2023 was a successful and unforgettable year for Tatham Engineering—as individuals and as a team, we all have a lot to be proud of.
Towards the beginning of the year, we achieved a big win as one of Canada’s Top Small & Medium Employers of 2023. Later, we hosted an open house to recognize 25 years of engineering in Orillia and the retirement of Office Manager Tim Collingwood. Most recently, Tatham celebrated 35 years since our incorporation date in November 1988.
As a team, we took on over 990 new projects, raised over $30k for community initiatives, and welcomed 39 new members to our staff as well as 21 students.
We have been fortunate to work on a variety of interesting and innovative projects for our communities this year. Here are few projects from 2023 that highlight our staff’s expertise:
Drainage Master Plans
Tatham’s Water Resources group has cemented itself as a leader in the field, completing Drainage Master Plans (DMP) in many of our core geographic practice areas. Our 2023 DMP projects include the Town of The Blue Mountains, the Town of Wasaga Beach, the City of Owen Sound, the Beausoleil First Nation, and the City of Barrie. These Drainage Master Plans are part of the respective municipalities ongoing plans to revitalize sewer and water systems.
Duckworth Street Reconstruction
Tatham was retained by the City of Barrie to carry out the Class EA and detailed design for a road reconstruction along Duckworth Street in Barrie. This road was widely known by Barrie residents for its uneven surface. The project was highly complex due to the number of utilities, and incorporated road widening and active transportation features. Construction on Duckworth Street is ongoing and will continue into the new year.
Parry Sound Airport Runway
Since 2016, our Municipal team has worked with the Parry Sound Area Municipal Airport Commission on the improvement and expansion of the airport’s runway. The project started out with repairs to the existing runway, and later, an all-new replacement, extending the 1,200 m by 23 m airstrip to 1,700 m by 35 m, with the addition approach lighting.
Our teams worked closely with the Airport Commission from preliminary design to approvals, detailed design, procurement packages, and finally, construction services. This project has been a long time coming for many staff members and past and present co-op students.
Young & Little Intersection
Tatham provided the detailed design and construction support for this 117-unit townhouse development in Barrie. Despite some unique site challenges, our team worked together to complete the grading and stormwater and water servicing. Site servicing construction was completed in Summer 2023.
Windfall Residential Development
Located in The Blue Mountains, this massive residential development project began in 2007. Tatham has been involved in this project since inception and most recently completed the design, approvals, and construction for the final phase, which was completed earlier this year and included the remaining 166 out of a total 659 units.
Acton Island Bridge
As the only point of entry to Acton Island, it was important that the 100-metre-long, single-lane bridge remain open for traffic, including pedestrians, throughout construction. Tatham’s seven-stage approach maintained one lane of traffic by removing a portion of the wide curbs and installing an innovative temporary pedestrian walkway along the outside of the bridge.
Awen Waterplay
The Awen’ Waterplay is a unique waterplay experience located along the shores of Georgian Bay in Harbourview Park, Collingwood. This project was led by Envision-Tatham and included almost all of Tatham’s disciplines (Electrical, Geomatics, Mechanical, Municipal, Structural and Water & Wastewater). Adjacent to the Awen’ Gathering Place, the waterplay is a component of a larger public environment that recognizes the First Nations presence along South Georgian Bay.
Within the new accessible washroom building, the waterplay includes a custom water treatment and recirculation system that delivers an impressive 150,000 to 250,000 gallons/day of play value. The waterplay slab is a structural suspended slab supported on helical piles.
From all of us at Tatham, we’d like to thank everyone who helped bring these projects to life, including our own students and staff members, supportive family and friends, clients, contractors, and business partners. We can’t wait to see what next year has in store for us. See you in 2024 and Happy Holidays!
