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Servicing Resumed at Cleantech Commons 

Anyone who regularly uses Pioneer Road on Trent University’s East Bank will know that the site of Cleantech Commons is currently a hive of activity!

Municipal services – previously provided to the entrance of the research park – are now being extended into Cleantech Commons.

Removing the first 4” – 6” of topsoil from the work area: to be stockpiled for re-use later in the project. This saves trucking off-site.

The current construction phase began by removing the first 4”- 6” of topsoil from the work area and stockpiling it for re-use later.

(This was done so that the organic material contained in the first 4″ – 6” does not get mixed in with the subgrade material. The organic material can then be re-used for vegetation and growth. The topsoil has a better growth rate for re-vegetation and after construction will be re-distributed on the disturbed areas and seeded for stabilization. Stockpiling on-site also does away with the need to truck the topsoil off-site, dramatically reducing the carbon footprint of the servicing phase.)

Also included in the current phase is the installation of sanitary sewer connections and the construction of the first stormwater management pond, which will reduce flood risk, prevent erosion in
neighbouring creeks, and improve the quality of water discharging to the natural environment.

Once internal servicing is complete, Cleantech Commons will be ready to accept tenants.

Once internal servicing is complete, Cleantech Commons will be ready to accept tenants, turning the vision of creating Canada’s premier clean, green and low-carbon technology research and innovation park into reality. (Please review Tenant Criteria for Cleantech Commons here!)

Cleantech Commons at Trent University 

Cleantech Commons will play host to a cluster of growth companies, spin-out & startup ventures, and corporate accelerators & “innovation outposts” – designed to tap into the region’s growing cleantech innovation ecosystem – in the fields of clean technology, water technology, environmental services, advanced material sciences, biotechnology and agri-food and agri-business.

The businesses and research facilities located at Cleantech Commons will significantly advance energy, environmental and climate innovations that have both national and global impact through reductions to greenhouse gases, promoting the use of renewable resources, contributing to a low carbon economy, reducing waste, developing new environmental remediation approaches and commercializing clean and green processes and products.

Full steam ahead… Cleantech Commons: now a bustling worksite!

Tenants at the park will work with Trent’s researchers, students and facilities including the Trent School of the Environment, Water Quality Centre, Trent Centre for Biomaterials Research, and the Inorganic Materials Research Laboratory.

Offering experiential learning for students, creating spaces for incubation and acceleration of student research, and providing commercialization support will all be a key focus for Cleantech Commons.

Cleantech Commons at Trent University will be the 26th University-integrated research park in Canada. Recent research conducted by the Association of University Research Parks found that for every job created in a park, an additional 1.34 jobs were created in the community.

Environmental Considerations 

Environmental protection features, such as erosion and sediment controls, were installed in 2019 prior to any work commencing at Cleantech Commons.

In preparation for the internal servicing, the City of Peterborough worked with and gained approvals from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, and Otonabee Region Conservation Authority on aspects such as natural heritage, groundwater conditions, tree preservation, stormwater management, species at risk and other environmental considerations. (A full list of studies is available to view at the City of Peterborough’s project site.)

As Cleantech Commons is located adjacent to the Nassau Wetland Complex, Otonabee Conservation directed and reviewed environmental studies to determine the appropriate setbacks required to protect these important natural systems on the Trent campus.

Already added: 1.8 km of new multi-use trails for walking and cycling to Cleantech Commons

Otonabee Conservation will monitor environmental controls at the research park, while Trent has engaged an independent environmental consultant to monitor the adjacent wetland to ensure its continuing health.

Over the past few months, comprehensive environmental protection features such as erosion and sediment controls, to prevent sediment from washing off-site and into ditches, streams, watercourses or storm sewers, have been installed.

The master plan for Cleantech Commons includes sustainable design elements such as low-impact development standards for stormwater management.

Cleantech Commons tenants will also be required to commit to sustainable site design, green building principles, and environmentally friendly operations.

 

What You Will See Happening at Cleantech Commons

The City of Peterborough will update its website as the project proceeds to explain what is happening at the park.