BUILDING THE WHARF
Building the Wharf for the Stern wheeler S.S. Sicamous, Penticton
View of the New Wharf
About the New Wharf
Construction is almost finished
The wharf is 100 feet long and 12 feet wide.
It is built of Canadian Douglas Fir, cut at a local saw mill.
The construction was undertaken by volunteers, so the primary costs were lumber and screws for the wharf.
Construction has taken an estimated 200 volunteer hours so far, from start to finish
The Benefits of Building a Wharf
The S.S. Sicamous is a local icon that is important for Penticton. At least 12,000 visitors come through the museum annually. Many more can be found enjoying the areas around the ship. Constructing this wharf will help create a more welcoming and historically accurate exterior, for guests to enjoy. We also hope it will help to entice more visitors inside of the ship.
The wharf is a highly visible investment, that will be seen 365 days a year. Although Initial costs are quite high, now the dock has been built, maintenance and care costs will be very low.
We are planning to install new historical information panels. These will be accessible at all times, allowing visitors to learn about their heritage, even if the museum is closed.
The area in front of the SS Sicamous has remained unchanged for more than two decades. With the new dock, we feel that the exterior of the ship now reflects the level of work and pride that have been invested in recent years.
Funding and Maintenance
The City of Penticton agreed to loan the SS Sicamous Society for the completion of this project. The Sicamous Society has agreed to repay 75% of this amount within the next two years (by April 19th 2019). The remaining 25% will be a grant from the City of Penticton.
The SS Sicamous Society was awarded a grant of $10,000 (ten thousand) from the Community Foundation of the South Okanagan | Similkameen for the construction of the wharf!
We also received funding from the Southern Interior Development Initiative Trust, for construction supplies and lumber.
The wharf is a long term investment. Now the main construction is finished, maintenance and repairs can be undertaken as needed, and will be a much smaller undertaking.
We’d also like to thank two local companies that donated materials for this project: Burnco Penticton and Princeton Wood Preservers
Constructing the Wharf
Click the photos to read the details for each shot
The concrete arrives! (Donated by Burnco) Volunteers go to meet the truck, with wheel barrows in hand.
After sand is pumped under the hull, The ship is back on dry land, and work can resume. Locally cut douglas fir is connected to the concrete supports.
Concrete is shovelled into the Sonotubes. When dry, these will be the supports for the wharf. The concrete will help to protect the wood supports, as they will not be in direct contact with the ground.
Views of the Wharf
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