30 August 2005
Work Progressing on Old Station
Portage la Prairie - Significant progress is being made on Portage la Prairie CPR Heritage
Centre and Park.
Motorists driving past the historic railway station on Third Street N.E. will now see a new sign informing the public of the project.
Vic Edwards, co-chairman of Save the CPR Station committee, under Portage Heritage Inc., said it's important to have a
sign so Portagers and visitors to the city are aware of the project.
Edwards said volunteers have also been busy tearing down parts of the interior of the building this summer. "It has revealed
beautiful woodwork in the interior," said Edwards, noting another fireplace has been found.
The restoration of the 112-year-old Canadian Pacific Railway station is expected to cost $1.4 million. This includes
$586,000 for architectural and construction costs, $398,000 for the exhibit, and $395,000 for landscaping.
Tomorrow, workers are expected to start removing the old shingles on the building. The roof will then be reshingled with cedar, said
Edwards. He expects the work to take about a week to complete.
Save the CPR committee member Les Green said the roof project is important for the building's longevity. "The roof will protect
the building from the weather," he said. Funding for the roof reshingling project has been provided by a Manitoba Culture,
Heritage and Tourism Community Places grant and another installment from the railway. The restoration project is expected to cost
approximately $33,000, noted Edwards. The purpose is to "restore the building's pristine condition," said Edwards.
Green noted the idea of the building is to commemorate those people who did the dirty work, such as pounding in the spikes of the
railroad.
Edwards expects the next project to be the replacement of the doors and windows. Redoing the sandstone on the exterior of the building
will be next on the list. "We want to bring it back to the way it was," said Green. Additional renovations will only go
ahead as funding is available. As co-chairman, Edwards keeps busy co-ordinating the work involved. "It's been rewarding to see
the project get off the ground," he said.
Edwards noted Save the CP Railway Station Committee will once again open a store in the west end of Portage la Prairie Mall this fall
to sell railroad-related toys for children and other toys and prints of the CP and CN rail stations. "The toys are
good stocking stuffers for Christmas," he said, noting proceeds from the store go to saving the CP rail station.
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