A decision from Fort Frances town council on whether the town will proceed with a planned waterfront display of two historic vessels remains on hold.
The town attracted a lone bid costing $1.7 million to display the Hallett and Owandem.
The proposal was presented to council last month, but no decision was taken, allowing other options to be considered.
Five options were presented by administration on Monday.
One included phasing the project over a period of time.
Another considered returning the Hallett to the Rainy River, where it had been moored since 2009, before it was removed during the 2022 flood.
The report identifies that the foundation where the tug sat was substantially damaged, likely from repeated freeze and thaws of the river, and would require engineering and repairs before it could be returned.
It also noted that costs for the design and construction of a location for the Owandem would be needed.
No dollar figures were noted.
Councillor John McTaggart says he wants to see some hard numbers before council makes a final decision on which option to pursue.
“Included would be the costs of a permanent anchor to the Hallet so that if high water should return, it would not be in danger of floating away again,” says McTaggart.
“Option five is probably the one that makes the most sense for me,” says Councillor Steve Maki.
“I don’t even think I can make a decision here because I don’t have enough information on option five to properly make a decision.”
Councillors also questioned how high the vessel would need to stand.
Operations and Facilities Manager Travis Rob says that it is difficult to determine, given the flooding that occurred.
“I can’t say how high we would need to go providing an anchor, some sort of anchoring system to ensure that the Hallet is held down in high water events,” says Rob.
“I don’t think you’ll find an engineer in the province of Ontario that would ever sign off that this boat that’s made to float is anchored down good enough that it’s not going to float.”
Rob adds that the town would also need to address accessibility requirements if the Hallett returned to the river.
“With the way that it was currently set up in the water, it was a ramp. In order to maintain a ramp, there are very specific requirements in the building code about what the slope has to be. So, if we look at raising the boat in the water, we can’t meet those requirements to call it a ramp.”
Stairs were considered as part of the plan to place the vessels on land, but were removed to lower the cost.
Administration is expected to bring back a new report to a future meeting.
The Hallett was gifted by Boise Cascade after its use as a logging boat ended.
It remains on blocks in the waterfront’s parking lot.
The Owandem was acquired by the Fort Frances Museum from the family of a U.S. Coast Guard-licensed captain who purchased the boat in 1993.
After being restored, the vessel was placed in storage at the public works yard.
