John Dance
is the Chair of the Old Ottawa East (OOE) Community Association’s
Planning Committee. From his unique vantage point, he keeps our
readers informed of a wide range of community developments
Greenfield, Main, Hawthorne Project breaks ground
The massive Greenfield, Main, Hawthorne (GMH) reconstruction project is very much underway with streets being torn up in OOE’s northern quadrant. The total budget for the project, including the work done last year, is set at $46.5 million.
One outstanding question is whether a third bollard will be installed to improve the safety of pedestrians at the dangerous southwest corner of Main and Hawthorne. The City has told The Mainstreeter that “A determination on the installation of a third bollard will be made after all of the underground work on Hawthorne Avenue has been completed, and the new curb line has been marked out in the field. This is expected to occur in the fall.”
Very corroded cast iron watermain was excavated from Echo Drive in front of Immaculata High School as part of the massive GMH project. New and durable PVC pipe will be installed.
Photo by John Dance
Bumps on Colonel By Drive explained
So what was that construction activity and those deep bumps across Colonel By Drive (CBD) near Pig Island all about this Spring? Turns out that the 10 catch basins and lead pipes along CBD between Mount Pleasant Avenue and Avenue Road had reached their end of service life and required replacement.
In coordination with the National Capital Commission, the City undertook the project to replace the deteriorated catch basins and lead pipes. The overall project cost was about $250,000.
The good news is that there is no plan for replacing other catch basins on Colonel By Drive. Catch basins are the essential means of draining storm water from city roads.
A shadowy proposal for Lansdowne
At the Lansdowne Farmers’ Market, local residents had a chance to view a model showing the visual impact of the three proposed residential towers in the middle of Lansdowne Park. Old Ottawa East (OOE) resident Peter Frood, pictured above, commented, “The scaling and mass of this concept overwhelms the Aberdeen Pavilion, bathing the pavilion, parks and other parts of the site in shadows. It is inappropriate for the site. The plan is all about profit-taking, not community making.”
The model was commissioned by the Glebe Community Association. To date, the City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group have only provided aerial renderings of what the new towers would look like. No images are available to show how the towers would appear from the OOE side of the Rideau Canal and how they would affect the current dominance of the Aberdeen Pavilion.
Photo by John Dance
Au Coeur delay confirmed
The proposed opening of the Au Coeur school in the renovated Deschâtelets Building will not be this coming September, the date Le Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est (CECCE) had previously set as an opening goal.
Over the last few months, residents in neighbouring properties have seen little activity on the site so the confirmation of a delay comes as no surprise.
“A request to proceed with tender for the fit-up of the Deschâtelets Building and the gymnasium addition was sent to the Ministry [of Education] in October 2022,” CECCE reports. “The CECCE is waiting for approval to proceed with the tender and for additional funding. [T]he starting budget, approved by the Ministry, was $5.7 million in October 2020.”
Since last summer when The Mainstreeter reported on progress, most of the interior demolition and structural stabilization work has been completed. The interior and exterior stone repointing has also been done in most needed areas.
There is no new forecasted opening date. It will be dependent on the Ministry’s approval, says CECCE. Au Coeur is currently located in the old De Mazenod School at the corner of Main Street and Graham Avenue. In addition, it rents space for a classroom at Old Town Hall.
