Hallett and Owandem plan flows forward

15 February 2024
Staff

Town council is moving forward with its plan to create an inviting landscape to feature the historic forestry vessels, the Hallett and Owandem.

On Tuesday night’s council meeting, councillors were presented with four draft options, created by Little Bluestem – a Winnipeg-based landscape design firm, contracted to reimagine the waterfront space.

Little Bluestem has initially created three options. However, through consultation with staff and the Museum and Culture Advisory Committee, the best elements of all three were incorporated into a fourth, preferred option.

The designs are concepts – with council’s approval of the preferred option 3B, shown to the right, staff can now proceed with building plans, which will explore specific finishes, colours, tree species and other specifications. Those detailed drawings will then be used to launch a tendering process to hire a contractor. The goal will be for construction to take place throughout the spring and summer.

The initial design meeting with Little Bluestem was held July 28th, 2023, over Teams, and the Little Bluestem team had an onsite visit, August 15-16th, 2023. Communication was over email until the presentation of the design concepts on January 9th, 2024, to Town project leads and to the Museum Advisory committee on January 17th, 2024.

Concept 3B – Combined This concept was created at the request of the Town team. It in- cluded moving the Hallett further southeast to maximize the open space that allows for event activation. The design takes into consideration the rounded features which creates a natural flow to the space. The design also removed a lot of the additional benches which allows for a more open space which is easier to activate for programs and events. The plan is to have an accessibility ramp that allows for close up views of the Hallett, and potential boarding of the vessel pending restoration considerations. Administration suggests that Concept 3B is most ideal concept based on the future plans for this space including the development of the Shevlin Woodyard and Front Street event activation. The Museum and Culture Advisory Committee had some feedback with regard to specific design elements and materials that can be considered during the construction phase but agreed that concept 3B was the design concept of choice.

According to the staff report to council, the project was initiated as a result of the historic 2022 floods. On May 30, 2022, the Hallett was removed from the water because of the flooding along the Rainy River. The high water levels threatened to cause the boat to breach its cradle and float down the river. Having the Hallett in dry dock has allowed the Town an unique opportunity to bring the Hallett and the Owandem together, by placing them in a dry berth near the Sorting Gap Marina/Shevlin Woodyard development.

“From a conservation viewpoint, this would allow the Town to preserve and protect the vessels from future flooding. In addition, it would also allow the Town to showcase the ships in a cohesive way that would highlight the impressive history of the vessels and the historic contributions that they have made,” stated the report.

The original site plan shows where the new elements are expected to be placed

The project is expected to cost a total of $650,000. The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund’s Rural Enhancement Fund is expected to contribute $487,500, with the Town contributing $162,000 from Capital Reserve Funds.

Concept 1 – Enclosed – The Town’s project team like the flow and appreciated the rounded features and dedicated event space. The team did not like that the event space was filled with benches that would take away from the ability to use the space for events. Additionally, the Team felt that the placement of the Hallett closed off the event space from Front Street which would impact events like parades and the Bass Tournament as well as limiting the integration with the Shevlin Woodyard Development Project.
Concept 2 – Shared – This concept was the least appealing
team. The vessel placement limited the amount of use for larger events and had the space feeling stuffy and crowded. The team did appreciate the placement of the anchor closer to the vessels. The team did no agree with the canoe launch as it posses a liability risk due to the unpredictable conditions of the river at that spot.
Concept 3 – Open – This concept was the favorite of the first three concepts. The open concept allowed for a better connection to Front Street. The place- ment of the anchor was also well liked. The major concern from this concept was the additional benches that limited the total event space.
Above are the design concepts which were not selected

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