Here are my weekly Edmonton notes:
- Great news for regional transit! Twelve municipalities in the region have agreed to fund a joint study on the possibility of creating an integrated transit network.
- Between EPSB and ECSD, the estimate for maintenance is around $750 million. Many schools need major overhauls, with four of EPSB’s schools falling into the “poor” category.
- Plans for the proposed Performing Arts Centre will be released tomorrow at Executive Committee. I’m not at all convinced that we need this building, even if it is primarily funded by philanthropic contributions. I hope the plans go beyond “build it and they will come” like so many others.
- I’m not sure I would have wanted this assignment, but the result is an interesting read: Omar Mouallem was sent to WEM for three days and three nights and was not allowed to leave!
- Construction of a new $5 million beach at Hawrelak Park could begin as early as this fall. Sketches peg the location as adjacent to the existing lake and parking lot.
- Apparently thousands of ornamental trees in our city are being attacked by black knot fungus. This and other diseases are taking a toll. The City used to replace 600 to 900 trees each year, but since 2002 that number has jumped to more than 4000.
- Ever wonder which neighbourhoods generate the most sidewalk complaints? Turns out McKernan and Strathcona top the list.
- Hey Edmonton movie makers! Jeff has the details on some upcoming events you don’t want to miss.
- In case you missed it, transit ridership increased by 3.1% in 2012, continuing a trend that began over ten years ago.
- Will the former CEOs of local tech success stories BioWare and Upside Software strike gold again with NPO Zero, their new venture focused on helping non-profits?
- The Junos are coming up in April – here’s the list of Edmonton nominees.
- The ETS Customer Service Centre has moved from Churchill Station to the main floor of City Hall.
- This is older but I wanted to include it: EPCOR has restructured its corporate senior management team.
- Be sure to check out these other fantastic roundups: Council Roundup for February 20, #yegdt notes for February 21, and Family Day Roundup.
Downtown Morning by brardj
Here are some upcoming events:
- The new Civic Precinct Master Plan will be presented at City Hall from 11am to 5pm on Tuesday.
- Edmonton Girl Geek Dinners returns on Tuesday evening at Accent Lounge.
- The Global Visions Film Festival gets underway on Wednesday.
- The next UX Edmonton Meetup takes place on Wednesday evening at Startup Edmonton.
- If you love TED videos, you’re going to love this week! Wednesday is the latest installment of TED Talks @ Lunch and Thursday is the next in the TEDxEdmonton Salon Series on designing spaces.
- Are you a mom entrepreneur? If so, don’t miss Start Up Mamas taking place on Saturday.
- Hurry, hurry hard! The Tim Hortons Brier starts on Saturday at Rexall Place.
- Pecha Kucha Night returns on March 7 at the Edmonton Expo Centre. You can check out the list of presenters here.
- For more upcoming events, check out ShareEdmonton.
The Pearl Tower under construction, photo by Darren
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