Council revisits work camp decision
Builder proposes site near Fieldhouse following city rejection of Kam Lake proposal
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
City councillors are revisiting the issue of where the Stanton hospital work camp will be located after residents made it known it will not be welcome in Kam Lake.
Rod Carson, left, and Dave Brothers, both with Clark Builders, speak to a special municipal services committee meeting on Monday. The two outlined proposals for sites to house temporary workers during construction of the new Stanton Territorial Hospital. - Shane Magee/NNSL photo
map courtesy of the CIty of Yellowknife
A map outlines the area of a proposed temporary workers camp in red behind the Fieldhouse complex near Kam Lake.
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As construction of the new Stanton Territorial Hospital ramps up, one of the companies involved is seeking a place to house about 150 highly skilled workers being brought in for the work.
After council in May quickly rejected a 250-person camp in the Kam Lake industrial park because of concerns raised from neighbours, Dave Brothers, vice-president of Northern operations for Clark Builders, and Rod Carsons, a project manager for the company, came back before the city's municipal services committee Monday to present three new options.
Option one, along Cameron Road in Kam Lake is an already vacant, gravel area that would be easy to turn into a workers camp but has nearby neighbours.
"It lends itself easily to what we need to do," Carson said.
The second, across Cameron from the first, would need more prep work, including clearing vegetation, and again is close to homes. While those would be easier to set up than the third, Brothers said the final option would be farther from neighbours and closer to amenities, such as restaurants and shopping.
"To me as a taxpayer, that's probably the best lot," Brothers said about the Fieldhouse option.
This option would mean clearing vegetation, grading and fill work, making it potentially less feasible for the tight construction timeline.
Multiple councillors said they favoured the Fieldhouse option, though no final decision has been made. All three would require rezoning. The Fieldhouse option goes to council Monday. Mayor Mark Heyck said the soonest the rezoning could be completed would be mid-July due to requirements for a public hearing. Deputy mayor Adrian Bell said the Fieldhouse option addresses most of his earlier concerns and would make it easier to integrate the camp into the community because it is within walking distance of downtown and is closer to city facilities.
"I think it shows real promise," Bell said.
The company officials suggested the area could be used for a snow dump or converted to act as an overflow parking area for recreation vehicles after the camp is no longer required. The idea for a use after the camp closes appeared to spark interest with councillors. The company officials said the latest they could wait for approvals would be August so the camp, expected to house about 150 and come with a kitchen, dining area and camp office, could be ready on time.
"We're barely going to make it," Carson said.
The builders face financial penalties for missed deadlines.
The camp would be in place for about 24 months of the 38-month hospital construction. Construction began last fall and is expected to largely be complete by fall 2018.
About 90 people are working on the site currently, company officials told council. That figure will soon swell, reaching up to 300. There aren't enough hotel rooms or apartments to house the highly skilled labourers being brought in to build the hospital. They were hired because there aren't enough people locally to fill the jobs, councillors were told. The size of the camp is smaller because some will stay in apartments and hotel rooms, space which Carson said was offered up to the company after council first rejected the camp.
"There's overwhelming support from the community," Brothers said.
Carson touted the economic benefits to the community if the camp is established and said its staff will largely be hired locally. Equipment, material and services would also be purchased locally during setup and operation of the camp, he said. All three options would have trucked water and sewer services and workers would be bused to the hospital construction site. The camp would have zero tolerance for after-hours visitors, alcohol or drug use on site, Carson said.
Should the city opt to again reject the camp, he said other proposals for camp sites outside the city that have come forward.
The workers camp is one of a series of decisions the new council has opted to revisit recently. Council decided to provide funding to the NWT Disabilities Council through a service agreement earlier this month after earlier deciding to reduce the grant it provides the organization. Council also removed 13 angled parking stalls in Old Town from a previously approved contract for Franklin Avenue construction, though councillors said they were not aware of the extent of the work when they first approved it. The change then prompted a request for staff to look at ways to improve the parking situation in the neighbourhood.
