Coke Ovens Site Smoke Stacks Safely Removed

TRANSPORTATION/PUBLIC WORKS--Coke Ovens Site Smoke Stacks Safely Removed

The two smoke stacks that dominated the landscape on the former coke ovens site for decades are no more. Workers removed the final four metres of the second stack on Monday, Sept. 9, and are now packing up their equipment and vehicles.

Allsteel Coatings Ltd. of Port Hastings, lead contractor on the project, and Demex Inc. of Montreal, a subcontractor, completed the work on schedule and within budget.

The manager of the tar ponds and coke ovens site remediation project, Walter van Veen of Conestoga-Rovers and Associates, said the quality of work by Allsteel and Demex met targets for performance, safety and timing.

"We wanted to completely remove these stacks by the end of the summer so the next steps in the cleanup can follow," Mr. van Veen said. "This has been accomplished."

The two stacks measured 61 and 69 metres high, each with a brick- lined inner wall and steel-reinforced concrete outer wall. They were removed piece-by-piece starting in early June. During the dismantling, workers were kept safe by a wooden enclosure over the top of the stacks, water and a high-volume fan and filters. This system also suppressed noise and dust.

The community-based Joint Action Group (JAG), which is mandated to find solutions for the cleanup of the tar ponds and coke ovens site, provided input on the design of the project to address concerns for safety and air quality in neighbouring communities.

"JAG brought forward the community's health and safety concerns and watched closely to see this work completed with everyone's interest in mind," said JAG chair Dan Fraser. "It showed that on- site work can be completed safely and successfully with careful planning and attention to detail."

"Taking down these stacks quite literally removes another major obstacle to final cleanup of the tar ponds and coke ovens site," Mr. Fraser said.

With the stacks gone, the only major above-ground structures still to be removed from the coke ovens site are two storage tanks, some building footings and piles of left-over coal, coke and sulphur.