Train station almost derailed |
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Ray Martin Plans for the restoration of the old Hespeler train station came close to being derailed at the committee of adjustment meeting last Wednesday. After months of organizing and preparing, the Hespeler Heritage Railway Station Association discovered that two different divisions of CN Rail are dealing with the Guelph Avenue property. "This caught us completely by surprise," said association spokesman Paul Langan. While the restoration group has been dealing for the better part of a year with one division of the property, anotherdivision offered a 50-foot strip of land - up to less than a foot from the station's front door - to an adjoining property owner. Langan argued against the severance application brought forward by the railway, and officials from CN have asked that the matter be deferred until the internal issue of how it wants to proceed is sorted out. Langan said he is hoping the deferral will give his group time to complete the leasing arrangements for the land on which the station stands. Once that has been achieved, the group will begin the fund-raising efforts to restore the 97-year-old station. It has been estimated the cost of restoration will be $300,000 to $450,000. |