Bridging the gap at Camp Potlatch

3 min read

In 2018 we announced our support of the Boys and Girls Clubs of South Coast BC (BGC). BGC owns and maintains a small craft marine facility which is an integral asset for the BGC’s Camp Potlatch children’s summer camp located along the west shore of Howe Sound directly across from Porteau Cove, BC. The wharf acts as the only access to Camp Potlatch for campers, staff, equipment and supplies. Since 1965 the wharf has welcomed and supported campers galore, however, in 2015 a professional inspection confirmed that the wharf was no longer fit for service and needed replacing. To learn more about Ausenco’s charitable involvement in the initial Inspection, Design, Drafting and Environmental Services click here.

We are pleased to announce that Camp Potlatch has a new wharf! Since our last announcement, the team has been hard at work with help from our Director of Maritime Asset Management, Tony Bleasdale.

  • In the Winter of 2019, after battling epic storms and a lack of local lumber supply (due to forest fires throughout the summer), the barge and crane arrived at Camp Potlatch. Pile driving was undertaken to establish the wharfs’ new foundation. Ausenco supported the soliciting vendors for charitable services and materials in addition to providing ongoing project management, logistical assistance and technical support.

In the Winter of 2019, the crane and barge arrive a Camp Potlatch.

  • In Spring of 2019, the new deck, handrails and gangway were installed, and the old wharf was demolished. Ausenco provided assistance with a number of smaller improvements to the existing floats and adjacent facility that were not included in the original scope in addition to providing oversight with the BGC and contractor to commission the new wharf. Ausenco also worked with the BGC underwriters to ensure the full value of the project was clearly understood.

The new wharf is ready to welcome thousands more campers well into the future.

Ausenco’s Tony Bleasdale played an integral role in the completion of the new wharf along with the support of Ausenco’s structural engineer Adam Dmytryshyn along with project manager, Laura White, and technical leader, Jim Roberts from our team who conducted the marine assessment and provided permitting support to remove the timber dock.

‘Having experienced the enjoyment along with the life skills afforded in having gone to a summer camp as a boy, it has been a pleasure in being able to give back and work with the BGC’s CEO Carolyn Tuckwell and the Camp Potlatch team in supporting the outstanding work they do. It was also amazing to see diversified and committed private and corporate donors contributing in such a way to watch their wharf come to life. I look forward to watching the next generation of “happy campers” walk down the wharf into the wilderness retreat for another 50+ years’.

‘Boys and Girls Clubs welcomes thousands of campers to Camp Potlatch every summer, each and every one taking their first steps to adventure on the wharf. After 50 years, that wharf was in urgent need of replacement, and with Ausenco’s help, we were able to make that happen, with an impressive structure ready to welcome thousands more campers well into the future. The best partnerships are those that bring together complementary skills around a common goal, and this is the perfect example. Thank you, Ausenco, for believing in BGC, and our amazing kids’. - Carolyn Tuckwell, President & CEO of BGC.