Plans to tear down an old train station at Souris, Man., may get derailed by efforts to save the building for its heritage value.
Two Brandon men want to salvage lumber from the CP Rail station to build themselves new homes. Eric Dowsett and Gareth Boys bought the 87-year-old building last fall for $6,000.
On July 20, Souris town council approved a demolition permit. However, the Manitoba Heritage Federation has thrown its support behind efforts to save the station.
“We’re very serious,” said the federation’s president, Don Fyk. “We’re willing to go to bat on this one.”
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Earlier in the month, Dowsett and Boys said they were willing to sell the station for $200,000. That would compensate them for the value of materials they planned to salvage from the building, he said.
However, the owners appeared ready to lower their price last week. The heritage federation was attempting to arrange a charitable tax receipt in return for the train station. That receipt would give Dowsett and Boys a hefty tax deduction in exchange for donating the building.
“We would be willing to issue a tax receipt,” said Fyk. “However, we need to get the building appraised.”
The heritage federation has hired a consultant to do the appraisal, which may take a few days. “This is a very prestigious Class One rail station,” Fyk said. “When it’s gone, it’s gone forever.”
The demolition permit gives Dowsett and Boys until Dec. 31, 1999, to have the train station torn down and the site cleared. Boys has postponed the demolition until July 31.
“We’re trying to accommodate them,” Boys said. “They want to do an assessment of the building and we’ve given them a few more days to do that.”
The Souris Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee is rallying support to save the station. Petitions are being circulated in Souris and area. Fyk said the heritage federation is willing to use a court injunction if necessary to save the building.
As well, the federation will ask the province to designate the station a provincial heritage site.
At the outset, buying the station appeared to be a straightforward proposition for Dowsett and Boys. However, that has all changed, said Boys, due to the unforeseen turn of events.
“Now we have to think about another deal to keep peace in the family, so to speak.”
