City of Barrie celebrates its vibrancy through many festivals throughout the year. There are many things to do, with its close proximity to everything. It's not just a City...it's a lifestyle. Great waterfront community and truly is a great place to live, work and play!
Friday, August 10, 2012
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
$56 Million Dollars worth in upgrades - County Road 90
More than $56M in upgrades in the works for County Road 90 expected to take six years
One of the busiest roads in the county is up for a facelift.
As part of the Simcoe County Transportation Master Plan, County Road 90 between Barrie and Angus will be reconstructed over six years. The project begins next year and is expected to be done in 2019.
Average annual daily traffic studies for the road show 19,400 vehicles use it daily from Barrie to George Johnston Road, and 16,500 vehicles travel on it from George Johnston Road to Angus.
Because of growth in the area and the increasing number of users, the busy highway between the two municipalities will be reconfigured to five lanes, including a middle turning lane.
“It’s mainly because of the high volume of traffic that requires us to widen the road,” said Rick Newlove, Simcoe County’s general manager of engineering, planning and environment, adding there have been numerous collisions over the years, including some fatalities. “A lot of people use it as an alternate route to Wasaga Beach and Collingwood area.
“There is lots of access along there. People who are travelling and are in a hurry sometimes do things they shouldn’t,” he added. “This will avoid them having to pass someone who is travelling too slow, and they’ll be able to make a left-hand turn without fear of being rear-ended.”
The road has taken its toll over the years, according to OPP Sgt. Peter Leon.
“Just over 10 years ago, I responded to a two-vehicle crash on that stretch that resulted in five people being killed. A family of four in a car and a driver in a pickup collided head-on,” he said. “Any enhancements to a heavily travelled roadway that make it safer are fully supported by the OPP.”
The preliminary estimated cost at this time for the upgrades is $56.5 million, pending budget approvals. The project includes two major bridges, one over the CP rail line and another over the Nottawasaga River.
“The environmental assessment is complete and the county is purchasing property and looking at moving utilities out of the way, things like hydro, natural gas, (telephone), cable, fibreoptics,” Newlove said.
In January 1998, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation downloaded the road to the county, along with some other roads, including highways 50, 26/27 and 11.
This will coincide with the transit upgrades to Angus. For more on that click here
Courtesy Ian at Barrie Examiner
Transit linking Barrie, Angus and CFB Borden
Transit linking Barrie, Angus and CFB Borden may soon be a reality
ESSA TWP. - Next stop: Angus?
Residents of Barrie, Angus and CFB Borden may soon have another option when it comes to travel between the three communities.
A bus route linking them is being considered and Essa Township Mayor Terry Dowdall is thrilled with the idea.
“We’re doing studies to see what the ridership could possibly be (and) looking for a funding model,” he said, Thursday. “It’s an exciting time. Both communities are growing and it would be good for everybody. It gives everyone options and hopefully gets some of the cars off Highway 90,” he said. “It’s a win, win, win for all three parties, but it’s up to people if they embrace it. Ridership will determine the service.
“The goal is for Jan. 1, 2013. We’re hopeful,” he added.
The initial idea is to provide a limited service — peak periods during the morning and afternoon rush hour only — and potentially one or two trips in the middle of the day as well, according to Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman. He said the idea was originally raised by former Base Commander, Gen. Louis Meloche, when he and Lehman got together during an introductory meeting early last year. Dowdall was quickly on board and there have been informal discussions with county staff.
Essa, Barrie and the base have contributed to an internal draft service plan and the Barrie mayor expects it will be part of a council report once the plan is finalized.
“Barrie council identified service partnerships with neighbouring municipalities as a priority in December 2010, in the first week of the (new) term, so the suggestion was perfectly in line with our priorities as a council,” Lehman said, adding there are 900 permanent base personnel who live in Barrie, and hundreds more military personnel who are on rotation in various training programs at the base.
“Borden is Canada’s largest training base so it has a large population of personnel who live in our area while taking training programs of varying lengths at the base,” he said. “So we know there are at least 1,000 people every day going from Barrie to Borden. Also, there is a lot of traffic between Angus and Barrie, which could provide additional potential riders for the service.”
Lehman said the service would use Barrie Transit buses, although part of the project cost may be to lease two new or used buses for the pilot project.
“We’re still working on that aspect of it. Our service provider, First Canada, has been very supportive of this idea. There are a surprising amount of details to work out, such as special licenses and insurance, etc. to operate a bus outside of the municipality itself. But we are working through the details.”
The ‘Borden Rocket’, as Lehman has dubbed the proposed service, would give military personnel an option for travel to and from Barrie that they currently lack and it could help build ridership on the city’s transit system, as many of the riders on the Borden-Essa route may transfer onto other parts of the system, or buy monthly passes.
“It can help make travel between Angus and Barrie less expensive and easier, particularly for students, people coming to medical appointments at RVH or elsewhere, and so forth. It may also provide a boost to businesses in Angus and in the Dunlop Street West corridor as it can provide a new source of customers and a way to work for employees.”
Lehman said this kind of partnership is a good opportunity for Barrie to work with its neighbours, “something we haven’t always been good at. I think it recognizes that the economy doesn’t care about municipal boundaries.
“Lots of people live in one municipality and work in another and if there’s a strong commuter flow between two areas, transit across boundaries makes sense.”
Municipalities can and should work together to provide services to support residents and their employers, he added.
“It’s actually my hope that this pilot project, if successful, would be the first of potentially a few other similar routes serving neighbouring areas that have strong commuter flows to and from Barrie,” he said. “But this is the first time we’ve tried this, so we would need to see if it works first. And before we get there, we need to finalize a solid plan and propose it to each respective council. I hope that can happen this fall.”
Courtesy Barrie Examiner
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Barrie South-End Housing Development - Update August 2012
Traffic, wildlife top list of concerns about south-end housing plan
The fate of a proposed, controversial south-Barrie residential development is winding its way through city hall and the Ontario Municipal Board.
Baywood Homes wants to build as many as 1,900 residential units on almost 100 acres of land along Mapleview Drive, on the east side of the GO train tracks — a mix of high-rise, mid-rise, town homes and stacked town homes.
Because city council has not yet made a decision on Baywood’s proposal, the developer has appealed to the OMB.
The second pre-hearing conference is scheduled for Oct. 11.
Coun. Alex Nuttall, who represents this part of Barrie, says he’s not impressed with Baywood’s tactics, given that the developer’s original plan was for 2,100 units.
“They filed with the OMB on the old one, so that they could apply pressure on the new proposal,” he said. “I think that it creates even more animosity around a project that’s obviously stirred up pretty deep feeling in the community.”
Nuttall said councillors are waiting for city planners to come back with a staff report that recommends, one way or the other, whether Baywood’s plan should proceed.
Then councillors can debate the matter.
He expects that report in the next month or so.
Bill Church, who lives on Birkhall Place, north of the site, says most area residents think this project is too large.
He compares Baywood’s plans to Geranium’s approved development at the east end of Big Bay Point Road in Innisfil, with 1,600 resort condo units and 400 hotel rooms on about 560 acres.
“To do the same thing on 100 acres, it seems to me that something’s wrong,” Church said.
Area residents have also expressed concerns about traffic created by the project’s density on an already busy Mapleview Drive. And there have been concerns about wildlife on the property, as people have seen foxes, deer, rabbits and many birds there — including Canada geese and blue herons since 2001.
Baywood officials have said their plan follows provincial guidelines for more intensified residential development and it’s close to public transit, specifically to GO trains which head south on weekdays and take commuters off Highway 400.
But Church says there’s poor access from 700 and 725 Mapleview Dr. to the Barrie South GO Train Station.
“The whole basis of the developer’s application is that government policy is you’re supposed to ... develop more intensely around GO stations,” he said. “I think the presumption is you can get to the GO station, and in that particular case, they (Baywood) don’t own all the land all the way to the GO station.”
Church is also concerned this area doesn’t have the needed city infrastructure — roads, storm and sanitary sewers, etc. — for the development.
“You can fight it on the basis that it’s simply premature. You don’t have any money to do some of this stuff,” he said.
Church says he’s also concerned with the precedent this development would set, if it’s approved.
He points at Pratt Development’s plans in another part of Barrie.
“What troubles me, and it’s happening on Ferndale (Drive), south of Tiffin (Street), is that they nibble away,” he said.
“They don’t start out with much, but they keep pushing it a little bit and pretty soon you’re looking at it.
“They nibble away until there isn’t anything left.”
Pratt wants to build about 270 low- and medium-density housing units on two separate sites on its 76.4 acres at 40 Ferndale Dr. S. Bear Creek Wetlands occupy 71% of this land, which are not proposed for development, but would be dedicated to the city if the plan is approved.
As for Baywood Homes, Nuttall says it’s been quiet lately in terms of residents’ feedback.
“I don’t receive much any more on it, but as soon as it ramps up, then I’m sure I will,” he said.
City council initially approved a draft plan of subdivision for this land in January 2006, and granted an extension three years later — but told the developer its plans didn’t conform with intensification standards.
Early in 2011, Barrie councillors denied Baywood a one-year extension of its draft plan approval status for this property.
Credit: Barrie Examiner - Bob Bruton
Monday, August 6, 2012
Curiosity live-tweets its Mars adventure
This is an incredible blog by Fabiola Carletti In his posts he shares the chronological roundup and "playful moments" of the Mars Mission. The largest and most sophisticated rover to ever land on Mars has successfully touched down on the Red Planet -- and like other tourists of its generation, Curiosity has been sharing its adventure on social media.
Here is a chronological roundup of Curiosity's playful yet informative tweets.
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