2006-2007

News Release

REF NO.: 37

SUBJECT: Seal viewing platform temporarily closed at Ocean Sciences Centre

DATE: October 13, 2006

Due to ongoing construction at Memorial University of Newfoundland’s Ocean Sciences Centre (OSC), public access is temporarily unavailable to the popular seal viewing platform.
The general public is advised that safety officials at Memorial have restricted public access near the platform in the Town of Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove. New fencing and signs have been posted alerting the public about the change.
Extensive renovations are now being made to a critical underground service tunnel which runs between the OSC’s main building and its annex.
“This work has resulted in limited access for both vehicular and pedestrian traffic to the OSC buildings and surrounding grounds,” said Dr. Ian Fleming, director of the Ocean Sciences Centre. “Even though employees can access our buildings, it was in the best interest of general public safety to temporarily close the seal platform at this time.”                                                                     
Dr. Fleming said officials are hoping renovations will be completed by the middle of December by which time public access to the viewing platform should be fully restored.
 
About the Ocean Sciences Centre
The Ocean Sciences Centre is a cold-ocean research facility operated in conjunction with Memorial University of Newfoundland. Located in Logy Bay, NL, the centre houses laboratories where research is conducted on the biology of the North Atlantic, including oceanography, ecology, behaviour, physiology and aquaculture, and on organisms ranging from bacteria to seals.

- 30 -