Donwood Park Renovations are Complete

Construction at Clintonia Park in Donwood is complete thanks to a $76,900 Capital grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation received in 2019.

Clintonia Park under renovation on July 9, 2021. Photo Courtesy of Ang Davis.

Plans have been underway to renovate the park since 2019 when original playground equipment was aging and no longer met current safety standards.

With the support of council community volunteers and Township staff replaced the equipment and addressed the landscaping and drainage issues in the park.

“Having grown up in the community, I am happy that we were able to bring the neighbourhood together to make this space a fun space for everyone for generations to come,” said Angela Bullock, a volunteer working on the committee.

The park serves approximately 500 residents in the Donwood community.

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VIP Guest Aids in "Ground-Digging" Ceremony for New Animal Care Centre

“Thor” the dog along with a small group gathered together at the future site of the Peterborough Animal Care Centre for a tour and to celebrate the facility’s construction progress on Monday.

Thor with officials from the humane society, the city and the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society. Photo Courtesy Of Peterborough Humane Society.

Construction began in early May at 1999 Technology Dr. but COVID restrictions prevented a traditional groundbreaking ceremony.

$7.6 million of $10 million has been raised for the new animal facility.

The building has created roughly 50 construction jobs with 20 full-time jobs upon its completion according to the press release. Construction completion is expected by December 2022.

“Thor is a perfect example of how the new Centre will impact the lives of animals in need,” says Shawn Morey, Peterborough Humane Society executive director. “He’s unneutered and waiting to get a spot for his surgery before he can be adopted. With backlogs at veterinary and spay/neuter clinics throughout the region, animals like Thor wait weeks or even months to get in for surgery.”

The ground-digging ceremony for the new Animal Care Centre that started construction in May. Photo Courtesy of Peterborough Humane Society.

The Centre will include the Peterborough Humane Society’s Adoption and education centre, a publicly accessible spay and neuter clinic and a provincial dog rehabilitation centre.

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Real Estate Developer Has Groundbreaking Ceremony For New Mixed-Use Building

The Excelsior Centre had its groundbreaking ceremony at the start of its construction located on the corner of Parkhill Road and Chandler Crescent on Friday afternoon.

Councillor members, city officials and Thakkar commemorate the groundbreaking ceremony with gold shovels. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The 13,000 square foot structure by Excelsior Group will have retail stores on the lower half, 15 apartments on the second floor fitted with an elevator and a drive-thru pad for a Tim Hortons. Over $10 million has been invested into the Center and is expected to complete construction in early 2022.

The company has hired local contractors and services for the building’s construction such as Drain Bros. Excavating Limited in Norwood.

Aside from a convenience store, it is unknown what stores will occupy the building. Century 21 United Realty Inc. was in attendance and jointly marketed the project with Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis Group.

“To see the investment happening in our great in our community it’s wonderful and it’s symbolic of today while the province is opening things up and investors are putting a lot of money into Peterborough,” said Dion Gemmiti, Century 21 real estate agent.

“I know this subdivision has been in development for a long time and I’m sure the residents are all excited about it as well. said Vanessa Oake Hogan, Century 21 owner. “I think it’s an opportunity for new businesses in the area.”

“I’m excited to see a small commercial development come to the subdivision,” said Alex McInroy, a nearby resident. “It would great to drop into the store for a donut with my daughter Phoebe.”

The Century 21 representatives at the groundbreaking ceremony. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The ceremony was held by Satish Thakkar, founder and president of the Toronto-based real estate developing firm. In attendance was his crew, MPP Dave Smith, Councillor Lesley Parnell, Councillor Dan Vassiliadis and Stu Harrison among many others.

“Whatever we can support who are in need and particularly during this time, that community, we want to invest in,” said Thakkar. “We should be a part of it, we should help that community in whatever way we can.”

Thakkar shatters a coconut, claiming that the outer shell represents ego and needs to be broken to let it go. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The groundbreaking event was the opportunity for Thakkar to donate $1,000 each to Brock Mission and Cameron House emergency shelter for women. The money for the former will finish the construction of the new building but unsure for the latter’s use according to Bill McNabb, Brock Mission executive director.

“It’s a win-win scenario,” he said. “When you’re not soliciting the money and somebody comes forward, it just feels very supportive and encouraging.”

Thakkar donating two $1,000 cheques for Brock Mission and Cameron House. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Despite being based in Toronto, that was not Thakkar’s only charitable contribution to Peterborough. In March, Thakkar helped deliver over 200 meals to One Roof Diner on his son’s 20th birthday.

Notable city members unanimously agreed that the building would be a significant contribution to Peterborough’s economic growth and development since the area has little to no commercial space in that community.

“When you have people congregating in one area, you need to have commercial spaces as well,” said Smith. “It fits a lot of what the needs are for the community.”

“It’s a plus and there’s a commercial component to this which there is none now,” said Parnell. “There are some services that there will be a complete benefit for this neighbourhood.”

The site of the where the Excelsior Centre will be built on the corner of Parkhill Road and Chandler Crescent. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Construction was delayed by two years since the city upgraded the roads around that area including the newly built roundabout on the intersection of Parkhill Road and Brealey Drive.

“It was an incredible concession on his part,” said Parnell. “We’ve very happy to see shovels in the ground today.”

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Road Construction Will Slow Traffic Throughout Peterborough

The City of Peterborough has started sealing the cracks in the City’s roads this week. This helps lengthen the life of the road, preventing water infiltration.

Unfortunately that also means that many roads will be reduced to single lanes in either direction. Check out the City’s handy online map to see where construction is currently slowing down your commute (denoted in purple).

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Construction Is Now Resuming At Scotts Mills Dam In Peterborough

Parks Canada’s construction projects are considered part of the Agency’s critical services to the public. As such, work has continued on them over the past several weeks, including Scotts Mills Dam.

Construction of the first two sluices and completion of the secant retaining wall on the eastern shoreline of the Scotts Mills Dam is set to resume as early as this week. Work will not include pile driving at this time.

The Scotts Mills Dam at Lock 19 is centrally located and as such remains an important part of the Peterborough community by way of public space, flood mitigation, environmental protection and through navigation. As construction progresses, curiosity builds for what the finished dam will look like.

Below is a rendering of what it will look like…

THE SCOPE OF PROJECT

-> The Scotts Mills Dam at Lock 19 is in the process of being fully replaced with a new dam that respects the historic look of the site (see rendering above) and has a life expectancy of more than 80 years.

-> The new dam will optimize hydraulic capacity, increase the safety of water management operations, and be constructed in a way that allows improved access for maintenance activities.

-> In addition, the project will be the first step in creating a more public friendly lock site, with pedestrian access onto the dam itself once restored.

 WHAT’S NEXT

·  Demolition and excavation are almost complete with construction of the pier, base slab and stilling basin to follow.

·  Pile driving is projected to resume in June, and additional construction noise can be expected.

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Peterborough Releases Interactive Road Construction Map

The City's Infrastructure and Planning Services Department Engineering Division has launched an interactive map identifying road construction work.

The interactive map shows the road construction projects throughout the City, listing project contact information, anticipated completion date and details on the type of work being performed. The map also identifies new subdivisions currently under development.

CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

• Crack Seal

• Road Reconstruction

• Sewer Replacement / Spot Repairs

• Sidewalk (Public Works) - Reconstruction

• Sidewalk/Trail - New Construction

• Subdivision

• Resurfacing

Plus you can also toggle 2018 Special Projects, and even go back and look at 2016 and 2017 completed projects.

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