FCC Coordinates Team Effort on Diamond Jubilee …...STEWART TOTTEN & STEPHANE BELANGER Diamond Jubilee Cruise Terminal accidents, which is a great accom-plishment for a project of

T h e b i a n n u a l n e w s m a g a z i n e o f t h e O S C O C o n s t r u c t i o n G r o u p

Irving Oil Refinery • Broad Institute • Topping off 225 Binney Profile on Architectural Precast • Employee Recognition Awards

fall & winter 2012

FCC Coordinates Team Effort on Diamond Jubilee Cruiseship Terminal

CONNECTIONS • Fall & Winter 20122 www.oscoconstructiongroup.com2

Inside...What’s fall & winter 2012

on the cover... CONNECTIONS is the biannual magazine of the OSCO Construction Group, published every Spring and Fall to share news and information with our valued customers & employees

Comments and submissions are greatly appreciated and may be sent to the editor/designer: Tammy Legacy, c/o OSCO Construction Group

400 Chesley Drive, Saint John, NB • Canada • E2K 5L6 email: [email protected]

Members of Strescon Atlantic’s erection team set a

piece of architectural precast in place for the facade

of Saint John, New Brunswick’s Diamond Jubilee

Cruise Terminal.

pg.10 pg.19 pg.32

3 Message from the President

priorities 30 Group Safety News

31 Environmental Due Diligence

projects 4 Diamond Jubilee Cruise Terminal

6 Miscellaneous Metals Division

7 Irving Oil Refinery Mid-Continental Crude project & East Campus Project

15 Zionville Bridge

16 225 Binney topping off

17 351 Water Street

18 Broad Institute

20 Pouring it On: Ready Mix & Aggregates Updates Halifax Airport; Nova Scotia Power Dam Rebuilding; Kennebecasis

Library Expansion; Sewell-Carleton Parking Garage; Waterside Centre; Leon’s; PEI Dental Clinic

23 Dept of National Defence

24 Port of Halifax Expansion

25 Banking on FCC Bank of Montreal; TD Waterhouse

26 Rebar Maximum Security Detention Facility; Transportation Discovery Center;

Lansing Court Apartment Building; Misc Projects.

28 Picadilly Update Raw Water Pumphouse; Diesel Storage Building; Ore Feed Pump; Mine

Supply Air Complex.

profiles 10 Product Profile: Architectural Precast The Vincent Coleman; King’s Wharf; Royal View Apartments; The Grain-

ery; The Trillium

14 Customer Profile: Fares Inc.

32 Company Profile: MacLean’s Concrete A warm hello to our newest Group members; A look back at 59 years of

MacLean’s Concrete

public & community 34 Connecting with the Community Sculpture Saint John; Steel Day; National Precast Day; Touch a Truck;

NSCC Award; Pte. David Greenslade Memorial Bursary

people 37 Hans O. Klohn Honoured with 2011 CPCI Fellow

Award

38 Employee Recognition Awards Dinner

40 Dave Loomer Celebrates 50 Years of Service with Ocean Steel

40 Retirement Lane Howard Dryden; John Myers; Douglas Cringan; James Milton; Roger

MacDonald; Richard Thibodeaqu; Brian Case; Robert Taylor; Dale Card.

42 Group Golf Tournament

42 Group Picnic

43 FCC Softball Champs

43 OSCO Bursary Winners

43 Fresh Faces

43 Congratulations

44 Our Locations

OSCOconstructiong r o u p

CONNECTIONS • Fall & Winter 2012 3www.oscoconstructiongroup.com 3

Looking back over 2012, we’ve had a busy summer and fall. Our ready mix division was very busy in the Halifax market with record volumes. Given the size of the Halifax market, we are in the midst of installing a GPS track-ing system for all our trucks and pumps. At the same time, we are reconfiguring our dispatching system to integrate with this GPS tracking to upgrade our level of service and optimize the usage of our ready mix fleet.

Although in New Brunswick the ready mix market slowed considerably, the market in PEI remained fairly steady. The acquisition of MacLean’s Ready Mix Concrete has gone extremely well. We are very pleased to have this well run organiza-tion join OSCO Concrete. Both Doug and John MacLean have stayed with the company and continue to provide the great service they have been noted for in eastern PEI. At the same time, James Reid has assumed the duties of PEI Operations Manager and this has allowed our services in PEI to be coordinated throughout the province.

In our structural steel and precast concrete divisions, we have undertaken projects located in several geographic markets throughout Canada and the eastern United States: from Boston; to Halifax; to St. John’s; to Fort McMurray. Geographic diversity continues to play an important role to ensure we continue to find profitable opportunities for our steel and precast concrete sectors. As some markets slow down, like our local

market in New Brunswick, other markets offer great promise, such as Labrador & Newfoundland.

We’re also encouraged to see the signifi-cant activity in the Boston area; particu-larly in the institutional, health science and high-rise residential segments. We anticipate that after the American presi-dential election more construction will occur along the northeastern Atlantic seacoast in Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York. This should enable the Ocean

Steel plant in New York State to stay busy; especially with the Canadian-to-American dollar projected to remain at par.

The uncertain economic times in North America and the European Union makes moving from one construction jurisdic-tion to another vitally important to our fu-ture success. For this reason, we continue to work hard at developing our skills to open and service more geographic mar-kets. This starts with identifying opportu-nities in new markets, timely marketing & sales efforts to win contracts and building a strong project management infrastruc-ture to service these distant markets.

Without good communication and team-work between all of our departments & divisions, we would not have been suc-cessful in making this happen. I believe we need to develop even stronger team-

building skills between ourselves. To help with this, we have started monthly “team building” management meetings in all of our Group Sectors. At the same time, we are revamping our MicroSoft SharePoint corporate networking website to allow for easier sharing of our institutional knowl-edge between all of our employees.

Teamwork remains the most important attribute that we, as an organization, can improve. If any one of us fails in fulfilling the important role we play, then we all

fail as a group. It’s not about individuals with the best per-formance: it’s about how well the team works together!

We want all team members to understand what role they can play in helping the entire OSCO Group to succeed. At

the same time, we need to better explain what overall impact a team member’s ac-tion may have beyond just what happens in a particular department. For example, designing something that’s easy to fabri-cate but more expensive to ship or install is not necessarily a win for the team!

I want to once again thank all of our team members for their significant contribu-tions to making 2012 another successful one for the OSCO Construction Group. I am looking forward to the challenges of 2013 and I know with the talent and dedication in our organization that it will be another successful year for us all!

Hans O. KlohnPresident, OSCO Construction Group

Teamwork remains the most important attribute

that we, as an organization, can improve. If any

one of us fails in fulfilling the important role we

play, then we all fail as a group.

Message from the President

p r o j e c t s

CONNECTIONS • Fall & Winter 20124 www.oscoconstructiongroup.com

The Saint John, New Brunswick waterfront continues to grow with the construction of the Diamond Jubilee Cruise Terminal. Named in honour of Queen Eliza-beth’s 60th anniversary on the British throne, this new project was initiated by the Port of Saint John to meet the growing needs of both the Disney cruise ship line and the cruise ship industry in general. Construction of the new terminal started in late November 2011 and was completed in Oc-tober 2012. FCC Construction’s civil division provided construc-tion management services from the early design phase through project completion.

The new terminal is located on Water St., just south of the exist-ing Marco Polo Cruise Terminal. This contemporary facility offers a number of amenities for tour-ists visiting Saint John. These features include a 400 ft. ped-way, which is used to safely and efficiently offload cruise ship pas-sengers, washroom facilities, and a large assembly area where pas-sengers can sign up for tours of South-ern New Brunswick. The terminal also contains space which will be accessible to the general public. The second level has a rentable banquet room serviced by a full kitchen as well as a roof top

patio. The upper roof features a patio which is open to the public and provides a spectacular view of the Saint John waterfront and an opportunity for an up close view of visiting cruise ships.

With the first ship scheduled to arrive at the terminal on Septem-ber 5th 2012; and design only beginning in the fall of 2011; it was recognized that this project was on a very tight schedule. It was critical that FCC Construc-tion work closely with both the Client and the design team to solve scheduling, cost control, and constructability issues. De-spite many design details, added scope and working through winter weather on the Saint John waterfront, the ship arrival date remained unchanged.

Through teamwork, careful plan-ning and efficient work on site, the first Disney cruise ship was able to arrive as scheduled. Since then, the terminal has continued to serve the various cruise lines and passengers who call on the Port of Saint John while FCC Construction completed work on site.

While the project was delivered both on schedule and within budget, “safety first” contin-

ued to be the approach taken on site. Overall, this

project was completed with zero lost time

contributed by: CARL BLANCHARD,

TIM MACDONALD, DAVE DUNNETT, STEWART TOTTEN & STEPHANE BELANGER

Diamond Jubilee Cruise

Terminal

accidents, which is a great accom-plishment for a project of this size. Following the proper safety regula-tions, conducting on-site orienta-tions and ensuring all site person-nel wore proper PPE, were key strategies to meeting this target.

The FCC Project Team consisted of Construction Manager Bill Wood-house, General Site Supervisor Daryl Ross, Sitework Supervisor Rob Murphy and Site Administra-tor Robin Young. Project estimat-ing and tendering was carried out by Shauna Miller and Kyle Blanchard.

A special thanks to all of the site and office staff for pushing this project forward to it’s success-ful completion. Special thanks especially goes out to Daryl Ross and Bill Woodhouse who spent many extra hours of their own time during the week and week-ends to make sure deadlines were met. We have built a great business rela-tionship with our client and a great deal of thanks must go to Daryl and Bill for their efforts. Thanks guys!

In addition to the prominent role that FCC’s Civil Division played in the construction of the Diamond Jubilee Cruise Terminal, other members of the OSCO Construc-tion Group contributed products, including: Ready-Mix Concrete & Precast Concrete on the building; as well as Precast Pipe and Rebar elsewhere on site.

Precast ConcreteThe new Terminal was constructed with a structural steel framework clad with masonry and precast panels. Strescon Saint John was awarded the contract to supply and install 10,200 sq.ft. of architectural precast for the Saint John Cruise

Terminal. The precast consisted of 31 plinth panels, 6 large arches and 3 small arches. Strescon Qual-ity Control department worked closely with FCC, Saint John Port Authority and Toss Architecture which resulted in a precast sample being approved for use on March 13th. The approved sample consisted of two separate finishes and multiple pigments to achieve a blend between the architectural brick and reflective glass windows as seen on the building.

Due to the building enclosure requirements, Strescon engineer-ing and Strescon Atlantic devised connections that did not pierce the building exterior seal. All con-nections were located between the building exterior framing and the inside face of the precast.

A successful precast fabrication was the result of Strescon’s new batch plant being able to precisely batch repetitive mixes as well as Strescon’s Quality Control depart-ment and shop personnel ensur-ing quality product was produced. Precast fabrication began in late March and was completed by the end of May.

Precast installation consisted of 2 phases, the first phase was to install the large and small arches in May and the second phase to install the smaller plinth panels in July.

Ready-Mix ConcreteOSCO Concrete’s Strescon-Saint John plant started supplying Ready Mix concrete for this project in January 2012. The concrete mixes used were of a normal variety, but the interior slabs utilized a con-crete mix which enabled it to be ground down and polished, leaving a terrazzo-look to the floors inside.

p r o j e c t s

CONNECTIONS • Fall & Winter 2012 5www.oscoconstructiongroup.com

Just wanted to send out a thank you for all the hard work and effort you

and your teams have put into having the Terminal ready for today. It has been amazing to see it all come together in such a short time. The Port greatly

appreciates what has been accomplished.

Tyler O’Rourke P.Eng.Port Engineer, Saint John Port Authority

•I just wanted to echo Tyler’s comments

and pass along my thanks to each of you, not only from myself but also on behalf of the President and CEO. September 5th was always a tough date to work

towards, but it was critical that this not fall back for so many reasons. The termi-nal looks fantastic, and you should all be

very proud of your accomplishment.

Andrew Dixon, CITTSr. Vice President, Planning and Development

& Acting President and CEO, Saint John Port Authority

continued on next page...

p r o j e c t s


The exterior concrete at the entrance incorporated an exposed aggregate mix chosen by the architect to blend in with the interior Polished concrete look. In total, 2600 cubic metres of Ready-Mix was supplied over a period of 8 Months.

PipeStrescon’s Pipe division was also part of the Cruise Ship Terminal team, provid-

ing environmental products which included: four 750 diameter catch basins; five 1050 di-ameter catch basins; one standard 1050 valve chamber; and four custom 1800 diameter valve chambers with custom covers and custom valve chamber pads.

RebarOcean Steel’s Rebar divi-sion also played a role in this project, as a subcontractor

to Paul & Bruce Martin Limited. OSCO Rebar provided 36 Tons of rebar for five 175-Ton bollards at the Diamond Jubilee and Long Wharf sites. Work on the project began in July and the bol-lards were completed this fall.

contributed by CHRIS BANKS, CET

• UNDERgROUND MaTERIaL HaNDLINg PHaSE 1, Hoppers and Chutes c/w liner wear plates, Penobsquis, NB, PCS Potash, 121.8 tons of plate work.

• NEW TRaNSFER BRIDgE, Port aux Basques, NL, Brook Construction, 30.2 tons of misc. metals.

• ExTENSION TO ST. aNDREWS WHaRF, St. Andrews, NB, GW Doucette Construc-tion, 20.2 tons of struct. steel.

• CRaIg BROOK BRIDgE, Perth Andover,

NB, E. Cummings Contracting, 9.4 tons of struct. steel.

• LOggINg BRIDgE (21FT), Atholville, NB, AV Cell, 2.8 tons of struct. steel.

• WESTMORLaND SUBSTaTION, Saint John, NB, Saint John Energy, 8.1 tons of galvanized struct. steel.

• PRODUCTION HEaDFRaME REPLaCE-MENT STEEL, Penobsquis, NB, PCS Pot-ash (old site), 2.1 tons of struct. steel.

• HOUSE BEaMS, vaRIOUS LOCaTIONS IN NB, General Contractor, 7.2 tons of struct. steel.

Miscellaneous Metals Division

www.sjport.com

p r o j e c t s


Mid-Continental Crude:Ocean Steel contributed by MARIO LEBOUTHILLIER & BERNIE BLAKELY

Cheap western crude prices are driving the North Amer-ican oil industry to find creative ways to ship oil east where refineries are struggling to remain competitive.

The Irving Oil refinery in Saint John, NB is working on their own solution. Canada’s largest oil refinery, Irving Oil has been bringing in crude from the west by rail to supply its 300,000 barrel-per-day refinery in recent months and is working on inking long-term supply contracts for continental crude.

Ocean Steel’s Saint John, NB; Fredericton, NB; and Conklin, NY fabrication plants have been working together to fabricate and install approximately 63 tons of structural and miscella-neous steel for the Mid Continent Crude Offloading Project.

The last portion, comprising 302 pieces of handrails in various lengths, was delivered in mid-October. Irving Oil had some very urgent delivery requirements for this project, which required Ocean’s office, plant, and field employees to step up and work overtime hours, in order to meet the customer deadline.

Marque Construction contributed by PETER HIGSON

In the last edition of Connections, we wrote about Marque’s involvement in the Mid-Continental Crude Project at the Irving Oil Refinery’s train car loading facility. The project required Marque to install thousands of feet of new cabling and cable

tray. New motors and Variable Frequency Drive controllers were installed and commissioned. Thousands of feet of electric heat tracing was installed and is ready for opera-tion. New instrumentation and control systems have been placed in service.

The project schedule required specific equipment becom-ing operational while other scope of work remained under con-struction in the same areas. This presented its own unique chal-lenges, particularly with safety to all involved on site, as rail car traffic increased. As rail cars were shunted (moved into or out of position) worker access to the site was limited to non train car areas. Marque employees needed to perform prefabrication work outside the area, in order to remain productive and on schedule. At the time of this writing, Marque has just received the last work order for this project. The entire project will be completed within a few weeks, on budget and on schedule.

ESJ Rail Spur Lines At the East Saint John Terminals, a major project called the ESJ Rail Spur Lines has transformed the face of the Irving property at the south-east corner of Courtenay Causeway and Bayside Drive into a brand new train car unloading facility. Spur lines are extensions from the main rail line. Irving Oil required this facil-ity to become operational as soon as possible to take advantage of the increased availability of Mid-Continental Crude oil.

Marque’s scope of work involved a total relocation of the exist-ing ESJ Terminal 12,470V electrical service. The new overhead cabling and hydro poles have been installed skirting the spur line unloading facility and are now connected to the newly installed underground service cabling. Connection and energiza-tion of the new service involved major planning, permitting and scheduling with Saint John Energy, NB Dept of Public Safety, City

Around the RefineryOn-Site With OSCO Construction Group Members at the Irving Oil Refinery


p r o j e c t s


In the current economic climate, small and large businesses alike must take the necessary steps and action to weather the storm. This is especially true for industries such as petroleum, where downturns in a specific market can have a debilitating effect on margins, profits and bottom lines.

Irving Oil Limited, in response to the challenges of the economy, has target-ed the reduction of recurring costs to reduce overall expenditures. Four years ago, several groups working at the Re-finery were relocated to a rental space in the Saint John city core. This was in-tended to be a temporary location until the completion of the new Corporate Head Quarters on Long Wharf. Once again the downturn in the economy back in 2008 resulted in the new office structure being shelved. To allow the relocation of personnel to a more per-manent location, IOL made the decision to construct a new office building on Refinery property and contracted FCC

Construction to manage the project.

The East Campus Engineering Facility is the latest and largest installment of a modular office concept at the Refinery. TOSS Solutions, the project Designers, developed a modular office approach to meet operational needs and align with the Refinery’s dynamic space requirements moving forward. The structure is composed of 18 office modules joined by two service modules. To add a twist to the project the Designers created three distinct sections, each offset from the other by 20 feet and 4 feet in elevation. This allowed the structure to take ad-vantage of the natural grade where the building is located, minimizing site work and foundation depths.

To support the new complex as well as the previous modular office directly south, new service infrastructure was installed for water and sewage as well

as voice lines to Grandview Avenue. This new service will also provide for the new Guard House at the Gate 8 entry just north of the new building as well as future development to the west. A new 8 inch fire line was also included for protection of all structures in the East Campus area.

The exterior of the building has metal cladding to match the finish on surrounding struc-tures. All building services are located in the three foot crawl

space below each level, making installation a difficult challenge.

The project began in June 2012, with the first two modules arriving on site July 16th. Due to the scheduled Turn-around at the Refinery beginning mid September, IOL required the Project Solutions Group on site by September 15th. The balance of personnel reloca-tions would occur on October 15th and October 23rd. After much planning,

www.irvingoil.com

of Saint John and ongoing ship traffic/operations at the ESJ Ter-minals. Marque employees endured inclement weather as well as a long, hard day and night as the final stages in the project were completed. The facility is now operational and Irving Oil opera-tions will be receiving upwards of 40 rail cars per shunt. Marque’s scope of work will be ongoing, installing permanent lighting, control systems and electric heat tracing. As was mentioned in the Mid-Continental Crude project, the safety of Marque employ-ees and all will be paramount as rail car traffic increased.

Central Satellite Logic Manager Upgrade Project The annual Fall Turnaround (annual scheduled maintenance shutdown) at the IOR will start mid September. Marque is well into its pre-turnaround work on the Central Satellite Logic Manager Upgrade Project. The work in the Central Satellite, #3 Crude Unit and recently upgraded Visbreaker Unit involves

installation of thousands of feet of instrument cabling and cable tray as well as new instrument junction boxes, new instruments, and rework of pneumatic tubing. Marque has scheduled 8 days for final connections and commissioning of the equipment. This work will ensure the fail safe operation of these units should an upset to daily operations occur. During the turnaround Marque will begin working on the F12601 Furnace Safety Upgrade Proj-ect located in the South Process Area. Although much of the scope of work will be performed post-turnaround, some instal-lation such as cabling and cable tray must take place while the furnace is out of service as under normal operating conditions it would be too hot and too dangerous to work on.

Over the last several months Marque has been successful in meeting the schedules for project completion required by IOL. We would be remiss if we did not mention the long hours and hard work performed by Marque employees, supervi-sion and IOL coordinations person-nel. Many Thanks.

New East Campus Project Comes to Life at the Irving Oil Refinery contributed by

ABBEY DUGUAY& DAN MAZEROLLE

p r o j e c t s


hard work and long hours, the design and construction teams were able to complete the building on time to ac-commodate the aggressive schedule.

Along with the East Campus Engineer-ing Facility, another structure directly across Grandview Avenue (former Tech-nico Building) was completely reno-vated to accommodate the Document Management Group. This group was relocated to the newly renovated office on September 8th, requiring many long hours by the construction team.

We are now in the final completion stage with personnel relocated, grass in place, trees planted, picnic tables ready and final yard lighting arriving. FCC is proud to have been involved with the development and construction of the East Campus Project and look forward

to assisting with future develop-ments.

OSCO Group TeamworkIn addition to the Project Management skills of FCC’s Civil Division, other OSCO Group members involved in this project included: OSCO Concrete’s Strescon-SJ plant, who supplied ready-mix for all foundation work, and OSCO Rebar, who supplied and installed reinforcing steel for foundations.

FCC’S Electrical division provided the electrical on this project. In July, Ron Rathje and his team began the renova-tion at both buildings. With the Septem-ber completion date already in sight, his team wasted no time beginning the electrical interior demolition of the ex-isting 3,000 square foot Grandview Ave. building. This building was brought back to life with new suspended direct/indi-rect lighting throughout, new 200amp 208volt distribution panel and new decorative surface mounted convec-

tor heaters as well a

sound masking system, network cabling, network cabinet and UPS back-up.

Work on the East Campus building involved the installation of new sus-pended direct/indirect interior lighting throughout, a 600amp 208volt service entrance, fire alarm system, sound masking system and new decorative surface mounted convector heaters as well as new floor communication rack and UPS back-up.

In parallel with the installation of the electrical equipment, over 28,000ft of Cat6 data cabling and 15,000ft Cat5e voice cabling was installed in the 3ft crawl space for the new workstations.

An enormous amount of coordination was needed to complete this project on schedule. FCC electrical team super-visor Ron Rathje and his lead hands Denny Lowe and Ben Kilpatrick as well as the other electricians, worked long days and multiple weekends to success-fully complete this project on schedule.


p r o d u c t p r o f i l e : a r c h i t e c t u r a l p r e c a s t

It is difficult to imagine an archi-tectural style that cannot be

expressed with this material. Precast concrete is not only compatible with all structural systems, it can be designed to harmonize with and complement all other materials. Precast has the design flexibility of shape, colour and size in virtually any finish or texture. Designs can range from historical to contem-porary and project a strong distinctive image. The use of architectural precast

concrete projects a quality appearance and offers years of maintenance free operation.

Quality precast concrete, produced and erected under stringent quality controls, effectively resists corrosion and damage and retains its good looks for years with no significant staining, discoloration or surface decay. Required maintenance is low - saving plenty of money and incon-venience over the life of the structure.

ADVANTAGES:VERSATILITYWith Strescon Limited’s architectural precast concrete wall panels, the pos-sibilities are endless. Adding a cornice, a bullnose, reveals, or various colour and texture options, provides design flexibili-ty to create unlimited looks for buildings.

SPEED OF CONSTRUCTIONThe sooner a building is completed, the

Architectural PrecastNo single construction method lends itself to a more dazzling array of architectural treatments than precast prestressed concrete. Rich aggregates, decorative shapes, reveals and attractive stone and masonry veneers can all be employed to express a wealth of architectural detail.

Product Profile:

contributed by: KINNON BONA



sooner it can earn income for the owner. When using architectural precast con-crete, work can continue on the job site throughout the year with minimal delays caused by weather or material schedules The building can be clad in a fraction of the time compared to other cladding materials - saving time and money.

HIGH QUALITY CONTROLPrecast/Prestressed Architectural wall panels are manufactured in a climate

controlled CSA/PCI certified plant under the highest quality control standards. Our quality control department ensures that every piece meets the custom-ers specifications as well as the highest industry standards.

ECONOMICALThere are many different options for making architectural precast concrete the economical cladding choice for your building. By consulting with Strescon Limited in the early conceptual stages of design, we can help create an efficient and cost effective building while keeping with the design requirements. Making economical choices such as textures, ag-gregates, panel-size and shapes, colours and panel repetition will help with the overall cost. The speed of construction also improves the cost by enclosing your building quicker.

ENERGY EFFICIENCYBuilding green energy-efficient build-ings are becoming a high priority in the construction industry and using archi-tectural precast concrete panels will help you obtain that goal. The high thermal mass of concrete keeps the fluctuations of temperature outside, while controlling the temperature inside. Precast concrete can also help gain points towards LEED certification by producing little waste in our plants, using local materials and creating a low maintenance and durable cladding system.

Precast concrete offers many different colours and textures, from a basic form grey through to a stained formliner fin-ish. Careful selection of finishes can turn a basic building design into an award winning masterpiece. It is not uncom-mon to have precast elements with more than one finish. Some of the most common finishes are listed below.

FINISHES:EXPOSED AGGREGATE Natural stone used as an aggregate in concrete can be a beautiful thing, and an exposed aggregate finish can ac-complish that. When the architectural concrete panel is set in the casting bed,

a chemical retarder is put down so that the concrete won’t set at the face of the panel. This leaves the aggregated exposed with a very natural finish.

HEAVY SANDBLASTA heavy sandblast will take away most of the concrete, exposing more of the ag-gregate, giving the panel a natural look with a very consistent colour.

MEDIUM SANDBLASTA medium sandblast has the same process as the heavy sandblast but it exposes less aggregate and shows more concrete and sand. This allows for the colour in the sand along with the colour in the aggregate to be showcased.

LIGHT SANDBLASTAfter the architectural concrete panel is set and taken out of the bed, it is sandblasted. A light sandblast gives the architectural concrete panel a com-pletely different look. By exposing very little of the aggregate and more sand and concrete, it gives the panel a very smooth finish, showcasing the colour of the sand. While this finish can be very attractive, it is more difficult to achieve a consistent colour throughout the panel.

RECENT PROJECTS:Halifax, NS is currently experiencing the biggest apartment building boom in decades. Not surprisingly, many devel-opers are turning to Strescon’s precast concrete for their projects, such as the high-profile examples below.

The Vincent ColemanSitting next to one of the major railways into Halifax, it’s fitting that this upscale apartment building is named after a train dispatcher and one of the many heroes from the Halifax explosion – Vincent Coleman.

This 9-storey, 124 unit building was constructed in 2010-2011 on an open site next to the St. Andrew’s Community Cen-tre on Bayer’s Road. It now acts as one of the first and most welcoming views when entering Halifax from the highway.


The Trillium



the graineryRoyal View Apartments

The Vincent Coleman King’s Wharf Buildings A and B



Concrete was introduced by the ancient Romans and was used as a primary ma-terial in Roman architecture. Although a very old material, concrete is still very relevant to modern architecture. The Vincent Coleman exhibits a lot of Ro-man style references, such as arches, cornices and columns, to create a very Romanesque looking building - a classic look that never goes out of style.

In order to achieve this look, the archi-tect worked with Strescon Limited to provide the precast concrete - a prod-uct known for its quality and consis-tency as well as design flexibility needed to create the architectural features. Strescon provided 262 (51,636 sq.ft.) ar-chitectural precast concrete wall panels, with 96 of those pieces being decorative cornice panels.

King’s Wharf Buildings A and BThe King’s Wharf development is lo-cated on the waterfront of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Sitting directly on the edge of Halifax Harbour this neighborhood is quickly becoming one of the most cutting-edge and sought after neigh-borhoods in the city. The development is designed to have all amenities located in one convenient area, making a new definition for high-end urban living. There will be a marina, boutiques, a boardwalk along the water, as well as 4 new luxury apartment buildings.

Buildings A and B, located on the east-ern side of the property are known as “The Anchorage” and “The Keelson”. These buildings are sitting along the Shubenacadie Canal and Halifax Har-bour and are going to be the first build-ings to be completed and occupied.

Using architectural precast concrete on the exterior of these buildings allowed the blending of the contemporary and modern themes of King’s Wharf. It also gave them an efficient and sustainable exterior cladding system.

For “The Anchorage (Building ‘A’) Strescon provided 126 – 6” solid ar-chitectural precast pieces. Included in those, were radius panels that were in-

stalled on the front face of the building.

For “The Keelson” (Building ‘B’) Strescon provided 56 – 6” solid architectural precast pieces. Both buildings used white cement, along with local sand and aggregate providing a clean and modern look for the new development.

Royal View ApartmentsLocated in an up-and-coming area of Halifax, Mount Royale, Royal View apartments will be ready for occupancy by the end of 2012. Located between the new entrance to Bayers Lake and Dunbrack St., Mount Royale has been developing quickly over the past few years, with high-end homes and apart-ments. The market for high quality rental accommodations has been very com-petitive in the Halifax area and they are in high demand. The name Royal View Apartments is very fitting, considering the building is located on the highest peak in Halifax, giving the occupants one of the best views in the city.

In order to make this apartment stand out among the rest, the architect and developer chose architectural precast for the exterior of the building. Working with Strescon, the developer and the architect came up with a final design which included 164 pieces of solid 6” wall panels and 38 pieces of solid 6” cornice panels with a buff medium sandblast finish and light sandblast bands. The bands around the window as well as the cornice feature add a very distinguished look to the precast wall panels. These features, combined with the access to all amenities, the spacious and modern apartment features and the emerging surrounding area, gives this building a new level of luxury.

The GraineryState-of-the-art and sustainable designs are quickly becoming the most essen-tial requirements when designing an urban, upscale apartment building. The Grainery, located in the South end of Halifax, has continued with this trend. It is within walking distance of downtown Halifax, and close to all amenities. The building is the first privately developed,

LEED registered, multi-unit residential development in Atlantic Canada.

To achieve the LEED points neces-sary for that distinction, the developer and the architect chose to incorporate miscellaneous architectural precast on the exterior of the building. Precast gave them points both for using local materi-als that produce very little amounts of waste, and for being a product with such a long life-span.

Altogether, Strescon Limited and Borcherdt Concrete provided 184 - pre-cast architectural panels and 435 - Mis-cellaneous precast components includ-ing accent squares and balcony covers. The light sandstone colour grounds the building and blends very nicely with the brick exterior.

The TrilliumNamed after a flower that is found in Halifax’s Public Gardens, The Trillium was completed in early 2012. A 19-sto-rey, 84 unit residential and commercial building, The Trillium brings new mean-ing to upscale urban living in Halifax. With beautiful views from all sides and a location within walking distance of any amenity, this building has brought new life to one of Halifax’s most popular areas.

The Trillium was designed and built by W.M. Fares. During the conceptual stage of the design, W.M. Fares turned to Roy Willworth, one of Halifax’s most renowned architects (in association with DRKR Architects) and an avid supporter of the precast concrete industry, to help with the design of the building.

W.M. Fares approached Strescon about using Architectural precast concrete panels as an exterior cladding on the upper floors. Strescon worked closely with the architects during the design phase to ensure that the most efficient design was achieved, without taking anything away from the appearance of the building. In the end, the precast blended perfectly with the glass and brick used on the rest of the building. In all, Strescon provided 152 solid architec-tural panels and 23 cornice panels.


As the developer of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia’s most high-profile development in years, Fares Inc. is garnering a lot of attention. The King’s Wharf project is not only creating an entire “community” on a piece of previously under utilized water-front property, but it is changing both the shoreline and the skyline of the city.

Headquartered in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Fares Inc. is lead by Francis Fares. Raised in Lebanon; Francis Fares immigrated to Canada in the late 1980’s, where he has lived for the past 23 years. He holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration

from Saint Mary’s University and currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Hali-fax Chamber of Commerce.

Working with key partners, Fares Inc’s fully integrated team manages all criti-cal components required to undertake large-scale, mixed-use developments including financing, design, construction, marketing and sales.

Fares Inc. has been transforming ad-dresses into destinations for over 20 years and has a reputation for consis-tently developing and managing sophis-

ticated, high-end real estate projects. Fares’ current project, King’s Wharf in Dartmouth, is a $500 million, mixed-use residential community, designed to feature: 1,300 residential units; a 200 room hotel and convention centre; and 230,000 square feet of retail, dining, entertainment, office and commercial space, on the Halifax Harbour.

Set in what used to be the Dartmouth shipyards, developer Francis Fares’ plan was to bring a new upscale develop-ment to the coastal town of Dartmouth. Francis first came up with the idea for this project in 2006. It was one of those incredible opportunities that have never been seen before, and Francis brought a vision to the project that was about youth, vigor, excitement and a modern international way of living in our city.

“We’re building a community where peo-ple of all ages and groups can work, live and enjoy the harbour. The future has arrived for Dartmouth, it is so exciting. The potential for economic development in downtown Dartmouth is incredible.”

The King’s Wharf site has southern expo-sure to the harbour entrance and great views, but the special, unique feature of this property is the water. Because the property included 20 acres of pre-confed-eration water, regulations allow Fares to build right out onto the water - something which couldn’t be done anyplace else.

“We envision this development as a mixed use community where people can work and play. They can walk down and buy their fresh produce, they can go to the baker, do their banking, or be close to health care facilities. It is like building a community one piece at a time. It will have all the services of a small town. It’s a sustainable community. It’s residen-tial, office, retail and institutional all put together in the right proportions. It will be alive in the day time and alive in the night time. The quality of life is all there, everything that you need, will be built right in.”

King’s Wharf has been designed to experience, first and foremost the view,

Fares Inc.Customer Profile:

Changing the Skyline of Halifax Harbour

c u s t o m e r p r o f i l e :

p r o j e c t s


but the idea was also to bring the view and the oceanfront feel inside. “There is a lot of interest in being able to have your own boat outside your door. Kings Wharf will have its own marina, includ-ing a high speed water taxi.”

“It will be quite a unique live, work, play experience that we don’t have right now. I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t want to live at Kings Wharf. This cer-tainly will be an iconic development. We’ve designed an iconic tower that is 33 stories high on Halifax Harbour with 360 degrees of views, nothing but water from all angles.”

This development shows confidence in Greater Halifax, which is very positive in terms of long term stability. The time is now right for a development like this one. It’s a win, win for everybody. It will be a win, win for the residents in the new project. It will be a win, win for the businesses in the project. .

There are a lot of post cards out there that will have to be reprinted, because there will be a new view of Halifax Har-bour around the world and it will include and feature the tower at Kings Wharf.

Teaming up with StresconKings Wharf Buildings A and B are Strescon’s first jobs with Fares Inc.. For Fares, the reasons for going with Precast was speed of erection “They were able to enclose their building quicker allow-ing them to get started on the inte-rior work”; and aesthetics “They were looking for a sleek modern appearance which precast was able to achieve” According to Fares, they have received many positive comments on the design of their first two buildings.

Teaming up with AllStar RebarAllStar Rebar, Kings Wharf buildings are not their first work with the developer. In addition to supplying over 1000 tons of rebar for Buildings A & B combined, they had previously supplied rebar for both a 14-unit apartment building and a 27-unit condo building on Crown Drive in Halifax.

Zionville Bridgecontributed by: MARIO LEBOUTHILLIER & BERNIE BLAKELY

The Saint John, NB plant has become very efficient over the last few years in fabricating plate girders, which are becoming increasingly common in commer-cial building frames as architects become more creative. This development has allowed us to revisit the local bridge market where recently we were awarded the Penniac Stream bridge, and the McAdam Railway Line bridge (see Connections Spring & Summer 2011).

Our latest addition to this list is the Zionville Road Route 8 Underpass, located a few kilometers North of Fredericton, NB for the company Dunbar Construction Ltd. Ocean Steel’s Saint John shop supplied four main girders with shop attached shear studs. The main girders were six feet deep and 148 feet long after field splicing.

In addition to the main girders, Ocean also fabricated six abutment diaphragm plate girders, intermediate WT K-frames, and WT lateral braces required to com-plete the structure. The total weight was 121 tons.

Detailing started in December 2011 with fabrication starting near the end of Feb-ruary 2012. The steel was delivered mid August 2012.

225 Binney topping offcontributed by: JASON PRESLEY

Ocean Steel is currently wrapping up work on the 225 Bin-ney building in Cambridge, MA for Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc., in cooperation with the contractor Consigli Construction Inc.. The Binney Street Building will be an office space for client Biogen Idec Inc., and is being built as a combination of new structure and the retrofit of existing structures as part of an overall Binney Street rehabilitation currently underway in Cambridge. Ocean Steel began work on the project in October of 2011, including detailing, consulting and fabrication (which began in January 2012) and Steel Erection (which commenced June 7, 2012). Ocean Steel supplied and installed close to 1600 tons of structural steel, 800 tons of joists and 4200 square feet of deck including all accessories. Erection of the main new building ended in mid Octo-ber 2012, with some retrofit inside of an existing building and the tower crane infill steel work to follow. This project was OSCO’s first BIM (Building Information Model-ing) project. What makes this process unique is that all work was completed 100% in our steel model and the model was then issued to the EOR for approval of the pieces within the model for use in fabrication. No shop drawings or erection plans were required. Since there are joists on this 8 floor project OSCO received and im-ported model files from the joist manufacturer into weekly model uploads. Not only were the models used in the steel fabrication ap-proval process but also in the coordination process for clash detec-tion with all of the various trades who running their ducts, piping or electrical components around and through our steel and joists. On September 10, 2012 Consigli Construction Co., Inc. held the customary topping off Ceremony where a white painted beam signed by all of the workers was hoisted into position in front of a large crowd of onlookers including upper management from Alex-andria Real Estate Equities, Inc. and the Mayor. The new building is expected to be ready for it’s tenants in late 2013.

p r o j e c t s


p r o j e c t s


Strescon Supplies Precast Parking Garage for Downtown Newfoundland Development

contributed by: J.P. LACHANCE

351Water Street


The fall of 2011 marked the official ground-breaking of 351 - the first new office building in downtown St. John’s

Newfoundland in more than 25 years. Developed by East Port Properties Limited and designed by PHB Group, 351 marks the beginning of a new age in the city’s waterfront development. “We are pleased to offer downtown St. John’s a building that incorpo-rates the latest sustainable practices, for a truly healthy, efficient and interesting working environment.” says East Port Properties President John W. Lindsay.

While architecturally designed to encompass the long-standing heritage of Water Street charm, 351 will also incorporate the best of today’s newest technologies. It is the first sea water heated and cooled building in Newfoundland and Labrador. A Canada Green Building Council LEED® registered building, 351 has been de-signed to achieve Gold level certification.

This stunning new development includes an innovative six-storey, 165,000-square-foot office tower above prime retail and commer-cial space, and a 446-car garage.

Strescon Limited’s Precast Division supplied the parking garage. Production on the precast components started on September 29th, 2011 and was completed on April 11th, 2012.

In total, Strescon supplied 1061 precast pieces and 22 steel Delta-beams. The precast pieces supplied included: 351 double tees; 85 columns; 61 inverted tee beams; 1 rectangular beam; 42 shear-walls; 49 load-bearing spandrels; 48 non load-bearing spandrels; 54 stairs & landings; 101 load-bearing walls; 9 curved spandrels; and 260 Strescore planks.

This project was truly a team effort. The inverted tee beams and Strescore planks were produced at the Strescon Saint John Plant; the stairs & landings were produced at the Borcherdt Plant; and the rest of the precast pieces were produced at the Strescon Bedford Plant.

Precast installation and erection was done by American Steel & Precast Erectors and began on April 2nd. Erection finished on June

22nd and is now open for cars. Com-pletion of the 351 project is

set for 2013.

www.threefiftyone.ca


p r o j e c t s

The new Broad Institute Project at 75 Ames Street in Cambridge MA is located in the heart of Kendall

Square. Formally affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as Harvard University and its affiliated hospitals, the Broad Institute is a genomic medicine research center. The institute is named after Eli and Edythe Broad, and allows collaborative, cross-disciplinary research between physicians, geneticists, and biologists.

The new facility will consist of a 15-story build-ing accounting for more than 375,000 sq ft. Of this, 250,000 square feet of research and administrative space will be provided, through a series of connector bridges, to Broad’s ex-isting headquarters at 7 Cambridge Center. The development will also include ground level retail space.

STRUCTURAL STEEL In early January 2012, Ocean Steel was awarded the con-tract by Suffolk Construction Company Inc. of Danvers, MA to supply and erect: 5400 tons of Structural Steel and Plate Work; 350,000 square feet of decking; and 3700 square feet of grating. The expansion is being built adjacent to and over an existing parking garage.

One of the more complex features of the new structure is the use of 12 super columns, each measuring 80 feet long, being carefully placed down through 6 existing floors of the parking garage. Built in halves weighing in at approximately 20 tons per piece, the super columns support the portion of the new structure that overhangs the existing parking garage at the 6th floor. This floor is framed with 19 plate girders, the heaviest sections being 60 feet long and weighing 57 tons.

Aside from site logistics, another major challenge was the aggressive schedule. This was overcome by having all three of our fabrication plants (Conklin, NY; Saint John, NB, &

www.broadinstitute.org

www.suffolkconstruction

.com

p r o j e c t s


Broad InstituteFredericton, NB) working on the project to achieve a continuous flow of struc-tural steel to the site.

Detailing for all of the shop drawings was prepared by our in-house Detailing Department. IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) files were submitted weekly to Suffolk for their use in coordination with all of the trades. The Structural Engi-neer, McNamara/Salvia Inc, used a global review station to stream-line the approval process and reviewed shop drawings directly from our electronic building model.

Ocean Steel subcontracted the erection of the building to Daniel Marr and Son Co.. Deck-ing is being supplied by Vulcraft of New York, Inc.. Grating will be supplied by Borden Metal Products. Ocean Steel

has also solicited the services of High Steel Structures Inc in Pennsylvania to fabricate and coordinate shipping for 10 extra heavy plate girders.

Erection is scheduled to be substantially complete by January 2013. Broad ex-pects to move into their new building in mid – 2014, consolidating much of it’s local operation in the process.

PRECAST CONCRETEIn December 2011, Suffolk Construction awarded Strescon Limited the contract to supply and install 460 precast units for

the Broad Institute.

Strescon has been working closely with Ocean Steel, with both company’s engineering / detailing departments sharing in-ternal drawing packages to ensure the precast and steel final con-

nections is installed in a timely manner.

Strescon’s Saint John facility began fabricating the precast in mid August and is expected to be complete by late October.

The building will consist of 153 pre-stressed spandrels and 307 pre-cast column covers / infill panels. The precast panels will be erected by Daniel Marr & Son Co.. Installation is scheduled to begin in late December 2012 and be completed by the end of February 2013.

Strescon’s new sales and construction associate Bryan Myers will be working on-site with Suffolk Construction and

Marr to ensure the precast is installed per schedule and deal

with issues that may arise.

contributed by: JEFF KEITH, BERNIE BLAKELY & TIM MacDONALD

p r o j e c t s

www.oscoconstructiongroup.comCONNECTIONS • Fall & Winter 201220

Pouring It OnHalifax Airport

Leon’s FurniturePEI Dental Clinic

NS Power dam rebuiding

p r o j e c t s


Halifax Airportcontributed by DAVID BANCROFT

This past year, the Halifax International Airport Authority (HIAA) decided to extend the length of its main runway by 2000 feet to allow larger cargo planes to land. The extension was divided be-tween the two ends and involved both asphalt and concrete surfaces.

The concrete portions, called ‘blast pads’ and ‘turning pads’, were con-structed at the extreme ends. “The rigid concrete pavement can easily handle the extreme wheel loads produced by the slow turning planes without the permanent deformations experienced by flexible pavements such as asphalt. The ends of the runway also experi-ence extreme heat from the jet exhaust when pilots hold position and bring the engines up to speed. These tempera-tures have little effect on the concrete”, explained Dexter’s Project Sponsor.

Dexter Construction was awarded the contract for the extension early in the spring and subsequently selected OSCO Concrete to supply the ready-mix for the project. This involved delivering 5500 cubic meters of 35MPa concrete. The work started in June and the first portion proceeded without incident.

The second round of work, starting in late August and running into Octo-ber, was more challenging. The Au-gust ambient temperatures were very high, prompting Dexter to move the pour schedule to nights in an attempt to overcome the heat and prema-ture drying effects of the wind. OSCO Concrete’s Halifax Operations Manager David Marcattili set up an ice station at the plant and added ice to each truck during the loading process to lower

the concrete temperatures. “This gave the placing crews more time to work with the concrete and helped ultimate strengths, as the cooler concrete en-sured a more complete hydration of the cement”, stated Marcattili.

The first end was completed in early September and the crews moved to the Zulu gate end. As September pro-gressed, the weather cooled off and Dexter was able to resume a daytime pouring schedule. The concrete was placed on the ground, 450mm thick, by two trucks at a time before it was leveled and finished with a deck machine.

Dexter con-struction coordinated the on-site concrete placing, which was the largest concrete project that the airport had seen in years. Projects of this nature are a good fit for Dexter and OSCO, as both are large companies that bring resources to the table beyond the scope of many smaller companies.

When complete, the longer runway will allow larger planes to land and provide smaller planes a greater chance to land in poor weather. This project highlights the superior qualities of concrete as a building material and is evidence of the HIAA’s commitment to the future.

Nova Scotia Power Dam Rebuilding contributed by DAVE MARCATILLI

For the second year in a row, Nova Sco-tia Power Inc. issued contracts for major power dam restoration work at their St. Margaret’s Bay sites near Tantallon, off highway 103.

Daeco Contracting, led by Randolph Coombs, was awarded two of the three contracts issued, which involved demolition and restoration of the exist-ing Coon Pond and Sandy Lake power dams. Work on both sites began for Daeco in early June, with concrete work

beginning on July 6, 2012. OSCO Con-crete was awarded concrete and pump supply at both sites.

Coon Pond, the smaller of the two proj-ects, required 1300 meters of 30MPa concrete. Sandy Lake, which is still a work in progress at press time, requires 2700 meters of 30MPa. All concrete is and was pumped, utilizing all of our boom lengths, from the 32 meter to the 47 meter. Pour sizes ranged from 45 meters to as large as 200 meters per day, which sometimes strained our mixer resources, due to the 2-hour travel time back and forth.

OSCO concrete worked alongside its sister company Allstar Rebar on this project. Allstar was contracted to supply the reinforcing steel to both sites.

Ready-Mix & Aggregates Updates

OSCO Concrete’s Halifax Operations Manager David Marcattili set up an ice station at the plant and added ice to each truck during the loading process to lower the concrete temperatures. “This gave the placing crews more time to work with the concrete and helped ultimate strengths, as the cooler concrete ensured a more complete hydration of the cement”, stated Marcattili.


p r o j e c t s


Kennebecasis Library expansion contributed by DAVID DUNNETT

This past summer, OSCO Concrete’s Strescon-Saint John plant provided ready-mix for the Kennebecasis Public Library expansion in Quispamsis, NB for Bird Construction. The $6 million expansion consists of a structural steel framework clad with a combination of siding and brick veneer to match the existing library.

OSCO Concrete supplied ready-mix concrete over a three month span for the first section of the project. A small amount of exterior concrete was also poured this fall, during the second phase.

Sewell-Carleton Parking Garagecontributed by DAVID DUNNETT

OSCO Ready-Mix’s Strescon-SJ plant has been supplying ready-mix to PCL Ltd. for the Sewell-Carleton Parking Ga-rage project in Saint John, New Bruns-wick for the past 1.5 years.

Part of the new Provincial Justice Com-plex, the garage is also located near Saint John’s hockey & entertainment arena, Harbour Station. The new $16.5 million parking garage will have entranc-es on the top of the hill, off Carleton Street, and near the bottom of the hill on Sewell Street. When complete, it will provide 446 parking spaces over 7 levels.

Upon completion this fall, 100% of

the concrete structure will have been supplied by Strescon Ready-Mix and Strescon Precast.

Waterside Centrecontributed by TRACY DOBSON

For the first time in almost 20 years, a new office building is being erected in downtown Halifax. Armour Group has taken on the task of constructing the new tower, while preserving the façade of six historical buildings. The 9-storey Waterside Centre will take up the down-town corner block of Duke, Hollis and Lower Water Street and carry a price tag of $25 million.

Construction began on the building in February 2012, with the reinforcing of the three and four-storey heritage build-ings. OSCO Concrete began pouring footings and columns for the structure in May of 2012. A special chemical called kyrton needed to be added to the concrete in order to provide water-proofing for the building. Conventional waterproofing couldn’t be used on this building, due to the concrete being poured against the historical structure.

OSCO Concrete is currently pouring slabs for the structure and hopes to have the 5000 cy poured by December 31, 2012.

Leon’scontributed by DAVID DUNNETT

This past summer, OSCO Concrete “poured on the concrete” at the new Leon’s furniture store in Saint John, NB, for Atlantic Building Contractors.

The new building consists of a support structure with a slab-on-grade design. It is a pre-engineered steel building with metal-clad insulated wall panels.

The project began in the fall of 2011, with the construction of the first half of the new building. Leon’s continued to operate their existing business until the first half was completed this spring, and then moved into that new section. The old store was then demolished before work continued to construct the second half of the store.

OSCO Concrete provided a total of 1400 cubic metres of concrete, most of which was poured in four 300+ cubic metre pours.

The new section opened this fall, dou-bling Leon’s retail outlet space.

PEI Dental Cliniccontributed by PAUL BIGGAR

Early this summer, OSCO Concrete’s Schurman-Summerside plant complet-ed pouring ready-mix on a new dental office, for General Contractor, Welling-ton Construction.

Located on Central Street in Sum-merside, PEI, the new building houses dental offices, a medical center, and insurance office retail space.

Schurman provided approximately 400 cubic yards of concrete. Construction started in September 2011 and the final sidewalk was poured in May 2012. The owners opened their new dental office on Monday June 4th, 2012.

Carleton-Sewell Parking GarageKennebecasis LibraryWaterside Centre

In May 2012, Strescon’s Nova Scotia Pipe Division was awarded a contract by Lloyd MacLellan Construction

Services Limited, to supply precast concrete material for the Transportation Electrical & Mechanical Engineering Facil-ity (TEME) project; a design-build by Ellis Don and Genivar, located at Willow Park, CFB Halifax, Nova Scotia. The project is a large undertaking for the Department of National Defence, consisting of not only a new building, but also re-routing and separating the sanitary and storm systems on the site. The storm system was designed to direct the storm water off the

site but to also hold a specified amount of the storm water in specially designed detention pipes. The site design also had a requirement for a number of retaining wall structures in order to maximize land usage.

The contractor had an aggressive schedule due to project demands and site constraints. Once awarded the contract, Strescon quickly turned around shop drawings and went into production immediately upon their approval. By using the resources of both the Bedford and Saint John pipe facilities, we were able to meet the demanding delivery schedule our customer required. In total, Strescon provided over fifty man-hole structures from 48” diameter through to 96” diameter; and nearly four thousand lineal feet of concrete pipe in a variety of diameters up to 60”.

A unique aspect of the project’s pipe work consisted of two 60” diameter runs of pipe designed specifically to store storm water from the site prior to it being released into the municipal infrastructure. The pipe was supplied complete with capped ends, diameter transition structures and tee bases to allow ac-cess from the surface. By choosing underground storm water

detention using concrete pipe, the design-build team provided the owner a design that maximized land use, while assuring they were installing a high quality product that would offer long service life.

This project also required approximately 13,000 square feet of precast ReCon retaining walls. The largest of the walls is over 11,000 square feet and 28’ high at its tallest point. Be-cause of the height and site conditions, this large wall needed to be a geo-grid reinforced MSE wall, which presented unique

challenges due to the location of the new site infrastructure in relation to the wall. The other three walls on the site were designed as conventional gravity walls, made possible due to the inherent design of ReCon retaining wall blocks, which can accommodate construction of all but the tallest of gravity walls, without the use of geo-grid.

Construction continues on the site, with the majority of the pipe work completed by early Fall 2012 and the largest of the retaining walls still under construction at the time of this article. Lloyd MacLellan Construction Services Limited has been able to accomplish a great amount of earth moving and infrastruc-ture installation in a short time, due to their dedicated staff and years of experience.

Strescon has also recently been awarded an additional contract by Lloyd MacLellan to supply approximately seventy light pole bases for the project’s site electrical work. Strescon continues to be chosen as precast supplier for large projects such as this, due to our commitment to meeting our customer’s needs, designer’s specifications and our ability to offer a complete and varied package of products.


DEPT OF NATIONAL DEFENCEcontributed by DAVID WEBB

p r o j e c t s

p r o j e c t s


Home to the second largest natural har-bour in the world, as well as the deep-est in North America, Halifax harbour is the ideal port for larger container ships, which have become increasingly popular. It is the first inbound port and the last outbound port of call in North America and located only one hour away from the “Great Circle Route” to Europe from North America. The Port of Halifax, or the Halifax Port Authority, is responsible for managing the Halifax harbour and this year will handle over 1,500 vessels such as container and cruise ships.

Located in the mouth of Halifax harbour, adjacent to Point Pleasant Park, is the South End Container Terminal, operated by Halterm Ltd. This terminal has the only piers in Eastern North America which are capable of handling large, post-Panamex ships which can carry 15,000 or more containers. In April 2009, the Halifax Port Authority announced that they were going to build a $35 million expansion of

the South End Terminal to create a sec-ond post-Panamex container ship berth. By adding 80 meters to this Pier, it would allow 2 full-sized post-Panamex ships to be serviced at once.

For the expansion of the pier, the sur-rounding area had to be dredged and approximately 25-metre, high-capacity steel pipe piles had to be driven into the bedrock to create the gridwork for the new 80m x 45m pier. Once the piles were in place, cast-in-place concrete pile caps were poured to tie the piles together and to form the support for the precast concrete SIP (Stay In Place) reinforced deck slabs.

Each precast SIP deck slab had a signifi-cant amount of steel reinforcing, with stirrups protruding through the top of the slab. After the precast slabs were in place, the panel joints were grouted and post-tensioning of the slabs began. Once completed, the main reinforcing for the

overall deck was placed and tied to the stirrups from the Precast SIP slabs. The final stage of the process was to pour the cast-in-place concrete on top of the Precast SIP deck slabs, tying everything together and creating one complete concrete member. Overall, Strescon Limited’s Bedford plant provided 242 reinforced deck slabs at 275 mm thick.

Precast concrete SIP deck slabs were an economical choice for the construction manager because it created an immedi-ate working platform, which was espe-cially essential when working over water. Using highly reinforced, post-tensioned precast concrete slabs also gave the pier the strength it needed for the heavy industrial setting.

The successful use of precast concrete in this pier allows this vital port to become even more efficient than before, thus en-suring the prosperity of Halifax harbour for a long time to come.

Port of Halifax Expansion

p r o j e c t s

contributed by KINNON BONA

p r o j e c t s


contributed by LUKE JOHNSON

As any person who has undergone a renovation can attest, it’s generally much harder than building from scratch. Dealing with the “surprise elements” that inevitably crop up behind floors and walls from decades (and in some cases, centuries) past, requires a complex set of skills and knowledge.

In addition to new-builds such as the Diamond Jubilee Cruise Terminal, FCC’s Civil Division has a great amount of experience doing renovation and retrofit work, both in heritage buildings, such as their recent work for the Bank of Montreal, now located in the heritage block at 2 King Street in Saint John, New Brunswick; and in new buildings, such as the TD Wealth offices in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. Whether a project is a new build, a heritage renovation, or a modern retrofit, customers can bank on FCC.

Bank of MontrealAs profiled in the spring issue of Con-nections, the Bank of Montreal recently moved back to their original Saint John (dating back to the late 1800s), NB location at the foot of King Street. FCC Construction was contracted to oversee the project.

Over the early spring and summer months FCC completed the renovation. Existing unoccupied spaces on both the

1st and 2nd floors were completely reno-vated and BMO moved in on July 13th. The bank had been occupying an older space in the uptown area and are thrilled to be in a brand new space.

The project schedule was very demand-ing. Starting in late March extensive structural improvements were required to allow for the removal of an existing

vault and installation of a new 80,000 pound vault. Base building electrical and mechanical upgrades were required to accommodate the renovation includ-ing fire alarm upgrades, new electrical service and 2 new roof top air handling units. The renovation itself included ar-chitectural components such as ceramic tile floors, ABM millwork, teller millwork, aluminum doors and partitions.

The renovation totaled 5000 sqft. FCC Construction was retained as a Con-struction Man-ager by PCL Constructions. Base build-

ing improvements were completed with Commercial Properties Limited as the client. Rob Murphy and Luke Johnson managed the project with key support from Rick Williston and Shauna Miller.

TD WaterhouseTD Waterhouse recently needed space for their Private Investment Advice branch in Bridgewater Nova Scotia. After leasing space from Commercial Proper-ties Ltd., TD contracted FCC Construc-tion for the Construction Management of their new premises.

Located in Commercial Properties’ build-ing at 135 North Street in Bridgewater, the construction scope consisted of a typical tenant fit-up with: new partitions; mechanical and electrical; and all new finishes. There were also special require-ments for security, data and commu-nications to support their operations.

TD’s deadline to have opera-tions moved in and up and running in the new space for September 24th set for the tight schedule, which FCC met with success.

Banking On FCC

p r o j e c t s


INSTITUTIONaL50 Bed Living Unit, Westmorland Insti-tute, Dorchester, NB – Foulem Const., 40 Tons of rebar, 34,000 SF of mesh

Centre for the arts, Mount allison Uni-versity, Sackville, NB – Ellis Don, 95 Tons of rebar, 82,000 SF of mesh

Kennebecasis Park School addition, Rothesay, NB – Castle Rock Const. Ser-vices, 26 Tons of rebar, 16 300 SF of mesh

Nursing Home, Grand Manan, NB – Maricon Const., 68 Tons of rebar

Fire Station #1, Miramichi, NB – Geni-build Const., 34 Tons of rebar, 12,800 SF of mesh

Ecole Regionale de Saint andre, Saint Andre, NB – Simpson Bldg Cont., 51 Tons of rebar, 17,200 SF of mesh

Ecole St. Bernadette, Moncton, NB – Marco Maritimes, 81 Tons of rebar, 23,500 SF of mesh

Cruise Ship Terminal Enhancements, Saint John, NB – Paul & Bruce Martin Limited, 36 Tons of rebar

Ecole Moncton Nord, Moncton, NB – Foulem Const., 118 Tons of rebar, 104,200 SF of mesh

New Riverview School, Riverview, NB – Pomerleau Const., 112 Tons of rebar, 103 200 SF of mesh

Lincoln Elementary School, Lincoln, NB – Springhill Const., 112 Tons of rebar

CFWOS addition, CFB Gagetown, NB – Maxim Const., 44 Tons of rebar

Maximum Security Housing Unit, Re-nous, NB – Pomerleau Const., 202 Tons of rebar

Bedford High School (Phase 2), PCL Constructors Canada Inc, Bedford, NS. 24 Tons of rebar, 257,600 SF of mesh

Queens general Hospital, Avondale Construction, Liverpool, NS. 83 Tons of

rebar, 10,080 SF of mesh

TEME Facility, EllisDon, Halifax, NS. 549 Tons of rebar, 10,334 SF of mesh

INDUSTRIaLRail Spur, ESJ Terminal, Saint John, NB – Gulf Operators Ltd, 99 Tons of rebar

Compost garage, Moncton, NB – Avon-dale Const., 36 Tons of rebar

Nepisiquit Dam Renovation, Nepisiquit, NB – Sunny Corner Enterprises, 55 Tons of rebar

BOg Recovery, Canaport LNg, Saint John, NB – Arthur Sivret et Fils, 82 Tons of rebar

Belledune Terminal, Belledune, NB – NB Power, 46 Tons of rebar

Seawall Relieving Platform, Charlotte-town, PEI – J & T VanZutphen, 28 Tons of rebar

D2/D5 Retaining Wall Replacement, Af-

Misc Rebar Projects contributed by GREG TIMS & DAWNE GRANDY

contributed by STEPHANE BELANGER & DAWNE GRANDY

Maximum Security Detention FacilityOcean Steel’s Rebar division is currently supplying rebar for the new New Maximum Security Housing Unit at Renous Prison for Pomerleau Contracting. Located in Re-nous, New Brunswick, the new building will be a 96 bed maximum security housing unit. Upon completion of the facility, Ocean Steel will have provided 201 tonnes of Rebar. The project is expected to be complete in the Fall of 2014.

Transportation Discovery CenterOcean Steel’s Rebar division recently supplied 34 tons of rebar to Castle Rock Construction, for the Transportation Discovery Center in Moncton NB. The construction of the project began in March of this year and will be com-pleted in the summer months of 2013.

The current building and new center combined, will expand the space to 31,000 square feet and will feature: new exhibition galleries; an interactive exhibit on all modes of transportation; an education center; gift shop; café; and an interior public plaza designed to preserve the 1916 sandstone façade of the former City Hall.

The new Transportation Discovery Centre is expected to attract thousands of additional visitors to the Moncton Museum annually. Using an engaging and largely interactive approach, the new Centre will illustrate the fundamental role transportation has played in shaping the history and growth of Monc-ton, and would highlight the City’s posi-tion as the transportation hub of Atlantic Canada.

Lansing Court Apartment BuildingAllstar Rebar Nova Scotia Limited started fabrication in July 2012 for the new 6 story apartment building in Russell Lake on Baker Drive in Dartmouth. We are providing 629.72 tons of Rebar and 48,960 sqft of Welded Wire Re

bar

p r o j e c t s


finity Contracting, 59 Tons of rebar

Central Heating Upgrade, Dora Con-struction, 60 Tons of rebar, 14,080 SF mesh

COMMERCIaLMID West Business Centre, Moncton, NB – Rice Contracting, 34 Tons of rebar

Building C, Corbett Centre, Fredericton, NB – Milestone Developments, 31 Tons of rebar

SMS Equipment Building, Wabush, NF & Lab – DORA Const., 72 Tons of rebar

White Point Lodge Reconstruction, JW Lindsay, White Point, NS. 51 Tons of rebar, 28,640 SF mesh

St. Lawrence Commercial, WM Fares, 211 Tons of rebar, 24,000 SF of mesh

Sunlife Financial Bldg, Bird Construc-tion, 87 Tons of rebar, 52,480 SF of mesh

Coachworks & autochoice, JW Lindsay, 36 Tons of rebar, 11,100 SF of mesh

RESIDENTIaLRochford Condo’s, Charlottetown, PEI – Kent Bldg Supplies, 31 Tons of rebar, 11 500 SF of mesh

101 Sunset Place, Dieppe, NB – Im-meubles Vision Realty, 43 Tons of rebar, 10,000 SF of mesh

Shaunslieve apartments, Killam Proper-ties, Halifax, NS. 437 Tons of rebar, 28,000 SF of mesh

St. Lawrence Residential, Fares Con-struction, Halifax, NS. 715 Tons of rebar, 27,200 SF of mesh

Pebble Creek apartment, Pebble Creek Developments, Dartmouth, NS. 318 Tons of rebar, 27,520 SF of mesh

Lot BW06 Basswood Run, Woodbury

Villa II Limited, 504 Tons of rebar, 36,000 SF of mesh

Lansing Court, Blue Iron Developments, 629 Tons of rebar, 48,960 SF of mesh

BRIDgES Fletcher Hebb Bridge, The Shaw Group, Hebbville, NS. 45 Tons of rebar

Metro Transit Dartmouth Bridge, Ocean Contractors, Dartmouth, NS. 59 Tons of rebar, 70,080 SF of mesh

DaMS

Coon Pond Dam Refurbishment, Daeco Contracting Ltd, St. Margaret’s Bay, NS. 39 Tons of rebar

Sandy Lake Dam Refurbishment, Daeco Contracting Ltd, St. Margaret’s Bay, NS. 70 Tons of rebar

Mesh. We currently have the 3rd floor complete.

The building is located on a lot with poor soil conditions and therefore mechanical couplers are being used. The couplers provide a mechanical splice system whose strength is independent of the concrete which surrounds it, thereby providing true structural continuity. The building shearwalls contain what is known as “plastic zones” so that the building is flexible and can move due to soil bearing capacity.

This project is a joint partnership be-tween the Chedrawe and the Tannous families, with each family having a father and son on the project team. Allstar Re-bar Nova Scotia Limited’s site foreman is Ryan Delong. Ryan has completed several multi-storey projects for Allstar, most recently the 340 Ton Pebble Creek apartment building in Dartmouth. Ryan has met the new challenge of the cou-plers and a fast paced schedule to date, cycling a complete floor every 10 days.

Allstar Rebar expects to have the build-ing complete by early January 2013.

Lansing Court


www.potashcorp.com/about/

facilities/potash/

new_brunswick

www.amec.com/picadilly

www.opron.com

As profiled in previous issues, the $1.7 billion Picadilly Potash Mine expansion project outside Sussex, New Brunswick, continues to provide work for many OSCO Construction Group members, as subcontractors to AMEC Americas Limited, Cementation Canada Ltd., and Opron Construction. To date, OSCO Group members have provided: Project Management services; supply and erection of structural and miscellaneous steel; supply and placing of reinforcing steel; instrumentation installation; and precast concrete.

The expansion project at Potash Corp’s New Bruns-wick facility; a strategically important facility because of its logistical advantage to Latin America; includes the develop-ment of a new mine and wet mill.

The project includes replacing the existing 800,000 tonne mine with a new 2 million tonne mine, requiring the construc-tion of two new shafts (one personnel and materials shaft and one production shaft). In addition to constructing a new mill, expansion of the existing mill includes increasing compaction capabilities and constructing a new brine pipeline, electri-cal substation and various other supporting buildings and structures. Construction is expected to be complete by early 2013. Upon completion of ramp-up, operational capability is expected to increase from 800,000 tonnes to approximately 1.8 million tonnes annually by 2015.

Construction Divisioncontributed by KAREN MacVICAR

With the main project at the PCS potash site in Sussex reaching the final stages of construction, Marque’s crews are busy with work, both on the electrical and the instrumentation sides. In early March of this year, Marque was awarded a contract by Opron Construction to work on the three buildings related to project CP75: the Raw Water Pumphouse, the Diesel Storage Building and the Emergency Generator Building.

Raw Water Pump House: The Raw water pump house is located on the Penobsquis side of the potash site. This new pump house will provide the water supply to the existing mill as well as to the new expan-sion located on the Picadilly side. Although the building itself was very small, there was a large amount of electrical equip-ment to be installed, including: MCC’s (Motor Control Cen-ters); transformers; fire protection system; interior and exterior lights; and a UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) system and

instruments. A total of over 7000 feet of cables were installed. Marque had to tie into the existing 13,800 volt switch as well, working in conjunction with PCS to perform this. This building was required to be completed by the end of July and Marque worked along side of the various contractors to complete this time line successfully.

Diesel Storage Building: Chamco prefabricated the Diesel Storage building, which

is located on the Picadilly side of the site. The building will supply the diesel fuel requirements for the equip-ment and vehicles operating at the site. There is also a storage tank that the mill will use to store their waste fuel. The majority of the work for this building was

instrumentation, with Marque’s electrical crews install-ing: cables; exterior lighting; heat tracing; motor controls

and cable tray work; and installation of very large cables in a trench from the Diesel Storage building to the production head frame electrical building. Marque’s instrumentation crews installed instrument tubing, supports and instruments.

Emergency Generator Building: The largest of the buildings under this contract is the Emer-gency Generator Building. This building will be providing electrical power backup, through two 3,000 Kilowatt genera-tors. This building also required cables to be entered in two trenches, one from the Concentrator Building and the other from the Salt Shed, with a number of these being very large 3-conductor, 500mcm, 15,000 volt cables. One of the fiber cable reels was so large that a crane was brought in to lift it. In total, 12,000 feet of cables were installed in the trenches. This work was made more challenging by a combination of the un-usually high temperatures and humidity this summer, as well as a number of flying and stinging insects that made their nests inside the cable reels the men had to handle.

As this building will be providing essential emergency back up power, there were many large pieces of equipment that Marque had to install, including: MCC’s; High voltage switchgear; transformers; UPS systems; fire alarm system; PLC’s(Programmable Logic Con-trols); lighting panels; disconnect switches; interior and exterior light-ing; and disconnects and controls for the heating and cooling systems and the diesel control stations. In total, Marque installed over 2000’ of cable tray and over 33,000 feet of cables in this building.

Ore Feed Pump: Another project that Marque’s crews were working on during the same time frame was CP85 the Ore Feed Pump project

Picadilly Update

p r o j e c t s


which included cabling for two new pump motors, controls, instruments, lighting and cable tray being installed in the exist-ing mill on the Penobsquis side. Marque’s crews were also responsible for installing new sections to an existing MCC.

There are many challenges when working in an operating plant and many of them are safety issues, which our crews handled with the due diligence needed for the safety of all concerned. During the outage for the mill this summer, Marque was asked by AMEC if they could install a number of cables prior to start up. As always, Marque’s crews met the challenge. In total over 11,000 feet of cables were installed in very congested areas.

Marque also installed the new street lighting on the Picadilly and Penobsquis sides of the PCS mine site, new parking lot light poles, tunnel lighting under the highway and lighting control panels.

Mine Supply Air Complex:

contributed by DAN MAZEROLLE

In May 2012, FCC Electrical was awarded the contract by Ce-mentation Canada Ltd., to provide electrical and instrumenta-tion infrastructure to a new Mine Supply Air Building, Cooling

Tower and Propane Tank Farm. The infrastructure will deliver a total of 400,000cfm of air flow to the underground mines for both heating and dehumidification.

This 6,000 square foot, two-story building will be the home to: (2) 15kv Power Transformers; (2) 15kv Fusible Loadbreak Switches; (2) 5kv Autotransformer Type Motor Starters; (1) 1200amp 5kv Switchgear c/w Arc Flash Plenum; (1) 3200amp 600volt Loadcenter c/w with Arc Flash Plenum; (2) 600volt Motor Control Centers and (3) 600volt Variable Frequency Drives that will power (2) 300hp Supply Fans; (1) dual 957kW / 1062kW Chiller; 100hp primary and 150hp secondary circulat-ing pumps; along with (2) 60hp Cooling Tower Fans.

Besides our major task of the installation of the high and medium voltage equipment is the installation of over 200 feet of double-tier combination steel / stainless steel and 300 feet of single tier stainless steel cable tray, that will house over 11,000 ft of power cables, 28,000 ft of control cables and 3,000 ft of fiber cables.

FCC electrical project supervisor Rick Hetherington, foreman Delbert Noble, Tim Schotanus and John arnold, together with their team of electricians and apprentices, are diligently work-ing to achieve a November startup date.

contributed by ROB FELTUS

This will be the last article from Mr. Fel-

tus. He will be retiring in the spring.

We all know what safety is. The

surprising thing is that we have a

hard time defining it. Ask any group

of people to describe what safety

is and we will get a lot of different

answers. None of these answers are

necessarily wrong but some may

be more right than others. Here are

some definitions and comments to

consider:

Safety is freedom from unac-

ceptable risk (a State): This

is obviously true, but it does not

address assessment of risk or how

we determine what risks are not ac-

ceptable. This definition asks more

questions than it answers.

Safety is control of acciden-

tal loss (an Action): This is a

marginal improvement over the

previous definition, but it does not

define how accidental loss is con-

trolled or who controls it.

Safety is the state of mind by

which all persons are con-

stantly made aware of the

possibilities of injury at all

times: this is certainly more pas-

sionate than the previous two defi-

nitions. Neil George (1908-1988),

a member of the Canadian Mining

Hall of Fame, originated this defini-

tion as part of his famous 5 Point

Safety System. This system formed a

foundation for many modern safety

initiatives such as pre-job briefs,

toolbox talks, field level risk assess-

ments, and the associated need for

documentation.

Safety is common sense: The

reality is that common sense is

not so common. Accident reports

identify many contributing factors

which could have been avoided

if people had actually used some

common sense. These actions and

conditions are usually obvious in

hindsight. Why are they not seen

beforehand?

Safety is subjective - In the

same way that we all have differ-

ent definitions of Safety, we all have

different opinions about what is safe

and what is not (common sense?).

When asked about any specific

activity or condition, answers range

from “not safe enough” to “too safe”

(whatever that means). What would

the consequences be if everyone

followed their own ideas of what is,

and is not, safe?

Safety is following the rules:

To avoid the chaos associated with

people left to their own devices,

rules (standards) must be estab-

lished. We can all have our own

opinion of the rules (subjective), but

we must all agree that the rule is the

rule (objective). To ensure that rules

are followed, the employer must

provide training, reinforcement, and

enforcement.

Safety is a shared responsi-

bility: The Internal Responsibility

System is based on the principle

that all who can affect the health

and safety of persons at a work-

place share the responsibility for

the health and safety of persons at

the workplace. Health and safety

legislation often states “the employ-

er shall …”, then “the employee shall

…”, then “the employer shall ensure

that the employee shall …”. In other

words, we are all in this together

and we each have a role to play.

Safety is a culture: When

workers go past simply looking

after themselves and start look-

ing out for each other, it can be

said that a “safety culture” exists.

Another measure is who is talking

about safety. Top management and

workers are always talking about

safety, but when mid-management

is regularly discussing safety, this is

certainly an indication of a safety

culture. A culture can not be cre-

ated or changed overnight, so

when it exists we should recognize

the efforts that have been made for

this accomplishment.

Safety is a moving target: This was a Connections safety topic

back in 2006. National workplace

injury statistics indicate rates at

about half of those ten years ago.

This is why our safety policies show

a commitment to “continuous

improvement”. The many initiatives

we have implemented over the past

few years have helped us maintain

pace with the improvements in the

national injury rates.

Safety is going home, with-

out injury, at the end of the

shift: this is the most common

answer when we ask “what is your

definition of safety?”. It is probably

the best.

Group Safety News

Safety Is...

CONNECTIONS • Fall & Winter 201230 www.oscoconstructiongroup.com30

p r i o r i t i e s : s a f e t y


Congratulations to York Steel

on 50,000 safe working hours!

p r i o r i t i e s : s a f e t y & t h e e n v i r o n m e n t

Congratulations to Strescon-Bedford600,000 hours without a Lost

Time Accident!

contributed by DAVID BISHOP

I came upon the description of due diligence below a few years ago; I can’t remember where; but to me it gave a rather eloquent de-scription of the process.

“Due diligence requires one to prepare for risks which are objectively fore-seeable, that is, those risks which a reason-ably thoughtful person can foresee flowing from the company’s operations”

Due diligence is a legal term that is used in a number of busi-ness contexts. In the environmental context, it applies to the OSCO Group when purchasing new assets, as well as when controlling environmental risks at our operations on a daily basis.

Why do we need to maintain due dili-gence from an environmental point of view? Each operation has inher-ent environmental risk and we need to manage those risks. By managing our risks, we reduce our liability and minimize the potential negative im-pacts on the environment that could come from our operations.

How does the OSCO Group man-age such risks? In addition to our operations’ personnel exercising due care on a daily basis, we also have

monthly inspections of any systems which have even the slightest poten-tial to pose environmental risk. These inspections are documented by the operations and are included in the evaluation of each site in our Envi-

ronmental Report Card. In ad-dition, the ground water

around all our ready-mix operations

are periodically sampled and

tested by an in-dependent third party. At some of our facilities, the storm water

runoff around our plants is also tested. By

taking such precautions, problems can be quickly

identified, evaluated and corrected.

What does exercising due diligence do for

us as a Group? It helps ensure we meet the

terms of our environmental permits, reduces the chances

of an environmental incident, and affirms us as good environmental citizens of the community, retaining our public image and the perception of our customers. In the long term, exercising due diligence increases not only our environmental sustain-ability but our financial sustainability by reducing the chances of an inci-dent and reducing waste.

At the OSCO Group, each of us plays a role in ensuring we protect the environment and our futures on a day to day basis by keeping the risks in mind as we work.

Environmental Due Diligence

c o m p a n y p r o f i l e : M a c L e a n ’ s C o n c r e t e


A Warm Hello to our Newest Group Members!In the Spring 2012 issue of Connec-tions, the OSCO Group announced the acquisition of MacLean’s Ready-Mix and MacLean’s Trucking based in Montague, PEI, from the MacLean family.

With the addition of MacLean’s, OSCO Concrete now includes 11 ready-mix plants throughout the Maritime Prov-inces: 2 in New Brunswick; 4 in Prince Edward Island; and 5 in Nova Scotia. We also operate one of the largest concrete pumping fleets in the Maritimes.

We’re excited to welcome the follow-

ing MacLean’s employees to the OSCO Concrete ranks, bringing with them

260 years of combined service!

Jamie Reid, PEI Operations ManagerDoug MacLean, Montague Plant

Manager/Batcher/DispatcherTracey Welsh, Office ManagerDoug King, Shop/Mixer DriverBoyd MacLean, Shop/Mixer DriverJohn King. Mixer DriverDarren MacLeod, Mixer DriverRichard MacKay, Shop/Mixer Driver/

Batcher/Pump Operatorgary Betts, Mixer Driver

george Docherty, Mixer DriverHarold green, Tractor Trailer/Mixer

DriverJohn M acLean, Mixer/Tractor Trailer

DriverWalter Morrison, Mixer Driver/Pump

OperatorEldon King, Tractor Trailer DriverEdward McCarthy, Tractor Trailer DriverFrancis Brothers, Mixer DriverScott Mellish, Mixer DriverBrett MacLean, LabourerMargo Stewart, Office AssistantRhonda MacLean, Office Assistant

left to right: Tracey Welsh, Walter Morrison, George Docherty, Jamie Reid, Darren MacLeod, John King, Boyd MacLean, Doug MacLean, Harold Green, Eldon King, Richard MacKay, John MacLean and Doug King. Missing from photo is Gary Betts.

c o m p a n y p r o f i l e : M a c l e a n ’ s C o n c r e t e


What started in 1953 with a $97 mixer purchased from the Eaton’s Catalogue for the manufacturing of concrete blocks, grew to become one of eastern Prince Edward Islands leading privately owned companies.

Dick MacLean started the company in 1953 building concrete blocks in a yard on the Montague waterfront. For years, these blocks were used in the construc-tion of schools, commercial buildings, and homes throughout PEI.

In the mid to late 1960’s Mr. MacLean saw the concrete market shift away from blocks and towards poured concrete foundations. It is at that time that the MacLean’s got into the manufacturing and supply of ready mixed concrete.

There is no doubt that the industry has changed over the last 55 years, but the company still uses the same basic ready mixed concrete principals now that it did then. What started as a seasonal ready mix operation in the 60’s with 3 mixer trucks has grown to a year round operation with two locations, a state of the art batching plant, a fleet of ready mix trucks, and 2 stone slingers.

With the growth of ready mix concrete demand came the increased need for the supply of sand and gravel. In the late 1960’s the company purchased a tractor trailer and began hauling it’s own aggregates. In the years that followed, they added several trucks and continued to haul sand and gravel. In 1988, in an attempt to improve winter cash flow,

the company started a for-hire trucking business, filling in the gaps by hauling it’s own product. This division of the company grew from it’s humble begin-nings to a 25 truck fleet operating in the maritime provinces, throughout Canada as well as the United States.

The MacLean family is extremely proud of the business that they have built over almost 60 years, as well as the dedi-cated staff that have worked hard right along beside them to provide excellent service to all of their customers.

In April of 2012, in order to ensure the continuation of local concrete service in the Kings County area, the MacLean Family sold the company to OSCO Concrete & Aggregates, though the Ma-cLean family is still involved in the daily operations of the plant. Doug continues to manage the concrete plant, John can be found most days behind the wheel of either a ready mix truck hauling a load of concrete or a tractor trailer hauling sand or gravel and Dick continues his tradition of coming into the plant every-day, only now just for a visit.

A Look Back at 59 Years of MacLean’s Concrete

p u b l i c & c o m m u n i t y


Sculpture Saint John

The OSCO Construction Group is proud to have been one of the major sponsors of Sculpture Saint John this past August & September. For six weeks, the Saint John, NB waterfront played host to six sculptors from around the world, chosen to create large works of public art for Saint John & and its surrounding com-munities. Chosen from over 150 applicants, the sculptors hailed from the countries of Bulgaria, Japan, Georgia, and Germany. One local sculptor from Hampton, NB, Jim Boyd, was among the successful applicants.

The first sculpture symposium of the modern era was held in Austria in 1959. Since then, sculptors have gathered at

various places around the world to practice their art and to learn from

each other and from the sym-posium setting. In addition to learning new techniques, sculptors gain valuable exposure to different concepts and other cultures.

During these events, the public are able to share the experience and gain a sense of what it takes to create a sculpture. The finished work then becomes a perma-nent part of the community’s landscape. In addition to the City of Saint John, final sculptures from this event were installed in the sponsoring communities of Rothe-say, Quispamsis, Grand Bay-Westfield, and St. George, New Brunswick.



withthe

National Precast Daycontributed by KINNON BONA

This fall, Strescon Limited once again took part in National Precast Day. CPCI’s National Precast Day has been extremely successful throughout the country. During the event, precast plants open their doors to students and customers and take them on guided tours through their plants and offices. At-tendees receive an educational experience as well as exposure to the wide range of precast concrete products produced. Seeing things first-hand allows students to really understand how things work, better preparing them for the industry after graduation.

On October 10th, Strescon’s Bedford plant welcomed 160 students from the Nova Scotia Community College from pro-grams such as: Architectural Engineering Technician, Drafting-Architectural, Civil Engineering Technology, Construction Management Technology and Carpentry. On October 26th, 60 additional students from Dalhousie Engineering came, with approximately 50 students from the St. FX Engineering course expected in November.

At Strescon’s Saint John plant, 40 Civil Engineering students from Université of Moncton will be visiting to do tours of the office, pipe plant, and precast plant, as well as our new archi-tectural batch plant.

Ocean Steel’s Saint John plant once again opened their doors to the community this past Septem-ber, during Steel Day.

Over 30 members of the Design and Construction industry partici-pated in a number of activities and presentations put on by OSCO management and staff.

CISC Steel Day

STEELDAY

September 28, 2012

www.SteelDay.ca



OSCO Excellence Awardcontributed by DALIA DAJANI & ANDREW LEVATTE

This past June, Dalia Dajani (OSCO Group Services) presented an award on behalf of OSCO Construction Group for excellence in Civil Engineering Technology and Structural Design to Steven Hall, a graduating student at the Nova Scotia Community College.

The OSCO Excellence Award is presented to the second year student with the highest average in the Civil Engi-neering Technology program (Structural Design). Gradu-ates from this program have a variety of employment opportunities within the OSCO Construction Group, including: quality control; laboratory analysis and testing of materials; structural design/detailing; estimating; project management; production; technical sales; plus numerous support roles for the operations.

OSCO Construction Group wishes all the students at NSCC the best of luck in the beginning of their careers.

Private David Greenslade Memorial BursaryCongratulations to andrew vail, the 2012 recipient of the Private David Greenslade Memorial Bursary. This Memo-rial Bursary was established in 2007 by Strescon Limited, to honour the fallen military son of Strescon employee, Donald greenslade (Strescon SJ) and his wife, Laurie greenslade. PTE. David Robert greenslade, a former student of Saint John High School, was a member of the Royal Canadian Regiment (2RCR), and died while on active duty with the Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan on Easter Sunday, April 8, 2007.

Strescon Limited is proud to fund this $1500 bursary pre-sented each year by Don and Laurie Greenslade to a deserv-ing graduating student of Saint John High School. This year’s recipient, Andrew Vail, is attending St. Thomas University in Fredericton this fall to begin studies towards his Bachelor of Arts Degree with a major in Criminology. We wish Andrew great success as he pursues his continued education.

Touch a Truckcontributed by DAVE DUNNETT

This past September, Saint John’s chil-dren and the young-at-heart had the exciting chance to climb on and sit in the vehicles of their dreams, during the inaugural “Touch a Truck” event.

Proceeds supported First Steps Housing Project Inc., a transitional housing facil-ity for pregnant youth and their infants who don’t have a safe place to live.

The event brought together vehicles ranging from fire trucks, ambulances, race cars and motorcycles; to RVs, dig-gers, big rigs and more.

“Touch a Truck is quickly becoming one of the most popular family events in North America and First Steps is thrilled

to be able to bring it to Saint John,” said Executive Director Sharon amirault. Amirault also said community groups and companies, including OSCO Con-crete, readily jumped aboard to support the event.

Since it opened in 2002, First Steps has offered housing, counselling, support and a family to more than 270 pregnant and parenting young women who had no safe place to live. First Steps has housed 179 babies, graduated 40 young women from their high school program, gone through 5,500 cases of formula and 230,000 diapers.

L-R: Don Greenslade (Strescon), Andrew Vail, Laurie Greenslade

L-R: Dalia Dajani & Steven Hall

contributed by VIVIAN CHAISSON

p e o p l e


This past May, The Canadian Precast Concrete Institute (CPCI) chose OSCO Group President, Hans O. Klohn as the 2011 recipi-ent of the CPCI Fellows Award.

The objective of the award of FELLOW of the Canadian Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute is to honour current or former CPCI members for outstanding contributions to the industry and to CPCI. Service to the industry is considered in areas of educa-tion, research, design, production, quality, erection, marketing and management and candidates for the award shall be or have been either employees of Active or Associate member firms, Pro-fessional or Affiliate Members of CPCI, or retired CPCI staff. Hans has been recognized for his past contributions in a voluntary leadership role with CPCI, his ongoing support, and continued innovation in the precast prestressed concrete industry.

Below is the transcript from the CPCI Award Ceremony:

CPCI is pleased to announce the recipient of our 2011 Fellow Award as Hans O. Klohn. Hans O. Klohn joined the CPCI Executive in 1997 and served as the Chairman of the Board from 1999 to 2000.

During his term in office, Hans realized the importance of Marketing to the institute and was instrumental in having the Board commit to an annual marketing budget of $117,000. Thanks to Hans, this has en-abled the institute to continue our focus on marketing, and today our annual marketing budget exceeds $170,000.

Programs introduced under Hans’ tenure as Chairman of the Board included direct mail, media and advertising to name a few. He also embraced e-marketing and it was during his term as Chairman that CPCI introduced the e-marketing colour and texture selection guide.

Hans was always a proponent of the importance for Regional activities, and during his term he led the move to embed the role of Chapters in to the CPCI bylaws. Today, there continue to be six active chapters across the country.

The Pathway to the Future during Hans’ term as Chairman was “Creating a Digital Building Model”. Leaders were Richard Geissler – International Association of Interoperability and Chuck Eastman – Georgia Tech. The session focussed on “PC 3-D”. 3-D modelling has always been a passion for Hans and he has led his own company, Strescon, successfully down this path for some time.

Following a steel conference on BIM in 1999 chaired by Chuck Eastman, Hans saw a need for BIM in the precast industry. As a result, in 2001 a Precast Concrete Software Consortium (PCSC) with 18 US and 5 Canadian companies was set up. The goal was to develop a digital information strategy for precast concrete construction. The group was led by Professor Chuck Eastman and Hans became chairman of the executive committee. In 2005 Tekla Structures released their PC-3D precast concrete software developed in conjunction with PCSC . A Tekla Precast Users Group was then formed.

Research under Hans’ term as Chairman included the “Sand-wich Panel” research at the University of Alberta by Dr. Dave Rogowsky and related seminars co-sponsored by CPCI and Dow.

We are pleased to welcome Hans as our most recent Fellow award recipient. He joins an esteemed list of past recipients.

Hans O. Klohn Honoured With 2011 CPCI Fellow Award

p e o p l e


p e o p l e


2012 EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION

contributed by VIVIAN CHAISSON

OSCO’s annual Employ-ee Recognition

Dinner was held this year on Friday, May 11, 2012 at the Marco Polo Cruise Ter-minal in Saint John. This event is held each year for staff employees to rec-ognize their years of service and their special efforts in the areas of safety, professional development and per-formance. Additionally, the evening is an opportunity to bid formal farewells to employees who have retired within the past year. We had a great turnout of employees and their guests at this event, with over 185 in attendance. Our resident Master of Ceremonies, Ber-nie Blakely (Ocean Steel) once again presided over the evening’s program, which began with a buffet dinner, ca-

tered by the Hilton Hotel. Awards were presented throughout the evening and OSCO Group President, Hans O. Klohn, gave the keynote speech in which he discussed the company’s operational and market growth, current projects, and highlighted some key results from our recent Employee Opinion Survey. Each year, our organization strives to honour employees who have shown outstanding performance over the last year. Employees are given the oppor-tunity to nominate those they would like to see considered for recognition and our executive management team awards the recipients in three major categories: Outstanding New Employee Performance; Outstanding Staff Perfor-

mance; and Outstanding Management. Congratulations to all of our 2012 nominees and award recipients. As usual, after the formality of the awards and dinner are complete, the evening takes on a different atmo-sphere with the annual Corporate Game challenge in which employees and their guests compete to walk away with prizes and a door prize of $1000.00 cash. This year, our in-house game show host, Steve Adams (Group Services) entertained the room as usual and worked with contestants to solve license plate word puzzles. Many of the guests went home with great prizes and we congratulate all of our winners.

p e o p l e


p e o p l e

CONNECTIONS • Fall & Winter 2012 39

Professional DevelopmentDenny Lowe (KCS) ................................................................Certified Journeymen Electrician

Nathan Cossaboom (KCS) ..................................................Certified Journeymen Electrician

geoff Bateman (KCS) ..........................................................Certified Journeymen Electrician

Kristy Waalderbos (Ocean Steel) .................................Certified Welding Inspector Level 2

Dave Oliver (Ocean Steel) .................................................................Coating Inspector Level 1

allister Mood (Ocean Steel) .............................................................Coating Inspector Level 1

greg Carrier (Ocean Steel) .....Coating Inspector Level 1 & Certified Welding Supervisor

Ed McCashion (Ocean Steel) .Coating Inspector Level 1 & Certified Welding Supervisor

Jean guy Parent (Ocean Steel) .................................................Certified Welding Supervisor

Melissa Whelan (Group Services) .................... Group Benefits Administrator Designation

Retirement Recognition

Recognition Awards

Bill Davis .................................................................................General Manager, SchurmanMaurice Devost ......................................Maintenance Supervisor, Strescon-Saint JohnJoe Rector ..............................................Steel Sector Controller, OSCO Group ServicesJim Milton .....................................................Safety Coordinator, OSCO Group ServicesBrian Case ..................................................................... Estimator, Ocean Steel Saint John

Outstanding New Employee Performance Award:Josh Dugas (Steel)Jeff Murphy (Concrete)Bill Woodhouse (Construction)ashley Dooks (Corporate)

Outstanding Staff Performance AwardTim ganong (Steel)Brendan Clancy (Concrete)adam Sarchfield (Construction)Mark Butt (Corporate)

Outstanding Management AwardRon Estabrooks (Steel)gaetan vaillancourt (Concrete)Luke Johnson (Construction)Steve adams (Corporate)

Distinguished Achievement Award:

Outstanding contribution during the upgrade of the Company’s Oracle E9 System:

Ulrike Long (Corporate)george gamble (Corporate)Melissa Condly (Corporate)Steve adams (Corporate)Owen vlug (Corporate)Tim Logan (Corporate)Ron Margeson (Corporate)Scott MacMichael (Corporate)Monique Walsh (Corporate)Nick Hatt (Corporate)Kerri Scott (Corporate)Pam Ogden (Corporate)

Manitoba Job Site: Exemplary contri-bution made at the job site in Manitoba for the Hudson Bay “Lawlor” Mine Project:

Cliff Williams (Ocean Steel Corp)Don Pellerin (Ocean Steel SJ)

Shonda L. Burgess . FCC ......................... 5Chris Carmichael ... Group ..................... 5vivian Chaisson ...... Group ...................... 5Karen Stears ............ Group ...................... 5Stan Boudreau ........ Marque .................... 5Steven Spicer ........... OCAL ...................... 5Mario LeBouthillier Ocean .................... 5Cliff Williams ............. Ocean .................... 5gillian Young ........... Strescon-SJ ........... 5Craig M. Reid ............ Strescon-Bedford . 5Lorne Hanson ........... York .......................... 5amy ames-Slipp ...... Strescon-SJ ......... 10Jason Wile ................ Strescon-Bedford 10Stephane Belanger . Ocean ................... 15Troy Hawkes ............. Ocean ................... 15Donald Pellerin ........ Ocean ................... 15Derek Huskins .......... Strescon-SJ ......... 15gerald Hebert .......... Strescon-SJ ......... 15Keith Burke ............... Strescon-Bedford 15John Yeo .................... Strescon-Bedford 15Mike Hazlewood...... Strescon-SJ ......... 25John Hilchey ............ Strescon Bedford 30Joyce Murray ............ Group ....................30Jeffrey Price ............. Group ....................30Harrison Wilson....... Ocean ................... 35Terry arseneau ......... Ocean ...................40Terry King .................. Ocean ...................45Dave Loomer ............ Ocean ...................50

Name Company Pin

Pins are based on the years of service as of May, 2012

ServiceAwards

Large Plant Safety ........ Strescon Bedford

Field Safety .....................................FCC Civil

Ready Mix ............ Schurman Summerside

Most Improved ..OSCO Fredericton Plant

SafetyAwards

The Intent of RecognitionIn addition to conveying an appreciation

for a job well done, the purpose of publicly

recognizing good work is to encourage

more good work. Projects and programs

are the obvious outcomes of our employ-

ees’ efforts; but the way each employee

approaches his/her work is just as impor-

tant to celebrate.

CONNECTIONS • Fall & Winter 201240

The OSCO Construction Group’s 55+ years of success in the construction industry is remarkable, but what may be even more remarkable is that the company recently had the opportunity to celebrate the 50 years of service of one of its employees, Dave Loomer.

Dave has worked in the Ocean Steel Detailing office for most of his career with OSCO, beginning as a Detailer and eventually taking on his current role of Checker. To celebrate this amazing milestone of dedicat-ed and loyal service within the Group, Dave was treated to a luncheon hosted by his coworkers in the Detailing Department in June.

Harrison Wilson, General Manager of Ocean Steel and Construction Ltd, Hans O. Klohn, Group President, and Hans W. Klohn, Chairman were also on hand to present Dave with his diamond-studded service pin to recognize his valued contribution to the Group’s success. The de-partment’s Engineering Drawings Manager, Ron Estabrooks, on behalf of the Department, presented Dave with an engraved plaque and model train with miniature steel beam replicas in recognition of the types of steel products that Dave detailed for so many years. Dave’s team also presented him with an autographed caricature photo of his department co-workers. A presentation of old photos ran throughout the wonder-ful lunch.

OSCO is fortunate to have had Dave’s dedicated service and expertise in these past 50 years and we thank Dave for his incredible contribution to the Company’s historic success.

Best of Luck to

This Year’s Retirees from All of Us at the OSCO

Construction Group!

HOWARD DRyDENHoward Dryden was a faithful employee with Ocean Steel & Construction for over 38 years. Howard held the positions of Fitter Special, Angle Master Operator, and BDL Opera-tor while working with Ocean. He was not only one of the first BDL operators, he was also a founding member of the union pension, and held the title of the Union President for multiple terms. Now that Howard is comfortably settling into his retirement, he will be enjoying more time with his kids and grandchildren. We wish all the best to Howard on his retirement, and are thankful for his lengthy service to the company.

JOHN MyERS For two decades John was a loyal Truck Driver for Schurman Concrete. During his time with Schur-man, John was an excellent service provider, loved by both customers and fellow employees.

p e o p l e

50 years of Service!

www.oscoconstructiongroup.com


p e o p l e

CONNECTIONS • Fall & Winter 2012 41

He was a team player who was always helpful when needed. John has now moved to Edmonton, Alberta to be closer to his family, and is looking forward to spending more time with his children, grandchildren, and wife. We wish John the best of luck on his retirement, and we thank him for his hard work, and many years of dedicated service.

DOUGLAS CRINGANDouglas Cringan was with Strescon’s Burlington, MA office for over eighteen years. He was an excellent sales executive for the company, and a well respected man in the industry. Doug’s personality and abundant field knowledge allowed him to build strong customer relations. He was a thoroughly great employee and is described as a wonderful person to have around. Now that Doug is retired he has even more time to actively partici-pate in his grandchildren’s lives. Thank you, Doug for your many years of service, and best of luck on your retirement.

JAMES MILTONAfter working several years at the Saint John Sugar Refinery, Jim took on the role of Safety Coordinator with Ocean Steel, looking after the safety needs at both the Saint John and Fred-ericton plants. Jim most recently took on the same role at our Strescon Saint John plant, where he was working at the time of

his retirement this past spring. Jim was known as a happy, hardworking employee who was dedicated to the

safety of all employees. He has now re-tired to a pleasant life of motorcycling, gardening and traveling. We would like to thank Jim for his dedicated years of hard work, and wish him the best of luck to in his retirement!

ROGER MACDONALDRoger was not only a Bedford Ready Mix Truck Driver who was great with customers and delivery schedules; he was the trusted Golf Tournament organizer for OSCO Concrete, giving it the name “Golf Classic”. Roger was an employee who was seen as an optimist; always striving for people to see the glass half full rather than empty. He mo-tivated his colleagues with his happy-go-lucky personality. Now that he is retired, he and his wife Judy are planning to get some substantial traveling done. We wish Roger the best of luck on his retirement and travels. We are grateful for your hard work.

RICHARD THIBODEAUAlthough Richard’s official position at Borcherdt Concrete was as a welder, he developed many other skills throughout his 35 years with the company. In addition to his welding duties, Richard participated in form production, set-up, mixing, pour-ing, rail production & installation, delivery, and maintenance. Richard’s jolly nature will be missed at Borcherdt, but we’re sure his grandchildren and hobbies will keep him busy. As he gets settled into his retirement Richard will likely spend plenty of time working on his antique car collection and at his gun club. Richard’s experience, knowledge and innovation will be greatly missed at Borcherdt Concrete Product Limited, and we wish him the best of luck on his retirement.

BRIAN CASEWhen Brian first started off at Ocean Steel & Construction he worked as a detailer, before accepting a transfer to estimating. For Forty-One years, Brian was a loyal employee for Ocean, always working hard to get estimates out on time and put-ting in the extra time to do so. In his earlier years, Brian was a participant of the company softball team, and always joined in for company curling fun. Now that Brian is retired, he will have plenty of time to watch the Seadogs games, and car races with his wife, Sharon. We would like to thank Brian for his hard work and dedication to the company, and we wish him the best of luck in his retirement.

ROBERT TAyLORRobert Taylor was a Bedford Ready Mix Truck Driver for nearly a decade. Robert could always be counted on to have a fellow colleague’s back and offer a joke to lighten the atmosphere, always keeping people laughing. Rob now enjoys spending time on his motorbike and other activities he enjoys. We would like to thank Robert for his dedicated years of service, and wish him the best of luck on his retirement!

DALE CARDDale was considered to be one of the best Layout men while he worked at Ocean Steel Corporation. Although this reputation was earned through lots of hard work, Dale made it appear ef-fortless. He was always conscientious of others opinions and ideas, and was clever enough to apply everyone’s input into a project. Dale was a go-to-guy who was always willing to give a hand if one was stuck in a jam. We would like to praise Dale for his efforts, thank him for his many years of dedicated service, and wish him luck, and enjoyment in his retirement.

p e o p l e


contributed by ASHLEY HENWOOD

It was a beautiful day at this year’s annual OSCO Construc-tion Group Golf Tournament, held at the Sussex Golf and Curling Club in Sussex, New Brunswick. On September 15th nearly one hundred employee golfed their way around the 18-hole course, followed up with a mouth watering Barbecue Dinner at the clubhouse, and with the help of our amazing sponsors, got to leave with a prize! Also, big congratulations to this year’s Tournament winners: Chris greer (Strescon), Brad Johnson (Strescon), Derek Huskins (Strescon), and gaetan vaillancourt (Strescon).

A special thanks to our generous prize sponsors: A & R Concrete Drilling, Anixter Canada, Architecture 2000, Black’s Transfer Ltd., Bayview Trucks and Equipment, Capital Cad supplies, Chandler, Crandall Engineering, Deloitte, East-ern Reinforcing, Frank Fales & Sons Ltd., Harris & Roome, J. O’Brien Home Improvements, Katelyn Courier, KIMCO Steel Sales Ltd., LITECO Electrical Distributors, Manulife Financial, Mills Heavy Hauling, Milltown Trucking co. Ltd., Person-nel Search, Pinacle Agencies, Praxair Distributors, Safway Services Canada, Saint John Energy, Scholton’s Landscaping, SSAB Americas, Stantec, The Guarantee Company of North America, and Vipond Fire Protection.

contributed by ASHLEY HENWOOD

The OSCO Construction Group was pleased to host the annual Company Picnic in Oak Point, NB on Saturday, August 11th. Nearly 800 employees and their families braved mother nature’s mist and threatening clouds this year to get out to the picnic to enjoy a great day of a BBQ Meal, games, inflatables , waterballs, airbrush tattoos, and petting zoo. A huge thank you to those employees and summer students who volunteered their time at this event; your time and effort to assist us with the smooth operation of this event is very much appre-ciated. We hope children, teens and adults alike all had a great day despite the weather!

OSCO Group Golf Tournament

p e o p l e

43CONNECTIONS • Fall & Winter 2012

congratulations!Family Additions:Congratulations to Bill Wood-house (FCC) and his wife Laura who welcomed 9lb, 10oz, Brayden Henry Woodhouse on Sept. 19, 2012.

Congratulations to Len an-drews (Ocean Steel-SJ) and his wife on the birth of their third child, 9lb, 9oz. Ameila Catherine Andrews, who was born on Aug. 28,2012.

Congratulations to Michael Redmond (Strescon SJ) and his wife, who are proud new parents of Domenic Carter, born on April 20th, 2012.

Congratulations to amanda Legere (Group Services) and Jon Morine (Group Services), proud new parents of 10lb, 10oz, Coy Anderson Scott Mo-rine, born on Nov. 5th, 2012.

Marriages: Congratulations to Lois (Co-holan) Roy (Strescon-SJ) and

her husband Ernie, who got married on July 14th, 2012 in Saint John.

Congratulations to Cory Mc-Namara (Strescon-Bedford) who married Erin MacDonald on October 6, 2012 in West Bay Road, Cape Breton ,NS.

Engagements: Congratulations to Josh Dugas (Ocean Steel-SJ) who recently got engaged to Can-dice Doherty.

Applause:Congratulations to amanda Legere (Group Services) and Scott MacMichael (Group Services) who will both be re-ceiving their CMA designations this November.

Congratulation to Cory Mc-Namara, Dave Bonin and Mike Payzant of Strescon’s Bed-ford plant, for obtaining their provincial overhead travelling crane operators certificates.

FRESH FACES


OSCO Congratulates 2012 Bursary Winnerscontributed by ASHLEY HENWOOD

Each year the OSCO Construction Group sponsors an educational Bursary draw open to children of Group employees who are pursuing post-secondary education. Two draws are held, each for a $500 bursary.

We are pleased to announce that our 2012 Bur-sary Recipients are Rachael Meagher, daughter of Paul Benoit (Strescon Bedford), and Nicholas Boyles, son of Brent Boyles (Strescon Moncton).

Rachael is currently taking her 2nd Year of studies for the Licensed Practical Nurse Program at NSCC, while Nicholas is taking a BA at St. Thomas University.

Congratulations to both, and we wish them best of luck with their future studies.

FCC Softball Champs!The FCC Shockers won their Division Championship this year. The team consists of 11 FCC Construction Employees and 3 family members. Pictured back row (l-r): Dave Foster, Darcy Budrow, John allen, Denny Lowe, Brent Craft, Craig Kilpatrick, Jeff Walsh. Front row (l-r): Ron Rathje, Dave Yorston, Nick Kilpatrick, Jason Johnson, Dan Kilpatrick. Absent: Pat Bagley & Ben Kilpatrick.

Ocean Steel - CanadaShane Jones .............................................Designer in TrainingDave Wheaton ...................................................Shop ForemanJeff Kyle .......................................................................... Detailer

Ocean Steel CorporationMaurice Payeur .....................................Plant Superintendent

OSCO Group ServicesSarah Durley ......................................... Accounting SpecialistKrista Collins .............................Payroll and Benefits AnalystPam Ogden .............................Promotion – Payroll ManagerTina Blair .......................... Transfer – Safety Admin AssistantKeri Tyner .............................................. Accounting Specialist

FCC CONSTRUCTIONandy Miller ......................................................... Civil EstimatorFrank Smith ............................................... Electrical Estimator

STRESCON SAINT JOHNalex Linero ..................................................... Project Managergeri green ..............................................Maintenance Plannerariel gagnon ................................................................. DetailerChris Yurchesyn .........................Concrete Quality ManagerCourtney Chiasson ...................................................... DetailerDave Thompson ................................Precast Sales Associate

OSCO ConcreteDoran gilbert ................................................ Branch ManagerLeigh Toner ................................................Safety Coordinator

contributed by ROXANNE WALSH

Our LocationsSTRUCTURAL STEEL:OCEAN STEEL Corporate office & SJ plant 400 Chesley Drive, Saint John, NB • CAPhone: (506) 632-2600 Member Since • 1955

OCEAN STEEL - New England Sales Office25 Burlington Mall Road, Burlington, MA • USAPhone: (781) 221-2152 Member Since • 1991

YORK STEEL - Plant & service center 550 Wilsey Road, Fredericton, NB • CAPhone: (506) 444-7989 Member Since • 1995

OCEAN STEEL CORPORATION Office & plant 53 Shaw Road, Conklin, NY • USA Phone: (607) 584-7500 Member Since • 2004

PRECAST:STRESCON LIMITED Corporate Office & SJ plant101 Ashburn Lake Rd., Saint John, NB • CA Phone: (506) 633-8877 Member Since • 1963

STRESCON LIMITEDBedford office & plant 131 Duke St., Bedford, NS • CA Phone: (902) 494-7400 Member Since • 1978

STRESCON LIMITEDNew England Sales Office25 Burlington Mall Road, Burlington, MA • USA Phone: (781) 221-2153 Member Since • 1991

BORCHERDT CONCRETE PRODUCTS Office & plant RR#4, Hardscratch Road, Yarmouth, NS • CA Phone: (902) 742-7811 Member Since • 2008

READY-MIX (OSCO Concrete):

STRESCON READY-MIXSaint John plant 101 Ashburn Rd., Saint John, NB • CA Phone: (506) 633-8877 Member Since • 1963

STRESCON READY-MIX Moncton plant1212 Berry Mills Rd, Moncton, NB • CAPhone: (506) 858-7110 Member Since • 2004

SCHURMAN CONCRETE Summerside office & plant 240 MacEwen Rd, Summerside, PE • CA Phone: (902) 888-4331 Member Since • 2004

SCHURMAN CONCRETE Charlottetown office & plant 412 Mount Edward Rd, Charlottetown, PE • CAPhone: (902) 628-0127 Member Since • 2004

MACLEAN’S READY-MIXMontague office & plant 669 Queen’s Road, Montague, PE • CAPhone: (902) 838-2925 Member Since • 2012

SACKVILLE CONCRETENova Scotia office & plant 17 Estate Drive, Lower Sackville, NS • CAPhone: (902) 864-3230 Member Since • 2008

BEDFORD READY-MIX - plant 414 Bluewater Rd., Bedford, NS • CA Phone: (902) 835-0882 Member Since • 2008

GLENHOLME READY-MIX - plant RR #1 • Debert, NS • CA Phone: (902) 662-3722 Member Since • 2008

ANNAPOLIS VALLEY READY-MIX - Plant 20 Park Drive, Windsor, NS • CA Phone: (902) 798-2291 Member Since • 2008

OSCO AGGREGATES M.S.D. Enterprises Ltd.749 Little Dyke Rd, Glenholme, NS • CA Phone: (902) 662-3722 Member Since • 2008

CONSTRUCTION:FCC CONSTRUCTION - office 400 Chesley Drive, Saint John, NB • CA Phone: (506) 632-7800 Member Since • 1960

MARQUE CONSTRUCTION - office400 Chesley Drive, Saint John, NB • CA Phone: (506) 634-1144 Member Since • 1966

KENNEBEC CONSTRUCTION - office 400 Chesley Drive, Saint John, NB • CA Phone: (506) 632-7800 Member Since • 1994

REBAR: OSCO REBAR SERVICES Saint John plant 400 Chesley Drive, Saint John, NB • CA Phone: (506) 632-2600 Member Since • 1955

ALLSTAR REBAR NOVA SCOTIA Office & plant 48 Duke Street, Bedford, NS • CA Phone: (902) 832-0917 Member Since • 2008

Documents

FCC Coordinates Team Effort on Diamond Jubilee …...STEWART TOTTEN & STEPHANE BELANGER Diamond Jubilee Cruise Terminal accidents, which is a great accom-plishment for a project of