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A people mover ‘lite’; Council opts for smaller system to move tourists
Posted By COREY LAROCQUE
It’s now or never for a people mover system in Niagara Falls - even if it’s not as grand as originally planned, says Dave Schram, a consultant working on the project for six years.
“There are two choices. Either move forward with Phase 1 or forget about the project,” Schram told the city’s community services committee Monday.
City council endorsed a plan to proceed with what Schram called a “top of escarpment” transit system instead of the “fully looped” design that has been in the works since 1998.
The city is now looking at a route that would be about one-quarter the length of the 10-kilometre loop that has been on the drawing board for years. (more…)
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People mover restarted; Ten years on, council looks at revised plan
Posted By COREY LAROCQUE
Half a people mover might be better than none.
After 10 years of trying to develop a mass-transit system to shuttle people through the busiest tourist areas, city council will consider going ahead with the just the top portion of what was originally to be a 10-kilometre loop between Bender Street and Marineland.
A report going to tonight’s community services committee meeting recommends a “phased approach” to the people mover project.
It suggests the city focus on building the section along the top of the escarpment first, from Clifton Hill to the Rapidsview parking area.
“Although a fully looped system is the preferred approach by all partners in the project, it is generally concluded … that a fully looped system is a longer-term goal for the project,” the report by city chief administrative officer John MacDonald states.
If council accepts the report, the city will move ahead without the Niagara Parks Commission as a partner. (more…)
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Artists heading to Niagara Parks
Posted By The Review
Old Fort Erie, the Laura Secord Homestead and McFarland House will be decorated by members of the Parkway Artists’ Guild this summer.
For the 10th season, work created by the more than 100 members of the Parkway Artists’ Guild will be on display – and on sale – at the Botanical Gardens.
This year, the program will be extended to the new venues, to give more people an opportunity to buy work by local artists. A portion from the sale of each piece will be donated back to the Niagara Parks to help maintain the heritage sites, attractions and parkland. (more…)
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Parks passes, tickets have gone on sale
Seasons tickets and family passes for Niagara Parks Commission attractions went on sale Monday.
Niagara Falls & Great Gorge Adventure passes cost $39.95 for adults and $24.95 for children ages 6 to 12. This year, season passes are available for an additional $10 per person.
The photo ID card will be sold at Table Rock and the Niagara Parks licensing officer at Rapidsview Park (across from Marineland) from May 5 to Sept. 1. (more…)
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Parks unveils its Fury
Posted By JENNIFER PELLEGRINI and RAY SPITERI
The secret’s out.
On Wednesday, the Niagara Parks Commission let its staff hear details about Niagara’s Fury - the $7-million attraction being built at Table Rock that has been kept tightly under wraps since plans to overhaul the facility were announced last year.
Over the U.S. Memorial Day weekend in late May, the floor inside a specially designed room at Table Rock will tremble. Water below will boil. The temperature will drop 40 degrees in two seconds.
At the same time, the sights and sounds of the formation of Niagara Falls - shot with technology previously used only in satellites and medicine - will immerse riders in what the Niagara Parks is billing as a 4-D, Universal Studios-style attraction.
“Once you see the Fury, you’ll never look at the falls the same way again,” said John Kernahan, general manager of the Niagara Parks Commission, of the six-minute ride where visitors stand on a massive platform and feel the full wrath of Mother Nature. (more…)