Can train station be saved?

Ray Martin Times Staff A citizens' group hoping to rebuild the old Hespeler railway station will get a better idea of whether their goal is feasible Friday. Paul Langon, who heads the 240 member group hoping to save the Hespeler station, is in the midst of negotiating a deal with CN. The Hespeler Heritage Railway Association hopes to purchase the century old clapboard station for a loonie and then lease the land the station sits on from the railway. "Things have gone very slowly so far because this just isn't a priority for CN," Langon said. While negotiations could wrap up within the next 30 days, Langon hopes to get officials from C. A. Ventin Architects into the dilapidated building Friday to take a look at the structure and determine if it can actually be saved. "Before we can really go any further we have to get a real world assessment of the situation to see what can be done," Langon said. If the building can be saved, the group is looking at turning the former train station into a living museum and leasing the rest of the building. This past weekend a bowl-a-thon at Playfair Bowl raised $1,500 which will pay half of the legal fees to purchase the station.