Construction has begun on a new steel support system for the historic 89-metre-long Cowichan Bay pier, with the goal of opening it again to the public by May.
The nearly 100-year-old pier at the Cowichan Bay Maritime Centre has been closed for two years because of structural concerns highlighted in an engineer’s study.
A community campaign raised $950,000 to fix up the support system, said Sylvia Berryman, executive director of the Cowichan Wooden Boat Society, which rents the facility from the province for a nominal sum.
Funds raised so far will pay for an new all-steel substructure under the pier, she said, but it’s not enough to finish the project because costs have increased.
Earlier it was hoped that some decking would be replaced and a platform at the north end of the pier would be expanded, she said. “We may have to forgo that.”
Another plan was to remove all the original substructure of deteriorating wood treated with creosote, but having it taken away would have cost about $130,000, Berryman said.
In addition, an environmental analysis indicated it may be best to leave much of the wood in place — as disturbing it could be harmful — and only take out what is needed to make room for the new support system, Berryman said.
The wood will be replaced with steel beams and steel pilings. Work will be carried out by Duncan’s Pacific Industrial and Marine, which has experience with pier improvements.
Thursday was to be a “monumental day” for the pier project because two new 12-metre steel pilings were to be driven six metres into the ocean floor near the shore, Berryman said.
That work had to be postponed because of strong winds in the forecast, but may be rescheduled for next week, she said.
The pier was originally built in 1925 for Standard Oil, and is on the Cowichan Valley Regional District’s community heritage registry.
Prior to its closure in November 2020, it hosted about 30,000 visitors annually who came to see the exhibits in covered areas along the length of the structure.
The bulk of the society’s historic exhibits are on the pier, which means they have been inaccessible to the public while it has been closed.
Raising funds to fix the pier has been a grassroots endeavour, with some busking to help raise money for the project.
Aside from personal contributions, the main funders include the Dogwood Heritage Society of B.C. and Pacific Economic Development Canada, a new federal economic development agency dedicated to B.C.
PacifiCan, intended to promote growth and diversification in B.C.’s economy, opened offices in Victoria in November and announced a raft of funding, including $361,653 for the pier project.
The Cowichan Wooden Boat Society bought the old Chevron Oil warehouse and pier in 1988 and converted the site into the Cowichan Bay Maritime Centre, which opened in 1989. The original Chevron Oil warehouse is believed to have been built in the 1930s and was abandoned by Chevron in the 1970s, according to Canada’s Historic Places (historicplaces.ca).
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