After nearly five years under the ownership of the City of Prince Rupert, a contract has been awarded to remove and dismantle several buildings at the former Watson Island pulp mill site.
At the Sept. 2 meeting, council announced that they had awarded the contract for work at the site to Stantec Engineering who should be beginning work this winter.
"It is anticipated we will see some buildings come down in the new year ... most of the buildings will come down, but some will be left standing because they can have other uses, such as the administration building," explained Prince Rupert Mayor Jack Mussallem.
"This is very important in terms of redeveloping Watson Island and the goal of supporting new industry and new jobs."
The total value of the contract is $220,000, but Mussallem said residents of Prince Rupert won't be left footing the bill.
"The money was put up by Sun Wave Forest Products as part of the settlement with the city," he said, noting there may be an opportunity to recoup some money the city had previously spent.
"There is some equipment on-site that is of value to the pulp industry and there have been inquiries about that."
The City of Prince Rupert acquired the land in September 2009 after Sun Wave Forest Products failed to pay taxes. The company then took the city to court and reached a settlement after a lengthy court battle.