20 September 2008
Can't Find a Buyer, Can't Tear it Down
Frederiction New Brunswick - Federal regulations won't
permit the demolition of the York Street train station, says a spokesperson for the building's owner J.D. Irving Ltd.
Nor has the company contemplated asking Ottawa for permission to tear it down, said Irving communications director Mary Keith.
"We are continuing to pursue and continuing to look for a viable commercial development that would help underwrite the costs of
the railway station," Keith said. "We're always hopeful."
The train station property was designated a heritage site by Parks Canada in 1991.
Fredericton Liberal MP Andy Scott in 2007 urged the federal government to lobby J.D. Irving to repair the building because there's
nothing in law to force the company to fix the building.
On the flip side, the company would have to ask for federal permission to tear down the structure, Scott said.
"They cannot sell, demolish, or renovate, without the approval of the federal government," Scott said in a 2007 interview.
Mayor Brad Woodside this week vented his displeasure with the deteriorating state of the structure, saying it's time to fix it up or
tear it down.
The edge of the building's roof-line is propped up by two-by-fours and Woodside said the building is becoming
an eyesore and embarrassment to the city.
The roof is in such poor shape, it's just not possible to patch it up temporarily, Keith said.
"There is no temporary solution. It has to be fully replaced. We've made a commitment to contribute a significant amount of the
materials for that, but the cost of it is well into the six figures," she said.
"The overall cost of restoring the station, we estimate to be around the $2-million mark."
The train station's corporate owner is seeking a viable commercial project that could generate the resources needed to restore the
train station, Keith said.
It has also talked with non-profit and community groups about the possibility of turning the building over for $1 and
letting a private entity pursue funding.
That restoration formula has worked for the McAdam train station and for some former train facilities in Prince Edward Island, but the
talks here haven't yielded a deal.
"That process has not proved successful to date," Keith said.
"We continue to work away to try to find a commercial development. We believe that's essential to underwrite the restoration costs
of the station."
Local heritage buff Peter Pacey said heritage designations are tricky and most don't have any teeth in law to prevent a property owner
from letting a heritage structure die of neglect.
"It's an old game. Let it run down so it becomes an eyesore," Pacey said.
Pacey worked with a trails group that was the predecessor of the Friends of the Train Station organization that has been trying to save
the structure.
"I don't blame Brad for saying what he's saying. It's been a long, hard struggle. Most of it is rotted out and whether it's worth
it to save it, is really a hard question to answer. You can't save everything," Pacey said.
"It's a matter of practical reality that we can't save everything... The heritage issues have to be balanced with financial
issues. I'm afraid to say that this one may be lost because it's gone too far."
Meantime, an industrial building most recently used as a bottle redemption centre, which sits on the same piece of
Irving-owned land as the train station, is being demolished.
Removing the building may increase the marketability of the land, Keith said.
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