Development planned for former Memorial School
This week’s St. Catharines city council happenings...
A development with 143 residences is being planned for the site of a former downtown St. Catharines school.
The Memorial Public School property at 17 Welland Ave., within the Queen Street Heritage Conservation District, is set to become home to a sixstorey, 103-unit apartment building and 40 townhouses.
While the city’s official plan and zoning bylaw permitted the proposed use for the property and the density, the developer requested modifications to the zoning, which was the subject of a public meeting Monday.
Council approved the application, which was recommended by city staff, but first heard from four residents.
They had concerns about privacy due to the height of the building, controlling construction dust, maintaining heritage, providing green space and dealing with increased traffic at the nearby intersection of Ontario Street and Welland Avenue/ Fourth Avenue.
“The traffic in the Ontario Street and Welland Avenue area is a nightmare regularly,” said Sarah McKie, an area resident who said it can sometimes be faster to walk to the Superstore on Fourth Avenue than trying to get through the traffic.
“How can adding presumably 100 or more drivers daily to the area be better? The short answer is, it won’t.”
A staff report said Niagara Region, which is responsible for the intersection, reviewed and accepted the developer’s traffic impact study that concluded traffic in the area would continue to function at “acceptable levels.”
Council added an amendment to the motion they approved, that residents be involved in the site plan process and the dust mitigation plan be circulated in advance of construction.
Memorial School was consolidated with Alexandra, Maywood and Queen Mary school communities into the Harriet Tubman Public School on Henry Street, which opened in 2015.
The former Memorial School is currently used by a private Montessori school.
The developer has plans to incorporate a portion of the existing school building into the front of the apartment building.
Totem Pole being examined by engineer
The decaying Centennial Gardens totem pole might require additional bracing and protective wrapping before it can be taken down for restoration work.
In a memo to council, city programs and culture services manager Lori Mambella said the city intends to hire a professional crane company with prior expertise in removal and installation of similar structures.
But before any removal of the 10.7-metre-tall artwork can happen, the city wants to have an appropriate removal plan in place.
“The totem pole is in a delicate state and concerns were expressed about potential damage or breakage,” she wrote.
“For that reason, the lift and removal plan is now being examined by a certified engineer who specializes in heritage work.”
Mambella said additional bracing and protective wrapping might need to be sourced before proceeding. A custommade storage cradle for the totem pole has already been constructed.
City council voted in August to restore and reinstall the totem pole, which has been standing in place since 1967.
The project, which will cost up to $125,000, involves taking down the totem pole, storing it for drying, restoring it and then reinstalling it in the park in 2020.
Mambella wrote staff are optimistic the pole can be removed from the Oakdale Avenue park before year’s end, as originally anticipated.
The city commissioned the totem pole in 1966 to be a focal point for its new Centennial Gardens park, created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Confederation. It was designed and carved by Kwakwaka’wakw artist Doug Cranmer of the ’Namgis Nation in British Columbia.
Council votes for no meetings on election nights
City council will no longer hold meetings on the same nights as provincial and federal elections.
Port Dalhousie Coun. Bruce Williamson made the motion in the wake of the Oct. 21 federal election, which fell on the same night as a city council meeting. The motion was adopted unanimously.
Williamson pointed out provincial legislatures regularly do not sit on the day of federal elections.
He said council needs to strive to achieve maximum voter turnout in elections and give municipal staff, council members and citizens every opportunity to exercise their democratic right.
He added they also need to be mindful of the media’s ability to provide effective coverage of local, provincial and federal politics.
Musical swings of note for budget committee
St. Catharines’ standing budget committee will consider inviting an interactive musical swing installation to the city.
Coun. Kevin Townsend of St. George’s ward asked that the city send an invitation to The Swings: An exercise in Musical Cooperation exhibit tour.
Created by Daily tous les jours, an arts and design studio based in Montreal, the exhibit is for all ages and backgrounds. Each swing in the musical swing set triggers a different note and through cooperation its users can compose a piece.
“It is a musical swing that does light up and it does focus on good well-being for our downtown,” Townsend said.
“It’s just an outstanding art exhibition that I think would be really beneficial to have in our city and I would love to see our city extend an invitation to have a tour stop here.”
Council referred the request to the budget committee after being told the estimated cost of bringing the display to the city is $5,000 US.
The Swings has exhibited in several cities including Montreal, New York, Detroit and West Palm Beach.