10 December 2005
CPR Station Saved
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Minnedosa - Canadian Pacific Railway has bestowed a massive and much appreciated Christmas
gift upon a group of Minnedosa residents who have fought to preserve the town's aging CPR station.
This spring, the group will get ownership of the station, CPR spokesperson Ed Greenberg announced yesterday as the annual CPR Holiday
Train thundered into Minnedosa and stopped near the station.
"We're extremely pleased we could find a solution that will see the CPR station remain with the community," Greenberg said.
"We have to continue to finalize details of the transfer, but we're at the stage where we can say we've come to a collaborative
solution."
The deal, which was finalized just hours before the announcement was made, will give ownership of the station to the Save Our Station
committee for a single dollar.
The transfer can only occur after the committee has been incorporated as a non-profit organization, which will take place
in March 2006.
"It's not really a delay," said Bob Mummery, who chairs the 17-person committee.
"But we weren't going to be able to make any renovations until spring anyway. Now they're just waiting for us to get all our legal
ducks in a row."
The station - which sits in the heart of the community - was built in 1910.
The rail line outside the station is still active, but the building has been empty for nearly a decade. Vandals and neglect have taken
a toll.
With the transfer, the committee now will focus its energies on fundraising for repair work. So far, it has raised more than $14,000.
"We'll do the roof and window renovations first and then proceed with interior of the building at a later time," Mummery said.
In 2003, Mummery and others urged the town's council to consider buying the station from CPR in order to restore the building and
preserve its heritage. The station was designated a heritage railway station by the federal government in 1992, and then as a municipal
heritage site by the Town of Minnedosa in 2001.
But council later decided against purchasing the station, despite significant local support for the project.
Whether CPR will add any funds to the renovation work is still under negotiation, but Mummery is confident the company will come
through.
"They always do," he said. "They have a good record in being historically sensitive. They've saved a number of stations
in Virden, Portage, and Carman."
Nearly 1,000 Minnedosa residents came out to hear the announcement and donate money to the Holiday Train. Mummery said the announcement
received a standing ovation from the crowd.
"It was very heartening. We've lost so many heritage buildings. It was time to put our foot down and save this one. The historical
connections go back to the very beginning of the community.
"Some part of that history had to be saved."
Meanwhile, the CPR station on Pacific Avenue in Brandon remains for sale.
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