Heritage Shipyard temporarily relocates to enable flood mitigation construction

Construction crews have started the process to dismantle and temporarily relocate the Heritage Shipyard from its current location on Clearwater Drive to a nearby site behind the downtown Sobeys store on Riedel St. The move, which is expected to be completed by late August, is required to continue construction of Reach 6, a critical phase of the downtown flood mitigation project.

"The temporary relocation of the Heritage Shipyard allows us to continue making important progress on flood mitigation while also protecting one of the community's valued heritage properties, says Elliot White, Director of Project Delivery & Facility Services. “We've worked closely with heritage experts to ensure the shipyard and its artifacts are safely relocated and preserved throughout construction.”

Once finished, the infrastructure will work together with the other completed flood mitigation reaches to help reduce flood risk and better protect residents, businesses and the community. The artifacts will then be moved to the new shipyard museum that is being constructed adjacent to the original site.

Protecting shipyard assets

The Municipality has carefully evaluated options for the relocation to balance public safety, and heritage preservation. Measures are being taken to protect the structure throughout the move and while it is temporarily stored, including secure fencing and 24-hour site security. The Municipality has engaged experts from the Alberta Museums Association to work alongside the RMWB Heritage team to ensure artifacts are handled, transported and stored according to museum best practices. Preservation measures and established handling protocols will help safeguard these important historical pieces.

Investing in flood mitigation

The downtown flood mitigation project is a long-term investment in community safety. Once complete, it will strengthen protection against future flood events, help reduce the risk of damage and lessen the financial and social impacts of future disasters. 

Finding project updates

Project information, including timelines and any temporary impacts to the area, will be shared as work progresses. For project updates, visit rmwb.ca/construction. To stay in the know about construction in your neighbourhood, visit rmwb.ca/subscribe to have updates sent to your inbox.

 If you have questions, please contact Pulse at 780-743-7000.