Courtenay - Courtenay Rotary heard last week its proposal to replace the roof of the Courtenay Train Station has been approved.
 
According to Courtenay Rotary's Art Meyers, the roof will be made of metal shingles, which should last at least 50 years, and will be the same colour as the wooden shingles currently on the station.
 
Courtenay Rotary announced its intention to re-do the roof back in March, and Meyers noted the club already had the money to do the job.
 
However, he said the metal shingles had to be approved by Heritage Canada before Rotary could move ahead with the job.
 
"The approvals are in place all round now, so we're just getting the actual contractor and we're going forward," Meyers said last week, adding this roofing job will not be done by Rotarians as it would be dangerous.
 
"You won't see any Rotarians up there, that's the main thing."
 
The Courtenay Train Station has been leaking for years, according to stationmaster Wayne Murphy, who noted water-damaged areas upstairs and on the main floor of the building during an early-February tour of the station.
 
He estimated the roof had been leaking for the past five or six years, and the damage was visible in numerous places on the ceilings, including one spot where light was visible through a hole.
 
Island Corridor Foundation owns the building and Courtenay Rotary hopped on board to help with upgrades.
 
Meyers notes Rotary plans to fix up the station's outside deck, which he says is in disrepair, plus it plans to repaint the building exterior with the same hue of red used when the station was first built nearly 100 years ago.
 
Built in 1914, the station was given heritage status by the City of Courtenay in 2002, and a centennial celebration is expected next year.
 
Part of the Rotary Trail already extends past the Courtenay Train Station, and a beautification project in the area is planned by the City of Courtenay.
 
Meanwhile, Island Corridor Foundation is still working to restore passenger service on the Island.
 
Author unknown.