Town looking to remove heritage designation for St. Vital Church

Mayor Leslie said the original deadline for someone or a group to come forward with a plan to save the old St. Vital Church was at the beginning of January, but the deadline was extended to March 6.

“We did have a couple groups come forward and take on the challenge to try and put forth a plan and raise some money, or find some stakeholders willing to invest in this long term, and team up with the town to try and save the St. Vital Church,” he said.

But Leslie said the group pulled out early last week after fundraising did not meet the minimal $50,000 required to preserve the structure or begin to restore it.

The project would also cost up to $250,000 to make the building fit for use. It would cost up to another $200,000 to have the building restored. A full restoration would be about $500,000, according to an engineering firm’s estimate in administration’s report.

“The ability to find the money to save this church is just not there,” the mayor said. “This group tried very diligently. It had a very strong contingent of trades people willing to put in the time to help do what work was needed within the St. Vital Church [but] was not able to find the monetary means to pay for all the things that needed to be done.”

Leslie said there are about 30 days for somebody else to come forward and try to find a way to save this building before council’s second meeting in April.

“I think it would be fair to ask each councillor or some other councillors is what they are hearing from the public,” he said.

Leslie said councillors told him “nobody wants to see the [old] St. Vital Church go away but nobody wants their tax dollars to pay for it.”

“While there is a contingent of people who wish the town would spend the money and save it, council has had a really tough decision trying to balance those who are for it and those who are against it,” Leslie said. “So far those who are against spending the money have been speaking louder than those speaking for it.”

The mayor said the town can meet with its structural engineers to see how much of the contents of the church can be preserved.

“Some of the asks I have received from the general public [include:] ‘I would love to take home a pew,’ [or] ‘I grew up in that church’ or ‘my grandparents used that church. So having a pew or having some memorabilia, artifacts from within that church they would be interested in that,” Leslie said.

He said councillors need to discuss what they will do with the building and the artifacts.

“Thirty days is not a long time,” Leslie said. “But maybe somebody can come forth.”

The mayor mentioned Coun. Shelley Boutin-Gervais’s comments during council.

“She is dreaming of somebody winning the lottery and coming forth and saving this building,” he said. “That may happen; it’s a long shot. But I think council is going to have those discussions over the next 30 days and have that tough discussion the second meeting in April.”

CAO John Enns-Wind said in his report the building has severe water damage and as a result the structure is very weak in sections of the roof, ceiling and floor. The floor of the building is sloping and the footings have sunk. There is also asbestos in the building, among the problems.

He stated the cost of razing the building is budgeted at around $50,000.

In his recommendation, Enns-Wind proposed a budget for 2021 be put forward to develop the old St. Vital Church site as a tourist attraction to commemorate the old church.

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow

by Angela Brown

Town looking to remove heritage designation for St. Vital Church

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