By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON December 5, 2012 The Friends of Freeman Station will be meeting Thursday evening in Annual General Meeting (AGM) mode.
This not for profit organization has taken on a project that now involves finding the money to move a 1906 era train station onto a site where they can re-build and refurbish the structure and then, at some later date, move it to where it should have been ten years ago.
She’s not looking her best right now. But once she’s moved – the work on cleaning her up begins. You can be part of that process.
In the past three years all Burlington city council has been able to do is embarrass itself time and again until a citizen’s committee was formed to do what had to be done.
While all this was going on another part of the city was “engaged” in creating an engagement charter for the city. If what FOFS is doing isn’t engagement – then the word needs to be re-defined.
It will eventually look this good – but time, hard work and money are going to be needed to make it happen. Get involved.
This week the FOFS will go into what Catholics call a “conclave”; that assembly of cardinals for the election of a pope. Out of this we may see a Pope Irwin – perhaps? FOFS is about to become a serious organization with a major construction project on their hands and they need to firm up the board; thus the AGM and the need to select leaders.
While there is a full Board in place now, there are some that will leave and others who may want to extend their stay. About half the board has to be “refurbished” and elected to a two year term this time so that going forward the Board will have people leaving the Board each year with new people coming in.
Having people come forward for election is not as organized as it is in “conclaves” but the FOFS have a back-up plan. While they don’t use the language I have chosen, what they do have amounts to a Press Gang – and no that isn’t a collection of journalists having a wet one while they figure out how they want to slant the news they write.
You can buy a T shirt and show your support.
The Friends of Freeman Station will convene for their Annual General meeting on Thursday, Dec. 6th, 2012, at 6:30 pm at Burlington City Hall. Five positions on the board will be elected.
The new board will be responsible for the move of the Freeman Station structure to its new home on the Ashland Corporation site on Fairview St.; urgent conservation and preservation work to preserve this exemplary 1906 heritage building; and fund-raising, interpretation, and community programming initiatives.
The Freeman Station, also known as the Burlington Junction or Burlington West passenger station, is an important example of Grand Trunk Railway architecture of the early 20th century, and as such an important part of Burlington’s history – and Canada’s.
