Rumours of the demise of Canadasa国际传媒 only remaining steam-powered tugboat -- the S.S. Naramata -- have been greatly exaggerated.
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Penticton council heard Tuesday that the old tug still has plenty of life, yet a previous report suggested the S.S. Naramata be decommissioned and possibly destroyed.
Council heard about efforts by the volunteer board that operates Pentictonsa国际传媒 Marine Park to move the old tug from the waters of Okanagan Lake and lift it out of the water and restore the historically-significant watercraft.
Kelsey Johnson, Pentictonsa国际传媒 director of community services, said the city-owned S.S. Naramata operated on Okanagan Lake from 1914 through to 1967, offering tugboat services for more than 50 years.
鈥淚t is the only surviving inland steam-powered tug remaining in sa国际传媒鈥 she said. 鈥淚t is designated as a provincial heritage site and is also listed on the Canadian historic register.鈥
The tugboat has been sitting moored aground inside the S.S. Sicamous Marine Heritage Park on Lakeshore Drive in Penticton.
The S.S. Sicamous Marine Heritage Society is the designated caretaker of the S.S. Naramata and all of the marine assets inside the park, Johnson said.
Several months ago, the heritage society had commissioned a report relating to the S.S. Naramata and that report provided inaccurate information about the status of the tugboat, said Johnson.
鈥淭he report advised that the below-ground exterior hull, all sides and all frames, including the riveting, showed extreme corrosion,鈥 she said. 鈥淭he report concluded that the hull could not be restored in the vesselsa国际传媒 current condition.鈥
This information was forwarded to council earlier this summer and considering the future investments required to upgrade the tugboat and keep other amenities in the marine park operational, council directed staff to explore costs to dispose of the S.S. Naramata, she said.
Since then, staff have worked with the leadership group of the heritage society and the sa国际传媒 Heritage branch to look at all available options, she said.
鈥淎s the S.S. Naramata is a protected heritage site under the provincial Heritage Conservation Act, any alterations to the site would require a heritage alteration permit,鈥 said Johnson.
The heritage branch has informed staff that permitting the decommissioning and possible destruction of a provincially-protected heritage site should be a last resort and only if all other avenues of conservation had been explored, she said.
While staff continued to explore other options with the heritage branch, the society commissioned a second report relating to possible upgrades of the S.S. Naramata, said Johnson.
A different marine consulting firm was hired and a different methodology was used to look at the tugboat and what steps could be taken to preserve it, she said.
This report determined the hull of the boat wasn鈥檛 in bad shape at all and could be restored by patching up a few minor holes, she said.
They also refuted many of the findings in the first report.
鈥淯ltimately, they concluded that the vessel seems fundamentally sound with no significant concerns regarding 听the hull down below,鈥 she said.
The heritage society decided that the best and most economical way to ensure preservation of the S.S. Naramata would be to temporarily float the boat on a newly-formed resting place made of aggregate, she said.
鈥淭o do this, a new resting place would be prepared beside the vessel,鈥 she said. 鈥淎 temporary berm would be built around the vessel and that would be filled with water, ultimately floating the boat. Once floated, it can be pushed over to the new bed, the water would be drained and the vessel would then rest on its new aggregate bed above the water table.鈥
The boat would be lifted roughly four feet above the water table on Okanagan Lake.
The heritage foundation has committed to paying the entire $42,000 to complete this project, said Johnson.
鈥淭he society also has an understanding that the cost of any further conservation work on the S.S. Naramata will be the responsibility of the society,鈥 she said.
Disposing of the vessel is simply no longer an option, she said.
The society is also committed to continuing minor restoration upgrades to the boat until itsa国际传媒 ready to be moved to its new home, she said.
A geotechnical study will be conducted in the next few weeks to determine what kind of equipment will be needed to move the boat to its new location, said Johnson.
Mitigating any damage to the park will be a top priority in making this move, she said.
Before Johnsonsa国际传媒 report, members of the S.S. Sicamous Marine Heritage Society also spoke to council about their willingness to do what it takes to preserve the S.S. Naramata now and in the future.
Jessie Laven, president of the society, was joined by treasurer Robert Neil and Thomas Dunn, a veteran marine engineer.
The society fundraises almost $300,000 annually, with the city contributing roughly one quarter -- or $75,000 -- of that amount, he said.
In 2023, they raised $60,000 from admissions to view the S.S. Naramata, with more than 9,000 visitors, he said.
鈥淎ll income is spent on administration and upkeep of the assets entrusted to us, most of which are city-owned,鈥 Laven said.
Donations received for specific purposes such as restoration projects are set aside until the funds can be spent, he said.
At the end of 2023, the amount of donations held in trust exceeded just over $90,000.
This year, more than $40,000 was spent on renovation projects inside the marine park and they did not request any additional city funding for any of those projects, he said.
They plan on spending more than this next year, he said.
The S.S. Naramata is 110 years old and remains an important piece of local heritage, he said.
鈥淚tsa国际传媒 the last surviving freshwater, steam tug left in Canada,鈥 he said. 鈥淚tsa国际传媒 recognized as a provincial asset and that is a huge accolade and not even the S.S. Sicamous has that.鈥
The original report suggested it would cost $1 to $3 million to lift the vessel and place it on a cradle.
If that was the cost, then councilsa国际传媒 original decision to decommission and destroy the boat was perfectly understandable, he said.
The second report that confirmed that the hull of the boat was sound, led the society to consider a more cost effective solution to preserve the S.S. Naramata, he said.
鈥淭his proposal has many benefits,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t will protect the vessel, making it easier and cheaper to monitor and maintain. It will display the vessel much better, allowing people to see its classic lines, the size of its propeller and rudder and the reinforced bow for icebreaking, all of which are currently hidden.鈥
Moving the boat above water to another site will also increase the visual appeal of the marine park.
鈥淚t will open up the park transforming the space into a true community asset,鈥 he said.
The society has almost $60,000 committed to the S.S. Naramata project, more than enough to complete the move, he said.
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Penticton Mayor Julius Bloomfield thanked Laven and Neil for their hard work on this project and giving them the detailed information they wanted so they can make a solid decision on this important historical project.
鈥淚t was exactly what we were looking for,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 thank you for putting together an excellent plan.鈥
