Site C lodge to house 1,600 workers
The ‘comforts of home’ will include a movie theatre, gym, and licensed lounge
It may be a controversial project, but at least living arrangements will be comfortable.
For the hundreds of construction workers building the Site C hydroelectric project in northeastern B. C.’ s Peace Region, their accommodation will feature, among other things, an open-concept central lobby and amenities such as a multi-faith centre, a 100-person movie theatre, a licensed lounge, and a gymnasium with a running track and weight-training area.
Workers will also have access to services including physiotherapy, massage and hairdressing.
The amenities will be provided by ATCO Ltd.’s structure and logistics division, which has won a $470-million contract with BC Hydro to build accommodation for workers at the project.
The eight- year contract includes the design, manufacture, installation and operation of a 630,000-square-foot lodge that can accommodate 1,600 construction workers.
“We are pleased to work with BC Hydro to provide their workforce with a high-quality facility that brings the comforts of home one step closer,” Steve Lockwood, president and chief operating officer of ATCO Structures & Logistics, said in a statement.
ATCO Two Rivers Lodging Group, the subsidiary of ATCO Structures & Logistics that is responsible for the work, started construction in June under a preliminary agreement.
It expects to create 360 engineering, construction and administrative jobs for the housing project near Fort St. John. It’s expected to be completed by mid-2016.
The Site C hydro project is expected to cost $8.8 billion and will have 1,100 megawatts of generating capacity, enough to power about 450,000 homes.
Some environmental groups, First Nations and farmers have opposed the project because of the 5,550 hectares of land that will be flooded by the dam’s reservoir. ATCO recently completed a 1,700-person village for workers on the Rio Tinto Alcan Smelter Modernization Project and a 600-person lodge for the Kitimat LNG project.