$20M COVE transformation starts at old Dartmouth coast guard site

The $20-million transformation of the former coast guard propertyin Dartmouth into an ocean research and development facility has started.

The land is owned by the Waterfront Development Corporation, a Crown corporation, but theNova Scotia Community College is heading up the renovation.

Thebuildings and wharves will be refurbished to make the sitea hub for collaboration and innovation. It's called theCentre for Ocean Ventures andEntrepreneurs, or COVE.

'Creating new technologies'

"We have a lot of institutional researchers as well as a lot ofentrepreneurswho are creating new technologies," said PeterBigelow, a senior planner withWaterfront Development. "This is where those people can all come together."

Modernizingthe building interiors will get underway in February. Roof repairs to the office and shop space should be completed byMarch.

Brian Fancy,project manager for thecommunity college,pointedout the buildings are 70 years old.

"The mechanical and electrical systems as well as the sprinkler and firealarm systems all have to be replaced," said Fancy. "The wharves are in poor repair."

Nearly half of the federal and provincial infrastructure funds will beused to upgrade the 28,000 of linear feet of wharf space.

"Wharf space is very hard to find around this harbour that smallentrepreneurscan gain access to," saidBigelow.

The former coast guard property has 8.5acres of land and a 13-acrewater lot.

The new facility will be ready for researchers and businesses to use by April 2018.

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