ST. PAUL - A piece of history could soon be making its way to St. Paul.
The Peoples' Museum Society of St. Paul and District have the opportunity to acquire the Willingdon Canadian Pacific Station Building from the Shandro Museum, heard Town of St. Paul council, during the Jan. 11 meeting.
"In order to accommodate the building, (the museum) will need to acquire more land a the south end of Lot 1, which is the lot they own and use for parking," explained CAO Kim Heyman. Two options were presented to council, with the second option being the preferred one for the museum, due to the direction the entrance of the new building would face when positioned on the land.
"This project will cost the museum about $135,000 and they will be applying for a grant to cover those costs," said Heyman. "This building will likely be quite an attraction for the museum."
Bringing the building to the site will reduce the amount of space available for parking during the rodeo by a small amount. The area around the museum is often used to park stock trailers during the long weekend in September when the Lakeland Rodeo Association Finals are held at the nearby Clancy Richard Arena.
A fence will be added to the museum area, to incorporate the building into the site.
According to a letter from the museum, the organization was approached in the fall of 2020 to acquire the Willingdon Canadian Pacific Station due to the Shandro Museum closing down.
"Without the railway system opening up the west, St. Paul, Alberta, may not have become a popular immigration destination. It would be nice if we could acquire this building to preserve the history of the rail industry in Canada and the impact it had on the west," reads the letter, signed by Clem Fontaine, museum president.
While the museum requested a long-term lease for the small portion of land that is needed to accommodate the building, Heyman recommended giving the land to the museum, due to liability reasons.
A motion to proceed with the recommended option, as presented by administration, was made by Coun. Gary Ward. The motion is conditional on the museum getting a grant in place to complete the project.
Questions about the amount of space for vehicles to go in and out of the area were asked, but Director of Public Works Steven Jeffery said he felt there would still be enough room for trailers to come and go as needed.
A number of councillors expressed that they would like to see a 10-year plan put together by the museum, before any other buildings are brought onto the property.
Mayor Maureen Miller agreed, saying the museum could miss an opportunity if there is no long-term plan.
The motion to proceed with giving the museum the land needed to bring the Willingdon Canadian Pacific Station to St. Paul was approved. The museum will also be encouraged to create a long-term plan.
