After a series of negotiations with a potential buyer from Camrose, the Town of Athabasca's council has approved the renovation and sale of its old caboose with some conditions.
After a series of negotiations with a potential buyer from Camrose, the Town of Athabasca's council has approved the renovation and sale of its old caboose with some conditions.
The out-of-service railroad car - which currently sits near the old train station - is set to be restored over four years by the interested party. That individual will have the option of selling the caboose two years afterward, with the town getting first dibs on purchasing it.
Town council has voted to wait two months before signing a contract, allowing time for residents to bring forward concerns.
ìI feel this agreement is beneficial for the caboose, î said Mayor Roger Morrill. ìHowever, I think the merits of letting the community respond - giving them time to respond - would be correct procedure at this point. î
The caboose was given to the Town of Athabasca from Edmonton CN in 1985, when it was opened up as a tourism information centre.
ìIt opened when the train station was the senior's centre, î said Marilyn Mol, archivist at the Athabasca Archives. ì(The tourism information centre) was run by the Chamber of Commerce, and the seniors volunteered to be the tourism co-ordinators. î
Fifteen years later, it was moved to the west side of the campground - still an information centre - until Alberta Transportation moved the highway.
ìThe campground was taken out and (the caboose) was moved to beside the train station in 2010 or so, î Mol continued. ì(That) was when it stopped being the tourism information and it just became a derelict caboose beside the train station. After that, the train station started being used for tourist information. î
A private individual approached the Town of Athabasca in June 2015, asking to buy and refurbish the caboose. At the time, the plan was to move it away from the community. Upon further negotiations, they agreed to keep it in the community for six years - with four of those years devoted to fixing it up.
ìIt is an extensive operation. There is asbestos remediation that's very costly process. We originally had it at three years, î said the town's chief administrative officer Josh Pyrcz. ì(But) at this time, given the amount of work that needs to be done and the costs associated with it, we believed that four years was a fair compromise. î
This, though, was a problem for several of the councillors.
ìMy only concern with this agreement is it's only allowing the caboose to be here for six years, and after six years it could be taken from the town, î said Coun. Shelly Gurba. ìIf it's going to take four years for it to be brought back to its final form, then we only get to see it for two years. î
That said, there was no one around the table that argued against something being done before there was nothing left of the caboose.
ìThis caboose has sat neglected for as long as I can remember, î said Coun. Tanu Tyszka-Evans. ìAfter six years of sitting here, I don't think there's going to be much of a caboose left if we don't accept. î
Gurba added, ìI would like to see it get restored as soon as possible, because I do think that the longer it sits, the more it's going to deteriorate. î
In the end, they decided to ask the buyer to give them first rights on the caboose if it goes to sale at the end of the six-year period. They'll also wait two months before fully signing the contract to give the community some time to respond.
ìI agree with Mayor Morrill that we should give the community a chance to come up with their own ideas to avoid another steam tractor incident, î said Tyszka-Evans. ìBut, if they don't, I have no trouble with this agreement. î
If no one comes forward - from either an interested organization or individual with a solid business plan - after the time is up, the purchase will go through.
ìThe deal has been in limbo for some time, î said Pyrcz. ìTo put it in limbo again for two months and to have another discussion about whether or not we want to move forward, I don't know if that's fair to the transferee. î
