark.  I understand that Mike is on the Airpark mailing list, if you would also like to be included, please email Michelle directly as we cannot communicate with you without your express written permission.   You may also subscribe to our Ward Six e-newsletter, the link is below in my signature.

As you are aware, the Airpark is regulated by the Federal Government.  I spoke with city staff last week who, in an email, reiterated their position that the city did their due diligence several years ago on issues related to the Airpark and they are comfortable with their assessment that items related to the provision of aeronautics fall under the jurisdiction of the FAA, Federal Aeronautics Act.  They were referring to issues such as the fill.

I have had many meetings with residents who live close to the Airpark who have concerns regarding the noise and safety from the Flight School training program.  Students continuously fly over their homes repeatedly taking off and landing.  Unfortunately, the City of Burlington has no opportunity to enforce a height restriction or noise bylaw as they do not regulate or measure air activity.  Although I have no authority to enforce change, I have met with residents and Airpark officials to help facilitate discussions.  A remedy is still to be achieved.

I am not aware that there is an issue regarding collisions.  There have been no complaints made to my office.

There are no joint City and Airpark plans for the development of the Airpark.  As for rural Burlington in general, I have attached the workbook from the Rural Summit held in January of this year.  The City of Burlington engaged residents by inviting them to attend a Rural summit and over a hundred people participated. The City also had an online survey for residents who were unable to attend. As well, over 500 people attended the Niagara GTA meetings.

I have no experience in Aviation and it is not part of my role as a councillor.  The Federal representative responsible for the Airpark is Lisa Raitt, I noticed you did not include her in your correspondence, I have provided her contact information for you here.

A ward 6 resident, Barbara Sheldon,  who lives across the road from Terri Jaklin responds the Councillor Lancaster’s response with one of her own. 

April -2013

I respectfully forewarn you Ms. Lancaster: this may be one of the most politically incorrect letters you’ve yet to receive since you took Office. To that point, I suspect if there’s not an authentic and noticeable change in your commitment, actions and accountability towards the rural residents of your

Ward whose lives are being destroyed by the owner of the Burlington Airpark, you will receive more like this before you leave Office.  Last week, you received an intelligent letter from Dr. Jaklin, a well-regarded member of our community, asking you to step up to the plate and do the job for which you’ve been elected. She asked that you represent the best interests of your constituents in this community with a fair and balanced process, to paraphrase Dr. Jaklin’s request.

Dr. Jaklin’s letter has been widely distributed and cheered by our community. Two days ago, the letter that you signed back to her soared thru cyberspace to the same recipients. No cheers for you.  In fact, the shock and disgust at your letter were thicker than all that smoke you blew in it. Not only did you NOT address the main concern Dr. Jaklin raised, you dared to insult her intelligence, and consequently the rest of our community for whom she spoke.

Who wrote that for you, Ms. Lancaster? Surely, you didn’t. Someone who genuinely stood on a platform of “BEST PRACTICES” in order to win votes could never have crafted that.

Barbara Sheldon feeds geese on her spring fed pond and wonders just how much more land fill is going to be put on the air park property that is next to her home. Sheldon doesn’t mind the noise of the light aircraft flying around – her problem is with heavy construction equipment noise and what the land fill is going to do to the value of her property and her right to the peaceful use of her home.

Make no mistake about it, Ms. Lancaster – even though you did not visit our community when you were running for Office, we followed your campaign very closely. Good campaign, Ms. Lancaster – however it would appear that once you took Office, you took a page from your predecessor’s notebook when it comes to turning a blind eye to the Burlington Airpark’s destruction of our rural residential and agricultural community within your Ward.

With that in mind, I wish you’d take a page from Marianne Meed-Ward’s playbook. She has clearly demonstrated common sense, integrity, intelligence, compassion and willingness to represent the best interests of her Constituents, as well as the entire city.

Here it is plain and simple for you Ms. Lancaster: We want you to demonstrate the exact same traits exemplified by your colleague and represent the sensible and reasonable interests of this community with regards to the activities of the Burlington Airpark THAT ARE NOT GOVERNED BY TRANSPORT

CANADA – and do it in a fair and balanced process.  I would be disappointed if you did not know by now which activities are not governed by TC, but here it is, plain and simple again for you: the only thing that TC has jurisdiction over at the Burlington Airpark is aeronautical safety. Accordingly, the landfill operation is NOT GOVERNED federally.

Oh – and about your previous Open Houses at the Burlington Airpark? Not a BEST PRACTICE, Ms. Lancaster – not if you genuinely wanted to understand and represent the best interests of this community.

Councillor Blair Lancaster has held several community meetings at the Air Park. Here she meets with constituents in August of 2012. Many North Burlington residents feel it is inappropriate for community events to be held at the air park.

Let me make this ‘plain and simple’ for you again: Asking us to set foot on the land of a man who’s been willfully and selfishly achieving personal gains at the documented expense of destroying our lives, homes and livelihoods, makes about as much sense as asking breast cancer survivors to meet with you, in your capacity as the ED of the Breast Cancer Support Services, at a location known for hosting carcinogenic elements…like a cigarette smoke-filled patio. Doesn’t make much sense, does it – let alone reflect your sincere interest in helping those people.

Nor does your counter statement to Dr. Jaklin make any sense – the one in which you stated how you can regularly communicate with us through your newsletter and social media. For gawd’s sake, Ms. Lancaster, we are not asking to be ‘communicated’ with. And since when did ‘one-way’ communication become a BEST PRACTICE????

Conversely, Ms. Lancaster, we are asking you to participate with us, your Constituents, on a matter that is entirely under your mandate. If you are uncertain of your role with us, I politely ask that you re-read your Councillor manual, specifically Burlington’s Procedural By-law 58-2005, article A: (You are) To represent the public and to consider the well- being and interests of the municipality..

Notice that you are not restricted to solely represent and consider the well-being and interests of a private Company?  To this point, I want a straight answer from you now. Are you willing to come to our community, during the day, and accompany us on a personal tour to witness first-hand the needless and intentional destruction of the properties and welfare of your Constituents, as well as that of the tourists and travelers in our region, resulting from the massive landfill operation directed by Mr. Rossi? I assure you that we will be able to schedule a time that is convenient to you.

This is a simple yes/no question, Ms. Lancaster – requiring no political doublespeak, so please withhold that, as well as any smoke you may be tempted to blow up my ***, like you did Dr. Jaklin’s.

But a caveat, Ms. Lancaster: if you feel compelled to invite any parties associated with the Airpark to join you on this tour – please don’t. Plain and simple: they are not welcome at this time. However, we encourage you to bring your colleagues from Council – it’s about time they were brought up to speed, not by hearsay or by what the Airpark people want you to hear, but by viewing the evidence in person, so they may truly understand the realities and the gravity of the situation.

We are not your enemy, Ms. Lancaster. As dedicated stewards of the rural lands and lives in Burlington, not only are we some of the nicest, most responsible, hard-working and compassionate folks you’ll ever meet, we are your Constituents – you know, the folks you’ve declared on your website as being THRILLED to have the opportunity to represent. Are you ready to make good on that – or did someone else write that for you as well??

Barbara Sheldon

And so it goes in the life of a Burlington city Councillor.  Lancaster has indicated that she intends to run for office again in 2014 – that was before this barrage of letters.

Return to the Front page

The Terry Fox run this September wil be an event to remember – and be a part of as well.

 

 

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON.  May 29, 2013.  The run doesn’t take place until September but this year expect to see a lot of new faces serving as volunteers.

The event has taken place for the many years and, like any organization, new people are needed to replace those that have done their turn and want to move on.

Getting new people is easier said than done but when Don Carmichael, the current president of the Burlington event,  wondered aloud at a meeting of the current volunteers, if perhaps they could persuade Casey Cosgrove to get involved.  We urged Carmichael to at least give Casey a call.

Last year Casey had a team of people running the race and he was a natural for this initiative

Casey Cosgrove had a couple of hundred people walking with him last year in the Terry Fox Run. This year he will serve on the organising committee – imagine if those who ran and walked with Cosgrove all volunteered as well? This is going to be THE event come September. Get your name on the list now.

Cosgrove told his Facebook friends that: “I recently met with the really nice folks who organize the Terry Fox Run here in Burlington and I have decided this is a cause I want to help more with, and have joined the committee. This year’s run is September 15th. One of the things I know I can help with is reaching out for some new blood/volunteers. So that’s where I am starting – if anyone would like to help on some way – in advance, or the day of, send me a message. I am hoping to get a bunch of adults, as well as a bunch of teenagers. It’s a small local event, but one near and dear to me as those who know me well are aware. I don’t want people to feel compelled, but if this sounds like something you’d like to connect to, I’d love to bring you in the fold.”

We call that stepping up to the plate.  Kudos to the “cause” and his case.

Cosgrove takes credit for getting the current Mayor in office.  When Cosgrove ran against Rick Goldring and a number of others in the 2006 election he lost to Goldring by very few votes.  That made Goldring the Council member for Ward 5 for the 2006-2010 term after which Goldring went on to become Mayor. Cosgrove argues that had he won in 2006 we would not have Goldring as Mayor.  That’s a bit of a stretch but it’s one Cam Jackson would have liked to seen as true.

Cosgrove has this capacity to draw people to him.  His personal health issues kept him away from serving publicly but – well the Terry Fox run has a special meaning for him.

We wish him well – and watch how he pulls in the volunteers.

 

Return to the Front page

New Director of programs at the BAC; cultural master plan delivery moved back to September.

By Staff

Burlington, ON. May 29, 2013.  The Burlington Art Centre announces the appointment of Denis Longchamps as Director of Programs. Longchamps replaces George Wale, who is retiring from the position after 27 years of exemplary service to the BAC during which time he built an outstanding ceramics collection.

Longchamps comes to Burlington after serving as Manager of Exhibitions and Publications at The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery in St. John’s, Newfoundland.  He brings a passion for his curatorial work, which bridges both contemporary art and craft practices. 

Longchamps created the Craft Journal (craftjournal.ca), which he edits and publishes semi-annually.

Longchamps studied Art History at York University before moving to Concordia in Montreal, where he received a Masters and PhD in Art History.

Denis Longchamps – new director of programming for the Burlington Art Centre brings years of experience to the new appointment.  Good Luck Mr. Longchamps.

Longchamps will oversee the BAC’s Programs department, including  the planning and implementation of  20 exhibitions and related receptions and artists’ talks; 200 studio courses for adults and children every year; the Permanent Collection, which now numbers over 2,000 contemporary Canadian ceramic artworks; and guild-related programs with seven juried exhibitions each year. The role also involves mentorship and professional development programs and special projects.

 “Denis’ proven experience in exhibitions, education and collections will be a great addition to the BAC’s Program team,” says Ian Ross, Executive Director of the BAC. “His strong connections in the art scene will build on the BAC’s solid foundation to increase its profile in Burlington, the Halton region and across Canada.”

That experience may become very useful to Burlington and the evolution of the Art Centre as the city looks at its cultural assets and thinks forward about how to best manage them and get full value for what we have.

There has been more than one conversation about re-locating the Art Centre from its site on Lakeshore Road to a possible new structure in the downtown core.  Some at city hall believe that the value of the land the Art Centre sits on could be realized if it were sold and used to develop additional condominium housing – the site is certainly well suited to that. 

The $6 million the property is said to be worth would go a long way to building a structure that could house a truly superb Art Centre.

Denis Longchamps may be part of a very significant change to the arts community in this city.

At a recent council committee meeting earlier this week General Manager, Budget and Corporate Affairs Kim Phillips advised that the cultural plan expected in June will not be ready – then – it has been pushed back to the fall.

Return to the Front page

Air Park owner builds landfill hills – creates a valley around the home of an Appleby Line resident. It’s apparently legal.

 

 

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON.  May 29, 2013.  Barbara Sheldon knows the damn thing is there – she just doesn’t understand how someone can do what was done.

Basically there is a hill of earth more than 30 feet high –  100 feet from her kitchen window on the north side of her house  that blocks her view and she is convinced it is going to seriously impact her well water supply.

The hill  was built on the property to the north of her house and another hill is being built on the land to the south of her house.  The one on the south is not close to her house but it is right on her property line.  And she has no clear explanation as to what the purpose of all the land fill is.

Nor does the city of Burlington.  The land is owned by the Burlington Executive Air Park, which suggests someone has a plan.

Barbara Sheldon stands in front of a hill of landfill that rises from the north side edge of her property on Appleby Line next to the Air Park site. There appears to be nothing she can do to stop the work and the city seems to be powerless to do anything either.

Sheldon has a whole bunch of issues with the earth that is more than 30 feet in height on the north side.  “I used to be able to see Rattle snake point from the kitchen window – not any more” she exclaims. She knows who put it there; what she wants to know is where did it come from and what contamination might there be in that soil.  And by the way – can people do that – just dump loads of landfill on their land and lessen the value of my property, she wonders.

  Don’t people have to get permission and permits to do things like that?

The landfill on the south side of the Sheldon property isn’t as high (yet) as that of the north side but when it rains heavily the land where Sheldon is standing floods.  The Air Park owner Vince Rossi, claims he does not need a permit to dump landfill because his airport is federally regulated.

If you are a farmer and you want to do that – you need a permit but it appears that if you are an airfield, an air park or an airport – you get a pass because you come under federal jurisdiction and you can just thumb your nose at city hall.

Doesn’t seem right to Barbara Sheldon who has made her thoughts available to anyone with even one ear.

This land fill work has been going on for the past five years and no one at city hall has done much about it.  Those in north Burlington didn’t seem to get themselves organized until Vanessa Warren created an interest group and took the matter to city council.

Suddenly some action was being taken.  The city had learned there really wasn’t much they could do.  The person back on the file back in 2008 was no longer with the city – he was on the pier project when he was with the city.  THAT explains a lot.

Before Vanessa Warren delegated to city council, Teri Jaklin, an Appleby Line resident across the road from the Air Park wrote her Councillor, Blair Lancaster.  She was pretty direct:

Return to the Front page

Pages: 1 2 3 4

Did Toronto Elect Tony Soprano? I can tell you how this story is going to end – and it ain’t pretty.

By Ray Rivers.

BURLINGTON, ON.  May 29, 2013.  The Sopranos, a cable TV series about your average mafia boss, living and killing in New Jersey, doesn’t seem such a fantasy anymore.  In fact, the escapades of Rob Ford and his brothers would make great crime TV.   Starring Rob, Doug Ford as a former drug dealer and brother Randy as an enforcer.  His sister is a victim of gun violence in the family home and she has a coke-dealing former boyfriend who once tried to kill Rob.  Somali drug lords have made a video of Ford purportedly smoking crack – then they go underground or worse, as a homicide investigation begins.  US website gawker.com raises money to buy the ‘Crackstarter‘ video but can no longer locate the sellers. 

Were they given an offer they couldn’t refuse?  Then, Ford comes forward to vaguely deny his crack use and claim there never was a video.   Screen play writers must be wringing their hands for a chance to get at this outstanding tragic comedy.

Except it’s not funny.  The Globe and Mail’s weekend expose on the Ford family history should have frightened and disgusted rather than amused and entertained Toronto residents.  Ford seemed like a breath of fresh air to voters in that last election.  He was unconventional, and almost charming in a red-neck kind of way, carrying himself like a beardless Old St. Nick, with a bag full of promises.  And voters, sick and tired from a long garbage strike, turned to the man promising them a ‘free lunch’ – he’d lower taxes and end the ‘gravy train’. 

But there was no gravy train and there is no free lunch.  Lowering taxes?  Hello!  Doesn’t Mr. Ford understand that the price of everything always goes up?  It’s called keeping up with population growth and inflation.  We don’t see electricity, gasoline or food prices declining.  Of course, you could always gut your basic programs, as ‘Mike-the-Knife’ did to Ontario’s health care and education systems. So grow up Toronto.  You can’t have it both ways. 

We know how it ends.

Take transportation.  The GTA is not going to get out from under ever-increasing gridlock without new transit systems, and that takes money.   Burlington’s mayor is quoted as saying that his constituents support expansion – he gets it.  And so does the new Premier, Kathleen Wynn, who is taking the lead to find smarter ways of funding.  Too bad Rob Ford hasn’t put as much energy into securing public transportation as he has performing adolescent distractions.  He has ruled out everything except subways and expects somebody else to pay for them.  His court is divided for lack of leadership, so the rest of the GTA and the Province have to take the lead, in his place.

And speaking of taxes, we should understand that Toronto residents pay below average property taxes as a proportion of their real estate dollar.  So the next time some con man named Ford, in a black Cadillac SUV, is offering you a free lunch – just smile and say, no thanks, I’ve seen the Sopranos on TV.  I know how it ends.

Ray Rivers writes weekly on both federal and provincial politics, applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat after which he decided to write and has become a  political animator. Rivers was a candidate for provincial office in Burlington where he ran against Cam Jackson.

Return to the Front page

Just days left to get a rain barrel and after this morning’s downpour you know why you want one.

By Staff

BURLINGTON, ON.  May 28, 2013.  The Region has a program that gets you a quality rain barrel with all the fittings for $40 plus taxes.  You gotta pick it up though.

Your Regional government wants you to buy one of these at close to cost. Great deal!

Locations are:

 Saturday June 1, 2013; 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

Halton Regional Centre, (South-east parking lot. Enter off North Service Road)1151 Bronte Road,

Saturday June 8, 2013; 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

Mapleview Mall (lower parking lot by The Bay); 900 Maple Avenue, Burlington 

Return to the Front page

Fairview to become stop and go – at night while the Region paves the road.

By Staff

BURLINGTON, ON.  May 29, 2013.  Starting the week of June 3, 2013, Halton Region will begin final asphalt paving on Fairview Street and Walkers Line as the last step in the recent water main and wastewater main replacement project.

To reduce the impact on local businesses and motorists, paving work will take place at night, between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. All work is expected to be completed within one week.

The affected road areas include Fairview Street from Woodview Road to east of Walkers Line and Walkers Line south of the intersection with Fairview Street. Lane restrictions will be required to accommodate workers and equipment. Motorists are advised to use caution and expect delays when traveling through the area.

The Fairview Street water and wastewater main replacement project is part of Building a Better Halton, the Region’s infrastructure construction plan for roads, water, waste water and waste management projects across Halton Region.

Return to the Front page

Development of the Bridgewater project on the lakeshore seems to be moving too slowly.

 

 

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON.  May 28, 2013.  It’s never wise to neglect what the old timers think.  Yesterday afternoon Ward 3 Councillor John Taylor told his colleagues he didn’t think the Bridgewater project would see the light of day, which came as more than a surprise to Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward – the project is in her ward. 

That patch of brown earth in the centre off the Brant Street pier is to be the location for a 22 storey condo, a seven storey condo and an eight storey Delta Hotel.  Some think it is having problems.

The massive project, the biggest we have going except for the hospital re-build,  was supposed to have shovels in the ground by now – but the paper work isn’t getting done quite as quickly as it needs to be if the Delta Hotel is to be open for the Pan Am Games in 2015.

Can the project, which is comprised of a 22 storey condominium, a seven storey condominium and an eight story hotel get done in time for the games sounded like a reasonable question.

Three structure project has been the “in the works” since 1985 when developers were given the right to build a 22 storey plus building on the property where the Riviera Waterfront Motel used to exist.

It can, said a senior city hall official who has enough experience  to know if it’s possible, but there are some senior people at Mayrose Tyco, the owners of the property,  who have to step aside and let the builder get on with the job.

Meed Ward said she knew that the Sales trailer was about to be set up real soon, once the Waterfront Hotel people worked out their squabbles with the project builders.  A Sales trailer is the expression of an intention – it isn’t a sign that something real is going to happen.

The Bridgewater project is the last this city will see built as close to the edge of the lake as this one.  Conservation Halton changed the rules and requires a bigger set back – and in the process sucking out the value of many of the properties along the southern side of Old Lakeshore road.  Existing structures can stay but no one will ever be able to build as close to the water’s edge in the future.

The city is in the process of hiring consultants to guide them through an exercise of figuring out what’s possible and what is not possible with what many once saw as the most valuable land in the city.

There are property owners on both the north and south sides of Old Lakeshore who are considering their options and wondering if there is a willing buyer out there – and there are.  Keep an eye on that part of the city – someone wants to do great things down there – but it might be at your expense.  The Riviera Motel is gone but something is going to get built down there.

City Hall  wants the public to have access to the lake and now needs to figure out to make that happen.  Consultants will be hired to develop some ideas. 

Return to the Front page

Street address of Burlington police station on to be re-named to commemorate former Constable Bill Henshaw.

By Staff

BURLINGTON, ON.  May 27. 2013   South Hampton Blvd, a city street that runs west off Walker’s Line and has just the one address on it – that being the Burlington detachment of the Halton Regional Police,  will have its name changed soon to Constable  Henshaw Blvd.  to commemorate Bill Henshaw who died while on duty in 2010.

Street Burlington police station is located on will be renamed to commemorate the late Cst. Bill Henshaw .

Henshaw joined the police service in 1977 and was 54 when he collapsed at work and rushed to the Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital where he died a short time later of what police say appeared  to be natural causes.

He was president of the Halton Police Association, and honoured by the Sovereign Chapter of the Burlington IODE  for his work with community and youth in 1996.

Nominated by his  then commander, Inspector Dan Okuloski, Henshaw was described as “an excellent officer dedicated to the citizens of Burlington and the Region of Halton.”

Henshaw would tell people his commitment to community and police service members through his work with the Halton Police Association stemmed from his family.

The paper work to make the name change is in process.

Return to the Front page

Prepare for a parade with the BTTB, fireworks and balloons – and try and figure out what the lawyers are up to – our pier.

 

 

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON.  May 27, 2013  The left hand isn’t exactly talking to the right hand – but they know what the other is up against – and it ain’t pretty.

There are two teams of people at city hall working on the events that will take place in the middle of June when THE Pier is officially opened.  There will be two of those official events; one for the politicians who dug up much of the money that made the pier possible and another for the common folk who will have to pay for the Pier along with its legal costs.  Two different groups at city hall making sure there are balloons and fireworks and a marching band as well.  Lots of hoopla and fun.

The nagging legal matters and those legal costs are still out there and have to be dealt with.  City Council will go into a Closed Session this afternoon to hear a report from the city’s solicitor.  All we are going to be able to tell you about that report is that it is ten pages long and printed on yellow paper.

Construction of the pier has gone so well that in the last month of getting it ready for Opening Day Project Manager Craig Stevens was able to get off on some vacation.  Here he takes communications intern Ryan  through some of the work left to be done.  Behind them are two of the balustrades to which bright blue railings will be attached.

But we can tell you this: the process of discovery is still going on.  An event that was thought to require five days when it started is now closer to twenty days and there is quite a bit more to come.

Discovery is that process where each side of a legal difference gets to pull information from the other side.  Often, one document leads to another document which in turn leads to a third document.

There have been all kinds of surprises. 

There is every reason to believe that some of those surprises have led the city’s legal department to take a different look at the situation and perhaps change the strategy.

The city had one occasion to get into some serious settlement talks with one of the companies in this battle – they took a pass on that opportunity.    It appears that the situation has become a little more fluid – options are being looked at.

Stay tuned for more on the legal front.

Meanwhile the Pier itself is doing just fine.  Work proceeds and short of a serious accident or the failure of some parts to arrive on time – the thing will open when they said it will open.  One really interesting and remarkable fact: there hasn’t been a single serious accident on the site.  No broken bones, just some cuts and bruises.   There were several cranes on site – not one of them fell over.

Return to the Front page