Repurposing of Site C workcamp is very welcome news: Sperling
FORT ST. JOHN – Peace River Regional District Board Chair Brad Sperling says BC Hydro’s announcement that the Site C workcamp will be re-purposed is “very welcome news” for the region.
Over the past year, the PRRD has repeatedly raised concerns about the future of the camp structures, worried that BC Hydro and ATCO – which is handling decommissioning – would simply send most of the materials to regional landfills.
In its press release announcing the development, BC Hydro said that all 21 dormitories, the construction site office and other key supporting infrastructure will be moved to support the construction of the North Coast Transmission Line. The structures from Site C will be distributed amongst four sites between Prince George and Terrace.
Because only 85 percent of the camp will be repurposed, Sperling noted “that could still leave several parts remaining.”
“In this day and age of re-purpose, reuse and recycle, I hope BC Hydro continues to look at these options before land filling.”
BC Hydro will continue to negotiate with organisations which have expressed interest in the remaining parts of the workcamp – such as the theatre and the gymnasium.
Charlotte Mitha, President and CEO of BC Hydro reported in a statement: “Our goal was to give the Site C camp a meaningful second life. With Site C nearly complete and construction on the North Coast Transmission Line starting this summer, the timing is ideal.”
Each of the three-storey modular 21 dormitories consists of 84 rooms, complemented by a central atrium lobby, kitchen and dining hall, coffee shop and lounge – for a total of 1,764 beds.
Operations at the Site C camp will end on Tuesday, March 31, and work to disassemble the camp will begin later this spring.