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Somass Mill dry shed almost down

The demolition of the Somass Mill dry shed is almost complete in Port Alberni.
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Remaining trusses and beams from the car shed portion of the Somass dry shed are reflected in a puddle on Saturday.

The demolition of the Somass Mill dry shed is almost complete.

All that remains are some trusses and beams in the car shed, which used to cover railroad tracks where boxcars were loaded.

The demolition began in August.Western Forest Products, which owns Somass Mill, decided the building was taking up too much space, especially since it hasn’t been used in more than 20 years, WFP spokesperson Makenzie Leine said.

So far everything is on schedule and there have been no incidents, she added.

Many people have been watching the building’s progress and several have photographed the demolition in its varying stages.

The building wasn’t simply torn down, but taken apart meticulously, because contractor H.L. Demolition has been salvaging material from the project, Leine said.

The roof came off first and had to be done a certain way because it contained asbestos.

Some of the large wooden beams are being sold, but Leine didn’t elaborate on the customer.

“Based on the vintage of the building—1930s—it would have been old growth timber.

“It will go to further use in another application.”

Demolition will be complete in the next couple of weeks.

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