By: Dylan Bowman, HAHS Board Member
August 19, 2023
The leading ground crew of Pumping Solutions Incorporated (PSI) and Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, Inc. (HRG) stands at the site of construction for a photo. Photograph by Dylan Bowman
Upturning of Soil and Stone
In an upturning of soil and stone, history is being made in the village of Matamoras.
With work having started only a short while ago (and planning being done for many years), the action really hit the southern end of Halifax this past week when large, cylindrical cement containers, weighing approximately 32,000 lbs. each, were shuttled down Peter's Mountain Road to their permanent destination, with goals of building a waste pumping station that would properly outfit the southern sewage lines that run throughout Halifax, preventing water contamination and other issues.
That destination? A small plot of land belonging to Max and Judy Bowman near the back of their property that proved to be the ideal area where one of three waste pumping stations could be situated at the southern end of town. All other properly-outfitted locations were unavailable for surveyors to recommend.
Construction is in full swing as the cylinders are lowered into position, with Max Bowman looking on. Photographs by Dylan Bowman
The Work to Continue
With such an event on the horizon, I wasn't about to miss this spectacle.
A massive crane had been trucked in earlier that morning, with the cement cylinders arriving a few hours later. A state trooper was also present to assist with traffic control and the oversight of safety, bringing a sense of formality to the nature of the day's agenda.
As the time came in the late morning, a dozen individuals looked on as the towering crane hoisted the 16-ton tube over the dangling powerlines and gingerly set it into the gaping hole where it would rest.
In the early afternoon just after lunch, a second concrete cylinder would be shuttled down the road, eventually being picked up by the crane and with immaculate delicacy, set atop the first, creating a taller structure. In those moments when the second cylinder was hovering mere inches above its predecessor, all breath was held and all phone cameras flew out to document the historic moment.
Success was had for the day, and word is another cylinder is on its way in a week's time.
Though the work is progressing rapidly, with large steps being taken by the ground crews each day, work is slated to continue for the next six months, taking the project into winter. As history continues to be made in this corner of Halifax, we will keep our eye on the progress, always updating you on historical developments!
Max and Judy Bowman look on as the crane lowers the cylinders into position and the ground crew discusses its next steps. Photographs by Dylan Bowman
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