November 25, 2011

Infrastructure

Cannington Group demolishes Peterborough, Ontario hospital

1940s building cleared for new development

PETER KENTER

correspondent

The Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) is currently undergoing the demolition of the Nicholls buildings, the final stage in the site development under the PRHC Hospital Improvement Plan.

Previous demolition projects saw some hospital functions temporarily moved to the building.

However, the building was removed from the development plan due to high maintenance and energy costs.

While the new hospital operates under an integrated, energy-efficient system, the Nicholls building operates on its own hydro and boiler heating system. The hospital estimated the cost of bringing the facility up to current standards at about $8 million.

The building, named after Charlotte Jane Nicholls, who donated the property to the hospital in 1885, has been used as everything from a nursing residence to office space and the hospital’s archives. It was vacated and closed last November.

JMX DEMOLITION/ENVIRONMENTAL CONTRACTORS

This demolition project represents the final phase of the Peterborough Regional Health Centre development.

The demolition project includes environmental abatement and removal of the four-storey structure, including an adjoining maintenance building and a 100-foot smoke stack.

The demolition project, valued at $873,235 plus HST, was awarded to The Cannington Group Inc., one of six pre-qualified contractors invited to submit bids under a public tender, with tender analysis by Salter Pilon Architecture Inc. and Lett Architects Inc. The demolition project was undertaken in partnership with JMX Demolition and Environmental Contractors. Both Cannington Group and JMX have head offices located in Gormley, Ont.

“The main challenges of demolishing the Nicholls building involve its location, right at the front of the new Peterborough hospital,” says JMX co-owner Jeff Norton. “A lot of the traffic entering the facility parking lot, including ambulances and doctors, passes right by the demolition operation. With the new hospital complete and fully functional, we’re also particularly sensitive to producing any dust or making any noise that might disturb the patients.”

A local branch of Habitat for Humanity first combed the site for usable materials. The contract began in mid-September with environmental abatement of the buildings, as crews removed mercury thermostat switches and asbestos products, including pipe insulation. The Nicholls building was then taken down using five excavators.

JMX employed water spray to keep dust to a minimum during the operation.

“In this case, we removed the steel, but we’re leaving the brick, stone and concrete on site,” says Norton. “About 70 per cent of the demolition rubble will be used as clean infill for the original excavation. As the front of the new hospital complex, this area won’t be built over—they’re turning it into park land.”

With the Nicholls Building demolition completed in mid-November, the contractor is turning attentions to the single-storey maintenance building. “This is a boiler plant with the smokestack going right through the centre of the building,” says Norton. “They don’t always give us a history on the buildings, but I came across a manhole cover near the maintenance facility that was dated 1947 so I suspect that reflects the age of the building.”

Salvage still remaining to be removed from the building includes the boiler and a vintage 1940s incinerator once used to dispose of pathological waste. “There’s a lot of steel in those items,” notes Norton.

JMX is bringing in its Caterpillar 385C Ultra High Demolition hydraulic excavator to safely tear down the stack while traffic and pedestrians are re-routed below.

“Once the last section of the maintenance building is down, we’re bringing in the crushers,” says Norton.

The service building access road will be closed off permanently and the asphalt removed.

Demolition work is due to be completed by Christmas. Once topsoil is delivered to the site, hydro-seeding will provide new grass cover and additional street lighting will be added to the old Nicholls building site.

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