ATHABASCA – Now that the landscaping project at the Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) train station is mostly complete, the West Athabasca School may be next on the Athabasca Heritage Society’s radar for a possible restoration.
That’s what society chair Margaret Anderson told both the Town of Athabasca and County of Athabasca councils during their respective meetings on Feb. 21 and 23, where she presented both councils with the society’s 2022 annual report.
Though Anderson’s presentation at both meetings was brief, the report itself gave a few details about the scope of the landscaping project, which began in May and spanned the duration of several planting sessions. During that time, a number of perennials such as lilies and delphinium and also vegetables like tomatoes and pumpkins were planted.
The work was carried out mostly by volunteers, though contractors were brought in for some jobs, such as cleaning windows. The report indicated some painting on the north side and work on the second flight of stairs off the deck still needs to be done.
The report also outlined some of the events hosted at the train station in 2022, including a Canada Day art show and several flea markets.
“I really appreciate the support of the town as we’ve been working on that project. It’s been kind of a long-haul, and it’s nice to see it well-utilized,” Anderson said.
At the town council meeting, Coun. Ida Edwards asked Anderson if she could give an estimate of the number of volunteer hours that went into the project, Anderson said she didn’t have that off the top of her head, though such information was recorded as part of their reporting to the Alberta government, which was a condition of their grants.
Edwards encouraged her to put that information together, adding, "I think that’s worth noting and celebrating.”
Further on in the report, it’s noted the society volunteers completed a fundraising casino last June. Although they haven’t been meeting regularly following the completion of the landscaping project, Anderson indicated the society members have been talking about what they want to do next with the casino funding.
Anderson indicated she will be pushing for the restoration of the century-old West Athabasca School, which is located along 48th Street.
Since the train station has been the heritage society’s main focus, they haven’t been able to do much with the building besides use it for storage. However, she had recently read an article in the Athabasca Advocate about the town looking to generate some tax revenue from derelict properties.
She indicated it has a cement foundation and there is electricity in the building, but not water and sewer. However, plumbing could be hooked up and washrooms/kitchen facilities could be placed in the basement.
While she didn’t have a definite idea for what to do with the building, she envisioned a possible artist’s studio based on the location of the northside windows.
“My theory has always been that if you build it, they will come. So my hope is to get it started on that one this year and not have a derelict property right in the downtown core of Athabasca,” she said.
It is worth noting that the report to town council also came with a request for $1,000 to put up some signage around town, though the number of signs and locations were not specified.
Councillors at both meetings congratulated Anderson and the society for carrying out the landscaping project, which has been a long time in the planning.
At the Feb. 21 meeting, Coun. Sara Graling noted that such an undertaking cannot be understated “in a world where volunteers are in short supply and over-worked.”
“I think the work that you guys have done on the restoration of that building is impressive, and I just wanted to thank you,” added reeve Brian Hall on Feb. 23.
