Around City Hall

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This article was published 17/09/2014 (4047 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Kil-Cona proposal closer to approval

A CIVIC committee has endorsed a $25-million redevelopment of the Kil-Cona Park/Harbour View recreation complex.

The property and development committee backed the project and urged that it be included in the 2015 budget process.

“This has been a long time coming,” North Kildonan Coun. Jeff Browaty said. “The northeast quadrant (of Winnipeg) has been forgotten when it comes to quadrant parks.

“It’s a very creative reuse of a landfill site.”

The complex is a 178-hectare recreational site on the northeast corner of Lagimodiere Boulevard and Springfield Road. It began as a landfill and storm-water retention complex in the 1970s. The landfill has since been closed and sodded and used as the city’s largest off-leash dog park.

The Harbour View component, at the easternmost edge of the site, includes a nine-hole golf course, pro shop, driving range, mini-putt, tennis courts, lawn bowling, toboggan hill, indoor concession and lounge area.

The Kil-Cona park portion is visible along Lagimodiere, where it includes the off-leash dog park, toboggan hill, and sport fields.

The redevelopment plans, made public at the end of July, call for rebuilding many of the structures at Harbour View, including the wooden tower and fencing; relocating areas of the off-leash dog park; construction of a three-kilometre roadway linking both sides of the area and a 10-kilometre network of active-transportation pathways.

The proposal will be considered by executive policy committee before it’s considered by council.

 

Great-West Life gets time

CITY hall gave Great-West Life an extension of time to complete interior and exterior repairs to a vacant West Broadway heritage home the company owns.

The insurance company appealed a city order to complete extensive repairs to a large Tudor-style home at 51 Balmoral St. by Sept. 23.

It’s the last house on the east side of Balmoral Street, between Broadway and Granite Way. The company demolished the other homes on that side of the street.

Cindy Tugwell, executive director of Heritage Winnipeg, said GWL has allowed the house to sit vacant and to deteriorate for years, refusing to use it or sell it.

“Out of poor stewardship, that is how most of these owners can get demolition because they can argue it’s too expensive,” Tugwell said, referring to repairs.

City staff said GWL was ordered in June to carry out repairs. Roof shingles are missing or damaged, exterior wood surfaces need painting and the brick walls and foundation need extensive repairs. The city said there was also considerable water damage to ceilings and walls.

Great-West Life denied it allowed the house to fall into disrepair. Perry Schultz, the firm’s property manager, said the company had been carrying out the ordered repairs but needed an extension to get all the work done.

GWL was given until Oct. 31 to complete the exterior repairs and until June 1, 2015, to carry out the interior repairs.

 

Lime berm at Brady OK’d

A DEVELOPER wants to dump 500,000 cubic metres of inert lime at the Brady Road Landfill.

Hopewell Developments, which is behind the Bishop Grandin Crossing subdivision on the former sugar beet property, told the property and development committee Tuesday it can’t develop the site because there is too much inert lime there.

Company officials said the lime is silt-like and can’t be built on.

Removing the lime is required under the environmental remediation of the property.

The firm proposed building a massive berm at the landfill using the inert lime.

An administrative report states using the lime material for a landscaping berm would free up clay from the site, which will be used a top cover as the landfill is developed.

The committee endorsed the proposal, with Hopewell covering all costs.

The proposal still needs to be approved by city council.

 

— staff