In a very big way the Union Hotel will not end up forgotten in the dust of the Trail landfill when the old establishment is razed to the ground next month.
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That’s because the bricks will be preserved during demolition by contractor Dakota Reclamators Ltd. and re-purposed for other uses like fill and maybe even for new builds.
Recycling the red bricks of the Union Hotel is certainly an eco-friendly move in that thousands of tons of material won’t be wastefully buried in the dump.
But it’s also green in another way – a cash-saving way.
Re-using the bricks means a marked reduction in tipping fees, so the city’s teardown costs – to date – actually came in much less than expected because of Dakota Reclamators’ bid.
“The city budgeted $950,000 for the second phase of the Union Hotel remediation and hazardous material abatement, demolition of the buildings and the restoration of the site,” Chief Administrative Officer David Perehudoff confirmed. “Further to the costs expended to date and the bid received, the city is forecasting a budget surplus of approximately $330,000.”
Further, he says the reclamators also plan to grind down the concrete onsite and use it as clean fill.
“It would appear that the contractor’s efforts to recycle and reuse various parts of the building will reduce the tipping fees that were originally built into the budget,” Perehudoff said.
“Which, in part, explains the difference in cost between the two bids that were received.”
On the May 22 closing date, the city received two submissions for the job. Phoenix Enterprises Ltd. entered a tender for $976,000 compared to Dakota Reclamators Ltd. bid of $419,000.
While there haven’t been formal discussions with the successful contractor in terms of how they plan to use the bricks, Perehudoff said the very small cost associated with brick disposal ($3,550) has the city anticipating the contractor intends on taking the bricks and recycling or reselling them.
The news is good for the timeline as well, with the job expected to start next month and wind up by July 31.
“This is about one month ahead of the planned completion date of August 23 … that was included within the conditions of the tender,” Perehudoff explained.
“In summary, the city is very satisfied with the results of the tender given that the final projected costs are coming in under budget, and there will be a focused effort to reuse and recycle, thereby reducing the net environmental impact and cost. The timeline for completion is favourable as well.”
Dakota Reclamators is based in Calgary, but the company is currently on site in Nelson, tearing down the Silver King administration building. As well, similar to the dollar-value of the Union Hotel work, the company has completed a number of major demolition projects throughout B.C. and Alberta over the past three years.
“Dakota Reclamators Ltd. has considerable experience in completing major demolition projects,” Perehudoff concluded. “The city looks forward to seeing the structures removed as part of making available a highly desirable piece of property for sale and redevelopment.”
The city acquired the Union Hotel in 2017, as well as additional properties located at 1144 Cedar Avenue. The $125,000 purchase was seen as a significant revitalization opportunity. Since that time, staff has been working towards the demolition and disposal of the buildings, in an effort to create a commercial building lot suitable for future development.
As there is significant expense associated with a project of this magnitude, the work was broken down into two phases. Removal of hazardous waste and the demolition of a small house in the alley were completed in the first leg of work last year. Hazardous material containing roofing membrane and building drainage spigots was removed a few weeks ago, and now it’s on to final demolition.
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