Normally, if gunite hits the news, it’s in reference to large houses up for sale or recently built which boast fancy gunite pools. While interesting shotcrete projects have gotten our attention before here at Thorcon Shotcrete and Shoring (like in the case of the Chauvet cave recreation or the new explosion-resistant formula), most of those stories focus on the use of shotcrete, specifically, while gunite has been left out of the limelight. A touching story came to our attention recently, though, about life in the early days of Gilbert, Arizona, which features an annual gunite repair job!
According to Dale Hallock (former mayor of Gilbert who wrote the piece for The Arizona Republic), back in the 1940s the pump houses along the Salt River Project canals in Gilbert were crucial to the fishing opportunities for local kids. Once every year, the pumps would be turned off so that the canals could have a chance to dry up for repairs. Gunite contractors from back in the day would inspect the canals for cracks and repair them using early gunite systems. While the canal banks were being worked on, the children of the community were provided a “wonderful time of opportunity” to catch big catfish with their hands! The fish would get stuck in the remaining pools of water in the otherwise dry canals, and the kids would haul them away in gunnysacks for their mothers to cook up for dinner. Hallock describes these events as very fond memories of his childhood and he reminds residents of the important roles that the pump houses played in both canal repairs and catfish catching!
Here at Thorcon Shotcrete and Shoring, we are proud to provide gunite and shotcrete repair and building solutions to our clients in Colorado and states in the surrounding region from our headquarters in Littleton (outside Denver). Whether or not any of our projects will contribute to childhood memories, we can’t say, but we can promise that our designs and implementation will contribute to lasting repairs and strong, safe infrastructure. Our team is dedicated to custom solutions, client satisfaction and the highest safety standards. Contact us today to get started on your gunite project!