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It really has been a major problem in this neighbourhood for about two years now. It doesn't even seem to be burglary, just sheer vandalism. Not that burglary is any better, but at least the motivation is somewhat understandable...

I doubt there is a single business in the area bounded by the Esplanade, King, Church and Berkeley which hasn't had at least one window smashed in the last two years.
 
Colour? What's that..?

But seriously, the row is so whimsy I love them dearly (my favourite in the city), but it's lost some of its charm without its colour.

I won't say it doesn't look 'classy' as a uniform block, but the architectural details were much better highlighted by the colour.

View attachment 433729

For reference, this was before. (From Google)

View attachment 433730
They have now installed three new copper "urns' on top of the windows!

IMG_1155[1].JPG
 
We shall see if they meet the latest completion date of 19 December:

REVISED PROJECT END DATE : contractors have advised that all major construction works will be completed by the week of December 19th weather dependent.

  • The City of Toronto will be reconstructing the sidewalk and the south side of the roadway at the intersection of Scott Street and Wellington Street East. To complete this work Scott Street will be closed at the south of Wellington Street East. Left-turns from westbound Wellington Street East to southbound Scott Street will be restricted from Monday November 14 to the week of December 5. North bound through traffic on Scott Street will also remain restricted during this time.
  • As construction continues on Wellington Street East our contractors have advised that all major construction works will be completed by the week of December 19th weather dependent.
  • Construction Progress
 All road /curb/sidewalk work has been completed on Front Street East with the exception of minor hand well work on the sidewalk at Market Street that will be completed by the end of November. During hand well work temporary lane restrictions will be required for short periods of time as work progresses.​
 Work on Church Street/Wellington Street East at the east end of the Flatiron building remains under construction. The remaining road and sidewalk work on Wellington Street from Yonge Street to Leader Lane will continue until early to mid-December.​
 Current construction on the south side of Wellington Street East and in front of the Flatiron building will continue until sidewalks have been fully installed – all existing pedestrian and lane restrictions will remain in place until early December.​
 
I spoke to a merchant at St. Lawrence Market this past Sunday to get his opinion on the extended hours. He was enthusiastic. He said Sunday is one of his busiest days. He also said the later closing on weekdays is appreciated by his customers a lot. He thinks that the market should close even later Mon to Fri. He also said that he thinks the Market will close at 6 pm, Mon to Fri, in Jan and Feb.
 
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I spoke to a merchant at St. Lawrence Market this past Sunday to get his opinion on the extended hours. He was enthusiastic. He said Sunday is one of his busiest days. He also said the later closing on weekdays is appreciated by his customers a lot. He thinks that the market should close even later Mon to Fri. He also said that he thinks the Market will close at 6 pm, Mon to Fri, in Jan and Feb.
There are certainly merchants who like the new SLM hours and certainly many who do not. Some do not like the hours because they are 'different' and mean they need to think 'out of the box' (or in a new one!) and there are those who sell things that are more popular at certain hours of the day. People may want to buy vegetables or fish at 6pm, they may not want to buy bacon sandwiches. One problem for them is that (like most malls) the 'rules' say that if the market/mall is open all the stores must also be open. (I doubt that the Market will open on Mondays as there seems to be general agreement that one day closed is OK).
 
I spoke to a merchant at St. Lawrence Market this past Sunday to get his opinion on the extended hours. He was enthusiastic. He said Sunday is one of his busiest days. He also said the later closing on weekdays is appreciated by his customers a lot. He thinks that the market should close even later Mon to Fri. He also said that he thinks the Market will close at 6 pm, Mon to Fri, in Jan and Feb.

Oops. I meant Tues to Fri. My mistake.
 
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The mystery continues as to when this project will be finished. It seems like they are waiting for a big snowfall to call it done for the year.

There is progress everyday for the crew(s) that are working but history is not on their side.

Nov 2
1A5742AD-B576-4FD3-BB4A-D3468AC495CC.jpeg


8FAA3EC2-F066-4E57-96AD-F05737833C87.jpeg


Nov 27
93EBDB09-99BF-4426-BA44-6620C5564B9C.jpeg
 
The mystery continues as to when this project will be finished. It seems like they are waiting for a big snowfall to call it done for the year.

There is progress everyday for the crew(s) that are working but history is not on their side.

Nov 2
View attachment 441816

View attachment 441817

Nov 27
View attachment 441818
Yes, this has been the most poorly managed and executed streetscape I have ever seen, and I have been involved in several. It was first planned to be done (admittedly in a far simpler way) in 2013 or 2014 and then various things like the Pan-Am games, the decision to replace virtually all the (very old) underground stuff and, in 2016-17, the work on Berczy Park and the small bit of Scott to the west of Berczy all came up. Finally, they actually started work on the streetscape in 2021 but after a few months realised the plans they had of existing under-street things was not accurate (despite the fact that virtually ALL of it had been installed in the last 7 years). At one time they managed to close off the sewer from the condo building at Wellington & Church - with predictable consequences! Many people and groups screamed and the City's Auditor general is, supposedly, investigating why the project seems to be cursed. (I await the report with interest!)

In June 2121 the work was paused because of all these problems with a promise to the neighbourhood and the restaurants that it would be prioritised for 2022 and all would be done in time to have, at least some, patios on Wellington in summer 2022. Well, we all see how well that is going and it is still unclear if things like removing the overhead Hydro wiring on the block of Scott will be done. (This was 'promised' when Scott was rebuilt in 2016/17 - but it appears 'nobody remembered, despite frequent reminders from me and the BIA - who are contributing to the funding.) This year, they have been removing and re-positioning some of the things like light pole bases that they installed in 2021 (currently @ Church & Wellington @ the Hot House). They continue to promise completion by 19 December, we shall see - it's certainly possible but they clearly need more folks working - today I saw about 4 (plus a few others reinstalling traffic lights).

Costs have increased HUGELY!:

1. In accordance with Section 71-11.1.C of the City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 71 (Financial Control), authorized the amendment of:

a. Purchase Order Number 6051690 with Sanscon Construction Limited, for the reconstruction of Toronto Transit Commission track allowance, street lighting installation and landscaping work on Wellington Street between Yonge Street and Church Street, and on Church Street between Front Street and King Street, in the amount of $4,899,526 net of all taxes and charges ($4,985,758 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries), revising the current purchase order value from $8,300,861 ($8,446,956 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries) to $13,200,387 net of taxes and charges ($13,432,714 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries); and

b. Purchase Order Number 6037171 with Victor Ford and Associates Incorporated, for the provision of additional design support services related to resumption of construction on Wellington Street between Yonge Street and Church Street, and on Church Street between Front Street and King Street in the amount of $338,936 net of all taxes and charges ($344,901.27 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries), revising the current purchase order value from $338,720.00 to $677,656.00 net of taxes and charges ($689,583 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries).

See: https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2022/ie/bgrd/backgroundfile-222905.pdf
 
Yes, this has been the most poorly managed and executed streetscape I have ever seen, and I have been involved in several. It was first planned to be done (admittedly in a far simpler way) in 2013 or 2014 and then various things like the Pan-Am games, the decision to replace virtually all the (very old) underground stuff and, in 2016-17, the work on Berczy Park and the small bit of Scott to the west of Berczy all came up. Finally, they actually started work on the streetscape in 2021 but after a few months realised the plans they had of existing under-street things was not accurate (despite the fact that virtually ALL of it had been installed in the last 7 years). At one time they managed to close off the sewer from the condo building at Wellington & Church - with predictable consequences! Many people and groups screamed and the City's Auditor general is, supposedly, investigating why the project seems to be cursed. (I await the report with interest!)

In June 2121 the work was paused because of all these problems with a promise to the neighbourhood and the restaurants that it would be prioritised for 2022 and all would be done in time to have, at least some, patios on Wellington in summer 2022. Well, we all see how well that is going and it is still unclear if things like removing the overhead Hydro wiring on the block of Scott will be done. (This was 'promised' when Scott was rebuilt in 2016/17 - but it appears 'nobody remembered, despite frequent reminders from me and the BIA - who are contributing to the funding.) This year, they have been removing and re-positioning some of the things like light pole bases that they installed in 2021 (currently @ Church & Wellington @ the Hot House). They continue to promise completion by 19 December, we shall see - it's certainly possible but they clearly need more folks working - today I saw about 4 (plus a few others reinstalling traffic lights).

Costs have increased HUGELY!:

1. In accordance with Section 71-11.1.C of the City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 71 (Financial Control), authorized the amendment of:

a. Purchase Order Number 6051690 with Sanscon Construction Limited, for the reconstruction of Toronto Transit Commission track allowance, street lighting installation and landscaping work on Wellington Street between Yonge Street and Church Street, and on Church Street between Front Street and King Street, in the amount of $4,899,526 net of all taxes and charges ($4,985,758 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries), revising the current purchase order value from $8,300,861 ($8,446,956 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries) to $13,200,387 net of taxes and charges ($13,432,714 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries); and

b. Purchase Order Number 6037171 with Victor Ford and Associates Incorporated, for the provision of additional design support services related to resumption of construction on Wellington Street between Yonge Street and Church Street, and on Church Street between Front Street and King Street in the amount of $338,936 net of all taxes and charges ($344,901.27 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries), revising the current purchase order value from $338,720.00 to $677,656.00 net of taxes and charges ($689,583 net of Harmonized Sales Tax recoveries).

See: https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2022/ie/bgrd/backgroundfile-222905.pdf

I'm not one to advocate undue harshness or vindictiveness in how government (or business) is managed. After all, we all make mistakes, and someone who learns from them can be, sometimes, more useful than someone yet to make them.

That said, this is among those projects where I'd be inclined to ask for a review of certain people's employment status w/the City or its agencies.

There is a degree of suspect competence here that is eye-wateringly aggravating.
 
I'm not one to advocate undue harshness or vindictiveness in how government (or business) is managed. After all, we all make mistakes, and someone who learns from them can be, sometimes, more useful than someone yet to make them.

That said, this is among those projects where I'd be inclined to ask for a review of certain people's employment status w/the City or its agencies.

There is a degree of suspect competence here that is eye-wateringly aggravating.
Yes, it will be interesting to see if the AG actually reports on it and what they say. Like you, I am not really in favour of 'discipline' and the problem may be the 'structure' rather than the personnel. Staff changed frequently throughout the project, utilities and the City are less coordinated than they should be, the City appears to have poor plans of underground 'stuff' - though I think utilities are supposed to update their info etc etc.

If, based on the Report, the City actually learns how to do future streetscape project better I will be more than satisfied. If there are no changes, the 'mismanagement' of this one will certainly not encourage other areas (or St Lawrence) to press for more of these major street improvement projects as this has really been VERY difficult for those who live (and particularly those who do business) along Wellington. Everyone knew (and accepted) that this project would take longer than just a regular street 'repair' and be more disruptive but .......
 
Though one might (!!) question their statement that all is progressing well, here is the latest...... (No specific mention of the Scott/Wellington intersection which remains blocked off and unfinished.) The work on Yonge & Wellington is, I think, fixing work supposedly done LAST year.

Wellington Construction Update

November 29, 2022

OVERNIGHT WORK - Wellington Street E / Yonge Street - northwest corner
The City of Toronto's track replacement and streetscaping improvement work on Wellington Street East is progressing well. This notice is to provide an update on the intersection work at Wellington Street and Yonge Street. From Friday December 2, at 6:00 p.m. to Sunday December 4, at 7:00 a.m. the City contractor will commence overnight underground electrical work and associated pavement repairs at the northwest corner of the intersection at Wellington Street and Yonge Street.

Construction work from December 2nd to the December 4th will only take place at night, there will be no day time construction activity. Work will start at 6:00 p.m. and end the following morning at 7:00 a.m. When this overnight work is complete, regular work hours will resume. Your patience and understanding is appreciated during this overnight work.

ONGOING CONSTRUCTION

Wellington Street - North side


  • Work on the north side of Wellington Street is scheduled to be completed by early to mid next week
Wellington Street South side

  • Sidewalk and road work will continue on the south side of Wellington until early to mid December
Front Street & Market Street

  • All City underground work at the corner of Front Street and Market Street has been completed
 
I randomly came across this one, I hope it hasn't been shown here before, though it has very few views on YouTube: Living in Toronto in 1989, and it starts out with a solid 10 minutes in the St. Lawrence neighbourhood and then moves on to other places, including all the way out to Square One.

My corporate apartment at 71 Front Street, Toronto; Construction of the Skydome; View of the city from CN Tower; The Amazing Video Machine at Miracle Foodmart.

 
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Another delay ...

Wellington Construction Update
December, 2 2022

OVERNIGHT WORK SCHEDULE CHANGE
Wellington Street E / Yonge Street - northwest corner
This update is to inform the local community that the dates have changed for the overnight work previously scheduled for the weekend of Dec 2,3,4th. This overnight work has been rescheduled to the next weekend.

OVERNIGHT WORK has been rescheduled to December 9th,10th and 11th
From Friday December 9, at 6:00 p.m. to Sunday December 11, at 7:00 a.m. the City contractor will commence overnight underground electrical work and associated pavement repairs at the northwest corner of the intersection at Wellington Street and Yonge Street.
 

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