Headframe demo delayed but still planned
The Robertson Headframe stands tall in mid-May despite plans to demolish it earlier in the month
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Friday, May 20, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
It's still there. After a contract for the demolition of the Robertson Headframe was signed, the structure was slated to hit the ground by way of controlled explosion sometime in late April or early May.
It hasn't.
Scott Stringer, general manager of Newmont Mining Corporation, stated in an e-mail Wednesday there's still no update on when the demolition of the territory's tallest structure will take place.
Stringer stated they are still working through the demolition plan which includes obtaining all necessary approvals.
City spokesperson Nalini Naidoo said, as of Thursday, no application for demolition had been received.
Once everything is in place, Stringer said media and the public would be updated about when the headframe could come down.
In March, Yellowknifer reported that a contract for the demolition had been signed with Winnipeg-based Rakowski Cartage & Wrecking Ltd. for the work. A price was not released, though regulatory documents from late 2015 pegged the estimated cost at $360,720.
The plan included removing hazardous materials and other elements prior to using a controlled explosion to weaken the structure, ultimately bringing it down on one side.
The delay is the latest in a series of false starts to the deconstruction of the iconic tower with reddish-orange and blue cladding on the former gold mine site since it closed in 2003.
Walt Humphries of the NWT Mining Heritage Society has continuously advocated for the preservation of the structure.
"It's still standing. While it's standing, there's still hope," he said Thursday.
In 2015 the city ended its attempt to save the structure when it was determined the structure wouldn't be transferred to the city without liability.
Construction of the headframe began in 1973, lasted four years and cost $20 million.
The sturdy structure was needed to accommodate the wires and systems that carried workers deep under the surface of Con Mine.
On May 11, a city development officer approved a permit for demolition of another structure, the mine's old water treatment plant. That decision can be appealed until May 25.
According to the closure and reclamation report filed with the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board, the treatment plant has remained as a backup as another facility was constructed on the site.
With the new facility treating surface and underground water, the old facility can be demolished.
Water is drained through Meg, Keg and Peg lakes, eventually reaching Great Slave Lake.
The report to the board states that any salvageable material from the old plant will be removed and non-salvageable material will be sent to a landfill.
