The Next Phase Of Downtown Street Modifications Has Begun

The City of Peterborough says in a release that the next phase of implementing the downtown street modifications to help people stay safe with physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic will be completed by Friday, June 26th, with the installation of signage currently underway.

Delineators marking the new divide between roads, on-street parking and expanded pedestrian space were installed last weekend. By modifying the road layout, the City is creating more space for pedestrians to provide an opportunity for physical distancing—staying at least two metres apart from others—in the downtown, where narrow sidewalks would typically make that challenging.

Photo by Neil Morton, PTBOCanada

To do this, some former parking lanes have been converted to temporary sidewalks and new parking bays have been created in the closed through lane. Signs being installed this week will clarify the parking bay locations, the locations where new loading zones have been established, and new accessible parking spaces.  

The changes are temporary during the pandemic. They were designed in collaboration with Peterborough Public Health and the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area. Along with the road design modifications, the speed limit in the affected areas has been reduced to 30 kilometres an hour.

Photo by Neil Morton, PTBOCanada

Even with the changes, there are still about 385 on-street parking spaces in the downtown, with 100 of these spaces located within areas affected by the downtown street modifications. 

In addition, there are almost 1,200 parking spaces in municipal parking garages and about 400 parking spaces in municipal parking lots in the central area. Click here to view the parking map.

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When A Marathon Was Cancelled, Two Peterborough Men Created Their Own And Raised Vital Funds For One Roof

When the Ottawa marathon they were slated to run in was cancelled due to Covid-19, Peterborough friends Peter Laurie and Javier Bravo (Peter teaches at Fleming College, and Javier is Student Recruitment Coordinator there) turned all their training into something positive for the community.

They ran their own marathon on Father’s Day from Peterborough to Omemee and back, and turned it into a fundraiser for One Roof Community Centre, raising more than $2,300 so far. Supported by family and friends, they were able to run the marathon on one of the hottest days. (It was the 2nd marathon for Peter, and first for Javier.)

Javier & Peter (photo by Cathy Bolan)

"We were already well into training for the Ottawa marathon by the time it was cancelled, and there was no question about whether we would keep running,” Laurie tells PTBOCanada.

“We decided that if we were going to train through a pandemic and then run a marathon, it should also be about giving back. When we contacted One Roof, they were thrilled that we were taking them on as the focus of our fundraising. In little more than a week of publicity via Facebook and Instagram, we had raised over $2,300.”

Photo by Cathy Bolan

"The day of the run itself was forecast to be brutally hot, and it truly was, with a high somewhere north of 30 C,” Laurie tells PTBOCanada. “Even though we started early Sunday morning, things got hot very quickly. The last half of the marathon, which involved running back from Omemee on the Trans Canada Trail, felt like a war of attrition as we worked hard to stay hydrated.”

Photo by Cathy Bolan

Given the extreme heat, the friends say without the help they received from family and friends, it's unlikely they would have been able to complete it.

One friend, Bill Templeman, served as their nutrition and hydration support, riding his bike alongside Javier and Peter for the entire route and setting up mobile drink stations every few kilometres. In addition, Laurie’s son drove to Omemee to meet them at the halfway point, where he dumped cold water over their heads to help cool them off. Other family members and friends were also out on their bikes to cheer the men on at different stages of the route.

It was truly a team effort—and a community effort with the vital funds raised for One Roof—turning this into a marathon of creative ingenuity these men will never forget.

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Peterborough Man Hits His First Hole In One & It Happened Playing With His Dad On Father's Day At Kawartha

Steve Stanlick is in his 46th year playing at Kawartha Golf & Country Club in Peterborough, and finally got his first hole in one.

But it gets better: Steve was part of a foursome that included his Dad, Roy, and the shot he made happened on Father’s Day.

Left to right: The foursome of Dan Chimenti, Tony Benn, Roy and Steve

“It was a 199 yard 5 wood on number 12,” Stanlick tells PTBOCanada. “It was a nice high draw that landed just shy of the top of the hill on the green and slowly rolled toward the hole.”

Steve with the magical ball

“We did lose sight of it but Dan Chimenti said he thought it might have gone in,” Stanlick tells PTBOCanada. “As we approached the green and did not see a ball, we knew it must be in the hole.”

Stanlick says it was a great feeling to make that shot with his Dad on this special day. “I’m very happy he was there to witness it, especially on Father’s Day.”

Here’s video of Stanlick celebrating after the big shot…

Congrats to Steve Stanlick who recorded his first ever hole in one playing with his Father on Father’s Day @kawartha_golf !! #12 #Ace #Cool pic.twitter.com/Ft5xYuflHv

— Mark Ahrens (@mahrensgolf) June 21, 2020

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StoosNews Spotlight: Check Out The Business Beat Featuring Peterborough Farmers Market, Never Bin Cleaner & More!

PTBOCanada is delighted to to be running StooNews columns each week here, spotlighting new businesses and startups in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. Here is this week’s edition…

The Peterborough Farmers Market reopened at Morrow Park this past Saturday. The new board of directors has a new lease agreement with the City of Peterborough. They have been working closely with the Peterborough health unit team, and have an extensive plan to help everyone feel safe shopping for local food outdoors. Check them out this Saturday morning at Morrow Park, at the corner of George and Lansdowne Street in Peterborough. Peterboroughfarmersmarket.com

Also, the Lakefield Flea Market opened for business on Sunday, June 21st. The market is located at the fair grounds in Lakefield and runs every Sunday from 9 – 4, with all proper Public Health protocols in place.

Is your dumpster a disaster? Is your can clean? Never Bin Cleaner is Scott Scaletta’s new business, cleaning and sanitizing waste dumpsters and bins for both residential and commercial customers. Scott offers on-site cleaning, disinfecting and everything is Eco-Friendly. He also offers power washing and walkway and driveway cleaning. Visit neverbincleaner.ca for details.

We all know that the charitable and not for profit sector has been hit hard this year, particularly those that depend on fundraising events. The Great Canadian Giving Challenge is a national public contest to benefit any registered Canadian Charity. Every $1 donated to a registered charity in June via CanadaHelps.org automatically enters the Charity to Win an additional $20,000 donation! Just go to Canadahelps.org and do a keyword search for Peterborough.

And finally, a shoutout to realtor John Bowes who announced his retirement last week after 70 years in the real estate business. Happy 93rd birthday Mr. Lowes, and congratulations. Also, Rocky Caravaggio passed away last week. An Italian immigrant, who with his brother Nick and their families have made a lasting impact on the Peterborough community. Thanks for a life well lived Rocky…

“Like” StoosNews page on Facebook here!

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City Splash Pads Open For The Season

The City of Peterborough has announced that Splash Pads in City parks are now open for the season with people encouraged to follow public health guidelines when using the water play structures.

The splash pads open from noon to 7 p.m. each day. They are located at the following locations:

• King Edward Park, 455 George St. S.

• Nicholls Oval, 725 Armour Rd.

• Rogers Cove, 131 Maria St.

• Kinsmen Park, 1 Kinsmen Way (Sherbrooke Street and Clonsilla Avenue)

• Barnardo Park, Barnardo Avenue north of Sunset Boulevard

Photo courtesy City of Peterborough

The splash pads were commissioned for the season on Friday, June 19th after discussions with Peterborough Public Health on safe operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Peterborough Public Health reminds everyone that public health measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 must be followed when attending and using splash pads. Signage is posted at splash pads to provide guidance on the measures. Public Health recommends the following measures:

• Where there are buttons to activate water features, people should use their elbows or feet to push the buttons, depending on the height, instead of their hands. During the state of emergency, splash pads should be considered a "Hands-Free Zone".

• Maintain physical distancing of at least two metres from other people who are not from the same household or designated social circle.

• Bring hand sanitizer and use it frequently. Avoid touching your face.

Water play features in the splash pads that require gripping, such as water cannons, have been disabled or removed in order to encourage a hands-free environment.

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100 Women Peterborough’s First Virtual Meeting Raises Funds For Community Care Peterborough

On June 16th, the powerful 100 Women Peterborough group came together for their first ever virtual meeting to raise funds for an organization in need.

Community Care Peterborough was chosen by majority vote to receive the funds and 100 Women Peterborough is anticipating the total donation to be upwards of $5,000 to $6,000 based on feedback from the membership. 

More than 40 women joined the call to hear from three organizations—Community Care, Alternatives Community Support Services and Kawartha Food Share—which were selected during a special call for nominations. 

“The 100 Women Peterborough organizers decided to call out for new nominations from members to specifically support organizations that were in need during this difficult time,” says Rose Terry, one of the founding members of the group. “We knew that a special meeting was needed to support not-for-profits that had been severely impacted by the pandemic.”

Charities and not-for-profits in Canada have faced billions in lost revenue. Since many rely on donations and events in order to raise the funds necessary to do their work, COVID-19 has impacted their fundraising in an unprecedented way.

Photo of virtual meeting courtesy 100 Women Peterborough

“Community Care was deemed an essential service and remained open throughout the pandemic as we serve seniors and adults with disabilities in the City and County of Peterborough,” says Alicia Vandine – Donor Relations and Communications Lead for Community Care. “We saw a surge in the need for our supports during the COVID crisis, particularly in our Meals on Wheels program. We also grew this program to include grocery and pharmacy delivery for our clients so that we could keep them home and out of harm’s way.”

“One of the largest misconceptions about Community Care is that we are 100% funded by the Ontario government, this is simply not the case. With many of our fundraising events cancelled in the spring and summer, we are grateful to 100 Women Peterborough for choosing us for their June 2020 funds,” adds Vandine. “These dollars will support our Meals on Wheels program throughout the City and County of Peterborough.”

One hundred percent of the funds raised by the 100 Women Peterborough membership are donated to four non-profit organizations determined by the membership throughout the year. 

Women that are interested in joining the group are encouraged to reach out via the website here.

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Bold New Plan Will Make Downtown Peterborough Largest Open Air Shopping Experience In Region

The City of Peterborough is adding more pedestrian space and flexible-use areas that give businesses an opportunity for some limited outside space as part of a re-working of public space in the downtown through a plan developed in collaboration with the Downtown Business Improvement Area and Peterborough Public Health.

Pedestrians, cyclists and motorists should watch for signs and markers indicating changes to sidewalks, cycling lanes, on-street parking and road lanes that are being implemented over the next several days.

Work has already begun to mark the roads where delineators will be installed to separate the expanded pedestrian space from vehicular traffic. As the equipment arrives, it will be installed in phases through sections of the downtown with George Street first, followed by areas on King, Charlotte, Water and Hunter streets, in that order. The changes are expected to be fully implemented by the end of next week.

File photo of Hunter Street by PTBOCanada

This bold plan will make Downtown Peterborough the largest open air shopping experience in the region, says Terry Guiel, Downtown Business Improvement Area Executive Director.

“Downtown will feature more than 30 new or expanded patios, allowing patrons a safe and enjoyable dining experience,” Guiel says. “The patios are essential to help bring staff back to work and to draw attention to the downtown in a vibrant way that will also increase foot traffic for our retailers.”

Photo courtesy DBIA

For vehicular traffic, the changes are largely in the following areas:

• George Street between Murray Street and Sherbrooke Street, which will be reduced to one lane southbound for vehicular traffic

• Water Street, between Simcoe Street and Hunter Street, which will be reduced to one lane northbound for vehicular traffic

• Hunter Street between Aylmer Street and George Street, which will become a one-way street with one westbound lane

• Charlotte Street between Aylmer Street and George Street, which will be become a one-way street with one eastbound lane.

The cycling lanes on George Street and Water Street remain in place as part of the changes, which are temporary as part of the measures being put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The reduced road space for vehicles will create more space for pedestrians and flexible-use areas for businesses, which could be used for patios or pop-up commercial space through a fast-tracked application process with the City.

File photo by PTBOCanada

Helping people follow public health guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic as activity increases in the community during the Province’s re-opening framework is the overarching goal of the plan.

The plan considers several priorities, such as pedestrian space, business activity, equitable use of space, accessibility, commercial deliveries, construction, and emergency access.

“It’s impressive to see the efforts made by both business operators and customers to follow public health measures for everyone’s safety,” says Dr. Rosana Salvaterra, Medical Officer of Health. “In these public settings, workers and their clients are reminded to practice physical distancing, staying at least two metres away from people who are not from the same household or same social circle.”

Dr. Salvaterra adds that even with the changes to the downtown streets, it is recommended to use a face covering to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 when physical distancing and keeping two-metres distance from others may be challenging or not possible.

ON-STREET PARKING HAS BEEN MAINTAINED IN MANY AREAS

With the reconfiguration of streets, on-street parking has been maintained in many areas throughout the downtown to continue to support curbside pickup and deliveries. Some new commercial loading zones are being established to help businesses that rely on deliveries and these will be strictly enforced.

While on-street parking and parking in surface lots will continue to be free, with less on-street spaces available the two-hour parking limit will also be enforced to make sure that the available spaces are there to support business customers.

Visitors and employees working in the downtown are encouraged to use the City parking garages and surface lots and walk to their destinations. Paying for parking is still required at municipal parking garages, and the City will continue to offer one hour of free parking at all parking garages.

The map of the changes to roads, sidewalks and on-street parking in the downtown is available on the City’s website at www.peterborough.ca/downtownptbo.

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Canoe & Paddle's New Patio Is Built On AstroTurf The Toronto Blue Jays Won World Series On

It’s not often—or ever—that you get the chance to eat delicious pub food on a patio in the Kawarthas that sits on AstroTurf that the Toronto Blue Jays won the 1993 World Series on. But that opportunity is now on deck at Lakefield’s Canoe & Paddle, whose new patio sits atop some of the old turf that is such a huge piece of Canadian sports history.

Indeed, the Canoe & Paddle were lucky enough to secure some of the old AstroTurf that the Toronto Blue Jays won the World Series on at SkyDome (now Roger’s Centre) on Joe Carter’s dramatic walk-off home run in Game 6 in ‘93, giving the Jays back-to-back World Series titles.

Photo courtesy Canoe & Paddle

Jake Exton from Canoe & Paddle is at bat, and tells PTBOCanada the backstory behind it:

“It was a chance conversation about three years ago with Ian Knott from Indian Rubber Tire Shop in Buckhorn. He built an indoor baseball and lacrosse training centre at his business. He was a pitcher in the U.S., and had contacts within the business. He bought four rolls of AstroTurf when the SkyDome switched the surface in 1994. I remembered him talking about it about three years ago, and on the announcement that we would be able to expand our patios, I made a call and found he still had two rolls—which he was happy to sell to us!”

Photo courtesy Canoe & Paddle

They built the patio within a day, not quite as long as it took to build SkyDome, and the response has been fantastic to eating on the turf—a field of dreams, if you will.

”People love the history behind it and love telling us their stories of watching the game on TV or being there live to watch it happen,” Exton tells PTBOCanada.

Yep, to say they knocked this one out of the park would be an understatement.

And for those that forget…

THE BLUE JAYS ARE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS ONCE AGAIN. 🎉

Joe Carter hits a walk-off home run in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series. #BlueJaysOnSN pic.twitter.com/4eVJ5euWjl

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 13, 2020

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Flying Colours Corp. Completes 240-Month Global Express Heavy Inspection At Peterborough Headquarters

Flying Colours Corp. has completed a 240 month inspection for a Bombardier Global Express aircraft. The intense check took place at their headquarters at Peterborough Airport where a technical team with extensive heavy maintenance experience completed the twenty-year inspection.

Completely stripped back to the air frame, a thorough check for corrosion, stress fractures and other issues that may affect the structural integrity of the aircraft was undertaken. This was followed by a number of service bulletin updates.

In conjunction with the mandatory 240 month inspection tasks and landing gear restoration, additional hourly inspections were completed, as well as, multiple service bulletins to inspect for and correct flap corrosion. In the new fully computerised and climate controlled state-of-the-art paint shop which opened this March at the Canadian company’s headquarters, paint work touch ups rejuvenated the fuselage. 

Flying Colours performing heavy maintenance checks on Bombardier Global aircraft types (Photo courtesy Flying Colours)

The aircraft was already familiar to the Flying Colours Corp. team, having visited Peterborough just two years’ ago for a complete cabin refurbishment and new fuselage paintwork under previous ownership.

Minor touch ups to the cabinetry and soft furnishings were also undertaken in parallel with the latest maintenance. Confirming the company’s expertise on this platform, a further two Bombardier Global Express heavy maintenance checks are in the pipeline, with a 120- and 240-month scheduled in the next six months. 

“The 240 month inspection is extensive and requires extreme attention to detail to ensure the aircraft is structurally safe to enter back into service,” says Kevin Kliethermes, Director of Sales, Flying Colours Corp. With most early production Global aircraft still operating, Kliethermes says the team is pleased to be supporting future inspections. “As a Bombardier Authorized Service Facility, we are very well positioned to support owners of this airframe.”

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Peterborough & Kawarthas Receives Great Recognition At Water Canada’s Water's Next Awards

Peterborough and the Kawarthas received great recognition at the Water’s Next Awards on June 11th during an event that was held virtually from Ottawa, hosted by Water Canada and the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA).

Innovation Cluster President John Gillis took the award in the Business Leader category, for using his time and knowledge to give back to the cleantech community through his work at the Innovation Cluster.

“I was completely surprised, shocked, as well as totally humbled on receiving this award,” says Gillis. “Clean technology and water tech is a passion of mine and will continue to work with all our associate groups in the region, like Peterborough and Kawartha Economic Development, City of Kawartha Lakes, Trent University, Fleming College CAWT, CleanTech Commons, City of Peterborough and all the work we do here at the Innovation Cluster to support startups in the CleanTech environment.”

John Gillis

In the Projects and Technology category, local company and Innovation Cluster alumni Aclarus Ozone took the award. Aclarus aims to provide a practical, affordable system for the complete treatment of rain water and green roof run off water for non-potable reuse without chemicals.

Peterborough was recognized again as Chris Metcalfe of Trent University was nominated in the Academic Leader category for his focus on his research on the distribution and toxic effects of contaminants in the environment.

PUTTING PETERBOROUGH ON THE MAP

Peterborough & the Kawarthas is known for the successful and innovative individuals and companies that are helping to put this destination on the map as a hub for clean technology.

In 2018, Water Canada named Peterborough the best place in Ontario and second in Canada to grow a watertech startup.

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