Renfrew Ontario - Led by community volunteers, a small committee has formed with the goal of restoring Renfrew's Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) caboose before town council decides to have the faded relic either moved from Howard K. Haramis Park, or sold for scrap metal.
 
During a recent town council meeting, Kevin Hill, the town's director of recreation, presented a report outlining varying options for the caboose.
 
It has been locked up for a few years, and is in need of a giant facelift, including sandblasting suspected lead paint off the structure, repairing the roof that has fallen in due to water damage, and other upgrades to meet current municipal accessibility standards.
 
Those repairs could cost more than $600,000.
 
Although it appeared council was going to vote in favour of removing the iconic caboose at its meeting Tuesday, 11 May 2021, a last minute appeal by Councillor Sandi Heins to hold off until July was accepted by her fellow council members.
 
As a former mayor of Renfrew (1998-2010), and a close friend of the late Howard "Howie" Haramis, after whom the park is named, Heins is hoping a solution can be found.
 
It appears her message was heard loud and clear by Barry Breen, Doug, Gladys Sidock and some other residents who have come together to to try and save the beloved caboose.
 
"This caboose is as much a part of Renfrew's history as the water tower and the swinging bridge. Howie got this caboose back in 1993, and along with the council of the day, they worked hard to bring this caboose to Renfrew. That was the thing about Howie. When he set out to get something done, it was done. He and the council recognized that a caboose was a link to the town's history, and they made sure to get it here and celebrate our history," Breen said.
 
Breen said the Sidocks and other volunteers spent a lot of time maintaining more than just the caboose when it was open to the public.
 
"Look at the shrubs, plants, and greenery, and that is maintained by Gladys and her group, and a lot that just goes unnoticed and it shouldn't," Breen added.
 
Doug Sidock echoed Breen's perspective on the historical significance of the caboose.
 
"It goes back to our history and M.J. O'Brien, one of the founders of Renfrew, was largely responsible for bringing the railway to Renfrew back in the 19th century. Yes, the caboose is in rough shape in places, but the structure is still sound," he said.
 
All the volunteer committee members agree the caboose needs upgrades, but they scoff at the prices brought forward to council.
 
They question the need to sandblast the entire caboose, since only one end of the structure is rusted, and they don't believe a new roof is needed, rather a solid patch job would suffice.
 
"If a group of volunteers were permitted by council to work on the caboose, we could cut tens-of-thousands of dollars, and it would be a town project. Generations of children have come to the caboose, and they learned about trains and the history of the area," Gladys Sidock said.
 
"I have called on several local business owners about donating to a fund to restore the caboose and not one has had a negative comment about the need to keep it. The first day I talked to them I had an offer of $500 just like that to put towards a fund. We don't need to pay somebody hundreds-of-thousands of dollars to restore it. We have the volunteers willing to do the work, and it is an insult to the memory of Howie to just let this park fall by the wayside," Breen added.
 
It is not just the ad-hoc committee members who are concerned with the status.
 
Flo Laprade and a group of ladies come to Haramis Park every day and said it is not just local residents who are concerned about the future of the caboose.
 
"This is our heritage, and a group of us come here every day and sit under the gazebo for coffee whether it is summer or winter, and I can tell you this caboose is very popular. It is a shame the way they have let this caboose get in such bad shape. It attracts both locals and visitors. Almost every day we are here the area has people stopping to eat their lunch, or we see kids jumping out of the car to run to the caboose and several photos are taken. It would be a shame to see it taken away," Laprade said.
 
Breen said the time to act is now, and to organize residents in order to convince council at its July meeting the caboose is worth saving.
 
They have even suggested, if it is a case of liability and accessibility, then just leave it locked up, but allow the committee to do the exterior work to make it attractive again.
 
"To suddenly remove it away from the park that Howie worked so hard to establish is an insult to the man who did so much for Renfrew, and that would just be a shame," Breen said.
 
Bruce McIntyre.