Categories
Community Events

Who’s afraid of a little cold weather?

Newmarket Winterfest 2011 photoNot us! On Saturday and Sunday, February 4 and 5, it’s Winterfest at the Ray Twinney Complex in Newmarket and on Saturday we’ll be there. We’ll be enjoying the beauty of winter and chatting with you about Davis Drive rapidways in Newmarket. It may be the coldest time of the year, but the Town of Newmarket is making the most of the weather by hosting a fun-filled event where everyone is welcome.

Stop by our booth to visit us as our costumed character bears the cold and helps kids play a fun game to win prizes! Other outdoor fun includes snow volleyball and mini putt, a chainsaw carving demonstration, archery, and dog sled and horse-drawn wagon rides. Indoors there’s a pancake breakfast at 8 a.m., followed by a variety of activities including face painting, an inflatable obstacle course, and a photography contest.

You may want to drop by the Ray Twinney Complex on Sunday too, because the Newmarket Winterfest continues, with a craft sale, a free skate and free swim.

Winterfest admission is free, but a donation of non-perishable food is appreciated. For more details, see the Town of Newmarket’s Winterfest Flyer, Winterfest Photography Contest Application, and the Winterfest Craft Sale Flyer.

See you soon in Newmarket!

Newmarket Winterfest 2011
Ray Twinney Complex
100 Eagle Street West, Newmarket

Saturday, February 5:

  • Pancake breakfast starts at 8 a.m.
  • Indoor activities: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Outdoor activities: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sunday, February 6:

  • Craft sale: 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Free skate: 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Free swim: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Categories
Announcements Community Events

Stop by our open house in Newmarket!

Davis Drive will be widened to create two dedicated lanes for rapidways in the centre of the road between Yonge Street and Roxborough Road. In 2010, we began testing soil, relocating utilities and removing buildings (and recycling building materials) to prepare for road construction. We’ve scheduled road construction to begin in fall 2011, but before we start working on the road we have more utilities to relocate, retaining walls to build, and we need to widen the Keith Bridge.

So we have lots of work to do this year. With the project continuing to move forward, we’re inviting you to drop in to our open house next Thursday. If you missed all the previous meetings or didn’t catch us at various community events, this is your opportunity to come and look at maps and information boards, and talk to us. You’ll learn about how the rapidways will work and how they’ll benefit Newmarket, and also about what you can expect during construction and how you can stay informed throughout the project.

If you can’t come to the meeting be sure to sign up for project updates, and check out the Past Meetings page on our website, where we’ll also post all the materials from this open house.

Join Us
Date: Thursday, January 27, 2011
Time: Drop in between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Location: Bethel Christian Reform Church
333 Davis Drive, Newmarket

Categories
General Rapidways

A hum of activity

Photo of hydrovac preparing for utility relocation
Hydrovac crew bores a hole in the ground

There has been a hum of activity on Highway 7 lately. To be specific, the hum of a hydrovac – a large truck-mounted vacuum used to bore holes in the ground. We’re widening some of York Region’s roads to add dedicated rapidway lanes, but to do that we need to locate utility cables and pipes in the ground, and then use a variety of trucks and tools to move all of the utilities further back from the roads.

In terms of utilities, all roads are not the same. Which utilities are in place, where they are placed, and who is responsible for them varies for each section of each road. Electrical power lines and telecommunication wires are often located aboveground on poles, but sometimes they’re buried underground. Gas lines, and sewer and water main pipes are also underground, but not necessarily located together.

In many cases, the utilities need to be moved in a certain order to spots designated by York Region’s Transportation Services Department, Corridor Approvals and Records Branch with input from the construction company. This branch ensures utilities are installed in appropriate locations and keeps record of utility locations. Each organization moves their own utilities and, while doing so, uses the opportunity to check over the equipment or upgrade it.

Municipal government is usually responsible for sewer and water main pipes, but a team effort is important in cases where they cross municipal boundaries. For example, the intersection of Highway 7 and Yonge Street includes land within the Town of Markham, the Town of Richmond Hill, and the City of Vaughan. Gas, electricity and telecommunication companies also vary depending on the location. At vivaNext we work with all of these stakeholders to accommodate schedules and procedures, ensuring we reach our goal of relocating utilities in time for the next scheduled construction activity.

Categories
General Rapidways

It’s winter, but we’re not hibernating

Photo of Utility Relocation
Crew members prepare to move a hydro pole

We’re not pouring concrete in these cold temperatures, but we are still working away on building the rapidways and subway extension. We have different segments underway across York Region, all at different stages. This gives us the chance to do a lot of the prep work that’s needed, so that when spring arrives we’re ready to do the work that can only be done in warmer temperatures.

The rapidway along Yonge Street in Richmond Hill is at an early stage, but we’ve been out surveying the land along the corridor so that our planners and crews can have the exact data they need for the project. The Highway 7 rapidway east of Yonge Street is further along, so we’re now moving utilities further back from the road to make room for widening the roadway. In Markham, the new Warden Station will be the very first to be fully constructed. And, like other things manufactured for the first time, we’re doing reviews to see if any fine-tuning is needed before training the drivers and opening the station. In Newmarket, the demolition work along Davis Drive is almost completed, including recycling 85% of building and landscape materials. Work is also underway on the gas main near the Tannery and Seniors’ Meeting Place.

Work on the Spadina Subway extension is progressing throughout the winter as well. The first pair of Tunnel Boring Machines being manufactured in Toronto will soon be ready to be moved from the factory to the tunnel site, and the second pair of Tunnel Boring Machines is close behind.

All of this winter work moves the projects along so that when the green grass appears in spring all our projects are ready to keep going. We’ll just shed our heavy coats from the cold winter season.

Categories
Fun & Games General

vivaNext resolutions for 2011

vivaNext resolutions for 2011The day the New Year begins has moved to different dates in different cultures throughout history, but celebrating the New Year is one of the oldest holiday celebrations. Traditions have varied (and still do today), ranging from forgiving enemies to exchanging gifts, to wishing Happy New Year and making resolutions. Many of us have made resolutions over the years – committing to renew last year’s resolutions, adding a few new ones, and to keep them as long as we can.

Naturally, vivaNext staff would tell you on any day of the year that we keep our resolutions:

  • To continue our progress on rapidways in Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Markham and Vaughan, and on the Spadina Subway extension;
  • To continue setting the stage for beautiful urban spaces where people can choose to live, work and play in close proximity and use rapid transit to get around; and
  • To stay in constant communication with the residents and businesses in our communities.

Happy New Year from vivaNext!

Categories
General

Looking back on 2010

A peak at our achievements in 2010

We made great strides in 2010 and look forward to 2011 with excitement!

On Davis Drive in Newmarket, pre-construction work included utility relocation, archaeological assessments and soil testing, and building demolition, recycling and clean-up. At least 85% of building materials were recycled and some trees, plants and shrubs were relocated. Reconstruction of the Keith Bridge near the Tannery also got underway. To allow for bridge construction work, the Tom Taylor Trail was detoured and the detour will remain in effect until the end of 2011.

The first rapidway segment and new vivastation to be completed in York Region is just weeks away from being finished. Located at Warden Station at Enterprise Boulevard and Warden Avenue in Markham, it is exciting to see this beautiful design transform from an artist’s rendering to reality. The 27-metre-long glass and steel arched canopy includes an enclosed, heated section and safety and accessibility features. We also saw progress along Highway 7 in Markham, with utility relocation getting underway.

The Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension project made good progress. Exciting and unique station designs were unveiled, the tunnel boring machines (TBMs) were named through a public contest and the manufacturing of the four TBMs is almost complete.

All these projects will continue to move forward in 2011 and new milestones will be reached. The improvements coming to our communities and public spaces make this a very exciting time for all of us. Decades worth of improvements being done over several years will benefit generations to come as our communities continue to grow.

Happy New Year from vivaNext!

Categories
Community Events

And good will to all

Click here to see a video of vivaNext staff decorating gingerbread houses and delivering gifts to York Region's Children's Aid Society
Click here to see a video of vivaNext staff decorating gingerbread houses and delivering gifts to York Region's Children's Aid Society

Over the past few weeks, vivaNext staff has been adding to a box of gifts to donate to York Region’s Children’s Aid Society (CAS). Mostly gifts of toiletries and practical items for tweens and teens – things we sometimes take for granted but that can be luxuries to a youth on a tight budget. The CAS’ Holiday Heroes program welcomes all gifts, so staff also donated some items for kids of all ages. We then turned a staff meeting into a highly competitive gingerbread-house decorating contest so that we could donate them as well to unsuspecting families.

When we dropped off the donation to CAS last week, we had an opportunity to tour the warehouse where the gifts are sorted for distribution. We spoke to Dennis, who has a full-time job but volunteers his free time at the warehouse to ensure the gifts are ready to be delivered to children and families. We said hello to another Family Services Worker as she was picking up a carload of gifts Dennis had set aside for her to deliver to children and families she works with. The gifts in the warehouse are organized on tables by age group mostly, but there are some extra tables with gifts like our gingerbread houses that aren’t easily categorized.

At first glance it seemed like there were a lot of gifts, but the warehouse was far from full. As we left the warehouse, we were thinking how much our donation was needed and how relatively easy it was for our group to organize a contribution. Sometimes the good will of the holiday season brings about great things. So while this experience is still fresh in our thoughts, we’re thinking of other ways we at vivaNext can help people in our communities.

Click here to see a video of vivaNext decorating gingerbread houses and delivering donated gifts to the York Region Children’s Aid Society.

Categories
Fun & Games

Catch some holiday cheer from vivaNext!

Click Here to play our game and catch some holiday cheer!
Slide the bear to catch some snowflakes

York Region has already seen quite a bit of falling snow this season. It brings back fond memories of catching snowflakes, but real snowflakes always melted. So here’s a game to make catching snowflakes a little more rewarding.

We had fun making this game and playing it too – my high score was 43. We hope you have fun playing it and sharing it with your friends along with some holiday cheer.

Happy holidays from vivaNext!

Categories
Rapidways Stations Urban Planning

Finding your way from here to there

vivaNext - rapid transit this wayFor those of you who enjoy video or computer games (or for those who are of “a certain age” but have kids who like gaming), you may be familiar with the variety of games that involve being lost in a maze…you know the ones. You need to figure out where you are and how to get to the end (complete the level!), before something bad happens or the clock runs out. Being lost in a confusing maze can be fun when it’s a game and you’re in a virtual world.

In the real world however, feeling confused and trying to figure out which way to go in a public space, whether you’re in a shopping mall, an airport, or a transit station, is a lot less fun. At the very least, you may waste a lot of time and effort. At the worst, you may miss your connection. Helping people to navigate easily around public spaces, and in a transit environment in particular, is a specialized form of urban design called wayfinding; it’s something we take very seriously in our planning for vivaNext projects.

Our wayfinding design work began quite some time ago, as part of the overall design work for the vivaNext rapidway stations. We have a diverse range of Viva riders – people of all ages, abilities and languages – so vivaNext wayfinding needs to go well beyond simple signage. Wayfinding systems can use a number of elements, from architectural space to maps to signage to graphics, to help people figure out how to get where they want to go, in a safe way. As we design our rapidway stations and station intersections, including the cross-walks and platform layout, we always consider how people will use the stations. We want to make it as easy as possible for people to know which station they’re at, where to buy tickets, and which platform they need to be on.

One of the best parts of the vivaNext plan is the impact our stations will have on making local neighbourhoods even more attractive, providing landscaped and welcoming public spaces. Wayfinding will play a role in linking the rapidway stations with their surroundings. Our design team is working on strategies to ensure each station provides information about local destinations and connections.

So if you’re looking for the thrill of being lost, you’ll have to stick to gaming. Our design work isn’t complete, but from what I’ve already seen, getting around on Viva via the rapidways will always be safe, easy and convenient.

Categories
Live-work-play Urban Planning

Building a bridge between the past and future

The future Keith Bridge on Davis Drive in Newmarket, and diagram of the Tom Taylor Trail detour
The future Keith Bridge on Davis Drive in Newmarket, and diagram of the Tom Taylor Trail detour

A sense of history and attractive landmarks can give us a feeling of stability and pride in where we live; making us even happier with the town and neighbourhood we live in. Voted one of the best places to live in Canada by MoneySense Magazine, Newmarket ranks 15 out of 179 Canadian communities.

People who call Newmarket home have discovered the heritage and scenic areas in the centre of town. The East Holland River is the historic backbone of Newmarket, flowing alongside historic Main Street, under the Keith Bridge on Davis Drive and north to Lake Simcoe. In the 1800s, Newmarket residents used the river for industry and irrigation. Today it’s used for recreation, following along the Tom Taylor Trail. Recently those using the trail have seen some detour signs where it normally passes under the Keith Bridge. The detour directs people to cross at the traffic lights on Davis Drive, and pick up the trail again on the other side.

Over the next year, we will be widening the Keith Bridge to allow for rapidways to be constructed on Davis Drive from Yonge to the Southlake Regional Health Centre. As we widen the bridge we’ll also be enhancing it, adding architectural features such as stonework, railings and light fixtures that provide interest and reflect Newmarket’s heritage.

Completing the beautiful new Keith Bridge by the end of 2011 is a major part of the Davis Drive transformation that Newmarket residents will be watching with excitement over the next three years.