The historic church building in Battleford will have the exterior restored, in order to avoid demolition. (file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Josh Ryan

Building saved

Battleford moves to partially restore old St. Vital Church

Aug 18, 2020 | 5:00 PM

The town of Battleford has come to a decision that will allow the partial restoration of the old St. Vital Church, saving it from demolition, while making sure it doesn’t remain unused.

The structure, which was originally constructed in 1883, needs substantial rehabilitation work, requiring a $500,000 investment to permit entry.

Because community members came forward in favour of saving the church from demolition and retaining its historic value, council decided to restore the building’s exterior, while keeping the inside inaccessible to the public. Mayor Ames Leslie thanked Finance Director David Gillan and adminstration for finding a solution, saying this is what council asked for in previous years, as opposed to initial thoughts of an all or nothing approach to the building.

“Nothing really came forth that was viable,” he said. “Either you spend lots of money or knock it down. So, pretty easy and quick decision to support this direction in trying to save St. Vital Church, or at least preserve [it] for the next few years to come.”

Thanks to an agreement between Gillan and SL Contractors, the capital investment of external rehabilitation will cost the town $50,000 to $60,000, roughly the same as the demolition estimate. After the rehab is complete, the town will further enhance the property through tables, benches and signage, all of which is estimated to cost between $5,000 to $10,000.

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“Retrofit the outside, secure the foundation and roof and bring it back up to a level where we can have a minimal investment, but use it as a tourist attraction,” Leslie said.

In order to further secure the building so that people cannot enter, council passed a motion to have plexiglass windows installed, which also avoids people having to stay back farther away from the building due to chain-link fences. This will be an additional cost to the project, but will reduce future repair bills. The restoration should last at least 25 years.

“Just to make sure we protect it from vandalism and any kind of security breaches,” Leslie said.

Council was also satisfied to find this solution given the struggles of tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for local contracts. Councillor Judy Pruden said it’s a big win.

“To make it as best we can so people can walk up to it, and see it, sit and read about it. It’s the best value for our dollars a worry and headache we will be glad that it’s past,” she said. “Tourism is a big thing for us, so we have to keep these little gems.”

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josh.ryan@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JoshRyanSports