Humboldt could be getting a face lift but it will not come cheap.
A group of concerned citizens has brought to council troubling statistics on the level of decay of buildings that are older than 14-years-old.
Mayor Malcolm Eaton is all for the initiative saying that on an infrastructure side, this is a critical issue within the community.
“These buildings that are older than 14-years-old are decaying at an incredibly fast rate and we have to knock them down and rebuild them as fast as possible.”
The leader of the group of concerned citizens, who wishes to remain anonymous because of the sensitive nature of the issue says that parking needs are starting to outweigh the cultural and historical needs of the community.
“That is valuable parking space that is in the way of old buildings,” says the leader via phone interview. “What good is a downtown core when there is no where to park to get to it?”
Who can trust older buildings, asks the leader of the group. With new developments in architectural technology, newer buildings are structurally more sound, he says.
As usual, says Eaton, the mayor and council are right on the issue.
Cost wise, Eaton is hoping the provincial and federal government will help with the significant investment that is involved with this initiative.
Provincial election candidate and Humboldt/Watrous incumbent MLA, Donna Harpauer finds this proposal very troubling considering the costs of water and sewer infrastructure in Humboldt that is far older than 14-years-old that Humboldt needs upgraded as well.
“I hope they are not considering this to be their economic stimulus plan. I highly doubt that it would qualify for any Federal/Provincial funding,” says Harpauer.
Eaton says the government is used to dealing with old, decaying things anyway, so why should they not help out Humboldt on this matter.
However, there is significant push back from the historical community, including Humboldt and District Museum and Gallery Director, Jennifer Hoesgen.
“We would be appalled at anyone who consider taking down any building,” says Hoesgen, who also cites the 14 buildings that are over 90 years old that need protecting.
When it comes to the costs of renovating a building, Hoesgen says it is the greener alternative to renovate since you have less waste going into a landfill compared to tearing down the whole building.
Even though Hoesgen is going to fight this initiative, she does say the downtown would have a lot more museum room if the buildings were demolished.
Eaton is already thinking along those lines for what would replace the buildings and fill the open space, including, “pocket parks which can be used for displays, public art and outdoor theatre and also places for food trucks to park in various locations downtown,” he says.
Even with Humboldt losing a large part of its history, Eaton says they will work to keep the historical ambiance of the downtown core with their existing historical sites and live re-enactments of Humboldt’s historical moments.
See page 3 of the Apr. 1st East Central Trader for more information.
