Friday, October 29, 2010 - Happy Halloween

Good Friday morning and welcome back to Dawson Road Today!

Yesterday was pretty well a miserable day all around. I was not on site for most of the day. Late in the morning I was traveling through the intersection at Dawson and Speedvale and saw several crewmembers directing traffic; but I don't know what construction work was being done. In my late-night drive around I couldn't see what had been done differently from the previous day. Therefore, I assume that the wet weather halted construction on Dawson Road yesterday.

Follow-up to the closed gas station on Edinburgh Road: I reported that the gas station had been closed due to construction. This is the information posted on the windows at the gas station. We have learned from Royal City Restaurant, the Chinese Restaurant business next door to the gas station, that the gas station has been sold. I will be watching the site to see what develops.

Today, October 29, the QB2 Restaurant at 86 Dawson Road will be having another one of their special buffet dinners. The last one was a big success. I see that they changed the menu a bit and they suggest that you phone for reservations. Here is the new flyer promoting this event. Left click to enlarge it to make it readable. 

This Sunday is Halloween. Please exercise extra caution when driving and watch out for the little ghosts and goblins and ghouls. Happy Halloween to you all.

I will be terminating this blog one day next week, even though I anticipate the project will not be done. Rather than leave it unfinished and up in the air, I will post updates to a dedicated page on my new plant blog until the project is in fact done. You can find my new plant blog at Plants For All Blog.  Please check the new blog out now and bookmark it so you can catch the updates when I post them starting next week. Of course, you could e-mail me at any time for an individual update at plantsforall@ody.ca

When you come onto Dawson Road Today you will be directed by the orange and black arrow sign into the right hand lane. Please drive with caution especially as you drive into the business parking lots.

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

Brian

Plants For All

Thursday, October 28, 2010 - A Guelph Remastered Initiative

Good Thursday morning and welcome back to Dawson Road Today!

The construction crew was working yesterday on preparing some of the road surfaces for final paving. Most notably, down at the Speedvale and Dawson Road intersection, down at the Shelldale and Dawson Road intersection and a small section in the southbound lane of Dawson Road at Willow Road.

When you come on to Dawson Road today and into the construction site you will be directed into the right northbound lane by the orange and black arrow sign. Be careful when leaving Dawson Road to enter a business parking lot because there are several of the access ways that have not been ramped up to the curbs. We don't want you getting your car hung up on a curb.

A note to Dawson Road businesses - in the following update from Guelph Remastered, the city of Guelph is offering to display an ad promoting your business free on the Guelph Remastered web site. Review the details in the following and get your ad in. It sounds like a good idea from the city. Note the deadline is October 31.

We can help promote your special offers, promotions, loyalty programs, coupons, sales and anything else you’re doing to increase your business during construction.
We’ll feature your promotion on the main page of the Guelph Remastered website. The site gets about 1000 visitors a week!
E-mail the following information to remastered@guelph.ca:

• your name 
• business name
• description of business
• promotion details
• business location
• business phone
• business e-mail
• business website

Send all the details to remastered@guelph.ca or call 519-822-1260 x 2611 by October 31 and your promotion will be posted by November 5.

This Friday, October 29, the QB2 Restaurant at 86 Dawson Road will be having another one of their special buffet dinners. The last one was a big success. I see that they changed the menu a bit and they suggest that you phone for reservations. Here is the new flyer promoting this event. Left click to enlarge it to make it readable. 

Brian

Plants For All

Wednesday, October 27, 2010 - More Fine Eating at the QB2

Good Wednesday morning and welcome back to Dawson Road Today!

It looks as though the weather may be an important player in how quickly construction work is done. Yesterday started out as a good construction day and then brought everything to a halt late in the afternoon with heavy rain and high winds. In spite of all the heavy rains throughout the evening, it would appear as though we've got off light compared to other areas of southern Ontario. When I arrived back at my shop late last late, it was another fine fall night. There is certainly a difference in the aftermath of a fall rain as compared to the aftermath of a spring rain.

An update on the gas station on Edinburgh Road - I have learned, on my own, that the Rainbow Esso gas station on Edinburgh Road has closed due to the construction. That makes me sad. Sad for the owner/operator, the employees, the customers and the local business community. There is a cost to this $48 million that the city is saving.

On a happier note, the crews keep working on the curbs, sidewalks and boulevard landscaping. The crews from JNF Concrete and Bel-Air Construction seem to work well together. JNF is subcontracted by Bel-Air and they have worked on several other jobs in southern Ontario. On Monday they installed a cement pad to accommodate a bus stop in front of our store, Plants For All at 66 Dawson Road. Yesterday, Linda took this picture of some of the crew members working on that pad cutting expansion slots.

This Friday, October 29, the QB2 Restaurant at 86 Dawson Road will be having another one of their special buffet dinners. The last one was a big success. I see that they changed the menu a bit and they suggest that you phone for reservations. Here is the new flyer promoting this event. Left click to enlarge it to make it readable. You may be able to left click it again to make it even bigger.

I have decided that I will terminate this blog, Dawson Road Today,  early next week whether the construction is finished or not.  There is not enough new activity going on to advise you about, without the whole thing sounding like a commercial for Plants For All, which was never the intention. I am ready for this project to be done.

My new plant blog is being well received. We have been promoting it at the talks that Linda and I have been doing and by way of this blog, Dawson Road Today. I hope that we can develop it to be more of a two-way, give-and-take communication project. Please visit my new plant blog and let me know what you think Plants For All blog 

With Halloween fast approaching it's a very busy time for me personally. We have a Halloween party for our grandchildren and a few friends. I enjoy this time very much.

When you come onto Dawson Road today and enter the construction site you will be directed into the left-hand lane by the orange and black arrow sign.  Please drive carefully, especially when exiting Dawson Road into the businesses because the driveway accesses have changed and are changing as the crews finish up the curbs and the sidewalks.

Have a great day on Dawson Road Today!

Brian

Plants For All

Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - A Lot Getting Done

Good Tuesday morning and welcome back to Dawson Road Today!

Monday was a good day for construction and Dawson Road in front of our shop was a hive of activity all day. The weather was mild and the rain held off, allowing a lot of the concrete work on sidewalks and curbs to be done. Last night was another beautiful evening with mild temperatures, overcast skies and no wind. However, I fear it is the calm before the storm. Today is forecast to be very windy this afternoon with chance of showers or even thunderstorms. We'll have to see how that plays out.

When I got to my shop yesterday afternoon, the crews had rerouted my driveway access in order that they could work on finishing the curbs and sidewalks over the driveway. They were working on the curbs and sidewalks at a few access points along the west side of Dawson Road. The cement work is done by the crew from JNF Concrete Ltd. from London and they are supported by the crew from Bel-Air Construction. These pictures show some of the activity about midafternoon. When they lay so much concrete, they leave some crew on site late into the night to allow the concrete time to set without interference from vandals. When I arrived back to the shop very late last night, I found that to be the case. Just before I left my shop about 6:30 yesterday afternoon I inquired of some of the crew members what the large cement pad was for in front of my shop. They told me it was a bus stop pad.  I had forgotten, or never knew, that we were getting a bus stop in front of our shop; but reference to the original drawings presented at the open house before the project started, confirmed that there should be one at that location. I am pleased. The first picture is looking south from my driveway at Plants For All at 66 Dawson Road and the second picture is looking north from  my driveway. Left click on the image to enlarge it.

The election results are in. Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to everyone who ran for a position in yesterday's municipal election. You can get all the detailed results at www.guelph.ca/vote

Yesterday afternoon I was able to get the posting up to my new plant blog about what we do with our compostable material. This is one of the most commonly asked questions we get from our clients in the offices. I think you'll find the answer interesting. Visit my new plant blog at http://plantsforallblog.blogspot.com

I didn't get any answer back from the City about the status of the Rainbow Esso gas station on Edinburgh Road. Is it closed for good or is this a temporary situation? If you know the answer to this, please send a comment to this post or e-mail me at plantsforall@ody.ca

Monday was a good day for construction on Dawson Road. Each day is getting easier to get around. Come on down to Dawson Road today and see how your tax dollars are being spent and please drive carefully and follow the signs and pylons.

Brian

Plants For All

Monday, October 25, 2010 - Vote Today

Good Monday morning and welcome back to Dawson Road Today! 

I came back into my shop late last night to prepare this post. To my mind, it was a very pleasant night, almost surreal. The temperature was mild, the rain from earlier in the evening had stopped, there was a heaviness  of mist in the air; but not quite fog. I drove back to the store with my van window down, which is probably why I was able to hear some distant voice telling me to turn on my headlights. From the tape player in  my car the gentle Celtic haunting sounds of Loreena McKinnett relaxed any concerns I had. The mist in the air was enough to block the view of the night sky stars, allowing only the reflections from the full moon and the still lingering Jupiter to shine through.  It had been a good weekend.

On the way back to the shop I purposely drove through the intersection at Delhi and Eramosa. The construction work at that intersection is now complete, all the pylons and equipment are removed and the intersection is open for regular traffic. Good news!

After that I purposely drove through the stretch of road on Edinburgh between London Road and Willow Road. That stretch had been closed for several weeks and is now open. Construction on Edinburgh Road will still continue for several weeks yet; so please follow the pylons and posted signs, drive safely and watch for the workers. I noticed that the Rainbow Esso gas bar was not lit up and the windows were covered. It looks as though they are not operating any more. If someone representing the city is reading this today please advise me if they have gone out of business or temporarily shutdown. 

At the start of today, as you enter the construction site on Dawson Road you will be directed by the orange and black arrow sign to enter into the right lane. Please follow the directions and pylons to ensure the safety of the workers and ensure your speedy passage to the business you're looking for on Dawson Road. The Bel-Air Construction crews will be working on in-filling the boulevards for final landscaping and preparation work for the completion of curbs and sidewalks. These pictures were taken last Friday and show how material has been ramped up in our driveway to provide an alternate access while work is done to complete the curbs and the sidewalk.

Today is municipal election day. If you haven't already voted, the polls are open until eight 8 p.m. today. I know that if you want to,  you can find the time to get out and vote, and I hope you do.

Visit my new plant blog http://plantsforallblog.blogspot.com

 Due to the late hour of last evening I did not get a new posting to my plant blog last night. However, today I will post and fill you in on what we do with the compost from our regular plant maintenance clients and show you some of the rewarding results. So, check out my plant blog at the above link this afternoon or even Tuesday morning.

I have decided that I will terminate this blog, Dawson Road Today,  early next week whether the construction is finished or not.  There is not enough new activity going on to advise you about, without the whole thing sounding like a commercial for Plants For All, which was never the intention. I am ready for this project to be done.

Today being Monday, I will be in the store at Plants For All at 66 Dawson Road today after 12:30, so if you get a chance to pop in and say 'hi' I would love to see you.

 Brian

Plants For All

Friday, October 22, 2010 - Say It Isn't Snooooooow

Good Friday morning and welcome back to Dawson Road Today!

At 11 p.m. last night, it was snowing on Dawson Road.

JNF Concrete was back on site laying more sidewalk. This time they worked their way on the west side of Dawson Road from Roy-Al Rentals to Speedvale Avenue. They also laid the sidewalks and curbs for the big curved section at Speedvale Avenue on both the west side and east side of Dawson Road. By midafternoon they had all of the freshly laid sidewalk covered with plastic to protect it from the wet elements like rain and snow.

Bel-Air Construction was working on ramping up alternative accesses to the businesses so JNF Concrete can finish the curbing and sidewalks at the present accesses.

It's Friday again, this one seemed to come quick. Take some time to enjoy your weekend. Halloween is a special time for Linda and I and we will be spending part of the weekend decorating our apartment for a Halloween party for our grandchildren and friends.

When you come onto Dawson Road this morning and enter into the construction site you will be directed by the orange and black arrow to drive into the right hand lane. Even though the project is quickly wrapping up, it is important that drivers follow the rules of the construction zone. Please drive with care.

The municipal election is being held this Monday, October 25. If you haven't made up your mind yet, find some time this weekend to learn about the candidates and plan to exercise your right to vote on Monday.  You can find all of the voting information you need and links to the various candidates at www.guelph.ca/vote

Rona Cashway is having another promotion this Saturday, October 23. Buy three items and pay for two. Get more details at the Rona web site or call the store.

Visit my new plant blog http://plantsforallblog.blogspot.com

Brian 

Plants For All 

Thursday, October 21, 2010 - We Have Sidewalks

Good Thursday morning and welcome back to Dawson Road Today!

We have sidewalks - aren't they beautiful? From doing my walkabout last night, I don't think they poured any more cement yesterday for sidewalks. The crew from JNF Concrete in London were busy yesterday setting up forms on the west side of Dawson Road from Roy-Al Rentals up to the big curve at Speedvale Avenue. They were also going back over the sidewalks that have already been poured and cutting the expansion slots into the cement with a power saw. This picture shows the new sidewalk in front of our shop Plants For All at 66 Dawson Road and facing south.

Now is a good time to remind you -yet once again, to only drive northbound. There are still people who insist on trying to go the wrong way. One of the workers from JNF concrete told me that the other day he was forced to drop some material he was carrying in the roadway for fear of being hit by someone driving southbound. You are not supposed to be driving southbound yet. The construction workers are not expecting you to be driving southbound and are not looking for you.  Only drive northbound - not southbound. At the start of today when you enter the construction site you will be directed by the orange and black arrow sign to travel in the right hand lane going north.

Guelph Transit issued this update that affects Route 22 , our Dawson Road bus, yesterday.

Guelph Transit Route 3, 22, 23 and 24 Update: October 20

Posted: 20 Oct 2010 09:38 AM PDT

Guelph Transit Route 3, 22, 23 and 24 Update: October 20

Work on Paisley Street has been completed.  Route 3 Waterloo Fife, 22 Conestoga, 23 Paisley Imperial, and 24 Industrial will return to service along Paisley Road at 12:40 p.m. today!

 

The Bel-Air Construction crew is doing a lot of the infilling on the boulevards in preparation for the final landscaping and driveway grading. This necessitates bringing in additional material, moving existing material and 'shaping' the two together. These photos show some of this work going on around the driveway into our parking lot.

Just arranged last night, Brian, from Plants For All, will be speaking at the Concordia Garden Group Wednesday, November 10 at 7:30 p.m. on the topic of 'Pest Control and Integrated Pest Management for Your Houseplants'. Keep up-to-date with 'what's happening' at http://plantsforallblog.blogspot.com

We had quite a bit of rain last night which is kind of lousy but not totally unexpected. I don't know; but I doubt if they can pour concrete for the sidewalks when it's raining. But remember, when it's raining there is less traffic on Dawson Road and easier for you to get into the shops and businesses. So come on down.

Brian

Plants For All 

Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - The Working Wounded?

Good Wednesday morning and welcome back to Dawson Road Today!

Tuesday was a good day for construction on Dawson Road and the contractor and their subcontractors were able to get a lot done. Subcontractor Seegmiller from Kitchener continued with the paving operations. Subcontractor JNF Concrete continued with the work of building the sidewalks. Contractor Bel-Air Construction supported the work of the two sub-contractors and continued the in-filling for the sway on the west side of Dawson Road.

A couple weeks ago, you will recall, that one of the crew members was hit by a car traveling the wrong way on Dawson Road. That crew members name is Tony, and he was back on site to work this week. Both Linda and I "caught up" what Tony for separate conversations on Tuesday. I don't know the full extent of the injury to Tony's foot yet; but it is likely he will need some physiotherapy. I thought he was clearly frustrated by the lack of consideration of the driving public. He said," why can't people respect the rules. Respect the rules, let us do our jobs and get out of here." Tony later told Linda that the drivers should "have patience and follow the construction signs. Then the work will be done faster and they could get out of everybody's hair."

There is another construction crew member on site sporting an injury. Dave has his left arm tied up in a sling from an injury sustained at home. He told Linda that he was "glad he can do math in his head because he's the surveyor."  Tony and Dave obliged Linda by pausing to have this picture taken.  It is good to have both of these crew members back on the job.

Guelph Remastered issued the following transit update that affects bus number 22 before it gets to Dawson Road and is effective today:

Route 22 Conestoga Detour:
From St. George’s Square, route 22 will turn right on Norfolk Street, left on Suffolk Street West, left on Yorkshire Street North, and right on Paisley Road where it will continue on regular route.  Route 22 will continue to follow the current detour into the Square. Click the link for details: http://guelph.ca/remastered/?p=2697

JNF Concrete from London have made good progress on the sidewalks on Dawson Road in the last couple of days. I am impressed how quickly they can lay the forms, pour the concrete and do the finishing work on the sidewalks. JNF will also be subcontracted by Bel-Air Construction to do the curb and sidewalk concrete work on the Westmount Road and Edinburgh Road construction projects here in Guelph. One of the crew members from JNF was on site until well after 10 p.m. last night doing some extra work on the sidewalk laid already. In this photo, Linda was able to capture four of the JNF crew members hard at work.  Remember to left click on the picture to enlarge it and then click on your browser's back arrow to get back to this post.

You may have noticed that many of our pictures throughout the blog have tried to capture a more casual and personal side to the workers. But make no mistake, these are all hard-working construction crew that work in a professional manner, coordinate well with the other construction crews on site and they're dedicated to completing a quality job here on Dawson Road. I felt obligated to say that.

Today is expected to start out as a fairly good weather day for construction. However, by the end of the day we are expected to be into showers. Remember as I've often said, when it's raining, the traffic is always lighter on Dawson Road and today would be a good day for you to come down and visit the businesses of Dawson Road.

Visit my new plant blog http://plantsforallblog.blogspot.com

 to see an overview of what we discussed at the Salvation Army Heart and Home Group yesterday.

Brian 

Plants For All

Plants For All Blog: Monday, October 18, 2010 - KW Garden Club Talk Well Received

Tuesday, October 19, 2010 - I Leave for a Day, and Look What Happens

Good Tuesday morning and welcome back to Dawson Road Today! Yesterday we stopped into our store, Plants For All at 66 Dawson Road, just long enough to load the van with the material we needed to do our presentation at the KW Garden Club in Waterloo.

The street was a hive of activity with the crew from Seegmiller working on paving, supported by the crew from Bel-Air Construction who were also working on in-filling the boulevards on the east side of Dawson Road. I told you yesterday that the paving crew was working last Saturday morning on the intersection at Speedvale and Dawson. They also were able to lay the first base layer of asphalt about 125 m from Speedvale Avenue on the east lane. This picture shows the first new pavement on Dawson Road. Yeah!

When we returned back to our shop last evening shortly after 8 p.m., of course it was dark. However, there was a lot of activity going on as the crew from Seegmiller were actively at work. There were lights and rollers going every which way. Of course, they knew what they were doing; but it was a kind of organized chaos that we're not used to seeing on the construction site after dark on Dawson Road.

On my walkabout late last night I could see much of what was accomplished during the day. It would appear to me that the lane on the west side of Dawson Road has had 2 base layers of asphalt, leaving the asphalt surface about 2 inches below the curb level. The lane on the east side of Dawson Road has had one complete base layer of asphalt and 2 base layers from Shelldale up to in front out Mike the Mover. I expect they should be able to finish the second layer on the east side lane tomorrow. All of Dawson Road now has some level of asphalt surfacing. Yeah!

I also noticed that the wooden forms to make the sidewalks have been partially installed. Forms are in place on the east side of Dawson Road from near Speedvale Avenue down to in front of Brush Cuts Professional Pet Grooming. So the sidewalks are underway. Yeah! I leave for a day and look what happens!

The weather for Tuesday and Wednesday looks to be good for construction with no rain in the forecast and being a bit cool. We're to expect some rain on Thursday, so we'll see what that upsets. I understand that they cannot pave when it's raining.

Our talk was well received at the KW Garden Club yesterday and Linda will be presenting a talk on a different plant topic this morning at the Salvation Army.

Visit my new plant blog http://plantsforallblog.blogspot.com

 to see an outline of what we discussed at the KW Garden Club.

Just as a point of interest, our Dawson Road Today blog, that you're reading now has just passed the 2000 page view mark. I'm very pleased with that and thank you for looking us up.

People who think they know me, should know that I am not a big fan of autumn. However, we've had a pretty good run of fall weather and I think I like it. Most likely though,  I'm just in a state of denial. Anyway, it's a good day to be on Dawson Road today. Come on down, the businesses of Dawson Road would love to see you.

Brian

Plants For All

Monday, October 18, 2010 - Bring on Some More Heavy Equipment

Good Monday morning and welcome back to Dawson Road Today! This is a good news/bad news sort of day.

First the bad news. Two weeks after the scheduled finished date the Dawson road reconstruction project is not complete. Now the good news.

• paving crews worked Saturday, yes Saturday, to catch up on some of their backlog
• the first base of paving was done at the Speedvale Avenue intersection and also about 125 m of the northbound lane from Speedvale
• preparations are in place for paving to continue this morning with all the equipment on site and ready to go
• the crew from NJF Concrete from London will be on site to finish the curb work and the sidewalks this week
• it is anticipated that, subject to weather conditions, everything will be complete by the end of October (2010)

The paving is being done by subcontractor EE Seegmiller of Kitchener. They brought their equipment on to site late Friday afternoon. This first picture shows the Caterpillar paver that will be used to lay the asphalt. This paver weighs in at about 20 tons and uses a unique rubberized belt traction system that "just won't get stuck". Scott from Seegmiller was telling me that Bel-Air Construction has made a real good base, "just like concrete". Seegmiller also did the paving on the Westmount Road job and others around town. With all the construction work going on in Guelph and with several bad weather days, they are very busy trying to catch up and will be working most Saturdays from here on in.

After the asphalt is laid several passes with different types of roller machines are needed to compact and smooth the asphalt. This picture shows four different sizes of rollers that will be used. The largest steel drum roller will weigh in at about 10 tons and has a vibrating feature that will help to compact and smooth the asphalt. In the picture after the first three drum rollers is a rubber tire roller. This roller weighs about 12 tons and has a series of smooth rubber tires that are offset. The purpose of this roller is to seal the surface of the asphalt. Someone from Pitura Hussin will be taking samples of the asphalt to ensure that it has reached the required level of compactness. Remember left click on the picture to enlarge it.

Linda and I attended at the QB2 restaurant Menu Tasting Buffet last Friday evening after 6 p.m. There was a full crowd again, so I suspect that it was a success.  We shared our table with an interesting chap named Paulo, who was a veterinarian specialist living in Guelph and working around southern Ontario, in his own business.

The weather for today looks like it will be good for construction and a little bit on the cool side. As you come on to Dawson Road today into the construction site you will be directed to drive into the right northbound lane. With all of the paving equipment being active today and tomorrow, please pay particular attention to follow directions and pylons to get you safely through the construction site and to the businesses you want to attend.

Linda will be speaking to the Heart and Home Group at the Salvation Army tomorrow morning. Her topic will be "Disaster Recovery For Your Tropical Plants".

Visit my new plant blog http://plantsforallblog.blogspot.com

Brian

Plants For All

Friday, October 15, 2010 - Rain, Rain Go Away

Good Friday morning and welcome back to Dawson Road Today! Yes, it's Friday morning. I know it's been a short week with the Monday Thanksgiving holiday; but it somehow feels like this week has been one long day. I fully expected that the construction project would be done now and that this blog would be finished but that's not to be, yet.

There was no construction work done on site yesterday. The subcontractor, Aecon, was on site yesterday doing some of the wire splicing work for the telephone, cable and fiber wire utilities down near the south entrance to the Plaza at 86 Dawson Road. I expect that the heavy rains Wednesday night and into Thursday morning were the reasons the road construction was put off for a day. The weather forecast today was calling for a bit of rain possibly in the morning and then clearing and warming up for the rest of the day and the weekend. I have no update on when the sidewalks, landscaping and paving are expected to be done.

The big event for today is the Menu Tasting Buffet Event being held at the QB2 restaurant at 86 Dawson Road. Click on the QB2 header at the top of this post to be taken to a detailed menu offering and information on the times of the the event. I know that Linda and I plan to show up there this evening after we close our store at 6.

When you come onto Dawson Road today, into the construction site, you will be directed by the orange and black arrow to drive into the right lane. Please drive slowly and watch where you're going.

Rona Cashway will be closed this Sunday to take inventory. Therefore, get down to Dawson Road today or tomorrow to get your supplies for your renovation projects.

Regarding the municipal election - there are advanced polls on Saturday for each ward should you prefer to vote then instead of on election Day. You can get locations and more information at www.Guelph.ca/vote

Visit my new plant blog http://plantsforallblog.blogspot.com

Have a wonderful weekend and I'll talk to you Monday. 

Brian  

Plants For All

Thursday, October 14, 2010 - On-site Personalities

Good Thursday morning and welcome back to Dawson Road Today!

Wednesday morning started out cold but the day quickly warmed up and turned into a very pleasant fall day. Good for construction and good for getting around. That all changed last evening when it started to rain over the supper hour and just kept on going. The weather for today is supposed to be wet and cool, so we'll have to wait and see how that affects construction. At the start of today when you enter the construction site you will be directed by the orange and black arrow to drive into the right lane. Watch for and obey the direction signs. It will make your driving on Dawson Road a lot easier.

When I arrived at my shop on Dawson Road yesterday morning it was apparent that at least one driver had not heeded the warning to drive slowly and watch for the exits that access to the businesses. A jeep had tried to exit right off of Dawson Road and with no ramp built up on the side of the exit the jeep had no where to go. It was hung up on the curb and had to be towed off backwards. Please slow down and watch where you're going.

Much earlier in the construction project you may recall that Guelph Hydro installed some new poles in predetermined areas that would better facilitate the smooth flow of traffic in and out of some driveways. The work to remove the old poles started Wednesday. Aecon, a subcontractor who has been on site before working on natural gas pipelines, was on site Wednesday working on accessing the wires carried on the old poles for the services of telephone, cable and fiber wire. Now that the workers have accessed the wires, as shown in this photo, someone else will come in to splice the wires together for connection to the new pole.  My thanks to Joe from Aecon for talking to me and letting me know what they were doing.

I reported last week that one of the construction crew was struck by a car by someone traveling in the wrong direction. There was a newspaper report of the incident in the Guelph Tribune of Tuesday, October 12. The feeling of the crew on site is that the construction worker who was injured may be able to return to work next Monday.

Tomorrow is Friday, October 15 - the QB2 restaurant at 86 Dawson Road is featuring their second Menu Tasting Buffet Event. The first time they staged this event it was an overwhelming success. Plan to attend and arrive hungry because there will be lots of excellent food to eat at a very affordable price. For more information about this event or to see a detailed menu click on the header above - QB2 Menu Tasting Buffet Event October 15 - or call the restaurant at the phone number in the sidebar at the right.

Just a heads up that Rona Cashway will be closed this Sunday, October 17 for inventory. Come down to Dawson Road before then to get your building supplies so you can keep her busy all weekend long.

I don't need to tell anyone that this construction project has been a long haul (I guess I just did), with lots of pressures and stress for everyone concerned.  But we've come a long way baby and had a few good laughs thrown in for seasoning. Here are a few photos of some of the front-line personalities that were on site Wednesday as captured by Linda from Plants For All. Remember you can left click on the picture to enlarge it.

The grading and compacting of the road base continued on the westside lane and the crew got as far as the south entrance to the Plaza at 86 Dawson Road, before stopping for the day on Wednesday. I don't imagine it should take long to finish that, when they can get back at it.

Visit my new plant blog http://plantsforallblog.blogspot.com I am developing more features and pages to that blog as I go along and would certainly welcome your critical suggestions for improvement. If you or you know someone who has an interest in tropical plants for indoor use please refer them to my new blog. Thanks.

If it's going to be rainy today, you know that means the traffic on Dawson Road will be lighter. So come on down and pay a visit to the businesses of Dawson Road today.

Brian

Plants For All

Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - Brrr

Good Wednesday morning and welcome back to Dawson Road Today!

At the start of today when you enter the construction site you'll be directed by the orange and black arrow to drive into the left lane. Yesterday the crew was working on grading and compacting the road base in the northbound lane. The crew finished  for the day and parked their equipment in front of Guelph Medical Place. The crew will continue work on the northbound lane today and then move over to the southbound lane.  They are adding more base material A to the road surface to raise the overall grade of the road in preparation for paving.

The much anticipated Menu Tasting Buffet is happening this Friday, October 15 at the QB 2 restaurant at 86 Dawson Road. To get a detailed menu offering and more information about the event click onto the header at the top of this post referencing the QB 2 Menu Tasting Buffet or call the restaurant at the number listed in the right sidebar.

Linda, from Plants For All, will be the guest speaker at the Heart and Home Group to be held at the Salvation Army on Gordon Street next Tuesday, October 19 at 9:30 a.m.  The topic for her talk will be "Disaster Recovery for Your Plants". Linda will share her first-hand experience at helping a client rejuvenate her house plants that were damaged by a fire in the home. For more information contact Linda at 519-767-2161 or e-mail plantsforall@ody.ca .  (Both Linda and I are available to speak for clubs or other groups on topics related to indoor tropical plants.)

On Tuesday the crew were able to make more exits to businesses accessible by grading up road material to ramp over the new curb. Drive slowly and carefully, watch where you're going and you'll be just fine.

The crew were doing some work on Tuesday in preparation for making the sways that will replace the open ditches on the west side of Dawson Road. 

I made a very brief appearance on CKCO TV - Kitchener news last night at 6 and 11:30, commenting on some questions related to the upcoming municipal election and Guelph City politics. Feel free to stop by for an autograph. Seriously, the municipal election is less than two weeks away and issues are being defined. Please exercise your right to become aware of the issues that affect you and then vote as you see fit. For those who cannot vote on election Day, October 25, there are advanced polls at City Hall today and tomorrow. There are more advanced polls throughout the city on Saturday. You can get more information on these advance polls, and candidates and voters lists by going to www.Guelph.ca/vote.

Visit my new plant blog http://plantsforallblog.blogspot.com

It was a cold night last night and it looks like we're in for a couple of days of cold and wet weather.  I hope it doesn't set back finishing up the project. We love to see these guys every day; but it's time we were done. Take some time this week to come down to Dawson Road and see how your tax dollars are being spent and maybe buy a plant, or a computer, or lunch, or a mattress, or join a physical fitness programme, or just to say hello.

Brian

Plants For All

Tuesday, October 12, 2010 - A lot of good things going on

Good Tuesday morning and welcome back to Dawson Road Today!

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone and I hope everything was well with yours'. I actually took all three days off. That wasn't the original plan but you know how plans get changed. In addition to a last-minute, traditional Thanksgiving dinner with family, Linda and I spent some quality time together building a . . . ., I can't tell you.

The much anticipated Menu Tasting Buffet is happening this Friday, October 15 at the QB 2 restaurant at 86 Dawson Road. To get a detailed menu offering and more information about the event click onto the header at the top of this post referencing the QB 2 Menu Tasting Buffet or call the restaurant at the number listed in the right sidebar.

Coming up this week - crews will be installing the new sidewalks, one on each side of Dawson Road. Especially during the spring summer and fall, we have a good number of people who walk or jog on Dawson Road in the evenings. The addition of the new sidewalks will make it a safer journey for them as well as the many students who travel Dawson Road each school day. Take advantage of the new sidewalks and take a stroll down Dawson Road. Many of the businesses are open in the evenings and it would be a great time for you to discover them.

As of early this morning, Edinburgh Road was still closed between Willow and London Road. This stretch of road was scheduled to reopen today, but I know they are a little behind schedule. Keep an eye out for and pay attention to the signs in that area. If you hear about it opening up soon give me a call at 519-767-2161 and I'll let my readers know.

Coming up next Monday, I will be speaking at the KW Garden Club in Waterloo. Please be aware that both Linda and I are available to speak for clubs or other groups on topics related to indoor tropical plants.

When you come onto Dawson Road today you will be directed by an arrow at the Shelldale end pointing you into the left lane. Please follow the posted signs and the pylons carefully. Dawson Road will be busy this week with road grading in preparation for paving, sidewalk installation, landscaping, and with crews finishing up the curb work. And for goodness sake, and safety sake, drive in the right direction which is northbound only from Shelldale to Speedvale through the construction site.

If you followed my postings last week regarding the installation of the curbs, you will recall that the driveway access is very narrow through the new curbs. This is a temporary situation, and was done to accommodate driveway access during the installation of the curbs. This photo shows the access to our driveway, Plants For All at 66 Dawson Road. The point is that when you're ready to exit Dawson Road into one of the business lots, the access way is temporarily narrower. Take your time and you'll be good.

Well that's quite a bit for the start of a new week. And on top of all that, we have the excitement of having our garbage day move from Monday to today because of the holiday.

Visit my new plant blog http://plantsforallblog.blogspot.com

Brian

Plants For All

Friday, October 8 - Happy Thanksgiving to You

Good Friday morning and welcome back to Dawson Road Today! Happy Thanksgiving to You.

Today's post is a milestone in that it is the 100th post of this blog. It has been a long journey but very educational and rewarding for me personally. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read it and thank you to those who have responded by comments, e-mails and phone calls. I am Thankful for that.

Update:  Yesterday, I posted that a worker had been struck by a car on Wednesday. He is resting at home and getting around with the use of crutches. He will be off work at least until next Tuesday when his condition will be reevaluated.

The curb work that was started Wednesday was completed yesterday, at least as far as the molding is concerned. In order to allow vehicle access to the businesses, a portion of each business driveway was left uncurbed (is that a word?) and open. Those portions will be finished later. I was telling you yesterday about the special molding machine used for making the curbs. Here is a picture of that machine in action taken yesterday. Left click the image to enlarge it. The machine can get pretty close to the catch basins; but it then requires some manual finishing work. Joe, from JNF Concrete Ltd. was doing that here. The sidewalks will be done next week and the same subcontractor will be doing the sidewalks.  They cannot be molded like the curbs, and will require heavy forms, lots of gravel and more man hours.

While JNF Concrete was finishing up the curbing, BelAir Construction crew was adding more road Base A material and grading, as more  preparation for the road paving.  Through out the day the traffic stream on Dawson Road was heavy and steady, as shown by this photo. Joe commented that he had no idea Dawson Road would be this busy. In spite of all the extra construction equipment on site, the reduced lane widths and the steady flow of traffic, in the early afternoon I still saw a minivan trying to come the wrong way down Dawson Road. Unbelievable! The driver was turned around by the construction crew.

Don't forget to check out the information regarding the QB2 Menu Tasting Buffet coming up October 15. That is just next Friday. Click on the header at the top of this page for more information.

Visit my new plant blog http://plantsforallblog.blogspot.com

Yesterday was a busy day on Dawson Road. There was more construction equipment and traffic and personnel, there was more nonconstruction vehicular traffic, there were more restrictions to access of the business driveways resulting in more frustrations from the businesses trying to conduct their regular business - and all of this restricted by the confines of defined side barriers. But a lot of work was done in just two days.  It took a lot of coordination by the planners and the construction crews and a lot of cooperation by the businesses of Dawson Road, the city of Guelph Transit, Canada Post and local vehicle drivers and pedestrians. Take a deep breath . . . . . let it out. Good job - well-done.

It's a Friday of a long weekend. Be good to yourself and those you care about (and me). Happy Thanksgiving to You and I'll talk to you Tuesday.

Brian

Plants For All

Thursday, October 7, 2010 - Drive Northbound Only

Good Thursday morning and welcome back to Dawson Road Today! Before I get into the good news of yesterday there is some serious business to which we have to tend.

Wednesday on the construction site we had one of the construction crew workers struck by a car.  The car was going the wrong way on Dawson Road. Firstly, the worker was taken to hospital to have his leg x-rayed. I am not privy to his condition.

The car was going the wrong way on Dawson Road. There is no excuse for this to happen, even though it happens all too frequently. Since the start of construction on Dawson Road back in April, there have been plenty of clear signs indicating the direction of travel. There have been plenty of signs telling you which way not to turn. Should you ever find yourself not clear about which way to go, ask one of the construction crew and they'll tell you where to go.

On a regular basis we remind you on this blog of which way to travel. There are hundreds of black and orange pylons to help guide you through the construction site. Many weekday afternoons, when I am sitting outside my shop enjoying a coffee and watching traffic, we will see one or more drivers going the wrong way. We have yet to figure out why they could possibly think they're so special as to have their own rules. Non-construction traffic through the Dawson Road construction site should be traveling northbound only - unless directed otherwise by a construction crew flagman. The construction crew has done an excellent job of keeping access to Dawson Road and its businesses open since the beginning of the job. I am sure their work would have been much easier if they had just closed the street altogether.

Follow the proper direction to ensure the smooth flow of traffic for everyone; but more importantly to help ensure the safety of the workers, the students and other pedestrians who are on foot on Dawson Road. One last word - I seem to have noticed an increased police presence on Dawson Road over the last couple of days. I would suggest that it may be beneficial for them to react and clamp down on the people driving the wrong way. As a bonus, I am sure they will nab a few cell phone user/drivers in the process.

The weather Wednesday was very good for construction. We advised you last week that the crew expected to get around to working on curbs by Wednesday of this week.  They have been working to that end and met with success. Just after 3:30 Wednesday afternoon the first curbs were laid. This is a wonderful process to watch. Gone are the days of setting up and framing heavy wooden forms. The concrete curbs are actually molded into place.

A subcontractor, JNF Concrete Ltd. out of London, had their men and equipment on site to do the work. The yellow machine, shown in this picture, travels along a preset guide string and sends out a steady stream of molded concrete curb. A cement truck travels along in front of this machine pouring liquid concrete onto a conveyor belt that transfers the concrete into a hopper on the machine. From here the concrete is forced under pressure out the back of the machine and into place on the ground - a completed curb.  It's probably much more complicated than that; but that's the just of it.  The men and machine work very quickly. They started laying the first curb at 3:45 p.m. at the Speedvale end of Dawson Road and worked a little longer than usual to finish just after 6 in front of Royal City Warehousing. They laid about 300 metres of curb in about 2  1/2 hours.  Amazing! Here are a before-curb and an after-curb picture of the same stretch of road. Left click on any of the images to enlarge them.

The crew expect to get the curbs completed today. The weather for the rest of this workweek looks good.

Don't forget to check out the information regarding the QB2 Menu Tasting Buffet coming up October 15. Click on the header at the top of this page for more information.

Visit my new plant blog http://plantsforallblog.blogspot.com

As we approach the upcoming Thanksgiving long weekend, please slow down, drive the right way and make it safely to the holiday. Have a great day on Dawson Road today!

Brian

Plants For All