The West Tamar Council will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, November 1, to consider the quotation received for the work required to plug and stabilise the Hart Shaft at the Beaconsfield mine.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Earlier in October it was revealed that the Hart Shaft has partially collapsed about 47-metres below the surface and that a 35-metre sinkhole could form, swallowing the iconic headframe and part of the museum.
General manager Rolph Vos said specialist contractor, Mancala, had provided a proposal to carry out the remedial works.
“We want to make sure it moves quickly and we didn’t want to have to wait another two weeks for a council meeting,” he said.
Mr Vos said work had already commenced by a local contractor to cut a square hole in the shaft cap.
“They will remove the cage, the famous cage that the boys walked out of, that sits on top of the shaft and we take that away and then there is a cap of about half a metre of concrete on top.”
Mr Vos said Mancala believed they could mobilise and have workers on the site of the Beaconsfield mine within two weeks.
Mancala have estimated that the job would take 41 days at a cost of $525,000 and a further $57,000 for materials supplied by others.
Infrastructure Services manager Ian Howard said a more realistic price may be approximately $585,000 for Mancala’s work plus $68,000 for materials.
“It should be noted that these works are stage 1 of the required repair and remediation,” Mr Howard said in the special meeting agenda.
“Stage 2 is expected to involve filling the shaft to the surface with cement stabilised sand and the filling of underground cavities.
“Once this work is complete the mine yard can then be filled and re-paved. It is anticipated that this work will be in the order of at least $600,000.”
The council will meet at 9am at its Eden Street offices.