The symbol which represented the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics has found a new home, in Abbotsford.
Weighing in at over 25,000 pounds, the 17-foot tall Inukshuk, which used to be located at the athletes village, is now resting comfortably at Clearbrook Iron Works on Sumas Way.
Alvin Unger purchased the statue, for an undisclosed amount, and moved it to his company as both a reminder of the Olympics and a show piece for his business and the community.
“We did a lot of work at the Olympics,” he said, including building part of the ski jump, the bridges on the bobsled course and the bridges at Pacific Boulevard.
The business connection he made during the Olympics also spun off into more opportunities, including work on the seating at Empire Field in Vancouver.
Unger sees the Inukshuk as a symbol of the great legacy of the Vancouver Olympic Games.
A crew picked up the statue on Tuesday and on Wednesday, it was built.
“It only took a couple of hours to do, using a crane. The base weighs 14,000 pounds.
“Whoever built it did a great job, it’s really balanced, sturdy, the wind isn’t going to knock it down.”
The Inukshuk is located at the front of Clearbrook Iron Works and is clearly visible from the road. Travelers going to, and coming from, the Abbotsford-Huntingdon border will drive right past it.
“You can’t miss it, it’s right there.”
Originally, Unger planned to place the structure as close to the roadway as possible, but decided n the end to erect it behind the company fence, for security reasons.
“You can still see it really well,” he said.
The next step for Unger is to have two spotlights installed to showcase the figure at night, and to add some dark bark mulch to the ground to help it stand out. Unger said it also needs another power washing, to get the remaining dirt and bird droppings off it.
“There was a lot of it.”
The Inukshuk has been sitting in an empty lot, for months, waiting for a buyer to claim it. While it will be a nice reminder of the Games, Unger admits there is one additional reason he decided to purchase it.
“I think it looks kind of cool.”
