Projects
Their jobs show the breadth of their skill sets. For example,
Waterworks Construction was awarded a design-build contract
for the Woodside Ferry Terminal pontoon replacement.
The team analyzed and scrutinized every aspect to ensure
the most innovative strategy with respect to construction
methods, installation procedure, lifespan of the pontoon,
schedule, project cost, maintenance requirements and overall
buoyancy, including draft and freeboard.
“The ferry terminal was a tricky undertaking because
there was no closure of the service. Everything had to be done
in such a way that there was no disruption. People depend
on the ferry every day,” said Kerr, noting that the pontoon
had to be constructed from concrete. “We built the pontoon
and launched it on airbags using a gravel slipway to bring the
1,000-ton structure to the water.”
In another example of the company’s ability to manage large
difficult jobs, Kerr points to a project in Northern Labrador
where they worked on a water intake system that was 30 feet
below grade. Here they had to load everything onto a barge to
move it hundreds of miles into northern seas with only one
shot at getting to the site before harsh weather set in.
“If you didn’t bring something, the job didn’t get done,” he
said. “We had to rely on our management and organizational
skills to ensure that everything was prepped for the job and
on board before we left the dock.”
According to Kerr, most people know them as the firm
that constructed much of the Halifax boardwalk.
COMPANY PROFILE
» Left: Waterworks Marine
Terminal in Woodside, N.S.
» Above: Recreational waterfront
access in Bedford Bason, N.S.
“It’s one of the longest continuous wooden boardwalks in the
world, and we are quite proud to have played a role,” he said.
Large, complex projects aside, Waterworks enjoys getting
back to basics.
“Even though we have expanded and increased our skillsets
to give us what we need for the most complex jobs, we
still go back to our roots and build recreational docks,” said
Kerr, mentioning that their customers on the Northwest Arm
look to them for high quality solutions that give them easy
access to the water and their boats. “The customers in this
area have been and continue to be very discriminating and
demand only the finest designs and workmanship. For us,
this has become something of a creative outlet.”
Process
To get jobs done, Waterworks likes to run crews of just five
to six people.
“Our jobs are complicated and require small, flexible
crews,” said Kerr. “Our guys are able to perform multiple roles
on each project. Rather than a set of workers with separate
skillsets, the crews are a unified team where everyone has the
necessary knowledge to understand the full breadth of the
undertaking and work in a variety of areas. This is good for
safety, where crews get the big picture and members know
the next steps and can keep an eye on colleagues as the
work progresses.”
Indeed, safety is key to any job performance. Kerr says
that team members get together to discuss the job at weekly
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