New aligner hut on Martindale Pond open for business
When the excitement of hosting a major sporting event dies down and the cheers become a distant memory, organizers can pat themselves on the back for a job well done and look to the legacy infrastructure left behind to convince each other all the hard work was worthwhile.
The latest legacy piece for the 2024 World Rowing Senior, Under 23, and Under 19 Championships (Mega Worlds) to be held Aug. 18-25 in St. Catharines was unveiled Tuesday on the Henley course.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for a new aligner hut, built by Niagara College trades students in partnership with the Niagara Home Builders Association. The 10 foot by 10 foot enclosed structure was built and designed by students and faculty in the college’s carpentry and renovation technician program with materials donated by the NHBA.
“Between the Niagara Home Builders and Niagara College, it was a great way to bring the community in to be a part of this event,” world championships chair Bill Schenck said. “It is one of the things that needed to be done, it’s a piece that is vital to the start of racing and the old hut that was up there was too small to accommodate all the technology. It will last for at least 25 years and it’s very exciting.”
The old hut was about two-thirds the size of the new building and hadn’t been upgraded since 1999 when St. Catharines hosted the senior world championships.
“It was time for a refurbishment,” he said.
It is not the first time Niagara College has stepped in to help with alterations with the Henley course and its facilities.
“In cooperation with the Niagara Home Builders and Niagara College, we needed a press area built out in the Craig Swayze Memorial Grandstand,” Schenck said. “We now have some build-outs that will be there so the press can set up desks and tables and have work stations in the grandstand. That is great.”
Niagara College students and alumni will also be involved with live streaming both the world championships and the 140th Royal Canadian Henley Regatta starting July 28. A crew of 20 students and alumni will oversee a production with 18 cameras and several production spaces.
The biggest legacy piece that will come from hosting the world championships is the finish tower.
“It is almost twice the size of the existing one and again, technology has changed so much and there’s so much that goes on in the finish tower than previously. It’s a legacy piece that will last for many years to come,” Schenck said.
The original tower was built in 1966 for when St. Catharines hosted the North American championships in 1967 and then the worlds in 1970.
“It was time to completely redo the building. It had gone through three renovations and it had out-lived its usefulness,” Schenck said. “Now we have a fully functional tower with fibre optics and everything that is in place will be steadfast for years to come.”
In November, a private donor came forward to finance the tower. The donor will be announced when the tower is christened in the weeks ahead.
Tim Rigby, the honorary president of the world’s organizing committee, talked Tuesday about the committee’s struggles to stage the 2024 championships.
“This has been a really tough program and effort to put together a world rowing championship. It was certainly far harder than the one we had in 1999,” he said, adding the committee had to look at different ways to provide necessary improvements to the course.
The new aligner hut had its genesis when Rigby had a conversation with the wife of Tony Alfieri, a member of the Niagara Home Builders Association’s board of directors.
“I opened up an opportunity that I didn’t know that I had opened,” Rigby said. “Here we are today celebrating a much better facility which I am sure will last at least the length of time that the old one has survived. I salute Niagara College students and their professors and I thank the association for the hard work they do.”
Chuck McShane, the NHBA’s CEO, feels the project builds upon its longstanding partnership with Niagara College and is a testament to what trades students can do.
“The Niagara Home Builders Association is honoured to see this aligner hut permanently affixed on these waters, serving as a representation of the continual commitment to our partners and surrounding community.”
The hut highlights the college’s commitment to providing practical and impactful learning experiences that enhance its students’ skills and benefit the community.
“We are grateful for the opportunity presented by the upcoming World Rowing Championships and for the Niagara Home Builders Association’s partnership in this initiative and their continued support of our skilled trades programs,” said Fiona Allan, Niagara’s Vice-President, Academic.
Parts of the hut were built in May at Niagara College by carpentry professor Julian Ledonne, construction technologist Marco Giorgi, and students Manuel Perez, Kevin Huang, Linh Lawrenn, Rishi Loorkhoor and Landon Consonni. The parts were then scooped up by a boom truck, transported to Henley Island, loaded by crane on a floating barge and delivered to the platform on Martindale Pond where it was assembled. The group spent nearly 100 hours on the project.
With a goal of creating a long-lasting structure that could withstand the elements, the Niagara College team used a steel roof, durable wood panels, moveable panels in place of windows for function, and a steel door,
“It was a rewarding experience for the students to put their skills to the test in a real-world scenario,” Ledonne said. “It was a test of patience and their knowledge and they felt a real sense of accomplishment from being part of the build from start to finish, from design to construction to execution on site on the water. They really wanted to be there and were happy to give their time to the project.”
Loorkhoor was grateful for the experience.
“It was amazing to be able to assist on the Henley Regatta project both on land and on the waters,” he said.
