Halifax Fort Needham Upgrade
Client
Halifax Regional Municipality
Location
Fort Needham Park, Halifax, Nova Scotia
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
On December 6, 1917, a French munitions ship collided with a Norwegian vessel in the Halifax harbour causing the largest man made explosion at that time. The blast killed 2,000, injured 9,000, and obliterated all structures in an 800-meter radius. The most notable monument to the maritime tragedy is the Halifax Explosion Memorial Bell Tower located in Fort Needham Park. This is where the Halifax Explosion Memorial Service is held annually to commemorate the disaster.
The Halifax Regional Municipality was preparing for the 100th anniversary of the Halifax explosion by conducting a major upgrade to Fort Needham Park. The memorial has a physical space commemorating the disaster and the interpretation of its lasting impacts. It also includes a venue for quiet reflection with active, passive and interactive community uses. The site educates current and future generations about the significance of the accident, and celebrates the resilience of the city and its people in overcoming tragedy to pursue their full potential.
B&M SCOPE OF WORK
The Halifax Regional Municipality needed Black & McDonald’s (B&M) expertise to manage the project in a very tight time frame so that it could capitalize on the tourist season and mark the anniversary of the accident, an important date in Canadian history. B&M won the project and mobilized to begin in early 2017. Work for the project included a subcontractor from Ontario, The Verdin Company, who supplied and installed all the new bell ringing components and commissioning of the new system. B&M managed the painting of the underside of the canopies by another subcontractor while conducting the electrical work and building the custom bird screening in its fabrication shop.
BENEFITS TO CLIENT
As a community landmark for visitors and locals alike, this project’s completion and success reinforced B&M’s reputation as reliable, efficient and respectful of the heritage in the communities we serve.
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