In This Week’s Editor’s Note:
- Port Alberni: upcoming major mechanical and energy-efficiency retrofit at the Alberni Valley Multiplex
- Hornby Island: Co-op in final stages of design for a new building and renovations
- Strathcona: repair work at for the wharfs at Owen Bay, Surge Narrows, and Port Neville
Port Alberni: upcoming major mechanical and energy-efficiency retrofit at the Alberni Valley Multiplex
The City of Port Alberni is proceeding with a major mechanical and energy-efficiency retrofit at the Alberni Valley Multiplex. The project will replace the existing desiccant dehumidifier and chiller systems and install a new site-specific heat-pump energy-recovery system that reuses waste heat from the ammonia plant to supply domestic hot water and improve building efficiency. Work will also include ducting, control system, and hot-water upgrades designed to enhance reliability and humidity control. Estimated at over $2 million, the upgrade is funded through the City’s 2026–2030 Capital Plan, with applications to the FCM Green Municipal Fund for partial grant support. Construction is expected to occur during the 2026 off-season, with tenders anticipated later in 2025.
Hornby Island: Co-op in final stages of design for a new building and renovations
The Hornby Island Co-op is in the final stages of design with a proposed new building, expanding the existing gas bar, and renovate the main store. Construction is expected to start in early 2026. A request for proposal was sent to select project managers in July 2022 and AFC was awarded the project. Original costs estimates were $8-9 million. However, the Class “C” budget in March 2025 showed costs escalating to $11.4 million. A Value Engineering exercises, additional changes and deferrals have reduced costs to approximately $10.7 million. To offset costs and improve the debt servicing ratio, the Co-op has asked to partner with the Comox Valley Regional District on a Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program (REDIP) application. As a for-profit organization, the Co-op cannot apply directly to the program. It must be a public sector or not-for-profit organization. The Electoral Area Services Committee has directed staff to support the application, subject to staffing availability. The Co-op has indicated it fully expects to undertake as much of the application work as possible, and understands the limitations on staff time. The application deadline is October 31, 2025.
Strathcona: repair work at for the wharfs at Owen Bay, Surge Narrows, and Port Neville
In May 2025, the SRD Board of Directors awarded the construction contract for 3 wharf repairs to Pacific Industrial and Marine Ltd. (PIM). Repair work at Owen Bay (Sonora Island), Surge Narrows (Read Island), and Port Neville (Johnstone Strait) will begin in November 2025, with completion expected by March 2026. The projects include transitioning all floats to DFO-style timber construction, adding a longer gangway at Surge Narrows to improve access at low tide, making minor adjustments to the float location at Owen Bay, and relocating piles inside the float extensions at Owen Bay to increase available moorage space. Fabrication of materials is now well underway. All lumber has been ordered, cut to size, treated, and delivered to the contractor’s yard. Gangway fabrication is in progress, most shop drawings have been reviewed, and the Construction Environmental Monitoring Plans are being finalized. Details and IFC drawings are online at https://srd.ca/area-c-tc-dw.
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