Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:
- Stay off the ice!
- It’s official: Mayor Stephen Mandel announced this week that he will seek a third consecutive term as mayor. A recent poll found that about 75% of Edmontonians feel Mandel is doing an acceptable job.
- The Edmonton Auto Spring Works, a historic building believed to have been constructed in 1904, was destroyed by a fire last weekend. Damages to the building and its contents were estimated at $2.5 million.
- The grand opening of the South LRT Extension to Southgate and Century Park is scheduled for Saturday, April 24. The trains and tracks are now being tested.
- Also on transit: City Council approved a one-year pilot program for reserved parking spaces at LRT park-and-ride lots.
- Nominations for the Edmonton Youth Excellence Awards are being accepted until April 13 at midnight.
- Richard Brommeland, Business Development and External Relations Director at the National Institute for Nanotechnology, is joining the EEDC board of directors effective April 15.
- Here’s your chance to own a piece of Olympic history: the Paint the Town Red banners are going up for sale.
- Construction will begin later this year to remove the lights at Anthony Henday Drive and Cameron Heights. The goal is to remove all traffic signals from the ring road by 2015.
- On Tuesday evening, a bunch of Tory MLAs went on a guided tour of Rexall Place, courtesy of Daryl Katz. Related: McKeen thinks Katz’s plan done properly will electrify downtown.
- The U of A announced that the originally proposed fee of $550 has been reduced to $290.
- If you’re on Facebook, here are some recent photos of Edmonton International Airport’s Expansion 2012 project.
- This year’s Indy will be known as the 2010 Honda Indy Edmonton. The event takes place July 23-25.
- On Tuesday, head down to City Hall during the lunch hour to salute the accomplishments of Edmonton-area Olympic and Paralympic athletes (on ShareEdmonton).