Shovels in the ground at Huntsville

by Carlye Malchuk Dash, reprinted by permission from the Huntsville Forester newspaper

Among the trees on the shores of Cann Lake now sits a vast clearing of mud, construction equipment and bright orange stakes which outline where, in a few short months, the building for the new University of Waterloo research facility will sit.

On Tuesday morning the Town of Huntsville held an official ground breaking at the site with Parry Sound-Muskoka MP Tony Clement and Dr. Deep Saini, dean of the faculty of environment for the University of Waterloo.

“This is about putting environment in the faculty of environment from my point of view,” Saini told a crowd of about 15 to 20 onlookers. “We were looking for opportunities to take our research and training to somewhere in the real environmental surroundings, and look around: you couldn’t ask for a better place than this.”

The 30,000 square foot research facility is being funded primarily through a $9-million grant from the federal government’s G8 infrastructure legacy fund and will first be used by summit organizers during next June’s event, then converted into a research facility for the University of Waterloo.

Clement said Tuesday that the project not only brings higher education to the region, it connects post-secondary studies to the field of ecology. “The potential here is more jobs and more opportunity in a fast-growing field, and that’s what we want to see,” he told this newspaper at the announcement.

Originally budgeted at $9 million, costs on the project may now run as high as $10 million.

When the project was unveiled, it was proposed to go on the current Lookout Field at Memorial Park. However, public outcry, including the threat of legal action, stopped those plans and a new site was chosen on town property located southeast of the lookout field and east of Muskoka Heritage Place.

No additional land had to be purchased to accommodate the new location, said town chief administrative officer Kelly Pender. However, servicing the site may push the cost up an additional $1 million, which the town would have to come up with, likely through a debenture taken out in 2011.

Huntsville mayor Claude Doughty told the Forester at the ground breaking that the town is still working to get firm costs on the new location, adding those numbers would likely be available in a couple weeks.

He said the project is currently two weeks behind the original schedule because of the new location, but added he’s confident the contractor can make that up. Blasting is likely to begin this week and the building will be up by the time the snow begins to fall in November. (Photo from Tuesday's event, left to right: Doughty, Clement, Saini.)

During the announcement, Doughty pointed out to onlookers where additional buildings could go should other partners want to establish on the site, creating a “campus” or “research park.” When asked about what other organizations were coming on board and when, Doughty replied, “Who knows? Time will tell.” He said other organizations, which he would not name or specifically state the nature of, have inquired about the site, adding that he’s had “brainstorming sessions” with a couple about putting together a business case for locating on the property.

“I think we were able to create some scenarios potentially that might have some traction,” he said, adding, “I wouldn’t be surprised that we could potentially have something pre-G8. If there were another building in here it could start construction as early as the spring, for example, but just go quiet for the G8 and then come back,” he said.

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Fees and fighting and forwards, forsooth

Thousands of students will be ending spring term co-op jobs, or more informal summer jobs, over the next few weeks, to return to campus after Labour Day, and thousands more students will be coming to Waterloo for the first time. All of them have to pay fees for the fall term, and none of them will be able to write cheques. “Fall 2009 fees have been posted to student accounts,” the web site of UW’s finance office is saying. “Promissory Notes and payments by certified cheque, money order or bank draft for the fall 2009 term are due August 31, 2009. Bank Payments and International Bank to Bank Transfers for the fall 2009 term are due September 9, 2009. Personal cheques are no longer a payment option. . . . Documents sent via regular mail are subject to uncertain delivery. We strongly recommend arranging bank payment or international bank-to-bank transfer, and using the online promissory note, to avoid late fees.”

Six student directors and 350 volunteers “were responsible for the successful introduction of a significant portion of the new students expected to begin studies at the University of Waterloo this fall,” says a news release from the Federation of Students. “The process was entirely student driven,” says Cora Dupuis of the Student Life Office, who was coordinator for the July 25 event, Student Life 101. She commended the volunteers for “their hard work and engagement of the broader student community”. “Who better than students to showcase student life to new students?” adds Becky Wroe, special events planner for the Feds. The day’s attractions ranged from performances by the Latin American Student Association to presentations by engineering design teams, but new students heard about more than just the fun aspects of student life. “The other focus of the event is to create a seamless transition for new students as they mark a significant milestone in their lives,” says Feds president Allan Babor. Asked why get involved in the planning of Student Life 101, one student director, Nilani Logeswaran, responded, “A lesson I learned in my years here is to never be afraid to take the chance get involved! As great as classes, readings, and assignments are, I found my best learning happening outside the classroom.”

Thirty people staying in Village residences, August 1 to 16, will be learning how to fight — or at least master the art of stage combat. They are taking part in the 16th annual Fight Directors Canada National Workshop. The organization describes itself as “a professional not-for-profit society dedicated to the education, development, advancement, and proficiency of action-oriented entertainment in theatre, television, and film, as well as educational institutions across the country.” In the workshop, successful participants will be certified as basic, intermediate or advanced actor-combatant, or as fight instructor. Videos of their work are online.

A news release from UW’s athletics department announces the “2009 recruiting class” for Warrior men’s basketball: five players coming from high schools in Ontario, British Columbia and the United States who will join the team this fall. “Each of these recruits will bring a variety of talent, size and toughness to the team,” says coach Tom Kieswetter. “They will immediately compete for playing time on a veteran squad.” Listed are Wayne Bridge, a 6-foot-3-inch guard who led the Eastern Commerce High School Saints to a gold medal last winter; Mark Peterson, a forward from Kitchener’s Forest Heights Collegiate; guard Harrison Mair of Vancouver College and previously the BC under-17 provincial team; Owen Coutts, a 7-foot centre from Lakeside High School in Seattle; and Dan Jeon, a guard who transfers to UW from Western and originated at London’s South High School.

Wednesday’s Daily Bulletin reported that “students — both undergraduate and graduate — can live in the 190-bed residence” at what’s now St. Paul’s University College. Actually, says Lindsay Restagno, director of operations at St. Paul’s, “our 190-bed dormitory is just for undergraduate students. We have a separate building with apartments and suites for graduate students.”

CAR

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