No one hurt in Russell arch collapse: official
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/06/2016 (3379 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
One of Russell’s iconic arches came to a crashing thud on Wednesday night after it collapsed on Main Street.
Wood and metal were strewn across the intersection of Main and Augusta streets at approximately 8:30 p.m.
Len Derkach, head of council for the Municipality of Russell-Binscarth, said the arches were installed in 2007 and 2008 as part of a project directed by the Main Street Revitalization Committee.
“We don’t know why this one failed,” Derkach said about the destroyed arch, which was one in an octuple.
“We’ve salvaged the pieces of it and we’ll have it inspected by an engineering firm. And we’re going to do an integrity test on all of the arches by the end of next week.”
There was no property destroyed nor was anyone injured in the collapse, according to Derkach.
The community is set to host the Prairie Classic fishing derby this weekend, which kicks off with a boat parade today through Russell before the competition starts on Lake of the Prairies tomorrow.
Derkach said a contractor will inspect the remaining arches to ensure their integrity.
“They are heavy,” Derkach said about the arches, which were originally built in the community more than four decades earlier.
The arches were used in the former Dauphin arena. When the arena was torn down, the laminate rafters were salvaged and two rafters were combined to form the arches over the street in Russell.
Derkach is hoping if any of the arches are found to be structurally inadequate that remediation work can take place to fix them.
“In terms of replacing this one, it’s too early to speculate,” he said. “But in the long term, I would hope we would be able to replace it and complete the Main Street because now there is a gap.”
The installation of the arches was contentious initially, Derkach said. For the most part, however, detractors of the original project have come around to see its value, as the arches became a symbol of the community for tourists.
“People realize the significance of them and that they have put the community in a different light,” Derkach said. “A lot of people have commented on how nice our Main Street looks, but there is always going to naysayers.”
Co-chair of the revitalization committee Spencer Reavie said it would be a shame if they can’t retain the arches.
“It’s a unique situation and I know the arches have drawn a lot of attention and visitors to the community,” he said. “We hope to salvage them, but it has to be safe.”
» ctweed@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @CharlesTweed