May 30, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: KENTVILLE RUSHING TO DEMOLISH HERITAGE
BUILDING
THE LAST RAILWAY ROUNDHOUSE IN NOVA SCOTIA IS ON A FAST-TRACK TO
DEMOLITION TO SWEETEN A LAND DEAL, KENTVILLE MAYOR DAVID CORKUM TOLD
A GROUP OF CONCERNED CITIZENS MONDAY NIGHT.
SHANNEX, A NOVA SCOTIA BASED SENIORS COMPLEX CONSORTIUM, HAS AN
OPTION TO DEVELOP ALL THE REMAINING DOMINION ATLANTIC RAILWAY LAND.
CORKUM TOLD THE GROUP THE DEVELOPER WILL WALK AWAY FROM KENTVILLE IF
THE HISTORIC BUILDING REMAINS.
THE TOWN HAS ALREADY SPENT MORE THAN HALF-A-MILLION DOLLARS ON
ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP OF THE FLOODPLAIN, AND WILL SPEND UP TO AN
ADDITIONAL HALF-A-MILLION DOLLARS TO DEMOLISH THE HISTORIC LANDMARK
AND CLEAN UP CONTAMINATION BEFORE HANDING THE LAND TO DEVELOPERS.
TRANSPORTATION HISTORIAN, DAN CONLIN, QUESTIONED THE TOWN'S
EXPENDITURE FOR PRIVATE DEVELOPERS WITHOUT FIRST CONSULTING
TAXPAYERS AND COMMUNITY GROUPS INTERESTED IN SAVING THE ROUNDHOUSE.
HE SAID FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL HERITAGE GROUPS AND LOCAL CITIZENS
ARE PREPARED TO EXPLORE OPTIONS TO CREATE A HERITAGE AND CULTURAL
CENTRE. CORKUM WOULD NOT COMMIT TO REVIEWING A PROPOSAL, INDICATING
THE TENDER FOR DEMOLITION CLOSES IN TWO WEEKS.
THE KENTVILLE MAYOR SAID DEVELOPMENT OUTWEIGHS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF
THE RAILROAD. HE ALSO REJECTED CLAIMS THE SENIORS COMPLEX WOULD
STRAIN ALREADY LIMITED HEALTHCARE AND SKILLED LABOUR IN THE VALLEY.
HE SAID THAT ALTHOUGH HE THINKS THE ROUNDHOUSE IS UGLY, KENTVILLE
TOWN COUNCIL FEELS BAD ABOUT DEMOLISHING IT.
AT ONE TIME, THE RAILROAD EMPLOYED ONE-THIRD OF THE TOWN'S
POPULATION AND HELPED BUILD THE AGRICULTURE AND TOURISM INDUSTRIES
IN THE VALLEY. THE APPLE BLOSSOM FESTIVAL, WHICH KICKS OFF THIS
WEEKEND, WAS CREATED IN PART BY THE RAILROAD.
AN ENGINEER'S REPORT, PAID FOR BY THE TOWN, INDICATES RESTORATION IS
AN OPTION FOR THE BUILDING.
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BACKGROUND - COUNCIL HELD NO PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON THIS. A LOCAL
NEWSPAPER REPORTER JUST CAUGHT THE DECISION AND PUBLISHED AN ARTICLE
LAST WEEK, OTHERWISE NO PUBLIC NOTICE OF DEMOLITION WOULD HAVE
OCCURRED. CITIZENS, INDUSTRIAL. HERITAGE AND RAILWAY GROUPS ARE
SCRAMBLING TO FIND A SOLUTION. THE TENDER FOR DEMOLITION CLOSES IN
TWO WEEKS. KENTVILLE DEMOLISHED ITS RAILROAD STATION IN A SIMILAR
MANNER YEARS AGO. THERE IS ANOTHER DEVELOPER ALREADY BUILDING A
SENIORS COMPLEX ON THE DAR LANDS. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF A HOTEL
WITH THE SHANNEX GROUP - ESTIMATED DEVELOPMENT ACCORDING TO THE
MAYOR OF $10 MILLION. THE RESTORATION OF THE ROUNDHOUSE WOULD BE IN
AROUND $1-MILLION. IN MINUTES FROM ITS APRIL 30 MEETING POSTED ON
ITS WEB SITE, THE TOWN MUST ALSO BUILD A BERM TO TRY AND AVOID
FUTURE FLOODING, AS THE LAND IS A FLOODPLAIN ALONG THE CORNWALLIS
RIVER. TOWN MINUTES INDICATES A PAVED ROAD IS THE PLAN FOR THE
ROUNDHOUSE LOCATION.
Update: Public appeals to Council are planned for its June 13
meeting, but the tender to demolish it close on June 15 and the Town
says its not interested in funding to restore the building or
revitalize the Town. It plans to pave it.
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For more information contact:
Contacts:
Kentville Mayor David Corkum (town office 679-2500, home 678-9125)
(679-1122 Century 21 Real Estate, his private business)
Shannex Head Office 454-7499 (Joseph P. Shannon President, Owner
home number 625-0668)
Transportation Historian Dan Conlin 424-6442, OR 492-9939
(transportation history)
JP Underwood, President Nova Scotia Railway Heritage Association 883-
9673 (railway history, lobbying)
Brian Stokesbury, Kings Historical Society, curator 678-6273 (Kings
County history)
Sherri Turner, assisting with PR, 692-0137
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Resources:
Nova Scotia Railway Heritage Association lists attractions along the
Evangeline Trail
http://www.novascotiarailwayheritage.com/evangeline.htm Former DAR
railway station serves as a library in Wolfville.
Roundhouse in Vancouver now a $9-million arts, culture and
recreation facility http://www.roundhouse.ca virtual tours to show
the potential for Kentville.
Roundhouse in Frankfurt groups fighting to save
http://www.rockinfortheroundhouse.com/contactUs.asp
http://www.town.kentville.ns.ca - CAC minutes of April 30, 2007
