Algonquin Highlands council has instructed staff to do everything it can to ensure a portion of the Hawk Lake Log Chute is rebuilt this year.
At a Feb. 5 meeting, Chris Card, the township’s manager of parks, recreation and trails, provided a list of options to council for the restoration, which has been in the works for several years. Engineering firm Tulloch assessed the structure last November – splitting the project into three sections.
The first section, closest to the dam, was said to be in fair condition with approximately 50 per cent requiring repair or replacement. Section two is “nonexistent,” Card said, with a majority of the structure broken and washed away, requiring a 100 per cent replacement, with section three in poor condition, requiring 80 per cent repair.
“For the most part, any portions that are salvageable are on the floor of the chute and in the foundational structure of the chute,” Card said. “It’s the wall sections that are most rotted, which is common when you see wood that constantly goes from being dry to wet. The portions that are always wet tend to last longer.”
The estimated cost to repair section one is $67,000, replacement of section two is pegged at $155,000, with repairs to section three coming in at $104,000. Card noted a full replacement of the log chute would set the township back $550,000. The township has reserves specifically for chute repairs totalling $276,574.
Mayor Liz Danielsen said, “I would love to see the first section rebuilt. We’ve got the money in reserves to do that, so it wouldn’t create any challenges to the budget.”
She was concerned that Parks Canada has plans to move the dam on Hawk Lake, which could necessitate the relocation of the log chute. Card said the federal agency has been non-committal on a timeline for the project, stating it could happen sometime in the next 15 years.
Repairing the first section would extend the structure’s lifespan five-to-10 years, Card said. A full replacement carries a 12-15 year lifespan.
“Could we build a structure that lasts 50 years? The first thing [the engineers] said is building the foundation out of steel and everything else out of wood… is a possibility.”
Card said it was unlikely a full replacement could be completed this year. Even if everything went right with planning and design, he said it would be late fall before work could begin on the first section. To speed up the process, council agreed to single source the project – meaning it wouldn’t need to go through the municipality’s usual tender process, instead choosing one company to lead the project. Card said he’s in talks with the company that completed the most recent repairs to the log chute.
Danielsen felt this was an important project – both for Algonquin Highlands’ heritage and tourism in the County.
“I feel very strongly about the log chute. It is an important cultural asset and we don’t have an awful lot of them,” she said. “It’s unique, it’s been named one of the seven wonders of Haliburton County. People love the log chute. If we’ve got the ability and funds to repair even the first section, we should do it. If we have to fundraise in the future [for the other sections] I’m sure we can do that too.”
Deputy mayor Jennifer Dailloux felt it was important that council find a way to balance longevity and authenticity in any rebuild.
“We could put money into a 70-year structure, but it would not look authentic to what was there 100 years ago at all,” Dailloux said. “People can spot a fake a million miles away. If it’s full of steel with some wood cladding, people are going to think ‘oh, well this isn’t it at all’. That’s not what we’re after.”
Card said the idea of repairing the first section is to buy the township time to plan a replacement. “It’s not about keeping section one in perpetuity, it’s to get us through to the point we replace the entire log chute.”
