Freeman Station refurbishment is coming along fine - it will need additional funding - which should come from the city.

News 100 blueBy Pepper Parr

October 5th, 2106

BURLINGTON, ON

 

It wasn’t that good a deal but it was the only deal on the table and the people running the Friends of Freeman Station (FoF) were afraid, perhaps, that the city would walk away from the table and the structure they wanted to save and rehabilitate would be gone for ever – so they took the deal.

Sitting on some "cribbing" with a sign badl in need of several coats of paint, the Freeman Station gets ready for its big move.

Sitting on some “cribbing” with a sign badly in need of several coats of paint, the Freeman Station gets ready for its big move.

The Friends of Freeman have spent $300,000 on moving the station the couple of hundred yards from where it was behind the fire station to a small piece of land next to the fire station.

They did get some money from the city – but it wasn’t “fresh money” it was money committed for one project and given to the FoF.

Freeman - close to final

The structure was moved about 100 yards and settled into the space so that a basement could be poured.

The first chunk of change was $20,000 the city had budgeted to get rid of the structure, given that FoF were about to save the building it was appropriate that they get those dollars; the second bit of cash was $25,000 that was contributed by the Molinaro Group as a Section 37 payment. These are sums that a developer gives the city under a section of the Planning Act, in exchange for additional height or density on a project.

Molinaro had agreed to pay the city $25,000 for additional density on their Strata high rise on Maple Avenue. Ward 2 Marianne Meed Ward managed to get the city to give the funds to the FoF.

There was about $8000 in a trust account that was also given to the FoF.

They have put every penny they raised in both cash and in kind to very good use. During the Open Doors event on Saturday they had counted 250 visitors and the afternoon as far from over.

Freeman - view from the south - volunteers needed

The outside of the structure is basically done – work on the inside is underway.

The structure is owned by the city, it sits on land that is leased from a corporation headquartered in Kentucky.

The 2.5 acre piece of land is landlocked – the only way to get a road to it is from the fire department parking lot.

The current lease is good until 2019 – at some point the land will have to be purchased. That lease is a Joint Venture situation where the FoF are on the lease on behalf of the city.

The mess with the proposed wave break at the LaSalle Park arena has made the city realize that their Joint Venture policy is in need of an upgrade.

What was basically scrap is being turned into a valuable building that will add to the history of the city. The value of the building will be upwards of half a million dollars – which goes on the city’s balance sheet.

The FoF have done a great job – but it isn’t over yet. They are going to need an additional $200,000 – and it should come from the city.

freeman-telephone-set-up

Early telephone with a headset.

The Mayor is reported to have told the FoF that when the need is needed – he will be there for them. Let us hope that he comes through for them – they deserve it.

During the Open Doors event the public got to see what is becoming an impressive collection of railway artifacts.  While taking some pictures one of the FoF volunteers mentioned that the delivery book would show what had come to Burlington from Eaton’s – and the high school student looked surprised and asked – What is Eaton’s?  We shuddered.

freeman-delivery-book

Every piece of freight -large and small was entered into a delivery book.

The collection is superb – but it does need some help in the way in the way it is being presented.   The creation of the way artifacts are displayed is now an art form.  Some of that expertise is going to be needed – but let’s get the structure completed.

The structure has a full basement that at some point will have a full blown model railroad set up.

At some point the FoF volunteers want to lay fifty yards or so of railway track and, with a gleam in their eyes they will tell you about the steam engine they really want to put on that railway track.  Given the success these people have had – expect to see an old steam engine on the property at some point.

telepgraph-key

Telegraph keys – used to send messages in Morse Code. That was the way messages were sent up and down the railway line before telephones were introduced.

The FoF have sought provincial and federal funds/grants but do not qualify for various reasons; one of which is that they don’t own the building.

Also some grants require that people wait for the funding to arrive before starting a project, and the FoF didn’t time – they had to move the building because the fire department needed the space.

All they could do was get on with their own fund raising – and they have come up with $300,000

The current board includes:

President: Brian Aasgaard

Vice-President: Ron Danielsen

Past-President: James Smith

Treasurer: Alan Harrington

Secretary: Reg Cooke

Chair, Restoration: John Mellow*

Director: George Curran

Director: Stan Dunham

Director: Gerry Sullivan

Director: Denny Williams

Director: Robert Lehto**

Director: Ken Brooks

Director: Ken Taylor*

* Co-chairs, Railway Memorabilia Acquisitions Committee

** Membership Chairman

Annual Meeting and Election of Directors takes place on October 12th, 2016, 7:00 PM in Room 247 City Hallgetting new - yellow

 

Return to the Front page
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

2 comments to Freeman Station refurbishment is coming along fine – it will need additional funding – which should come from the city.

  • hskinner

    “he will be there for them” Reading this article this morning…I nearly spit out my coffee as I clearly remember Goldring saying those very same words to the Beachway residents…in fact, it was in my living room. Now is he not only saying it again…he and council will use tax payers money. I am not against FoF but I am against the lies and lack of transparency! Welcome to Trump world!!

  • Robert Missen

    This is the first time I havd heard about this edifice. Where is it exactly? Is it somewhere around Plains Road east of Brant? Was that area called Freeman way back when? So happy that this group has saved this important part of our city’s heritage.