Former Fish Plant to Economic Enabler Proposal

2011

Town of Channel-Port aux Basques

PORT AUX BASQUES MANUFACTURING & PRODUCTION FACILITY This document provides information and specification on the Town of Channel-Port aux Basques and the former Seafreez Foods property, including human resource capabilities, facility and harbor specifications. Port aux Basques Manufacturing & Production Facility

1.0 Infrastructure Background

Channel-Port aux Basques, the “Gateway” to Newfoundland, was first visited by the Basque Fisherman in the 1500's who found the ice free harbour a safe haven. For the next 200 years, the area was used seasonally by whalers and fishermen that harvested in the region. The community was settled on a year-round basis when fisher-folk from the Channel Islands established Channel in the early 1700's, although people had been working the south coast fishery year-round for a century before this.

With the community focused on the fishing industry for centuries, the first of two production buildings was erected in the early 1960’s. This herring plant served as the primary commercial building for the community’s industry until 1979 when a cold storage and processing facility was constructed. Both of these structures remained a significant fixture of the harbour and economy until officially closing in July, 2007. Although there were numerous owners of the fish plant facility over the 47 year history, it remained a major employer of the community. During operations of the past decade, the fish plant employed approximately 110 people.

2.0 Manufacturing and Production Facility

The Port aux Basques Manufacturing & Production Facility lends itself to many different operations, including office space, storage, production/maintenance or manufacturing. Having previously operated in the fish processing industry, the facility has established areas providing height and dimension requirements for virtually any use. The entire facility has in excess of 43,000 square feet of production space over two floors. Due to the usage of previous operators, the facility is extremely versatile and can be divided into five areas of varying sizes with different capabilities or utilized together. A facility of this magnitude is invaluable to a any corporation. Any large scale operation would need considerable investment to replicate the infrastructure currently erected. The property outline below illustrates all five areas as well as approximate dimensions.

Port aux Basques Manufacturing & Production Facility

2.1 Zone #1 The first section of the facility has immediate access to the property’s dock and laydown space which provides plenty of space for unloading of good and materials associated with production. The area features approximately 5813 square feet of production space that includes an employee area, washroom and office space. The ceiling height of the section is ~20 feet with ax industrial door. The section may be utilized in conjunction with Section #2 as it is linked by a garage door. All new arena style lighting has been added to the space. A new concrete floor has also been added to the area, cement board sheeting, insulated ceiling and all coated with new mold resistant paint.

Port aux Basques Manufacturing & Production Facility

2.2 Zone #2 The majority of production done by Seafreez Foods was completed in Section #2 of the facility. This area is ideal for assembly line production being 219 feet in length and 40 feet wide, which provides 8760 square feet of production space. At one end, this area has four insulated cooling areas that measure 36 feet long, 15 feet wide and 12 feet in height. These four units all have new industrial barrel style doors and can be utilized as a cold storage area or heated for varying purposes. The section has a clearing height of nearly 13 feet. As with all areas, this section has an industrial garage door with immediate access to the docking and laydown section of the property. It is joined to Section #1 through a garage door. There are 2 offices for the space and an employee area. This space is also linked by stairwell to Section #5 on the second floor of the facility. The section also has immediate access points to the Cold Storage area (Section #4), a common loading/offloading truck dock, and Section #3. Section #2 has been repainted with mold resistant paint that covers cement board sheeting. All new arena style lighting has been added to the space.

2.3 Section #3 The smallest section of the facility is Section #3, which has approximately 1960 feet of production space, with a ceiling height of approximately 20 feet. The section is connected to Section #2 through a pedestrian doorway. There is a common washroom with Section #2 and an independent office space. The area also has an industrial garage door and separate outside entrance.

Port aux Basques Manufacturing & Production Facility

2.4 Section #4 Perhaps the greatest asset to this facility is the cold storage capabilities. Section #4 is one of the largest cold storage facilities within Newfoundland and Labrador. This area has 11,781 square feet of storage space with approximately 24 feet of clearance height. The area is comprised of insulated sheet metal paneling walls that provide energy efficient cold storage. A new refrigeration system was installed in October 2010 that will allow a company to keep processed foods cold prior to shipment and the system has freezing capability that allows the temperature within the area to be lowered below freezing for a short period of time. There are multiple storage racks within the section to allow pallets of processed food to be stored in an efficient manner. The cold storage area has immediate access to Section #2 and a truck loading area.

Port aux Basques Manufacturing & Production Facility

2.5 Section #5 The last section of the facility is the second floor of the building. This area has been renovated allow more versatility for any user. There is 11,320 square feet of production, office or storage space available. Although on the second floor of the facility, there is an industrial garage door to allow for virtually any type of usage and opens onto the dock and laydown. The area has a ceiling height of 9 feet and stairwell access to Section #2. New vinyl window have been installed to allow more natural light in the space and provide a beautiful panoramic view of the harbour. The walls have been insulated and covered with cement drywall.

Port aux Basques Manufacturing & Production Facility

2.6 Electrical Capacity An entirely new electrical system has been installed throughout the facility that incorporates the new lighting and allows each section user a separate meter. This separates each user’s electrical bill and allows them to pay for only the electricity they use. The electrical system is a 3 Phase, 600V/347, 12/208 system that provides amply service for any type of industrial or production operation. Heating units can be easily added if desired by the tenant.

3.0 Marine Atlantic Proximity

In addition to the 43,000 square feet of space, this waterfront property has over 440 feet of docking space, which was constructed in 2004. Situated on 1.93 acres of real estate, the facility can provide users with immediate access to the two Marine Atlantic properties. Within walking distance to both 10 Marine Drive and also the Port aux Basques ferry terminal, this property can provide a great compliment to the existing infrastructure that surrounds the harbour.

4.0 Renovations Undertaken

The Council of Channel-Port aux Basques have undertaken extensive renovations to the Seafreez Foods facility to allow it to be market ready for potential investors looking to begin operation quickly. The property has received significant modifications within the past decade and the current renovations completed by the Town provide an upgraded, refurbished facility that can meet the needs of any company over multiple industries.

Port aux Basques Manufacturing & Production Facility

Prior to the renovations, Hatch Mott MacDonald Ltd. engineering firm completed both Structural and Environmental Assessments on the two buildings concerned with the property. They concluded that “The Cold Storage Building is in excellent condition, structurally. It can be put back to its present use with little improvements, and it can be modified for other uses.” While the building is structurally sound, repairs have been completed to the roofing, with significant modifications undertaken to the siding, flooring, heating, water and electrical systems.

Significant improvements have been made to nearly all aspects of the building, with the cold storage and flash-freezing infrastructure remaining for immediate use. The nearly $1.2 million dollars in renovations have substantially upgraded all aspects of the facility and will prolong the lifespan of the building significantly.

The engineering firm also noted that “The Herring Plant is in fair to good condition, and can be modified to other uses with little need for structural changes.” In the upcoming months the Town anticipates the completion of renovations to the former Hearing Plant to complement any operation in the main facility, either for production or office space.

Upon completion of renovations to both buildings, the Town will have substantially invested in repairs to the concrete flooring, replacement of various steel structures, completely new metal siding, new torch-on roofing to all areas, plumbing alterations, new electrical system, installation of garage and pedestrian doors, and painting of all sections. These repairs have essentially created an entirely new facility that will ensure that the facility will remain fully operational and current to present standards for years into the future.

Port aux Basques Manufacturing & Production Facility

5.0 Harbour Specifications

The harbour of Channel-Port aux Basques has been used for major shipping since 1898. For the past 112 years, the harbour has been continually developed to provide access for larger ships that importing goods to Newfoundland. Marine Atlantic is the sole shipping company operating from the harbour with the Canadian Coast Guard and other occasional companies harbouring. In addition to the current infrastructure, undeveloped Town owned land on the eastern side of the harbour is available for future development.

Specifications  Average Water Depth: 49.21’  Current User Ships: MV Caribou/ Smallwood – 587.27’ length; 20.99’ draft MV Atlantic Vision – 667’ length; 21.33’ draft  Harbour Entrance Width: 164.04’ (MV Caribou/ Smallwood width – 82’)  Marine Atlantic Docks: Coastal Dock – 639.76’ length; 25’ depth Carson Dock – 400.26’ length; 25’ depth  Former Fish Plant Dock: 232.4’ length; 25’ depth  Marked harbour entrance  Tug boat service available  Canadian Coast Guard Centre  Direct link to the Trans Canada Highway

The following document is a Hydrographical Map of the Port aux Basques harbour, noting the location of Marine Atlantic and the Harbour Authority amenities.

Port aux Basques Manufacturing & Production Facility