Phase 2 membrane project, Day 1 – July 20, 2026

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Phase 2 Membrane Replacement Project

Project Mobilization Date: July 20, 2026
Work Start Date: May 4, 2026 (for emergency repairs) 
Expected completion: December 2026
Primary contractor: Prostar https://prostar.ca/

Weather: 31°C, mostly sunny
Workers onsite: 6–8, varying at times

Work done today:

  • Entire south side of visitor parking lot fenced off
  • Pavers removed from south sidewalk adjacent to Building 244
  • Start of demolition of four patios in Building 244 for membrane replacement
  • Allan blocks removed from remaining planter outside Building 244
  • Two down spouts fitted to Building 240 in the emergency repair area

A few observations:

  • The majority of the closed-off parking area is not being used and the loop around is again cut off. This severely restricts the number of parking spaces and may hinder access by emergency vehicles.
  • I have already observed people parking in any free space.
  • No work in the Phase 1 extension or emergency repair area (except the down spouts being attached as noted above). Unclear when these areas will be done, with the project now expanding into Stage 3.
The City of New Westminster permits on the C can.
No vehicle access to south part of visitor parking.
Allan blocks and sidewalk pavers removed from Building 244. Tree picxtured will be relocated if possible.
Stripped patios on left, pavers removed from sidewalk, Allan blocks removed, Building 244.

Phase 2 of the membrane project officially starts today, July 20, 2026

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Phase 2 Membrane Replacement Project

Project Mobilization Date: July 20, 2026
Work Start Date: May 4, 2026 (for emergency repairs) 
Expected completion: December 2026
Primary contractor: Prostar https://prostar.ca/

The City of New Westminster has finally granted the permit and today is the day when Phase 2 of the membrane replacement project officially gets underway.

I am not aware of any explanation from Prostar or Strata Engineering on why no work was done over the past week in either the Phase 1 extension area or the emergency repair area.

The notice provided to owners by Prostar outlining “Stage 3” is below.

2026-07-20 Notice of Work – Membrane Replacement Stage 3Download

Fire alarm in Building 248–July 17, 2026

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Engine 1 onsite late Friday morning.

Shortly before noon, the fire alarm went off in Building 248. New Westminster Fire Department were onsite within five minutes and the building was evacuated.

Initial reports indicate an issue with a system in the underground parking. Council VP is attending with the firefighters.

As of this writing, residents are back in the building. I’ll provide further details as I get them.

To emphasize–there was no fire and the other two buildings were not affected.

Weeds be gone

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UPDATE, July 17, 2026: Terra Firma has removed the giant pile of weeds. See first photo below.

Planter now ready for sod or possibly as a temporary home for transplanted trees/shrubs.

Original post:

Tonight, Council President Jeff and I tackled the forest of weeds that had grown in the planter adjacent to Building 248.

On June 23rd, it looked like this:

Weeds, always amazingly healthy and green.

In the three weeks since, they had grown even denser and lush.

We started at the east end and worked our way west, leaving a pile of ex-weeds in the middle. These will be picked up by the landscaping company Terra Firma.

This is what it looked like when we finished, just shortly after sunset:

Freshly exposed soil and a huge pile of weeds.
Different angle, showing the weed pile.

You may be wondering how the weeds grew so much in the first place and the answer is: bad timing.

When Phase 1 of the membrane project ended, the previous council made the decision to have sod placed in the planters. It was further agreed to by all parties to wait until the weather was better before placing the sod, to give it a better chance to take root and grow. Unfortunately this came so close to the summer water restrictions that it would not have been possible to properly water the sod, and it likely would have died.

Mother Nature took over and weeds began sprouting up, growing rapidly.

The sod will get placed after water restrictions are lifted (or shortly before) and in the meantime, we’ll make sure the weed forest doesn’t regrow.

Why didn’t Terra Firma do the weeding? They had been told not to do work in the courtyard area due to the membrane project and besides, sometimes it’s fun to roll up your sleeves and do something to improve your home.