NEWS
Business
News: It's a Major Marine Project
The Reporter, Gananoque, Ont., Wednesday, May 29, 2002
By
Reporter Staff
That
old adage about what goes around comes around has a new twist for marine
contractor John Bishop.
About 30 years ago, this marine contractor from Gananoque constructed
a dock measuring 185 feet in length by eight in width using wooden crib
construction.
The dock was located at a property known as The Breakers, off Highway
2, on the way to Kingston. The property was purchased by a group of
business people who were attracted by the location, the beach and the
cabins on the site that used to be a resort.
"Over the years, with the high winds and ice at that location,
the dock deteriorated," says Mr. Bishop.
Now, the children of the original owners that involved the ten families
retained him to rebuild the dock.
This time he used steel piles, a steel superstructure with a concrete
deck and pressure treated wooden sides. On May 24, about 100 tons -
eight truck loads - of concrete were poured for the deck.
"From the time we built the original dock, (the property) has probably
gone up in value about 20 times," muses Mr. Bishop.
He incorporated Bishop Marine back in 1968. In 1972 he incorporated
Thousand Islands Marine Construction Ltd. and still operates both companies
today.
He employs about eight to 10 people. Most of his employees have been
with him for more than 25 years.
Locally, a good example of his work is the PUC dock in Gananoque's harbour.
Mr. Bishop's enterprises are responsible for a number of other marine
structures throughout the area.
"We build a lot of these structures, sometimes drilling five feet
into bed rock and using socket piles in extreme locations that are subject
to a lot of ice movement and wind," he says.
"Another area where our steel and concrete structures excel, are
replacing the old cribwork under many century-old boathouses,"
he adds.
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