Wednesday, June 30, 2010 - Reached Another Milestone

Good Wednesday morning and welcome to another day on Dawson Road Today! Today, being June 30th,  we have reached another milestone in that we now have two complete months of construction done and behind us. A lot of work has been accomplished, a lot of old pipes have been removed and a lot of new pipes have been installed. All the while, keeping Dawson Road open for you because we want to see you on Dawson Road.

Yesterday the crews continued work at the Speedvale Avenue end of Dawson Road. The hole on Speedvale Avenue that was the cause of the traffic redirection for two days, has now been filled in. There are still no bus stops on Dawson Road and I have received no transit updates from Guelph Remastered, so we'll have to wait for the city to decide what they're doing about transit buses on Dawson Road.

Another part of the crew continued ripping up the old cement sewer pipes.

I heard Rona Cashway at 55 Dawson Rd on the radio today, advertising their tent sale and advising people to come onto Dawson from Willow Road and travel north, as we have been for two months now. Whether it be Rona Cashway or some other fine business featured on these pages, I would encourage you to shop local - shop Dawson Road.

Tomorrow is Canada Day!  The harmonized sales tax comes into effect. Most shops and many factories will be closed for the holiday, including the Dawson road reconstruction site. This is an exciting time to be in business because there's a lot of change going on. Change brings opportunity, both for the business owner and you the consumer. Embrace these changes, come down to Dawson Road and check out some of these businesses.

Remember today is the last day before the HST. In most cases, if the good or service you looking for does not carry the 8% provincial sales tax now, this is your last day to get it before the HST comes into effect.  Come on down.

Over the holiday, when businesses are closed and construction stopped, please drive carefully in the construction zones. However and whenever you celebrate Canada Day please do so with a cheerful and thankful heart, because together we have reached to another milestone.

Brian

Tuesday, June 29, 2010 - A lot going on - You should be a part of it!

Good Tuesday morning to you and welcome to Dawson Road today! It's a busy week, there's lots going on and you should be a part of it!

After the heavy weekend rains I was a little surprised to see the crews back at it Monday morning but indeed they were. And furthermore, Monday was an extra long day as they tried to get some connections done and holes closed up before the Tuesday morning rush hour. Part of the crew was working Monday down at the Speedvale Ave end of Dawson Road, connecting the new 250 mm water main for Dawson Road to the existing 400 mm water main along Speedvale Avenue. Another part of the crew was working on the sanitary hookup to Royal City Warehousing. 

This week the crews will be installing the new water mains down Dawson Road alongside the existing water mains. The new water mains will have to be chlorinated and tested thoroughly before they're hooked up to the water mains of each business. Weather permitting this work should progress fairly quickly.

Yesterday the crews had to contend with a water pipe breakage, necessitating shutting off the water for a short time to a couple of locations on Dawson Road and Speedvale Ave. Crews were able to get the problem fixed after about an hours outage.

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The work down at the Speedvale Avenue end of Dawson Road required a rerouting of traffic along Speedvale Avenue. As you can see in this picture of Speedvale Avenue facing east, the digging was in the centre of Speedvale Avenue and traffic was diverted around the

machines with one lane going east and one going west. This arrangement will likely be in place for today.  Another issue raised because of the Speedvale Avenue construction was that the buses were taken off of our end of Dawson Road and rerouted along Edinburgh Road and back down Speedvale. Guelph Remastered issued an advisory to this effect just before noon on Monday   "Due to the road conditions on Dawson Road, route 22 Conestoga will be temporarily detoured to Edinburgh Road North.  All stops on Dawson Road will be out of service.  Temporary stops are located at Edinburgh Road North and Willow Road, and at Speedvale Avenue West in front of the Hammond Manufacturing Plant. The detour may continue on June 29."

Thursday, July 1 is Canada Day! Happy birthday Canada! Due to a City of Guelph requirement, the construction crews will not be working on Thursday, July 1. They will return to work Friday, July 2. Clearly this is one of those holidays that should be combined to make a long weekend. One of the major problems causing headaches for Canada's economy is our nation's poor record on productivity. We keep shooting ourselves in the foot - but I won't get started on that topic.

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I am pleased to report that I'm seeing more regular traffic on Dawson Road. Perhaps, people are getting more comfortable with construction. Perhaps, after two months people are getting back on with their life. Whatever the reason, people are coming back to Dawson Road. There are a lot of good businesses here, there's a lot going on - You should be a part of it! Come on down, we'd love to see you on Dawson Road Today.

Brian

Monday, June 28, 2010 - Sometimes Common Sense Isn't So Common

Good Monday morning and welcome back to Dawson Road today!

What a weekend - G8, G20, FIFA, rain and more rain. By now you're very aware that we have an extraordinary amount of construction going on in the city of Guelph.  Most of this started about two months ago, so you're no stranger to construction pylons, construction equipment, stacks of pipes and piles of dirt and gravel. So why would a driver not slow down when going through a construction zone. With reference to Dawson Road the normal speed limit in non-construction times is 50 kph. 

I was down at my shop Saturday evening working outside, the weather was pleasant and there was no construction going on. Last week the crews worked on sanitary hookups to businesses on the north side of Dawson Road and in order to accomplish that they had to cut and dig across the existing paved lane.  This resulted in a temporary rough and low spot about 15 feet across.  We have one of these in front of our Plants For All shop at 66 Dawson Rd and as shown in the first picture taken Saturday evening. Several times while working outside, I was alerted by the sound of vehicles banging, rumbling, and shaking because of people driving too quickly over this short stretch of rough road. There was even one fellow in a silver Chevy something or other that sounded like it bottomed out and I could clearly hear his expletive from about 50 feet away. People, use common sense and slowdown, you're in a construction zone. I don't think you'll have much of a case if you try to claim against the city for vehicle repairs.

I was down at the shop again last night and because of all the rain this little rough patch of road was filled in like a large puddle as shown in the next picture. This seemed to be enough to encourage the drivers to slow down. Kudos to the city transit drivers who very deliberately slowed their large buses down at these patches.

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One thing I noticed while working outside Saturday night was that my security perimeter lights did not come on as usually scheduled. A brief investigation indicated that my automatic timer was not right. I realized that when the Hydro disconnected our power for a short time to do an electrical hook up in the construction area, that I had not reset my automatic timer. So a note to the other businesses on Dawson Road, check your perimeter lights and make sure they're coming on as scheduled.

Starting today, if the weather will allow them, the construction crews will be working on new water main construction starting at Speedvale Avenue.  Also this week they will be finishing off the new sanitary service hookups and removing old sanitary sewers.

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This will be a short week for most people with Canada Day being celebrated on Thursday July the first. Also the new HST becomes effective on Thursday. So do your Dawson Road shopping today and Tuesday and Wednesday.   The roads are open for you, we would love to see you and ask that you please drive carefully.

Brian

Friday, June 25, 2010 - Things are happening !

Good Friday morning to you and welcome to Dawson Road Today!

Christmas - is just six months away. We have a lot to get done before then. And there's a lot going on.

I heard on radio CJOY, that Rona Cashway is starting their big tent sale tomorrow. When I step out my front door I can see the big tents set up.  When you come down to Dawson Road for that event, remember that several businesses in the plaza at 86 Dawson Rd are also opened Saturday. Give them a visit.

 When it's time for the construction crew to take lunch and breaks, one of the local providers is Kristy's Catering from here in Guelph. This really seems to be a pretty efficient way of doing it because the workers don't have to leave the site, the food has been freshly prepared, the workers don't have to store the food until break or lunch and Kristy's is in and out quickly and with no mess. You can contact Kristy at Kristy's Catering

by phoning 519-820-9078 or check them out on Face Book.

This update from Charles Groen, On-site Inspector :

(The construction crew) Completed the sanitary service to Brushcuts.
Continued the existing sanitary sewer removal from the 86 Dawson Road Commercial Plaza and will end the day approximately in front of the Hanlie building.

The temporary sanitary sewer by-pass has been installed (Wednesday) for the final tie-in of the sanitary sewer in the servicing easement beside the Rona site.  You may have noticed the 3" hose running along the ditch in front of Rona.  To(day) that final tie-in for the sanitary sewer will be completed.  There are several more sanitary services to complete (mostly on the northeast side) and then the remainder of the existing sanitary sewer can be removed.

On Monday morning a part of the crew will be working on cutting in a new 250mm diameter watermain tee into the existing 400mm diameter watermain on Speedvale Avenue.  This will be the start of the watermain construction for Dawson Road.  176 and 194 Speedvale Avenue will have their water shut-off on Monday between the hours of 9am and 5pm (depending on how long it takes).

The beginning of next week the contractor will be working on the watermain and will also be finishing off the sanitary services and existing sanitary sewer removal."

We have certainly had a lot of unsettled  weather in the area in the last two weeks. Thursday brought a mixture of rain, dry, sunny and overcast. These different weather challenges combined with the nature of sewer reconstruction work, requires changes in footwear.  These boots, when changed for more appropriate waterproof boots, found a dry, secure and out-of-the-way storage place until they were required again.  Rest assured, that when you visit Plants For All, you won't be asked to remove your boots. We'd love to see you, too!

When driving on Dawson Road - watch for and follow the traffic diversion arrows to get you safely around the construction spot.All businesses are open and accessible.  Let's wrap up a good week with a visit to Dawson Road Today.

Brian

Thursday, June 24, 2010 - It's YOUR money!

Good morning and welcome to Dawson Road today.

Construction on Wednesday, at least from this observers point of view, went as scheduled. In Wednesday's post, the report from on-site Inspector Charles Groen advised us that there would be traffic diversions off of the paved transit lane and then back on, as the construction crew worked their way southward from Speedvale Avenue.  We saw the first of these diversions Wednesday and the signage is as shown in the first picture. When driving on Dawson Road watch for these diversions, take it slow and you'll get around that diversion safely. If you have been following the blog, you will know that they buried the new main sewer pipes already.  The sanitary hookups from businesses on the west side of Dawson Road to the new main sewer pipes are done. Now the businesses on the east side of Dawson Road are having their sanitary hookups made. This necessitates digging across the paved transit lane, thus resulting in the temporary diversions. At the same time, the crews are removing the old main sewer pipes. 

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The old sewer pipes were 750 mm in diameter and some of them are shown in the next picture. The new sewer pipes are larger at 900 mm in diameter and some of them are shown in the last picture.

There are 25 road and building projects, including our Dawson Road Reconstruction, that make up Guelph Remastered, and must be complete by March 2011 in order to take advantage of $48 million in Provincial and Federal funding.  That's a lot of money, it doesn't include the city's portion, and it's your money. I invite you to come down to Dawson Road and see how your money is being spent. The construction crew and the consulting firm are determined to keep traffic moving as evidenced by the diversion plan. Some of the other construction sites around town are closed to traffic. So, Dawson Road is OPEN, the businesses are OPEN and You have an opportunity to see firsthand how your money is being invested in your city. I think you'll be pleased.

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No groundhog picture yet.

Have a Great Day!

Brian

Wednesday, June23, 2010 - Don't let a little (or a lot) of rain stop you !

Good Wednesday to you and welcome to Dawson Road Today!

Tuesday was a washout in more ways than one. Firstly, it rained a lot. Secondly, the construction crews were not able to do any work. We have this construction update from on-site Inspector Charles Groen :

"Unfortunately due to the rain there was no work done on (Tuesday).

On Monday the contractor completed the Guelph Medical Place sanitary service and the first half of the sanitary services to the vacant lot (89 Dawson Road) and the Royal City Warehouse.  The contractor has also removed the existing sanitary sewer from Speedvale Avenue to the south entrance of the 86 Dawson Road Commercial Plaza.

The contractor will continue with the existing sanitary sewer removal and the installation of the sanitary services on the northeast side of Dawson Road.  It might be interesting to note that we will have to do the sanitary services on the northeast side of the road in two stages in order to keep one northbound lane of traffic open on Dawson Road.  In order to complete the sanitary services to the vacant lot and the Royal City Warehouse, northbound traffic will be diverted to the southwest side of the road until the services are completed.  This will likely be the method of construction for the remainder of the sanitary services on the northeast side of Dawson as we would like to keep the traffic on the remaining paved shoulder for the construction of the storm sewer and the watermain.

Unfortunately the weather does not look that promising for to(day), but if it isn’t raining we will be there."

There was a lot of information in that report and I thank Charles for that update. Please reread that report or save this post so that when the traffic diversions start you will know what's going on.

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While no construction was going on, the media event planned at QB 2 Café and Dining went ahead as planned and without a hitch (at least as far as I could tell). Linda and I were invited to attend over the lunch to be a part of the event. The staff from Rogers TV were friendly, professional and very inquisitive. I suppose that was the point of the whole affair. It will certainly be interesting to see the finished product air and what editing they did to get to the finished product.

The first photo shows the Roger's TV crew setting up.  The photo below shows Koky preparing for the traditional coffee ceremony. As well as Linda and I, there were other invited guests and clientele dropping in for lunch to eat in and some for take out. Watch for our smiling faces on Rogers cable TV. Linda turned the tables a little bit - when the Rogers staffers sat down to enjoy their lunch she interviewed them with her video camera. We had some good fun with that.  QB2 is located at 86 Dawson Road.

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I would like to thank Jennifer from Pitura Husson Limited.  She was kind enough to send me some requested drawings specifically dealing with the Dawson Road reconstruction project. I'll be sharing those with you on a later post. I appreciate the co-operation of Pitura Husson Limited in providing me with detailed and accurate information which is important to you.

We'll have to wait and see if the weather allows construction to resume today; but you don't have to wait.  We would like to see you, here, on Dawson Road today!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - What have you planned to do today?

Good morning and welcome to Tuesday morning on Dawson Road Today. What have you planned to do today? Because, you can achieve some of your plans with the help of the goods and services provided by the businesses on Dawson Road. Are you ready for that mattress upgrade or is it your body you need to get in shape? Check the Web links in the right sidebar for businesses that can help.

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The construction crew put in a full day's work yesterday. The weather was beautiful and, as anticipated, all of the construction activity was down at the Speedvale Avenue end of Dawson Road. The final machine shutdown sometime between 6 and 6:30 pm. On Speedvale Avenue the construction pylons have been removed and Speedvale has all four lanes open once again.  That will be a relief for the morning and afternoon rush-hour traffic.

Based on my evening walk around it would appear that the crews were working on the removal of the old sewer pipes as anticipated. With the weather being as good as it was and not receiving any contrary information, I expect the crews were working on the jobs as per yesterday's post. The weather for today is promising to be more unsettled. We should expect cloud with periodic showers and even a chance of a thunderstorm. We'll just have to wait and see what that does to the planned work schedule. Remember what I've often said, if it's raining you should expect less construction traffic, making it easier for you to come do business on Dawson Road.

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I had a gentleman in my shop (Plants For All) yesterday who, upon leaving,  gestured to the roadwork and asked me what I thought of all this construction. I think he expected to hear a whole litany of grumbling and complaining about how it was hurting business and the like. Instead, I told him  how nice it's going to be when it's finished and that I was pleased how the construction crew is getting the work done. With a bit more discussion, I think even he left with a positive attitude.

If you bring a bus to Dawson Road remember Guelph Transit has one stop in the construction area and that is located right beside the access way to Guelph Medical Place. Bus number 22 comes up Dawson Road.

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When driving on Dawson Road remember to treat it as a one-way street from Shelldale to Speedvale Avenue.  Come on to Dawson from Willow Road and travel north on the paved transit lane only. Drive slowly, look for the access to the business  you want and carefully turn when you reach that access. If you happen to drive past the access you want, not to worry, continue driving to Speedvale, turn right onto Speedvale, turn right onto Edinburgh, turn right onto Willow and then turn right onto Dawson Road again.

Today, around noon, will bring the news media event planned for QB2 Café and Dining at 86 Dawson Rd. We wish them every success with that. As with all the businesses on Dawson Road, they are working very hard to provide you the best in service and quality. Give them a try!

We are now into summer, the construction work is getting done, the shops and businesses are ready - what have you planned to do today? You know it's a good day to do business on Dawson Road.

Brian

Monday, June 21, 2010 - New Season - In More Ways Than One

Good Monday morning and welcome back to Dawson Road Today.

Today is the first day of summer, today is the first day of the week, today is the longest day of the year, today is the first day of the next phase of construction. Today is the first day for a lot of things so let's make it a good one.

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I hope you had a good weekend; the weather was not nearly as bad as they had forecast. Another Father's Day has come and gone and I was lucky enough to spend time with both my boys. 

This construction update from on-site inspector Charles Groen  "The contractor completed the sanitary tie-ins at the intersection of Speedvale Avenue and Dawson Road Friday.  They needed to give the freshly poured concrete in the manholes at least a day to dry out before they can remove the temporary sanitary bypass.

 The contractor was on site Saturday morning to clean up the temporary sanitary bypass.  They will not be able to open up the intersection until today as they need their electrical subcontractor to switch back to the normal signal lights (they will need to bag the temporary light).

Today the contractor will start to remove the existing sanitary sewer which is to be removed and disposed of off site.  They will start the removal from Speedvale Avenue and will complete the sanitary services to the businesses on the northeast side of Dawson Road as they advance.  At some point (later next week) the contractor may split their forces and have one crew start the 10" watermain; and that will also start at the intersection with Speedvale Avenue."

Once again my thanks to Charles for his regular updates to keep us informed as to what's going on and what we can expect. You read it right, some crew were working Saturday morning to get things cleared up quickly for Monday. This next phase starting today  looks like it should be a big job.

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Driving beside the construction's site a couple of times last night, I noticed that all of the Dawson Road businesses accesses are open. The big orange pumps that were on Speedvale Avenue Friday are now sitting down on Dawson Road again.

You may have noticed that I moved the slide show up to the right sidebar.  I think you'll find it more useful there.  You can stop the slide show and enlarge any picture you want by clicking on it.  Give it a try.  If you would like your business included e-mail a JPEG picture to me at plantsforall@ody.ca

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There is a media event happening Tuesday at the QB2 Café and Dining at 86 Dawson Rd. They have arranged for Rogers TV and the Guelph Tribune to be on site over the lunch period. Support the Dawson Road businesses because any advertising one does is good for all of us. We have quite a diversity of business here on Dawson Road and they're all open and accessible. The construction crew is deliberately making an extra effort to keep traffic moving efficiently so that you can safely and quickly get into the businesses.

No groundhog pictures yet.

Today's weather is looking pretty good, we look forward to good progress and we look forward to seeing you here on Dawson Road Today.

Friday, June 18, 2010 - Did you get everything done?

Good Friday morning to you and welcome to Dawson Road Today!

We've reached the end of another regular work week and the question is - did you get everything done? 

Yesterday  was a beautiful day for doing whatever you needed to do, so I hope it was productive for you. The construction crew was busy all day working down at the Dawson Road and Speedvale Avenue intersection with the main sewer connection. Traffic on Speedvale Avenue at the intersection was restricted to one lane in each direction, and that created prolonged delays for traffic. However, Dawson Road was completely open, going northbound only, as usual. I did not receive any updates from the on-site inspector nor from the city, that related to Dawson Road. Having traveled through the Speedvale and Dawson intersection a few times  on Thursday it looks as though they got a lot of the work done. Hopefully, they will be able to open Speedvale back to four lanes before the weekend.

The weather for today is supposed to be sunny with cloudy periods and a chance of a thunderstorm. We'll have to wait and see if that has an influence on the construction.

http://dawsonroadtoday.blog

 

No groundhog pictures yet.

This weekend brings with it Father's Day on Sunday. Soon the students will be out from school on summer vacation. Graduations - kids' sports activities - camping - barbequeing - Canada Day. There's a lot going on and at the end of the week - did you get everything done?

The businesses of Dawson Road are open and accessible and here to help you. Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you on Monday!

Brian

Thursday, June 17, 2010 - Changes for You !

Good morning and welcome to Dawson Road Today.

I made a couple of changes to the blog because I wanted to make it less congested and more useful for You. Firstly, I've change the archiving to only show the current post.  This should make the daily post less congested and hopefully easier for you to read. You can always reference back to previous posts by clicking on the archive index in the right sidebar. Secondly, I've added a slideshow of pictures of the Dawson Road Businesses at the bottom of the post. This will make the businesses that I have referred to in a post, and that you are looking for, more recognizable and easier to find. I'll be improving the presentation of the slideshow as I learn how. Any comments will be appreciated.

Note to Dawson Road businesses - if the image of your business is not in the slideshow,  and you would like it to be, e-mail a JPEG image to plantsforall@ody.ca

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Wednesday was a wet, hot, cool, sunny, cloudy and windy day! Am I lying? We experienced just about everything with the sudden changes in air pressure, clouds and sun shine. Hence, there was no construction on Wednesday. Today's weather looks like it should be perfect for construction, so check back to yesterday's post and that's what they'll be doing today.

While driving back to our shop at Plants For All, I drove past some enthusiastic exercisers out in the parking lot at 45 Dawson Rd.  I expect they were from Crossfit Guelph.  Find out what they were doing by sending an e-mail to Michael at crossfitguelph@gmail.com     This was just after one of our rain downpours, and that might have something to do with it. You can also check them out in the web page links in the right side bar.

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A Dawson Road business that was in the news recently was QB2 Café and Dining, at 86 Dawson Rd.  In Tuesday's edition of the Guelph Tribune on page 3 there was a happy picture of Koky and two friends at the Multicultural Festival that was held on the weekend. QB2 Café & Dining was a featured food vendor at the Festival.

I received this transit update from the city of Guelph and it relates to the north end of Dawson Road which is not part of the Dawson Road Today construction area -This detour has been extended until July 5, 2010.

Due to the resurfacing project on Woodlawn Road West, route 7 St. Joseph’s Hosptial will detour from its regular route on Speedvale Avenue, turning right on Edinburgh Road North, right on Burns Drive, and right on Nicklin Road where it will return to its regular route.

Bus Stops out of Service:

• Speedvale Avenue West at Edinburgh Road North 
• Dawson Road. at Speedvale Avenue West
• Dawson Road at Train Tracks South
• Dawson Road at Campbell Road
• Dawson Road at Train Tracks North
• Dawson Road at Woodlawn Road West
• Woodlawn Road West at Edinburgh Road North
• Woodlawn Road West at Nicklin Road

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I have been asked to remind people not to drive the wrong way on the paved transportation lane and not to drive along the construction lane. People are doing this throughout the day and in the off hours and it is dangerous and I believe illegal. Treat Dawson Road between Shelldale and Speedvale as a one-way street, driving northbound from Willow Road on the paved transportation lane only.

That's it for now, today should be beautiful for working and shopping on Dawson Road.

Brian

Wednesday, June 16, 2010 - It's all about YOU !

Good morning and welcome to another Wednesday on Dawson Road Today. Read on and I'll tell you one reason why you are important - yes, you.

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Yesterday was a good construction day for getting things done.  The main sewer connection at the intersection of Shelldale and Dawson was completed and filled in.  The access to Anna Marie School of Dance at 58 Dawson Rd is open again. The southerly access to Mike the Mover at 62 Dawson Rd is open again. The big orange pumps and the long orange hoses have been moved down to Speedvale Ave. for the next phase of work. 

At the end of the workday I spoke briefly with one of the operators of the huge power shovels and complimented him on his ability to control and maneuver the large machine.  He modestly contributed that ability to lots of practice.

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So what's on the go for Wednesday : "At this moment the contractor is setting up the temporary sanitary by-passes at the intersection of Speedvale Avenue and Dawson Road. Speedvale Avenue will be restricted to two lanes (one in either direction), likely until Friday of this week. No changes for Dawson Road - one northbound lane remains open. There are three existing sanitary sewers that will need to be diverted around the intersection. One on the east side and one on the west side of Speedvale Avenue, and one north of the intersection on Dawson Road. All these sanitary flows go down (southwest) Dawson Road. For the next 3 or 4 days there will be lots of piping running along the road (or underneath, where possible)." 

Special thanks to Charles Groen on-site inspector, for that update.

The weather for today is forecast to be  wet. If that develops it will likely delay the work of which Charles spoke.

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There is no  groundhog picture yet.

I am starting to receive comments to these posts, thanks for your input. You can submit your comments at the end of this post.

Some of our Dawson Road businesses are advertising  in other medium as part of their program to attract your business. Roy-Al Rentals at 74 Dawson Rd was on radio CJOY, Payless Mattress at 86 Dawson Rd was in Thursday's Guelph Tribune, QB2 Café and Dining at 86 Dawson Rd presented at the Guelph multicultural festival, Rona  Cashway at 55 Dawson Rd was on radio CJOY, and Plants For All at 66 Dawson Rd was in a special Guelph Mercury supplement. These are just advertising spots that I came across. 

Watch and listen for other advertising from Dawson Road businesses. All that these businesses ask is that you consider them. So check out their advertising, or check their web pages using the links on the sidebar at the right or better yet come  down to visit them on Dawson Road. You, are the reason they're here and that makes you very important.

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Get out and about, have a great day and we hope to see you on Dawson Road. 

Brian 

Tuesday, June 15, 2010 - It's going to be a good day!

Good morning and welcome to a beautiful Tuesday on Dawson Road Today!

 

It looks like it's going to be beautiful weather today which means it should be a good day for the construction crews.

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Construction was humming along yesterday as a large part of the crew were down at the Shelldale and Dawson Road intersection working on that main sewer connection that we talked about yesterday. I have two photos here to show the crews at the surface mid-afternoon and later when they were done for the day  and what they were working on. The two large orange pumps are running again to bypass the sewage around the construction area shown the pictures. Please remember that that traffic diversion is still in effect if you want to turn onto Shelldale. It is expected that this slight diversion will be in effect at least until noon. If you want to turn onto Shelldale from Dawson follow the handmade signs in the center of the road and they will point you into the correct lane.

Some of the other crew were busy doing pipe locates for the sanitary hookups on the other side of DawsonRoad in preparation for work there.  They seem to be well coordinated and always busy.

http://dawsonroadtoday.blogspot.com

No groundhog picture yet.

I was pleased last night to see a police presence on Dawson Road. It seems a long time since they have been noticeable to me. Especially in a construction area, it is just common sense to slowdown and to leave the safety pylons in place where the construction crew have placed them.

Regarding Friday's error in the radio traffic watch report, I received confirmation from the city today that they will get the right information to the radio station. Dawson Road is open to traffic and for business. If you hear or read any media reports that are wrong, please bring it to our attention. It is difficult enough for drivers, cyclists, bus riders and pedestrians to get around the multiple construction projects in the city without giving them the wrong information to boot!

    - treat Dawson Road as a one-way street. Come onto Dawson from Willow Road and travel north on the paved transportation lane

    - drive slowly and watch for your access to the business you want

    - Guelph transit bus number 22 travels north on Dawson Road with a bus stop at the entrance to the Guelph Medical Place

    - pedestrians, when walking between the entrance to Guelph Medical Place and Speedvale Avenue, please use the marked off pedestrian sidewalk area for your own safety

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The sun is shining, Monday is behind us, the temperature is going to rise and it's a great day to be on Dawson Road. Come on down!

Brian

Monday, June 14, 2010 - News You Can Use and a little something extra

Good Monday morning and welcome back to Dawson Road Today.

I have some traffic news you can use today because it's important that we make it as easy as possible for you to come down to Dawson Road.

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Just a very short word, you may have noticed we had two posts on Friday. The local radio station CJOY was giving out wrong information in a traffic watch on Friday afternoon. I called the station Friday to have them correct the information and posted an emergency blog post here on Friday afternoon.  Dawson Road is open and should be treated as a one-way street from Shelldale Avenue to Speedvale Avenue.It is important that you have the right information and our city, our media and this blog have to coordinate to give you the right information.

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Even though it was a damp weekend, I hope you made the best of it.  We didn't get nearly as much rain as was originally forecast.  Did you get to the multicultural festival we talked about on Friday? Did you get down to Dawson Road to do some business or just to visit? If you can, take a minute and let me know by emailing me at   plantsforall @ ody.ca     Personally, on Sunday morning I sat outside at a farm in Rockwood watching one of my granddaughters compete in a riding competition with her horse.  She did very well. I was very proud of her. And it was worth sitting out in a bit of drizzle. You've got to get out and do stuff, don't let a little bit of rain stop you.

I had a construction update from Charles Groen, the on-site inspector, late Friday afternoon. They have just about finished the sanitary hookups in front of Plants For All at 66 Dawson Road and in front of  Mike the Mover at 62 Dawson Road.  They lost a couple of hours trying to coordinate an emergency water shut-off for Shelldale for Thursday, in order to raise the existing watermain by about 0.5m so that they could finish the sanitary tie-in. But because of the Shelldale Centre, they would have to complete this work in off hours. They scheduled the water shut-off for Saturday morning at 7:00am and at that time they would be raising the existing watermain. (They seem to be trying to accommodate Dawson Road businesses and we appreciate that.  That was my comment, not Charles.)

Important News for You:  Because of the setback with the watermain in the Shelldale and Dawson intersection they will be unable to complete that tie in until Tuesday morning and so the traffic setup and diversion at Shelldale will be in place until Tuesday mid day at the earliest.  This means that the slight traffic diversion from Dawson onto Shelldale will still be in effect until then.  Go slow, look for the handmade signs pointing the way to Shelldale and you'll make it alright.

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. . . and now a little something extra - against the front wall of our building here at 66 Dawson Rd there is about 15 feet of a hedge as shown in the picture.  Several years ago we had a resident groundhog that lived in the hole under that hedge.  He became a fat old fellow because he would graze on the perennial flower bed that I maintained in front of the rest of the building. After a few years of frustrating gardening, I realized that I wasn't going to win the battle of trying to grow flowers against a groundhog who was living there to eat them. I took out the perennial flower bed, and shortly after that the groundhog disappeared.

Well, when I was down here Saturday I noticed we have a new young groundhog that has taken up residence under the hedge.  If  he is anything like the old guy, I'm sure I'll be able get a picture of him. There is some groundwork being done behind our building, in the field and I expect  his burrow has been disrupted. So give some thought to coming up with a name for our new little friend.

The weather looks like it may be little iffy today with 50% chance of rain. That may cause problems for some of the construction people, but we'll see what happens. Remember when it rains there is less construction traffic on Dawson Road. 

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So rain or shine,  it is a good day to be doing business on Dawson Road.

Brian

Friday, June 11, 2010 - CJOY Traffic Watch Correction

This special post is to emphasize that Dawson Road is OPEN. 

While driving around to my different clients this afternoon, I heard twice on the CJOY local radio station 'Traffic Watch' that Dawson Road was closed from Shelldale to Speedvale.  That is wrong information.

Upon return to my office I called the station newsroom and gave them the correct information.  He said they would pass it on.  I will notify my contact with the City Communications Coordinator to ensure they are passing along the correct information to the media.

Dawson Road is OPEN for business.  Come onto Dawson from Willow road and travel one-way, northbound on the paved traveling lane.  Remember several businesses are open Saturday and Sunday.  Check their web page links in the right side bar.

Payless Mattress - check Thursday's copy of the Tribune newspaper.  Payless Mattress at 86 Dawson Road has a full page ad with a money saving coupon because of the construction.  Bring the coupon and shop this weekend. 


Have a great weekend and I'll talk to you Monday !

Friday, June 11, 2010 - A Short Break from the Rain

Good Friday morning to you and welcome to the end of the workweek on Dawson Road Today.

Even after the big storm and rain we had late Wednesday night, we got a short break from the rain on Thursday and the crews got right back to work. Yesterday we had a great opportunity to focus on some of the construction workers close up because they were working on the manhole and sanitary connections at our location of Plants For All  at 66 Dawson Road. We have a special shout out to Eddie from Bel Air construction.  We put him on the spot by taking his picture and posting it here so that his 9 year old son Tyler can see him in action.

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 Here is Martin obliging our camera woman with a 

before and after shot. In the second photo, he is down about 6 feet in the ground.

 

 

Because most of us don't get to see this kind of work up close, it was interesting to see the close coordination between manpower and machine power.Big power shovels, heavy rollers, front-end loaders, hand shovels, power tools, supervisors and knowledgeable expertise.  Mix all of that in with the coordination required to work in a small space and as an observer you can't help but be impressed. The work can be heavy and dangerous and there's no room for carelessness or mistake.

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The weather forecast for today is mostly sunny with a bit of cloud and only a 10% chance of rain. The temperature will be cool.  It is expected that the crew will finish the work in front of Plants For All and will work on the connections in front of Mike the Mover at 62 Dawson Road. 

You may be planning on going to the multicultural Festival this weekend.  It starts tonight and runs through Saturday and Sunday.  Just a reminder that the QB2 Café and Dining restaurant at 86 Dawson Rd, which features Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine, will be one of the featured food vendors at the multicultural festival this year. If you get a chance, drop in to Plants For All today, we have a limited supply of coupons which will get you 10% discounts at their booth #11 at the Festival.

Also remember that most of the businesses in the plaza at 86 Dawson Rd are open Saturday and Sunday.  So with no ongoing construction, it would be a good time to come visit Payless Mattress, Hardsoft Computer, QB2 Café and Dining restaurant and Wellington Ortho & Rehab.  If you need more information check the web page links in the right side bar or give them a call.

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Remember to come onto Dawson from Willow Road and treat it as a one-way street. Drive north on the paved transportation lane.

It looks to be a pretty good Friday to do business on Dawson Road.   Come on down!

Thursday, June 10, 2010 - If They Can Work Today

Good morning and welcome to Thursday on Dawson Road Today.

Wednesday was a complete construction washout due to the rains and the water on the ground. No new construction work was done. The storm and heavy rains we had last night don't  bode well for any work being done today either. However, if they can work today refer to yesterday's post to get the details on what they hope to get done.

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So the two big pumps that I told you about are still humming away. They are being used to bypass the sewage around where the construction crews are connecting the sanitary lines from the businesses. These pumps were supposed to be very quiet according to the public information meetings and they are. They emit a very low steady drone. When I stand out front of my store at Plants For All at 66 Dawson Road late at night with very little other noise, these two pumps are quieter than the sound of one transport truck idling in the parking lot at the Customs  building which is three times further away from me than the pumps. Good choice.

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We received a transit update, related to construction, from the City in an area that affects the other end of Dawson Road where the north end of Dawson connects with Woodlawn Road.  "All stops on Perimeter A along Woodlawn Road, between Nicklin Road and Arrow Road, have been re-opened." That is indeed good news.

Note to the businesses on Dawson Road - 1) the links to web pages of Dawson Road businesses in the right side bar is nowhere near complete. If you are Dawson Road business or know one that is not on the list, please  get in touch with me at plants for all@ody.ca   We want to make the public aware of what the businesses of Dawson Road have to offer.

           2) Good news! This blog    dawsonroadtoday.blogspot.com. is now searchable on Google Search. This means more people will be able find us faster and more often. So, as a service to your customers tell them to check our blog when they're planning to come down to Dawson Road. Enter   dawsonroadtoday  , all one-word, into the Google search box and we'll show up right away. Go ahead and try it. That's very fast, it's only been 2 1/2 weeks.

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If you are wanting to turn onto Shelldale Avenue, for example to go to the school or the Norm Jary Park, there is a slight; but important traffic routing change. Coming north on Dawson from Willow watch for handmade "Shelldale" signs pointing to the left. Exit left before the pylons.  Otherwise, you'll end up in the northbound traffic lane on Dawson as pictured by the vehicle here.  It is only temporary until they finish the west side sanitary hookups. Go slow-you'll find it. 

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 I hope the construction crews are able to work today because it's going to be great when they are finished, with sidewalks, bicycle lanes and trees. But to repeat what I said before, when it's wet, there is less construction traffic to contend with and that makes this a great day to do business on Dawson Road.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010 - A Great Day to Do Business on Dawson Road

Good Wednesday morning and welcome to Dawson Road Today. There was lots of construction work done Tuesday and I have some traffic  routing changes to tell you about.

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The crews continued work on sanitary hookups to the new main sewer pipe on the west side of Dawson Road. At the end of work on Tuesday, they had located the necessary pipes in the ground in front of Plants For All at 66 Dawson Rd (hey, that's us).  In preparation for the sanitary hookup, the Bel-Air crews have to locate the water mains coming from the building and the natural gas pipes so that when they dig with the heavy equipment they do not cut into these pipes.They parked their huge vacuum tank truck on our front yard and then sucked the dirt and debris out of the ground a little bit at a time. They ended up with a hole in the ground about 6 feet deep with the copper water main and the natural gas pipe clearly exposed. Tomorrow they expect to finish the sanitary hook up in front of Plants For All as well as in front of Mike the Mover at 62 Dawson Rd.  As a point of interest, the old sewer main that is being replaced is 750 mm in diameter. The new cement sewer main is 900 mm in diameter.

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  In order to disconnect the sanitary hookup in the old sewer pipe they need to remove the sewage that is in the old sewer pipe.  To do that they are using two large Silenced Dry Prime godwin pumps from a subcontractor named Aquatech.  Each pump is about 4 feet wide by 10 feet long by 6 feet high.  The sewage is pumped out of the old main sewer pipe and, bypassing the area the crew is working on, it is fed back into the old system further down using 8 inch diameter fabric and rubber hose. 

Where this sewage enters back into the main system, in fact is down in front of the International Truck company, so this 8 inch orange hose extends down the road quite a ways.  While this work is being done, the driveway to the Anna Marie Oliver School of Dance at 58 Dawson Rd will be blocked and the southerly most driveway of the two accesses to Mike the Mover at 62 Dawson Road will also be blocked.         

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If you are wanting to turn onto Shelldale Avenue, for example to go to the school or the Norm Jary Park, there is a slight; but important traffic routing change. Coming north on Dawson from Willow watch for handmade "Shelldale" signs pointing to the left. Exit left before the pylons.  Otherwise, you'll end up in the northbound traffic lane on Dawson as pictured by the vehicle here.  It is only temporary until they finish the west side sanitary hookups. Go slow-you'll find it.                                                                    

The weather for today is supposed to bring us some showers, so we'll see how that affects construction.

Remember the city transit bus number 22 makes a regular run up Dawson Road with the bus stop being at the Guelph Medical Place.

Remember to treat Dawson Road as a one-way street coming from Willow Road and travel north on the paved transportation lane.  
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 Have a great day and we hope to see you on Dawson Road Today.