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Anniversary
Carnegie Building 105 years old

The Saint John Arts Centre will celebrate the 105th anniversary of the Carnegie Building today. Built with funding from the famous 19th century American industrialist Andrew Carnegie, the building in the city centre housed the free public library for nearly 80 years and is now home to the arts centre. The celebration at 20 Hazen Ave. begins at 4 p.m. with a message from Mayor Ivan Court, followed by a historical presentation and refreshments. Visitors will be given a brochure so they can tour the building on their own.

Facade

Police office changes OK'd

Common council has decided to grant special conditions for the new community police office at 251 Wentworth St. following complaints that the builder ignored some parts of the original plan shown to the public and approved by the politicians. Bill Shannon put up the south end office without the proper siding, different front doors and less trim around the windows. Carl Trickey, speaking on behalf of PULSE, the volunteer group that owns the building, said people were unhappy with the changes but no money was available to make upgrades. After council gave its stamp of approval, Coun. Donnie Snook asked the city's planning staff to submit a report explaining what went wrong.

Pedestrians

Council seeks report on west walkways

Common council has taken a concrete step in reaction to a retail forum on the west side. A number of participants at the forum suggested that more attention be paid to walkways between the malls on the Golden Mile. On Monday, Coun. Peter McGuire asked city staff to look into the idea and report back to the politicians.

Webcasting

Council asked to stay on schedule

Rogers TV has asked common council to start meetings on time and to hold its closed-door sessions following its regular public meetings, not before. Regional manager Scott Jackson made the request in a letter because the public council session often begins late. When council arrives late, the live webcast shows viewers an empty screen and sometimes it forces the cancellation of the taped-delayed TV broadcast. The politicians referred the letter to common clerk Elizabeth Gormley for consideration.

911

Councillor upset over street renaming

Coun. Bill Farren isn't happy the city renamed an old west side street. City staff recommended changing the name of Stewart Street to Porter Street because the two roads were recently connected. Ken Forrest, commissioner of planning, said it was a safety issue because emergency personnel could become confused by two different names. The newer Porter Street has about 40 residential units, while Stewart has two older homes. Farren said it was unfair that the residents from the older section had been forced to take the new address, courtesy of "some developer." Common council ignored his protestations and passed the street name change.

Policing

Association fights for regional service

The NB Police Association wants the province to ditch the Mounties in favour of regional municipal policing. The association, which represents municipal forces across the province, made a presentation to common council this week, arguing that policing costs per officer were much lower in Saint John than in Moncton, which is served by the Codiac RCMP. Association officials said it would make better economic sense for the province to allow the Saint John Police Force to become a regional force serving Grand Bay-Westfield, St. Martins and beyond.