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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2011
“Your Riverside South Realtor”
Inside Dome NEWS
Christmas wishes came true for area children when Santa surprised them during the Cop Shop event at Billings Bridge Shopping Centre. – Page 3
COMMUNITY
Sound and light show takes top honours in annual Riverside South Christmas lighting contest. – Page 7
SPORTS
Despite an injury-depleted roster, the Ottawa Jr. Senators put on a spirited display in a 4-1 loss to Carleton Place. – Page 23
savings could help pay for Ledbury Park field Laura Mueller laura.mueller@metroland.com
The sports dome at Lansdowne Park will find its new home at a University of Ottawa sports field planned for Lees Avenue instead of Ledbury Park. The dome, which is operated by Coliseum Inc. and is currently located at Frank Clair Stadium, must be moved during the upcoming reconstruction of Lansdowne Park. While the idea of putting the dome in Ledbury Park was floated earlier this year, the city’s finance committee decided it would be better to partner with the university to provide some public uses at the new sports field the university plans to construct in the Nicholas Mann gateway area. The Ledbury Park option would have cost the city about $5 million to move the dome, and it’s not something that Coliseum Inc. wanted, according to a city report, so legal action may have ensued. Coliseum is willing, however, to go along with the Lees Avenue option. But the move could really work out in Ridgemont’s favour, said River Coun. Maria McRae. The leftover balance of $2.1 million from what the city budgeted to relocate the dome to Ledbury Park could be used to pay for the development of a sports field at that park instead, the city report says. That money will be held in a reserve fund until the Lees field is completed, in case unexpected costs arise. The city bought the vacant land several years ago and the community has been awaiting an opportunity to snag funds to fix up the field, which is located directly beside the train tracks, west of Albion Road North. See FIELDS on page 6
Photo by Eddie Rwema
Gloucester – South-Nepean Coun. Steve Desroches, left, Nepean-Carleton MP Pierre Poilievre, Mayor Jim Watson and Riverside South businessman Marcel Moncion were on hand to mark the completion of the $35-Million Earl Armstrong Road widening project from Limebank Road to River Road.
Wider Earl Armstrong Road ready to support south-end growth Eddie Rwema eddie.rwema@metroland.com
The completion of a $35million project to widen Earl Armstrong Road was hailed by residents and businesses alike in Riverside South. Officials from the city and federal government gathered on Dec. 15 to mark the completion of the project that was jointly funded by three levels of government. The project involved transforming the road from a twolane rural arterial road into a four-lane urban arterial road between Limebank and River roads to ensure compatibility with multiple modes of travel, including transit, vehicular, cycling and pedestrian traffic. “It is a major piece of infrastructure for us and for the future growth of the community,” said Scott Hodge, president of the Riverside South Community Association.
Riverside South being one of the fastest growing communities in the city and residents hope the widening will help alleviate some of the traffic pressures that will come with the growth of the community in the near future. “With the road as it stands now, we are pleased to see it widened to handle that future traffic and also to support the future overall growth of the Riverside South community,” Hodge said. The widening of Earl Armstrong Road is also an important piece of the StrandherdArmstrong Bridge project, the road is the major connection on the east side of the Rideau River. The bridge is scheduled to be opened late next year. The new six-lane Strandherd-Armstrong Bridge will span the Rideau, connecting Strandherd Drive and Earl Armstrong Road. It will feature four general-purpose ve-
hicle lanes and two dedicated transit lanes, as well as onroad cycling lanes and sidewalks on each side of the span to accommodate pedestrian traffic. Steve Desroches, councillor for Gloucester-South Nepean, said the completion of the road expansion is important to the business and community as a whole. “Earl Armstrong is important to the business community here and will support the long-term growth of the business as well as the future development of the Riverside South town centre,” said Desroches. Mayor Jim Watson said the completed project will help meet the demands of the growing population in Riverside South. “This has been a long and disruptive project to the community, but the end result is a beautiful new expanded road,”
said Watson. He said the opening of the bridge will mark an exciting time to the two communities of Riverside South and Barrhaven. “It is going to be great for the business community,” said Watson. Once the bridge is open, having a wider Earl Armstrong Road will allow residents in Barrhaven to have easier access to the business community in Riverside South, said Hodge. “Also, the rebuilt Earl Armstrong allows the city to expand public transit and have the connection to the southwest transit way in Barrhaven which will also provide better transit option to all residents who currently have to go all the way to South Keys to access transit.” The Earl Armstrong Road widening project was started in September 2009.
Sam Himyary, B.Sc., CFP, AMP Mortgage Agent Broker ID # 11759
613.297.5825| www.OttawaTopMortgages.com samh@mortgagebrokersottawa.com
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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All