Neither rain, nor sleet nor dark of night, shall keep this port from being built

The Daily News featured the winter construction plans for the Fairview Container Port as its main story in Friday’s edition. With November coming up fast, with its winds and rains, many might think that construction might slow down a bit, but according to the project managers it’s full speed ahead as they work toward the completion date of August of 2007.

In addition to a preview of the winter construction timetable, The Daily reviewed the progress of the regions most anticipated project to date.

PORT WORK CREWS REFUSING TO SLOW DOWN FOR WINTER
Construction teams will keep building new port no matter what the weather
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Friday, October 20, 2006
Pages One and Five

The construction crews working on the Fairview Container Terminal are preparing for long dark nights and rainy days as winter approaches the North Coast.

During a Prince Rupert and District Chamber of Commerce luncheon this week, Lorne Kellar, vice president of project development at the Prince Rupert Port Authority, said they have plans in the works to help the 144 people working on the project deal with whatever Mother Nature has in store.

“One of the issues in the winter is shorter days,” said Kellar. “We are already putting up temporary lighting at the terminal.

So far, the project is both on time and on budget, said Kellar. Eighty one of the dock pilings are in place, and by the end of the month, all of them should be installed.

The pile cap along the top of the new pilings is 40 per cent complete and the pre-cast beams that tie the new dock to the older structure are 25 per cent in place.

“By mid November, 40 per cent of the new berth should be completed by August or September of next year, with the first ship arriving in October.

In the meantime, underground services such as water, sewer and electricity are 30 per cent complete and the foundations for the Maher Terminals administration and maintenance building should be laid next week.

Maher which will operate the terminal, is expected to move in next July and they will begin training management and longshoremen in the New Year.

Meanwhile, the right of way for the new 69kV hydro line along Wantage Road is 75 per cent complete.

In terms of employment, 144 people working on the site right now and of those 67 are local and 11 are from surrounding First Nations communities, said Kellar.

He added that there was a lot of interest in the Canadian Border Services Agency positions.

There were around 1,000 applications for the 30 Canadian Border Services Agency positions that were posted earlier this fall.

Of the applicants, 162 of were from First Nations. The applications deadline for those closed October 4.

Those candidates selected will be asked to write an exam and those chosen based on the exam will then be called in for interviews.

The plan is to have those people in place by March of next year so they can begin training in April, Kellar said.

Meanwhile, Maher and CN Rail should be able to name their ocean carriers for the terminal by the end of the year.

”Just because we’re on time and on budget doesn’t mean we don’t have issues,” said Kellar. “But the team is working really well together to deal with them.”