The Buzz
LATITUDE
MEDICINE HAT EVENT CENTRE ROARS INTO HOME STRETCH
Edmonton and Calgary aren’t the only Alberta cities with a love for hockey. In Medicine Hat, the Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers will soon move into a bigger, more modern arena, in the Box Springs Business Park. Construction is wrapping up on a $75-million Regional Event Centre, which is on track for an August opening. The multi- use centre will also host concerts, trade shows, figure skating, and curling events. It’s LEED Silver Certified, with seating for up to 7,000 at concerts. The old Medicine Hat Arena, built in 1970, seats 4,000 and will still be used by the community. -Corinne Lutter
MEDICINE HAT SCORES NEW ARENA Fans will soon cheer on the Medicine Hat Tigers in a new $75-million Regional Events Centre, with game-day seating for up to 6,100 people. -photo courtesy City of Medicine Hat
U OF A RESEARCHERS DRIVING EFFORTS TO BRING
HYDROGEN VEHICLES TO MARKET As countries around the world struggle to reduce carbon emissions, the race is on to find greener transportation options. Engineering researchers at the University of Alberta want to see hydrogen vehicles make it to the finish line. Hydrogen fuel-cell technology isn’t new — but it’s been too costly to bring to market. Dr. Marc Secanell Gallart, P.Eng., who directs the university’s Energy Systems Design Laboratory, is finding ways to lower costs by reducing the amount of platinum needed. This rare and expensive metal acts as a catalyst in the chemical reaction that creates electricity from hydrogen. He’s been collaborating with Mercedes Benz and Ford, which have both used his research to release hydrogen vehicles on a small scale. The companies plan to expand their offerings in the next couple of years as hydrogen fill-up stations become more common. Hydrogen vehicles run five- times longer than battery-pack electric cars and are refueled quicker — in just a few minutes, rather than the 30 minutes to several hours needed to charge electric cars. You may have read about Dr. Secanell Gallart in the The PEG before
— he received the 2013 APEGA Early Accomplishment Summit Award. -Caitlin Crawshaw
what caused the girders to buckle. The $32-million bridge, originally scheduled to open this fall, will replace a structure built in 1910. It’s not the only new bridge causing the city headaches. In early April, the city announced that its new Walterdale Bridge, now under construction, will open a year late. The reason: steel to build the bridge was delivered months behind schedule. It, too, was originally set to open this fall. -Caitlin Crawshaw PETFOOD INNOVATION CENTRE: SERVING UP FRESH EATS FOR FIDO AND FIFI Alberta’s eat local movement is going to the dogs — and cats. Champion Petfoods is set to open its new, $5.9-million BAFRINO Research and Innovation Centre in the town of Morinville, about 30 kilometres north of Edmonton. BAFRINO is an acro- nym for the company’s motto: Biologically appropriate, fresh regional ingredients, never outsourced. Researchers at the 9,500-square- foot lab, next to the company’s existing manufacturing plant, will be cooking
TWISTED GIRDERS TEMPORARILY HALT BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION Construction of Edmonton’s new 102nd Avenue bridge came to a sudden halt in March when four of seven steel girders being installed to support the bridge deck buckled. Project contractor Graham Construction brought in cranes to support the weight of the 100 metre- long bridge while crews braced and straightened the girders. Groat Road — a major commuter route below the bridge — was shut down for two weeks while the work was done. After an inspection, the city and contractors determined the girders could be safely removed, repaired, and reinstalled. That work was done in May. Cold and heat processes were used to straighten three of the damaged girders and restore the horizontal and vertical alignments. The manufacturer also cut off a section of a top flange on a fourth girder. There’s still no word
20 | PEG SUMMER 2015
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