New sand building at Ameliasburgh to move forward

A new sand building at Ameliasburgh to replace the dome destroyed in a wind storm in November 2020 will be under way with council approval Tuesday night of the tender for site work and foundation preparation.

The $709,742 bid from Drew Harrison Haulage Ltd. was the lowest of five received and also includes backfill, grading, ditching and driveway paving.

The building is to be located on the east side of the previous dome and the current concrete foundation will remain intact to serve as a yard for aggregate and other material storage.

Example of the structure from Britespan website

The total project cost – at $1,248,109 includes a new membrane covered structure with an expected lifespan of 20 years (similar to asphalt shingles on a conventional dome); with concrete foundation walls and corrosion resistant steel frame. The project cost also includes demolition and excavation of the site; the Britespan Structure, consulting and engineering, electrical and contingency funds.

The municipality received $613,919 in an insurance claim settlement, minus $100,000 deductible.

Unable to co-ordinate emergency replacement of the structure before the winter of 2020/2021 without incurring significant weather-related costs, the old sand depot in Hillier was used to assist with servicing the area.

The dome at the intersection of County roads 2 and 19 was damaged in a wind storm in November 2020. – Duarte Da Silva photo

“This building does not allow adequate storage for the season and was restocked throughout, resulting in additional trucking and staff time to the operations,” noted Tanya Redden, Construction and Technical Services Supervisor, in her report to council. “The existing sand stockpile in Ameliasburgh was tarped and utilized for the winter operations as the main depot for the area. Unfortunately, tarps do not provide the same protection as a building and resulted in staff dealing with frozen sand, decreasing their efficiency. While not ideal, winter operations proceeded this winter season (2021/2022) using the same method. A stronger tarp was ordered which provided a more secure fit over the sand pile in the existing dome foundation to decrease the weather impacts on the sand causing increased work for staff.”