Developer to begin cornice fix on McKenzie Seeds building next week
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/10/2017 (3118 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Remediation work on the historic McKenzie Seeds building is set to begin on Tuesday.
Resland Development Group submitted an engineer’s report on the building to the City of Brandon, along with a schedule of work and a street closure plan.
“The report was very succinct, and addressed the three main areas, which was the upper cornice, the lower cornice, and the condition of the exterior brick of the building,” said Greg Merke, the city’s building safety manager.
First up will be the removal of the seventh-floor cornice, which is expected to take two weeks.
“Once they’ve completed the upper cornice, they will move to the lower cornice,” Merke said. “The lower cornice may require some work, but not as substantial as we were anticipating it to be.”
In order to complete this work, the city must extend the existing closure of Ninth Street north to Pacific Avenue beginning on Tuesday, so that the seventh floor cornice can be safely removed.
While the B.C.-based company missed the initial deadline of Sept. 30, city staff were pleased to see the report come in and a plan set to begin. A permit has been issued for exterior renovations.
“It is very encouraging that they are truly investing in the building and helping us get that street back open,” said Jacqueline East, the city’s general manager of development services.
The brickwork behind the cornice will need to be assessed to determine if any other masonry repairs will be required. If all goes well and weather co-operates, Merke said the work may be completed and the street reopened in a month.
“We’re positive,” he said. “This is a huge step, and this is a very expensive undertaking for the property owner as well.”
An emergency street closure was put in place on Ninth Street between Pacific Avenue and Rosser Avenue on Aug. 28, after a piece of the seventh floor cornice broke off the building at 20 Ninth St.
The McKenzie Seeds building opened in 1911 and was in operation for more than 95 years before the company moved to its new building at 1000 Parker Blvd. in 2009.
Resland had ambitious plans to renovate the building into residential space, but the project failed to get off the ground.
» jaustin@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @jillianaustin