WestLRT Construction Transgression thread

[Sr. Mints]

And I like the copper. I noticed it being installed at Shaganappi Point yesterday. Looks sharp!

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by Sr. Mints

I've seen a few new houses with copper accents above windows and doors, and they still look new after 2-3 years when I first noticed them. Is there a way to treat copper roofs/panels or coat them so they remain copper in colour without requiring further maintenance?

I dont know for sure, but in theory, you would have to put some sort of enamel on it to totally eliminate any contact the metal had with oxygen and/or moisture.

[The Goon]

There will be a lot of road closures and construction noise this long weekend - especially take note if you'll be travelling along Bow Trail:

http://www.westlrt.ca/contentdesign/whatsnew.cfm

[frinkprof]

^Further to the above, and a reminder:

West LRT work intensifying


By Clara Ho, Calgary Herald August 31, 2011

Residents in Calgary’s west end are being warned of another period of heavy construction, noise and road closures as the city gears up for more work on the west LRT line this week.

[...]

“At this point, there’s minimal risk for construction to head over (schedule),” said project spokesman Ryan Murray, adding construction will go ahead rain or shine.

However, he warned residents to expect heavy work through September, October and even into November.

Crews are planning to remove two temporary bridges in the area, which could turn 37 Street north of 17 Avenue S.W. from four lanes of traffic to one lane in each direction for a period of up to three weeks, Murray said.

“It’s not going to be pretty,” he added.

Glenn Webber, vice-president of the Westgate Community Association, said community members have accepted that construction needs to be done, adding: “the sooner they get it done, the sooner it’ll be over.”

But what community members remain concerned about is a lack of privacy, sound screening and visual screening for when the LRT line is completed, he said.

“Because they built a ramp up to clear Sarcee Trail, the train is going to be sitting about 20 feet above houses on Westwood Drive. People on the trains are going to be staring into their front yards,” Webber said. “For our community, it’s not just the construction. We will be living with this permanently.”

[...]

The old Ernest Manning School building is yet to be demolished as the city is still trying to get a contractor to lead that process, Murray said.

Link to the rest of the article

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by frinkprof

But what community members remain concerned about is a lack of privacy, sound screening and visual screening for when the LRT line is completed, he said.

“Because they built a ramp up to clear Sarcee Trail, the train is going to be sitting about 20 feet above houses on Westwood Drive. People on the trains are going to be staring into their front yards,” Webber said. “For our community, it’s not just the construction. We will be living with this permanently.”

Hahaha. Right, for the 10 seconds the C-Train speeds by your place, every single person will focus on your front yards and stare, deeply, at you. Most people do naughty stuff in their backyards anyway.

I've never heard of anyone concerned about their front yard privacy, since people can walk and drive by that all the time.

[username]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

Hahaha. Right, for the 10 seconds the C-Train speeds by your place, every single person will focus on your front yards and stare, deeply, at you. Most people do naughty stuff in their backyards anyway.

I've never heard of anyone concerned about their front yard privacy, since people can walk and drive by that all the time.

Strange they are concerned about their privacy and not the noise of the train roaring by.

[THE SCUD]

Is it true Bow will be closed @ 33rd on Tuesday? I can understand over the long weekend, but the electric sign on Bow today said Sep 4-6, which by my calendar means it's closed Tuesday too? if so, I am going to work at 4am.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by username

Strange they are concerned about their privacy and not the noise of the train roaring by.

I think that has to do with their heads being screwed on backwards.

[calculoso]

Originally Posted by username

Strange they are concerned about their privacy and not the noise of the train roaring by.

But what community members remain concerned about is a lack of privacy, sound screening and visual screening for when the LRT line is completed, he said.

?

[BurningYears]

Originally Posted by calculoso

But what community members remain concerned about is a lack of privacy, sound screening and visual screening for when the LRT line is completed, he said.

?

I think what happens here is people get the idea of the elevated train in all those movies that pass by right next to the window that shakes everything in the house all night long. Ctrains are relatively quiet and nothing worse then the traffic that already exists on those roads.

[bizaro86]

I haven't followed this that closely, but if the LRT line is already built, and Ernest Manning is still standing, why did the city need to buy it and demolish it at all? It's not the oldest or worst condition high school in the city, so why couldn't it have stayed?

[BurningYears]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

I haven't followed this that closely, but if the LRT line is already built, and Ernest Manning is still standing, why did the city need to buy it and demolish it at all? It's not the oldest or worst condition high school in the city, so why couldn't it have stayed?

Well they lost their playing field due to the giant hole in the ground so that might be part of it.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by BurningYears

Well they lost their playing field due to the giant hole in the ground so that might be part of it.

Once the hole is covered up would there be room for the field to go back in? Because if so away games for the outdoor sports for a few years, and gym class inside (in the gym) seems like a good trade for the cost of building a new school. Could use the extra money for more teachers or something.

It doesn't really matter at this point (the new school is getting built) but I'm a bit curious. I suppose if the city gets more for the land from Condo developers than they paid for the school it might be a good deal.

Will Westbrook mall be staying, or is that land getting redeveloped as part of the TOD plan as well?

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

I haven't followed this that closely, but if the LRT line is already built, and Ernest Manning is still standing, why did the city need to buy it and demolish it at all? It's not the oldest or worst condition high school in the city, so why couldn't it have stayed?

!. opportunity to redevelop the land.
2. School Fields are gone.

[mrgreen]

Westbrook Mall needs a big facelift and some better stores. Even the food court is a bit random. It could be a decent little mall but needs a lot of $$$ spent on it to bring it up to date. Seems like the right time to do it with all the other development going on.

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

I haven't followed this that closely, but if the LRT line is already built, and Ernest Manning is still standing, why did the city need to buy it and demolish it at all? It's not the oldest or worst condition high school in the city, so why couldn't it have stayed?

Originally Posted by bizaro86

Once the hole is covered up would there be room for the field to go back in? Because if so away games for the outdoor sports for a few years, and gym class inside (in the gym) seems like a good trade for the cost of building a new school. Could use the extra money for more teachers or something.

It doesn't really matter at this point (the new school is getting built) but I'm a bit curious. I suppose if the city gets more for the land from Condo developers than they paid for the school it might be a good deal.

Will Westbrook mall be staying, or is that land getting redeveloped as part of the TOD plan as well?

While the Ernest Manning High School building itself could have stayed, in a technical sense, keeping it operational would have been a significant burden.

The school parcel would have had to be subdivided, the playing fields wouldn't have been able to be rebuilt - at least not without one or both of the station heads being in the middle of them, and access/egress to both the school and the station would have heavily conflicted. Basically the tunnel/station location and configuration would have had to be significantly reconfigured. Also, while the school wasn't overly old, apparently there was a lot of maintenance outstanding.

The fate of Westbrook Mall rests with its owners (and market forces of course). It is absolutely part of the approved Station Area Redevelopment Plan area though and as such, redeveloping the mall site will be an easier process whenever.

Perhaps this photo and the following rendering is the easiest way to visualize what Westbrook Station will look like at grade once completed.





On the photo, the southwestern-most end of the wide part of the tunnel is where the small station head will be, and the end closest to the cranes is where the large station head/office building will be.

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by mrgreen

Westbrook Mall needs a big facelift and some better stores. Even the food court is a bit random. It could be a decent little mall but needs a lot of $$$ spent on it to bring it up to date. Seems like the right time to do it with all the other development going on.

I would bet that Westbrook Mall doesn't get "updated" (again that is - there were renovations about 8 years ago that coincided with Wal-Mart's expansion at that location) in any way that sees it still functioning as an indoor mall. The general rule with North American malls over the last couple decades has been to expand or die. Westbrook hasn't really expanded.

With the TOD study guiding the way toward more dense redevelopment, and of course the new station, Westbrook Mall will likely be systematically torn down and redeveloped in phases. It's only a matter of the market being right and the willingness of the owners to either develop or sell. The Safeway and the Wal-Mart may be the last things standing and their fates are more difficult to predict.

[Mango]

Originally Posted by frinkprof

The Safeway and the Wal-Mart may be the last things standing and their fates are more difficult to predict.

I was doing some research about this a few weeks ago. The Walmart in Westbrook Mall is actually slated to become the city's next Walmart Supercenter. However, my calls to the Walmart head office went unanswered in August. I was going to ask them about the LRT etc. I'm hoping to follow up on it in October.

[Ducay]

God that'd be amazing if they tore down Westbrook; that place is a dungeon. However, I can't see much incentive to do so right now since the main clientele for the mall is old folks, and the poor people that live nearby. I suppose mall owners will be watching traffic levels once the LRT gets in to see if a redevelopment of the mall is even viable, especially given the TOD plan in place.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Ducay

God that'd be amazing if they tore down Westbrook; that place is a dungeon. However, I can't see much incentive to do so right now since the main clientele for the mall is old folks, and the poor people that live nearby. I suppose mall owners will be watching traffic levels once the LRT gets in to see if a redevelopment of the mall is even viable, especially given the TOD plan in place.

Those are Sudanese.