THUNDER BAY — City staff are recommending the city dispose of the James Whalen without salvaging any part of it after cost estimates came in much higher than anticipated.
The cost to scrap the historic tug entirely – without preserving any components – came in well above initial estimates, according to city manager of parks & open spaces, Cory Halvorsen.
In September, city staff recommended "recycling" the James Whalen but saving parts of the 119-year-old boat for display. At the time he said the cap for that project would be $415,000.
At $579,600, the lowest bid the city received to simply recycle the whole boat was 50 per cent above the high-end of the original estimate for recycling and exceeds the maximum set for a partial salvage.
Retaining just the stack and bridge, as per the original recommendation, would add an additional cost of just over $17,000.
The second of two bids came in at little over $1.1 million to recycle the boat, without any salvage.
The higher than expected estimates were “largely due to the complexities of the asbestos abatement and the recycling process itself,” said Halvorsen.
The cost has prompted city staff to revise their original stance and on Monday a report to council will recommend the city scrap the James Whalen Tugboat entirely.
According to the council report, the lowest bid quoted the following costs for salvaging various parts of the tug:
- Retaining only the stack and bridge would cost just over $17,000.
- Salvaging ten individual components including the bridge, the stack, the rudder, the winch, escape hatches, the funnel, lifeboat posts, portholes, and a section of hull containing the "James Whalen" name would cost a total of $52,780.
- Retaining the top deck and all its contents including transporting each selected piece to a different storage location would range in price between $113,420 and $166,230 for each piece.
- Retaining the entire vessel decks and all their contents, including transporting pieces of the vessel to a different storage location will cost between $119,470 and $217,600 for each piece.
The city has already spent $800,000 to have the James Whalen relocated and secured after it sank in the Kam River in 2022.
Halvorsen said his department has been in contact with the transportation museum about the high tender and provided them with options.
While the museum board voted to continue discussions with the city to preserve as much of the tug as possible, according to the report to council, they also said they couldn't commit to any action without a long-term land use license, or lease.
The city’s realty department reached to the museum on Wednesday to renegotiate its lease, museum chair Wally Peterson told Newswatch in an interview.
The museum has been waiting “since 2022 for the best use study to be completed” so they could renew the lease, he said.
“The best use study is not moving us off this site, which means now we have a potential for a long-term future on the site. So, we can talk to the parks department about saving some of the James Whalen,” said Peterson.
Negotiation for a new license for the museum was considered in a closed session on March 5, but according to the the city report a new license agreement is a month-long process.
“The cheapest routes aren't always the best routes,” said David Christopher Muir, a board member with museum.
Muir noted the cultural significance of the tug can be rewarding as a tourist destination.
“For a little more expense, the money that taxpayers have paid to the city of Thunder Bay will stay here and it won't go out of the city. It's exciting. I'd like to see it. I'd like to have the public access the James Whalen and we could do that. Just imagine. To have the ability to stand on the decks of a 114-year-old ship and view the elevators and our surrounding area,” said Muir.
The recommendation to recycle the entire vessel without retaining any pieces will be put to council on Monday.
