Vancouver Park Board - For Your Information

Stanley Park and English Bay Seawall

FAQs

On October 5 an information meeting on the seawall reconstruction project was held for West End residents.

A number of questions were posed by residents at the meeting. The questions and the answers to the questions are listed below:

WORK HOURS:

1. Tides: On some days there are low tides and no one appears to be working: Why?

On some days there are two times of low tides, spaced about 12 hours apart. The working hours are the hours leading up to and following the low tide time, when a full working day of 6-8 hours is available for unionized workers. This duration of time is also required to pour concrete, allowing the concrete to cure prior to the ocean water touching the wall again. In October these working windows occur during the night. When the wall is complete the drainage system installation, gravel fill, and asphalt paving will occur during daytime hours. If budget permits additional crews will be arranged to expedite the project.

Tide charts can be viewed at www.tides.gc.ca.

NOISE:

2. The noise from the dumping and sorting of rocks is particularly loud. What can the Park Board do to improve its strategy for rock placement?

Response is pending (information from the contractor to be provided).

3. Can equipment back up beepers be turned off at night?
The use of back up beepers (warning signal devices) is governed by WorkSafeBC who administers the Workers Compensation Act for the B.C. Ministry of Labour. The contractors are using insulation and filter cloth to reduce the warning signal device volumes and are seeking permission from WorkSafeBC to install alternate safe work procedures in place of the devices.

PROJECT AND CONSTRUCTION WORK:

4. Staging areas: Why are the contractors using two staging areas for Stanley Park? Can the staging area on Beach Avenue near the entry to Stanley Park be moved into the park?

In Stanley Park there are two staging areas located at either end of the seawall construction area. One is located in the parking lot near Second Beach and the other is located adjacent to Beach Avenue, at the entry to Stanley Park.

Locations were selected to accommodate the work process and to ensure tree protection. The locations also accommodated summer events and tourist areas, such as the Celebration of Light, swimming beach and sunbathing activities. Now that summer events are completed, the staging area on Beach Avenue can be moved.

The access road for night work on Beach Avenue must remain intact because the construction process requires access from both ends of the wall reconstruction area. No access is possible along the mid section of the wall due to the steep forest slope in the park. Access on the foreshore (the area between high and low tide marks) is limited by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

5. Can you improve the cleanliness of the staging areas, storage areas and job sites?

The contractor will tidy and organize the staging and storage areas at the end of the each work day. Some untidiness is expected during working hours for construction activities.

6. When will the English Bay seawall works begin?

Construction at English Bay begins with excavation and night work scheduled for the week of October 10, 2010. A second information meeting will be held at English Bay on October 12, 2010 to update residents living in proximity to this construction area.

7. Can we see the construction drawings?

They are on the project main page.

8. As a component of the English Bay seawall project, a bypass sewer pipe for Metro Vancouver is being installed. Many shards of plastic have been left on the grass lawn. This is a danger to birds that may ingest these shards. Why haven't these shards been cleaned up?

Staff and contractors are ensuring the shards are cleaned up. Park rangers and park staff will be called upon to assist the contractors as needed should any future incident arise.

9. At English Bay on Beach Avenue a waterline pipe replacement project for the City of Vancouver being is being overseen by the engineering department. What co-ordination efforts are happening with this project?

The Park Board is arranging a meeting with engineering staff and will update the Park Board website to share project coordination information with residents.

10. There are a number of Federal Infrastructure Fund signs about projects throughout the park system. Why is there no contact information or staff phone numbers on these signs?

These signs are provided by the Federal Government. Park Board staff will provide additional signs for the seawall replacement project and for a number of other infrastructure projects underway by the Park Board.

For more information you may contact the following Park Board Staff:

On-site Park Ranger (during night work, 5pm to 5am): 604-861-0418

Rosaline Choy, Engineering Assistant/Project Coordinator, 604-257-8461

Tiina Mack, Manager of Park Development, 604-257-8471

Danica Djurkovic, Acting Director, Park Planning and Operations, 604-257-8455

Malcolm Bromley, General Manager, Vancouver Park Board, 604-257-8448