by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 9, 2014 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
Outside, it looks like a medieval German castle.
Inside? It’s more post-industrial dungeon.
Built in 1913, the former Molson brewery at 121 Street, just north of 104th Avenue, towers over its neighbours, marking the border between Oliver and Westmount. From the outside, it’s truly majestic. The interior? It’s a true mess.
Broken windows have allowed in rain and snow and pigeons. The metal stairs are coated with bird droppings and broken eggs. Squatters have left behind evidence of occupation, from fast-food wrappers to graffiti on the walls.
A red fist. A huge weeping eye. A happy blue space alien.
“Art is not a crime,” reads one tag.
“Nothing lasts forever,” reads another.
First Capital Realty and Sun Life face a huge challenge in salvaging the tower.
There’s no easy way to remove the 59 giant metal tanks and the elaborate hops chutes Molson left behind in 2007. There’s no door large enough. The largest tank is 14 feet, or 4.3 metres tall, and holds almost 100,000 litres. The only solution is to cut them up into smaller chunks.
The narrow metal stairs are a safety code inspector’s nightmare. Architects plan to build a stairway and elevator shaft along the outside of the building. Plumbing, lighting, heating and air conditioning will be another huge expense.
On the main floor, there’s one big open span of 6,200 sq. feet or 576 sq. metres, which could make an amazing restaurant or bar.
But as the tower rises, floor plates get smaller: the fourth level is just 2,300 sq. feet or 214 sq. metres.
Because some ceilings are 20 ft. or six metres high, a tower as tall as a conventional nine-storey building has only four floors. It can probably only hold three or four office suites.
They’d be amazingly hip offices.
But revenues from three offices and one restaurant won’t bring this structure back to life and up to code. The City of Edmonton’s entire heritage restoration budget couldn’t retrofit the tower.
Yet this building is too remarkable to lose. Wading through pigeon poop in steel-toed boots, I’m awed by the workmanship of the brick walls, a foot-and-a-half thick, by the grandeur of the high ceilings. I’m humbled by the history, labour and ambition this mighty tower represents, built without modern cranes, red brick hand-layered atop brick. It was the tallest structure in Edmonton, until the McLeod Building surpassed it in 1915. Even now, it remains an Edmonton landmark.
From the roof, you look straight north, up the bike trail and linear park that runs north behind 122 St. Southwest is West Edmonton Mall. Northeast you see Commonwealth Stadium.
Down below is the 5.7 hectare dried mud flat that First Capital and Sun Life intend to turn into a shopping plaza with 580 underground parking spots.
Oliver neighbours, and fans of urban design, have loudly protested the prospect of another suburban-style strip mall, like an Oliver Square 2.0.
But standing atop the tower, I feel some niggling sympathy with the developers. They absolutely need to maximize revenues from the development of this site, to have any chance to save the tower.
That said, Alberta Culture declared the site of provincial historical significance back in 2009, which froze all demolition, pending possible formal heritage designation. When the developers acquired the land in 2013, they knew about that moratorium. They knew they were going to be custodians of an important architectural artifact. If they weren’t prepared for that responsibility — including keeping out the pigeons — they needn’t have bought the property.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 9, 2014 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
A suite of four canvases filled with nothing but pigeon droppings by Dan Colen, another popular American artist, also brought a strong price. David Mugrabi, a New York art dealer, bought the work for $545,000, in the middle of its $400,000 to $600,000 estimate.
A screenshot of the auction results for Dan Colen’s Untitled, 2006-07I didn’t come across this bit of news while actually reading the New York Times. It was shared on Facebook by a painter friend who posted it along with only the briefest commentary: “The art market, jesus.”
I feel for Carol Vogel who has to report auction results like this one with a straight face. By the way Carol, there were five pigeon shit covered canvases in the lot, not four, so maybe editorial oversight at the New York Times isn’t what it used to be. Is a correction forthcoming?
The real commentary these days happens on blogs and social media sites — Facebook and Twitter — where there are no editors to vet content for accuracy and no advertisers (i.e. auction houses or art dealers) who might be offended. I certainly enjoy being able to say what I think about art here on The Huffington Post where the advertisers for laser eye-bag removal haven’t yet objected to anything I have said.
At any rate, the news of this $545k birddoggle got 49 shares just on my friend’s page and when I re-posted it there were some pretty good quips. “Well…it’s not bullshit” was one.
The way I understand Colen’s “success” is that it is a social phenomenon, not an aesthetic one. For decades now one of the most common accolades given to artists has been that he or she is “pushing boundaries.” Never mind that there are almost no boundaries left: if you can find one — for example, the idea that art shouldn’t just be pigeon poop — then you have a created a binary situation. There are going to be those who are appalled and who shake their head at how awful your art is and there are going to be those that say “Hey, this is amazing.” In a 2010 interview Colen spelled this situation out quite clearly:
“It’s such a paradox. You come from this place where you want fame; you don’t want to be bourgeois, but you want to be successful. You want to be accepted, but you also want to be going against the grain. You want to be on the outside, but you want to be on the inside.”
Exactly. if your reaction to Colen’s “Untitled” is “Ewww… I wonder if his canvases could transmit ocular histoplasmosis?” you are bourgeois. Well, or you are an art restorer worried that you may be called to the Hamptons to re-glue some wayward shit onto one of these next season…
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 9, 2014 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
RATS, mice and pigeons are becoming a “growing problem” in Chester, the council has warned.
Signs are now being put up urging people not to feed birds, as bread, seeds and other treats have been attracting vermin.
Cheshire West and Chester Council says it has received numerous complaints about rats, mice and bird droppings around homes, parks and paths, mainly in the canalside area.
As well as the signs, community safety wardens will also patrol certain areas and could even hand out £75 littering fines to people feeding birds.
Councillor Bob Rudd said: “We are certainly not proposing to take action against people who feed small amounts of seed or bread to ducks or wild birds. The problem is with a minority of people who leave excessive amounts of food. We hope these signs will be an effective deterrent and there will be no need to issue any fines.
“Our aim is to encourage people to think about the impact of their actions on residents, as well as the impression it gives visitors to our city.”
The signs will be installed at points along Whipcord Lane, Seller Street and the canal side of Leadworks Lane.
Garden Quarter resident Maureen Crook, who raised the issue at a recent local councillor’s surgery, said: “Since we moved here 12 years ago we’ve seen much improvement to the area around the canal and Water Tower Gardens. But it only takes one individual leaving food out for birds to ruin these public areas, as the food was attracting rats and excessive amounts of pigeons.
“After reporting the issue I’m pleased to say that the feeding stopped and I can enjoy taking my grandchildren to play on the park in the area again.”
As well as being unsightly, bird droppings corrode stonework and damage buildings.
Droppings on pavements can become slippery when wet, posing a safety hazard, while droppings, nest material and dead birds can block guttering and drains.
Councillor Lynn Riley, executive member for localities, said: “The local community have worked with the council to come up with some practical and pragmatic solutions to a long-standing problem with pigeons.
“There are ways and places to feed birds that don’t encourage rats and vermin in residential areas and we would encourage people to look at advice from some of the many wildlife charities and organisations.
“To avoid attracting unwanted pests, any leftover food waste should be cleaned up, bagged and placed in a suitable waste container.”
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 8, 2014 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
Sunday and Monday I had the doses of chemotherapy that would completely destroy my immune system. Again, that is something I thought would register physically, where I’d think, “Wow. So this is what it feels to be completely vulnerable to any sort of infection.” Again, I was wrong. Other than a slight increase of nausea… bupkus.
Tuesday was what they call around here my new birthday. My stem cells were reintroduced to my system through an IV drip. For such a major event in my life, it didn’t seem like much, but, of course, it was. It really meant turning the corner and getting back to being healthier.
I did feel sorry for my day nurse, who had to stand — no sitting allowed — and study the IV, just in case, for more than an hour. But all went well, and he finally got to sit down, I assume. No one here seems to sit down much, at least not that I get to see.
I am isolated, other than staff and my wife, Sheri, who come in, but always masked, so I see just their eyes, forehead and hair. At times, it looks like bank robbers left their convention early to avoid traffic. The last couple of days, I’ve been able to walk around the pod outside the door, as long as I wear gloves and a mask. Believe me, it’s a lot more exciting than it sounds.
Let’s see, what else has been going on. Sheri finally buzzed off the rest of my hair and beard yesterday. It seems OK to me. I have to be careful, though, because when I run my hand across my head to fix my non-existent hair, my hand goes flying off the back. Even that’s OK as long as Sheri isn’t right behind me and gets a poke in the eye. Today, I’m sharing my new Yul Brenner look with you, especially those who watch “Hoarders” just so you can look around your house and say, “Hey. This isn’t so bad.”
The two pigeons who have been hanging around outside my window for the past couple of days appear to be getting ready to fulfill their part of the “Birds do it, bees do it” equation. They are the only other living creatures I see on any sort of regular basis, so I’m quite happy for them. Hey, don’t even think about judging me. If you were watching it on PBS you would be falling all over yourself to get to a phone to renew your subscription or make a pledge.
Right now, my biggest enemy is boredom, which you probably could tell. There is a TV; I have my computer, Nook and iPod, but sometimes it’s just hard to focus, let alone sit up and do something. Sheri comes every day, for a few hours, and it’s nice to have her here, but it leaves a lot of other empty hours to fill. Staffers stay and talk if they have the time, and I try to do little spurts of stuff and then rest.
I talk to my daughters Jennifer and Alison each day. I know it helps them to hear my voice and know that I really am doing quite well. I can write and text anything, but when they hear it in my voice, they know it’s real, whatever “it” might be.
I do have a couple of difficult stretches ahead. My white blood cell count continues to drop, which is a good thing because it means the chemo is working, but it also means I will be really, really tired and have some other side issues to deal with, including a high temperature. But the allergy team has already been in and determined the best antibiotic to knock down any fever, and there are plenty of measures the staff can take to help counter other symptoms. I admit I really have become quite the chicken about feeling sick. I hate it, but the anti-nausea medications really help.
Still, I feel better than I did, for now, and frankly, at this stage, that’s more than good enough. We’ll see what happens next. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to write again, but it helps me a lot, so I will do my best.
For now, I have some pigeon watching to do.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Jun 12, 2014 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
A home in Tucson is being cleaned out by animal control officials after they discovered the two residents living with more than 140 pigeons.
The officers said they found at least 15 to 20 nests inside the house, in addition to rodents, insects and the pigeons themselves.
Neighbors said the residents encouraged the birds to enter the home by feeding them and leaving the door open. One neighbor said there were broken windows that the birds flew in and out of.
The property is long-term mental health housing with multiple units. According to a police report, City Code Enforcement workers checked on the home on May 30, but the residents didn’t let them in. They came back five days later with a search warrant.
One neighbor described the owner of the property as a “slum lord.” A representative of the owner, who cooks for the residents, agreed to let officials inside.
In total, officials said there were 143 pigeons found in the home and more than 100 more living outside. Based on the findings, three more units will need work, which will uproot 6 more residents.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
Outside, it looks like a medieval German castle.
