port aux basques manufacturing & production facility

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

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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.


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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.


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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.


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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.


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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.


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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.


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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.


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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.


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port aux basques manufacturing & production facility

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