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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Yellowknife's tallest structure, the Robertson headframe, may be cut down to size this winter unless an alternate plan is presented to the city and then approved by council.

The fate of the Con Mine Robertson shaft headframe, pictured above, continues to hang in the balance since no concrete plans have come forward for its future use. - NNSL file photo

"We've lost so much of our history over the years that it seems a shame," said Walt Humphries, president of the NWT Mining Heritage Society. "It's a magnificent structure for Yellowknife and it's still in very good shape. It was over-engineered so it's still only halfway through its life expectancy."

Headframe aficionados have been on demolition alert since Con Mine closed in November 2003, and several deadlines for the structure's removal have come and gone. But as time passes and the cleanup of Con carries on without any realistic plans coming forward that make leaving the headframe standing feasible, it's days of looming over Yellowknife's skyline appear closer to the end.

"Well, if no plan comes forward, the headframe comes down because the company doesn't want the ongoing liability of keeping it," said Mayor Gord Van Tighem.

A problem with old mine sites and headframes is that when a community takes them over, money to maintain or upgrade the site must come out of the annual budget, said Van Tighem.

"The best solution to that is, clean them up and get them out of there, in the mine (company's) perspective," said Van Tighem.

The Robertson headframe began operating at the now defunct Con Mine site in 1977, through which mine workers and equipment were carried to and from the surface via massive elevator cables at the top of the headframe.

At 76 metres, it is the tallest man-made structure in the NWT and is said to be visible from as far as 75 km away from Yellowknife. The shaft underneath the headframe is more than 1,900 metres deep.

With its impressive stature and eye-catching red top, the headframe is a prominent feature in the Yellowknife skyline, especially when viewed from Great Slave Lake.

Currently, the Con Mine site is owned and managed by Miramar Northern Mining Ltd.-Con Mine.

Scott Stringer, general manager of Miramar's Con Mine site, declined Yellowknifer's request for an interview on the fate of the headframe, but stated that the company's clean-up project is on track and the objectives in its closure and reclamation plan are scheduled to be completed, or at least mostly completed, by the end of this year.

"Work on site is going very well, all crews have been working on the various site projects in order to meet or exceed the requirements under our closure and reclamation plan," stated Stringer.

However, Stringer added, Miramar has not committed to tearing down the structure as of yet.

"The status of the Robertson shaft headframe is unchanged at this time, and we continue to look at alternatives for future use," he stated.

A pre-feasibility study prepared for the city in 2009 looks at a variety of options for the headframe, including its use as a tourist attraction that could include a viewing platform, restaurant, or even a climbing wall. The possibilities of using the structure as a hotel or for condominiums or apartments were also examined.

The trouble is, no one has come forward with a plan to take over the site and put it to use, said Van Tighem.

"Nobody has found a use for it or a way to fund its operation," he said.

Any decision on the fate of the headframe and other aspects of the mine remediation project that need city council's approval will be brought forward to council within the next month or two, said Van Tighem.

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