23 September 2008
Council to Tackle Train Station Issue
Frederiction New Brunswick - City councillors will huddle
behind closed doors next Monday night to talk about what can be done with the decrepit York Street train station.
The city's planning and priorities committee has called the meeting to talk about the station's future.
Under a recent restructuring of the committee, all councillors can attend and vote at planning and priorities committee meetings.
"We're going to get a staff report on options and things that can possibly be done at this point by the city and/or the property
owners," said deputy mayor Tony Whalen.
"We're going to look at that information and make some decisions after we receive it."
A frustrated Mayor Brad Woodside said recently it's time to fix up the building or tear it down because it has become an embarrassment
and an eyesore in the capital city.
The railway station is on a piece of downtown land owned by J.D. Irving Ltd., which hopes to develop the former railway lands for
commercial ventures.
Several years ago, the company had a potential venture on the rails when CIBC was looking for property for its call centre. If that
project had come to reality, repairs to the train station would have been part of the plan.
But controversy over a mid-town walking trail caused CIBC to back away from the project and lease space from Kings Place
instead.
Since then, J.D. Irving has talked with community groups and non-profit organizations in hopes of finding the right deal
to relinquish the train station to a group that could access federal funding to repair it.
Those talks have been unsuccessful and the company says it can't justify spending the estimated $2 million needed to repair the
building.
Whalen said there are options available and city councillors will have them explained Monday night.
Coun. Stephen Chase said the company isn't correct in saying it can't tear down the building because of its Parks Canada heritage
designation.
Irving could petition the federal government for permission to demolish the structure. Chase said that would be his preference rather
than watching the building die slowly from neglect.
"They have an option and I really think they could have made it clearer to the public that they have that option. Rather than
saying, Ah shucks, you know we're doing the best that we can," Chase said.
"They clearly do have an option to either improve the premises or tear the premises down rather than let it fall down. I really
think it would be responsible on J.D. Irving's part to either improve the premises or remove it," the city councillor said.
But the city could also lobby federal authorities to amend national legislation that would allow for Ottawa to issue an enforced
repair, protection provision or to de-list the property if the owner fails to fulfil its responsibilities.
Even if Ottawa could be persuaded to change the law, he said, it would take too much time.
"By the time it came to pass, the building would probably be fallen in," Chase said.
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