Via trip duplicated
- Details
- Published on Sunday, December 28, 2014
By Jessie Bell
A highlight of Rivers Train Station Restoration Project meeting held in the RM of Daly council chamber was the printing of 1,500 Via Rail raffle tickets. The sale was advertised in last week’s Rivers Banner and will be aired on area radio stations; the draw date is June 11.
The winning ticket offers a free trip by rail, east or west, between June 2015 and June 2016. It is similar to the raffle held in 2009 when Dennis and Marlene Basso, former residents, held the lucky ticket. They chose a trip to Vancouver. Ticket holders can once again choose to take that route or the one to Toronto. The trip is valued at $4,000 and must begin in Rivers.
A Manitoba Heritage grant estimated between $5,000-$6,000 has been applied for to have a cairn affixed with a plaque, made for installation in the CN park west of the bunkhouse. It will mark the 100th anniversary of Rivers train station in 2017. On that celebration year, the historical mural puzzle pieces put on the boarded-over station windows in 2012, will be joined into one piece to form the complete mural.
Frank and Marlene Hayhurst are faithful committee members. While Frank is a willing worker for mechanical needs, Marlene has kept a thorough record of meetings, dating back to 2006 (she is not the secretary). The committee’s mission is to make the station a viable property for heritage, preservation and economic development. Its goal is to ensure the community has an opportunity to connect with the past, while creating a vision for the future. Her records date back to the movement of the Brandon North station to Rivers, when it was renamed the stationette.
The first and most immediate concern for the main station was to temporarily patch the roof to keep out the rain; this was done in 2013. The committee also insured the building and in early 2014, a long-term (more than 40 years) lease was signed with Via Rail. Marlene summarizes, “Via has cited Rivers as the only boarding station west of Portage la Prairie, into east Saskatchewan and between the north and south Manitoba borders.” Future restoration plans are being handled by an architectural firm in Winnipeg.
Repainting of the stationette and the caboose and rail car located in Millennium Park, are to be done in spring. Seven people attended the Nov. 25 meeting; the next one is slated for March.
