7 September 2006
Next Stop, Restoration for Century-Old Minnedosa Train Station
Minnedosa Manitoba - Residents in Minnedosa, Man., are well
on their way to saving a 96-year-old local landmark - all without any taxpayers' money.
The town's Canadian Pacific Railway station, which has been a mainstay of Main Street since 1910, saw its last passenger train in 1960,
and was abandoned as a CP Rail office about seven years ago.
An earlier CP station, built in 1883, burned down and was replaced with the current building in 1910.
Last year, the railway donated the building to a community group, which says it's now about $15,000 shy of the money it needs to restore
the building, which it hopes to reopen in 2008.
"We're a town of 2,400 people and have raised $60,000 to this point," said Bob Mummery, chairman of the building restoration
committee, publisher of the Minnedosa Tribune newspaper and author of the book Trails to Rails: A Railroading History of Minnedosa.
"That's a pretty good signal that the community has an interest in the building. We're going to proceed and fully intend to restore
the building completely with the money that we've raised."
Mummery added that a barn dance will take place later this month to raise more money.
It will be another year before the community, about 45 kilometres north of Brandon, decides what the restored building's future role
will be.
"Our plan is for it to become a community centre of some sort again, similar to the part it played in the community for the first
80 years of its life," Mummery said. "It was always... a central point in the community."
Mummery said renovations should begin soon, with roof repairs being the first priority.
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