Construction on Kent Store West

The Westside Kent store will be open in no time - construction is really moving along quickly.

Low light / dirty lens

Fish House gone.

What does Santa eat for breakfast?

I guess the best way to find out is to drop by the Bear's Den on Lancaster Ave. Apparently Santa will be there tomorrow.

Where does he get the time?

The dissolving house on the river

It's sad to watch the house on the river bank slowly dissolve into the river.  There have been a few stories in the media lately about this structure - who will remove it, who will pay for said  removal - it's amazing how it's still holding on.

New Kent Store & Unfinished Townhouses

The Kent Store construction on Fairville Blvd. is making quick progress and there is now a sign announcing the development.  

Meanwhile on Lancaster Ave. the "luxury" townhouse development that never got off the ground is up for sale, again. This site had great potential and it's too bad the plan didn't come to fruition. I walk by the site occasionally and it's in bad shape.  This development had been in the works since Norm MacFarlane was Mayor. Oh well, as they say in Saint John, "They should never have torn down  (insert whatever landmark you can think of) the  DVA."

Public art just isn't what it used to be ... apparently

Kent Store West

Not a great shot here, but the ground is broken and it looks like work has begun on the Kent Store at the corner of Catherwood Street and Fairville Blvd.

Walmart opening soon

My neighbours have heard that Walmart-west will be opening this weekend.  It sure looks ready.

The Golden Mile - Going in Circles

The Golden Mile Corridor Study (Fairville Boulevard) and open house is happening Sept. 6, 5-7pm at the Wilson Street Legion.   I wonder if this event will be the same as the one I attended in May 2009 at the same location. 

Enterprise Saint John, in cooperation with the City of Saint John and the Saint John West Business Association would like to invite you to an Informative Workshop for Residents and the West Saint John Retail Community. Learn More about the Exciting New Retail Developments in West Saint John
This FREE workshop will bring together residents, developers, existing retailers and land owners to learn more about West Saint John’s vibrant, progressive and sustainable retail sector.

Let's see, Lancaster Mall was renovated, as was Zellers,  Zellers closed, Blockbuster Video closed, Coop closed, Walmart is moving in, a top request from that evenings session - a family restaurant- hasn't happened.  Of course the Sobey's Plaza / Canadian Tire area is a great addition...I wonder how long it be for this latest study is shelved then dusted off again.

Rectory for lease

Not found on the west side - (Main St., north end) but I had just to post this image; imagine the possibilites here.

Knee slappers from Paolo Cortesi - 1520

Can't see the humour?? Just go to the Saint John Renaissance Faire on Aug 25 at Sheldon's Point Park, Sand Cove Road.

They say change is difficult - even for garbage

Some of the City's solid waste collection routes are changing pick up  days - and on the west side the Fundy Heights area will be affected with pick up happening on Wednesday instead of Friday (beginning September 11). The flyer delivered door to door  to affected households says it's so the City can "balance the number of household units that are collected daily" ... and that staff will have "the ability to maintain efficient use of staff and  resources".

How will we cope ? Should we revert to an autonomous city - say, Lancaster?

Three-fer

As seen near a daycare in Fundy Heights. Are these considered port-a-potties?

Walmat West - getting closer

Shopping cart caves for Walmart have been installed in the parking lot of Lancaster Mall. Apparently mid September is the anticipated opening date for the store.

Even more places to eat on the Westside

So Boaz West - Korean / Japanese cuisine - opened a couple of weeks ago by the Reversing Falls restaurent; and now the Bear's Den has opened on Lancaster Ave., next to Olsen's Store, across from T4G. Today is the opening day, and the fast food spot looks ready and willing to serve. There have nice, clean decor, a kitchen where you can see the food being prepared, good prices, and lots of space to sit. The menu is all about burgers, fish & chips, platters, etc. Breakfast will be served everyday starting at 8am.

This business is in the location of Thai Hut, hopefully they'll make a go of it. Nice to see a local business opening.

Sweet night for hot air balloon rides

Re/Max's hot air balloon was giving free "rides" today at the park by St George's Church on Duke Street.
According to CHSJ news they will be in Sussex tomorrow.

Happy Canada Day

I didn't know there were voyageurs in town.

Quite a good ratio for water safety at Dominion Park

Not too busy at Dominion Park beach at lunch time today.  Actually, in fairness there were three more kids approaching the water just after I snapped this picture, and I didn't see any other adults or what looked to be parents / guardians.  Glad to know the City reinstated lifeguards at beaches.

Korean / Japanese restaurant on the westside?

Not soon enough.
This sign was posted at the empty restaurant overlooking Reversing Falls.

Are the birds MIA?

I am not an avid birder, but my neighbours are, and I do have feeders for the little guys.  But where are the finches and hummingbirds? Our neighbourhood used to have lots of birds in the spring, but this year there are few.  The hummingbirds arrived late and now seem to have disappeared.  The yellow finches were plentiful in past years but are few and far between now ... what gives?

Town Hall meeting hosted by MLA Dorothy Shephard

Westsiders might be interested to know that MLA Dorothy Shephard is holding a town hall meeting on May 28, 7-8 pm at Hillcrest Baptist Church, 476 Lancaster Ave.

Shredding metal at 12:30am?

Enjoying the beautiful weather this weekend can mean sleeping with the window open. Saturday night was an exception, the noise from the metal shredding facility on the westside port was loud and clear at 12:30am.
I don't live on the lower westside, yet I could clearly hear the metal grinding.  I spoke to folks who live lower west - they had to shut their windows Saturday night because of the noise from the equipment at work.

I don't think it was supposed to work this way.

Site of New Kent Store

So the rumor mill that's been grinding the story about a Kent's Store on the westside has been put to rest; local media reported recently that indeed a Kent Store is going to be built on the corner of Catherwood and Fairville Blvd. This is along  the "retail corridor" of the westside.

And it doesn't take long for JD Irving to act  ... last evening I noticed the demolition had begun on the old garages on the site, and tonight the demolition is complete.

Demolition work last evening

Demolition almost complete this morning

Large selection of imported foods at Sobeys

I was pleasantly surprised to see a newly expanded imported food section at Sobeys on the West side. This is a new addition - there must be 40 feet of a wide variety of food from around the world.

Take that - Super Moon

All this talk of the Super Moon .... in June Venus will show the moon who is boss.
I saw this notice at the  Irving Nature park today. Get ready for the Transit of Venus on June 5.

Local wildlife

A couple of shots of  local wildlife: a pair of Eider ducks enjoying the weather at the Irving Nature Park, and seals taking it easy on the rocks near the shore.

Lots to do this weekend on the westside

If you're looking for something to do on the westside this weekend and you're not much of a political junkie, or simply need a break from the campaigning, a few events come to mind.

• The Lou Murphy Park  / Emera Trail Mulch Day is happening on Saturday May 5. You can help to make this park's trails user friendly.
• Also on May 5 in the Milford area, the Dominion Park Beach Clean Up Day - 9am to 1pm - Volunteer BBQ at noon. Bring your rakes and gloves, the rest will be provided.
• And at the Carleton Community Centre, a fundraiser on Sunday from 10am -3pm  with vendors, food, raffle tickets and lots more.  Sounds like a fun way to support a good cause.

Suff I saw at Sheldon's Point today

It was a great day to walk in Sheldon's Point.

I see the "hours" sign has been posted - looks like the park will reopen soon.

Butterfly / moth? No matter - it was a nice sight.

The kitchen sink.

These abandoned building materials, sandstone and something else, always remind me of an old graveyard you'd see in the southern states. 

Get in line for ice cream

The Pumpkin Patch on Manawagonish Road opened today  -  that's a sure-sign of summer around the corner.

CO-OP site update

This is a picture I took today of the site of the former Co-op on Fairville Blvd., across from Sobey's.
The Co-op building disappeared fast. Apparently there has been a buyer for the property, let's hope they have plans for an interesting addition to the westside retail corridor.

 April 17: Just reading on CHSJ news feed that Princess Auto will be moving into the Co-op site.

AIM's facility at the port

I thought I should check out the happenings at American Iron and Metal's lower westside facility as they have again been in the news; this time it's not about sources of electricity but the noise reducing practices they are using. It's definitely quite an impressive operation. I spoke to a neighbour of the facility this weekend and he said the noise level was quite high as testing was going on.  If what I have been told is correct, the company's plan is to spread out to encompass more space than they currently use.

As seen at MacLaren's Beach

This evening I caught a pic of this this lucky  person on the water at MacLaren's Beach. Great weather for this time of year.

City Transit takes another cut?

I was checking Saint John Transit's website today for the upcoming schedule changes and was very surprised to see their website has been integrated into the City's website (looks like a few wrinkles to iron out, too).  I wonder if this is meant to be a cost-saving effort? 

New Retail Activity

More retail activity talk on the Westside.  Chit chat (again) says a Kent’s is preparing to build on the corner of Catherwood & Fairville Blvd.  In the Lancaster Mall the Coco Beach Salon closed its doors abruptly last week; I believe they had many customers who will be unhappy at this turn of events.Too bad for a local individual who tried to make it in the small business world.  (I imagine the rent is substantial in the mall). Also in Lancaster Mall, Zeller’s is winding down operations in preparation for closing in early June to make way for Wal-Mart.  I recently spoke to a woman who has worked there for 35 years (K-Mart / Zellers), there would be plenty of stories to tell.   The store’s fixtures are for sale as is the restaurant equipment.  I have not heard when the Wal-Mart will open.

Princess of Acadia will float for a while longer

Good news that the governments of NB & NS have invested 6 million in the SJ - Digby Ferry.  Need to keep this running.

SJ Police on the web

I have long wondered why the Saint John Police Force didn't have a website ... well I see they now do. Just launched at saintjohnpolice.ca it's definitely a work in progress.  According to the site:

An enhanced web presence was a key initiative resulting from the Police Force's 2011 communication strategy.
"Our goal is to provide a useful source of information," says Chief Bill Reid, "our new presence will also build relationships with community by enabling interaction and communicating the our goals and core strategies."
Phase 2 will include more interactive features and social media. It is expected to be launched later in 2012.

It's a start.  And an important resource for the community.

Coyotes Around the Area

I've been hearing various reports of a coyote seen around the Sheldon's Point area.  Keep your pets on a leash.

Dangerous Curves

I have often found myself holding my breath on a section of Prince Street anticipating how the road conditions would play out.  The area just below the site of the former DVA hospital, (now an incomplete townhouse development site)  is a downhill curve that rarely sees sunlight (water can't evaporate) and there is a lot of water (or ice) collecting on the street from the un-landscaped site.  It's a very slippery slope and for those who don't take the route regularly it's potentially dangerous.

Couldn't the T-J offer something like this?

for their online edition ... just to sample it?

How does this stuff happen?? While writing this post today the T-J called about my soon-to-expire subscription, and offered me a month of the online edition for 99 cents if I renewed my home delivery.

Seaside Park

It's a shame the stairs at Seaside Park have fallen into a state of such disrepair.  I think this set of stairs was built about 20 years ago using money from the province and municipality.  A combination of vandalism, neglect, and natural erosion of the surrounding area has caused the stairs to basically crumble onto the breach below.  

I can't image we'll see similar funding for similar projects in the near future.

Junked cars at the lower west terminal

This image is "as close-up as I could get" of the remains of junk cars at the port on the west side.

Repurposing Canada Post (boxes)

We've all seen old shipping containers used for various purposes, housing seems to be one most often cited,
but what can we do with old Canada Post mail boxes? It was inevitable that they'd be / will be, phased out.  Can't you just see them dotting rural roads- being used to store garbage instead of old freezers?

Is no news better than good news?

I must admit I am disappointed that the canadaeast.com / Telegraph Journal online access is now quite pricey. I am a print edition subscriber, and the incentive to pay around 20 dollars per month to search online is not present. I understand that news is “business” and NB Publishing has to make money to be viable, but as a comparison, the NYTimes offers several options. The priciest is 35.00 per month for:

• Unlimited access to NYTimes.com from any device.
• Unlimited access to the NYTimes app for BlackBerry®, iPhone®, Windows® Phone 7 and Android™-powered phones.
• Unlimited access to our new Election 2012 app for iPhone.
• Unlimited access to the NYTimes app for iPad®, the NYTimes App for the Chrome Web Store and Times Reader 2.0.
• New: Share your All Digital Access with a family member.
• After the introductory period, your rate will be $8.75 per week, billed every four weeks.

They are offering an introductory trial for 99 cents for the first four weeks, this is a great idea to pull you in.  I don't even know what I am missing by not subscribing the the online edition of the TJ, haven't had a peek at the new version.

Significantly -  “Print subscribers to The New York Times get a free All Digital Access subscription.”  And there are discounts for university students. 

The jury is out on this one.

Sad Start to the New Year

This was no way to start the New Year. The Inn on the Cove, a great local business, and a wonderful historic site, was destroyed by fire yesterday afternoon.  I had been by the site just hours before after a walk in the Irving Nature Park.  The location and the surrounding area has always been a perfect site for outdoor activities, and the owners have been gracious and welcoming Westsiders.   Here's hoping the owners will rebuild and continue their excellent contribution to the West Side.