The Antigonish Chamber of Commerce held a breakfast meeting on signage on September 21st, 2011 at the Charles V.  Keating Centre.

There are several documents that were distributed at the meeting, particularly about signage policy and regulations. Those documents, and the Powerpoint presentations from the meeting, can be downloaded here.

Presentations:

Nova Scotia Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Presentation

Kings County Presentation

Nova Scotia Department of Tourism Presentation

Documents:

Tourism Signage: Festival, Attraction, Appendix A, Appendix B, Appendix C

Business Logo Signage Program Application

Community Identity Program

Motorist, Tourist and Transportation Service Program

In late June and early July, overnight construction was conducted on Trunk 7 causing noise disturbances in the surrounding area. After receiving complaints from the community, Nova Scotia Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal (TIR) conducted noise monitoring. They determined that the noise levels were within the limits set by municipal bylaws, but nonetheless took action to reduce the sound. The changes  included using equipment which did not produce as much noise and changing the operational procedures to mitigate loud noises. After implementing the changes, the decibel level dropped by 10dB and there were no further complaints. Overnight construction is now completed and no further disturbances are expected.

If you have further questions, please feel free to submit them on our contact us page.

Feedback was very positive after the Wetlands Compensation Open House held by Nova Scotia Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal (NSTIR) on May 18th. Attendees said that they found the information presented very useful and that they appreciated the opportunity to ask questions and find out more.

Wetland Compensation Presentation

It was obvious from discussion that the community sees Antigonish Landing as a valuable asset, and residents were happy to hear that the wetland would be expanded.

Residents viewed a detailed presentation on the project and the proposed work. The presentation was provided by Clinton Pinks of CBCL Consulting Engineers, and Bob Pett of NSTIR, who are leading the project. The presentation comprised many photographs, which showed diverse topics such  as the history of the site, land ownership, presence of plants and animals, and expected effects of different intensities of flooding. Residents had questions, suggestions and comments and were very interested in hearing about the planned wetland creation and the nature trail.

Interested Residents with Project Engineer Sheena Sampson

In addition to the presentation, stations were set up showcasing information and maps about the wetlands, the construction schedule of the highway, the Invasive Alien Plant program, the planned nature trail and the roundabouts. Each station was staffed by experts working on the project, including Sheena Sampson, the project engineer, NSTIR representatives, CBCL representatives and a researcher from the Nova Scotia Agricultural College.

At the stations, community members were given the opportunity to ask questions and engage in one-on-one conversations about the highway development and the wetlands remediation. There were also fact sheets available for people to take home and keep for reference. Attendees were pleased to receive information about the highway project and find out first hand about the future plans.

Project Manager Bob Pett Illustrates

The CBCL report about the wetlands expansion and trail construction will soon be submitted to Nova Scotia Environment for approval. The report will be available on the website as soon as it is completed and submitted. The presentation about the Antigonish Landing Wetland Compensation Project given by CBCL is available below. Residents are also encouraged to check the website regularly for updated information.

For a copy of the materials and fact sheets that were available at the Open House, please click on the links below.

You can find out about The Invasive Alien Plant Program at Antigonish Landing and specifically about the invasive species that is being addressed, the Japanese Knotweed.

At Antigonish Landing, there will be some work to improve existing trails and to create a new Nature Trail. This is part of a plan to compensate for wetlands that are affected by the construction of the project. There is a Wetlands Creation and Expansion Plan Factsheet that provides overall information on wetland compensation for this project. And if you want the details on the study and work proposed for Antigonish Landing as part of the wetland compensation, see the comprehensive presentation made at the open house.

If you are interested in when the highway project will be complete, you can reference the Phase I Construction Schedule, which shows the work done to date and what has to be done until the project is complete in the fall of 2012.

Interested in the roundabouts that will be present at the exits? You can read the Roundabouts Factsheet, see our Interchanges and Roundabouts Information Page or even visit the ones that are now in operation on Beech Hill Road.

Any questions? Send us an email!

Earlier this year the Community Liaison Committee lost a valuable member, Brian Segal. Brian passed away of heart failure in early February, after an inspiring battle against a sudden and difficult health challenge. Brian’s passing was also a loss to Antigonish, a community he dearly loved and in which he was very engaged. Brian’s obituary can be found here.

On the CLC, Brian was a force to be reckoned with. As a representative of the business community, he passionately advocated for methods to mitigate potential negative economic impacts of the twinned highway. However, he was also interested and vigilant in potential environmental impacts, safety, tourism, culture and many other issues related to the highway. He was also very committed to the CLC itself, and was convinced that a multi-stakeholder committee was the best way to ensure that there was effective communication between the people building the highway and the people in the community.

While we at the CLC mourn his loss, we also extend our condolences to everyone who misses Brian, most of all his wife Julia, his daughters Emma and Sarah, and the rest of Brian’s family. They are in our thoughts and prayers, and Brian will always be in our memory.

Photo by Michael Bruce Stevens, Antigonish

The twinning of Highway 104 at Antigonish includes infilling 7 hectares of wetland and 15 water course alteration. The Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal (TIR) is required to develop and implement a Wetlands and Fish Habitat Compensation plan in order to compensate for the impact on the disturbed wetlands and fish bearing streams, which must be approved by Nova Scotia Environment (NSE) and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO). TIR has proposed to compensate by creating new wetland and enhancing existing wetland and fish habitat in a 26 hectare study area located at Antigonish Landing and at several locations within the Brierly Brook and West River watersheds. That proposal is available here. Be patient, it is a large file and it takes a long time to download.

Information on the project can be found in this Powerpoint presentation, which includes many photos and maps of the area. Again, a large file that takes a while to download.

An Open House will be held at the Millenium Centre at ST FX on May 18, 2011 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. At the Open House, the consultants and TIR staff working on the compensation project will be available to answer questions you may have, and they would be very happy to hear your comments and suggestions. There will be a presentation given at 4:30 PM and again at 6:30 PM, after which there will be a question and answer period. People attending will have opportunity to discuss the wetlands compensation project one-on-one with the people involved.

On Wed. evening, October 20 at 7 pm, at the Antigonish Town Hall Council Chambers there will be a public meeting held by NS Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal (NSTIR). The purpose of the meeting is to:

1. brief residents about the Antigonish Wetland Restoration Project;
2. present findings of recent field work; and
3. solicit public input that will help the consultants design the wetland enhancement and restoration features (including an interpretive trail system).

Please view the overall concept of the project for more detailed information.

The Antigonish Landing is a beautiful, ecologically important area, and this meeting will give the public a forum to discuss this restoration project.

The Community Liaison Committee is working with the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal (NSTIR) to host an Open House on the Highway 104 at Antigonish project.

The Open House is being held at the Millennium Centre at St. FX on Wednesday, October 6, from 6 PM to 9PM.

NSTIR has redesigned the West River Bridge, changing it from a 241 metre span structure to a 140 metre structure. This change has very little impact on the river itself as the new bridge will still span the entire river. However, there are changes to how the bridge is constructed in the floodplain which impacts terrestrial biology, particularly some plants. After reviewing the changes to the bridge design, Nova Scotia Environment has determined that there is not a material change to the project, and that a new Environmental Assessment is not required.

The Open House provides information on the new bridge design and how terrestrial biology effects are being mitigates, and a public consultation opportunity for members of the public to provide their views on the bridge design.

As well, information will be available on many other topics, such as construction schedule, interchanges, round-a-bouts and wetland compensation.

The doors open at 6 PM, and the public is invited to drop-in at a time that is convenient to them.

The detour schedule has now been changed. The detour was originally projected to be in place from June 2010 until the end of the project, however, due to changes at Addington Forks the detour time has been reduced by two years. The detour is now projected to open in the summer of 2012.