15 June 2007
No Sign Council Will Budge on Roundhouse Decision
Kentville Nova Scotia - Although several individuals and
organizations have voiced their concerns, Kentville town council hasn't given any indication that it's willing to reconsider the
decision to demolish the former railway roundhouse.
Nova Scotia Railway Heritage Society president Jay Underwood, who made a formal presentation to council at the Wednesday,
13 Jun 2007 session, said the roundhouse is the last building of its kind in the province and, as a railway historian, it
ranks in importance with the Halifax town clock, Prince's Lodge, and Cape Breton's Fortress Louisbourg.
He said he hoped to persuade council through his presentation to reconsider the apparent haste of its plan to demolish the building
until a full and complete assessment of the cost of its restoration and incorporation into the town's development plans can be
conducted.
Underwood said the only information they have been able to gather from the town is that it would cost $1.5 million to bring the
roundhouse up to warehouse standards, given a 30 percent variance either way.
CAO Given Petition
Underwood presented Chief Administrative Officer Bill Boyd with a petition signed by 667 residents of Kentville and concerned
individuals from across Nova Scotia and beyond who believe the building should be preserved.
"Locally, the former Dominion Atlantic Railway station in Wolfville has found new life and purpose," he said. "Why can
this not be the fate of the roundhouse?"
Underwood said there's nothing to oblige council to continue the process of considering tenders for the demolition. All that's required
at this point is a resolution and vote to defer the decision until such time as the assessment of the roundhouse has been completed
and fully discussed with input from the citizens of Kentville.
"In many ways, the restoration of the roundhouse has already begun," he said. "Those who took advantage of last Friday's
invitation to visit the building began to see it's more than just an ugly, abandoned eyesore and discovered the possibilities that
Kentville's yesterdays hold for tomorrow."
Voiced Concerns
Several other individuals and representatives of organizations voiced their concerns over the planned demolition during the public
comment period following the council meeting. They included Bria Stokesbury, representing the Kings Historical Society; Jim Snow,
representing the Nova Scotia Heritage Trust; Debra McNabb, representing the Nova Scotia Museum of Industry; transportation historian
Dan Conlin from the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic; and Sherri Turner of Steam Mill. Several of these individuals represent the
Roundhouse Action Group (RAG).
Stokesbury said that although they're disappointed there isn't enough funding available to keep the Kings County Museum operating
year-round, a symbiotic relationship could conceivably be built between the museum and the roundhouse.
McNabb said she hopes council will consider alternatives to demolishing the building and pointed out that people would travel halfway
around the world to view rail heritage.
Conlin said the building is well suited to adaptive uses and several architects say the building is sound. He drew attention to a 1998
development plan for downtown Kentville that states the roundhouse should be preserved.
Several speakers indicated there are potential funding sources available to restore the roundhouse. There were several pieces of
correspondence in the council agenda package from concerned individuals and organizations calling on council to reconsider the planned
demolition.
At the meeting, council heard an update from Erin Mason regarding the Kentville Community Development Committee, the group helping to
steer the redevelopment of the former CP Rail land. The committee has passed a motion supporting council's decision to demolish the
roundhouse, based on an engineer's report on the state of the building and the associated long-term costs of maintenance.
Council approved the demolition at the May session. The tender for demolition is set to close and the roundhouse could be demolished
as soon as early July.
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