And another article from the Calgary Sun (Herald article above)
http://www.calgarysun.com/2012/11/12/ca ... -bathroom#
Calgary aldermen want to flush plans to turn aging Eamon's Camp gas station into $1.4 million bathroom
By Dave Dormer ,Calgary Sun
First posted: Monday, November 12, 2012 05:46 PM MST | Updated: Monday, November 12, 2012 06:02 PM MST
Two Calgary aldermen want to flush a city administration plan that suggests turning the historic Eamon’s Camp building into a LRT loo.
One of several options in a report coming before the city’s transportation committee Wednesday calls for converting the shuttered northwest gas station into an Park and Ride bathroom, which would cost nearly $1 million more than already allocated to the facility.
In May, city council voted to spend $500,000 to move the historic building on Crowchild Tr. N.W. — a 1950s service station designed with a signature art deco sign — to a storage facility while officials figured out what to do with it.
Now committee members are facing a suite of options to keep it — ranging between $700,000 to $1 million — but it’s a tough sell for some.
“From my point of view, they’re not getting (any additional money), but that doesn’t mean other (committee members) won’t give it to them,” said Ald. Shane Keating.
“It’s a great old building, but that’s what it is, a great old building.”
In September, the city issued a request for prequalification, looking for someone in the private sector to buy and renovate the building — however, there were no takers.
Among the three options recommended are $900,000 to see the building renovated and returned to the Park and Ride site to be used as an automatic public toilet; the second, costing $1 million, calls for the building to be renovated and returned to market to be leased; and the third, costing $700,000, would be to renovate it and move it to another, city-owned location.
The report also includes options to permanently move the building in hopes of selling it at a cost of $280,000 or disposing of it altogether, which would cost between $20,000 and $50,000.
That the private sector balked when the facility was made available is reason enough not to invest more money, said Ald. Gord Lowe.
“The difficulty I have with the whole thing is the building itself was not seen to be of historical significance, it didn’t get designated,” he said.
“The sign didn’t get designated either, but it will be incorporated into the LRT station and that, to me, makes good sense — it gives a nod to Eamon’s Camp and preserves a bit of the heritage.
“If it was a good deal, somebody would have taken it ... but they didn’t, so it isn’t.”
Better planning was needed on the project from the outset, said Canadian Taxpayers Federation Alberta director Derek Fildebrandt.
“It’s going to stink, either way they do it now,” he said.
“No one wants to be responsible for demolishing a city landmark, especially after we’ve already shovelled a ton of money into keeping this thing in one piece — to demolish it now would be farcical.
“It’s a case of the city not having their ducks in a row.”
dave.dormer@sunmedia.ca
On Twitter: @SUNDaveDormer
COUNCIL OPTIONS FOR EAMON’S CAMP
• $1.4 million: Renovate and return the building and then return to market for lease of the building
• $1.5 million: City provides funding to renovate the building and then return it to the market for lease
• $1.2 million: Review other city-owned locations where the building could be relocated and renovated
* All above options include $500,000 already spend to relocated the building to a storage facility
• $280,000: Permanently remove building from the site to sell to a private buyer
• $20,000 to $50,000: Dispose of the building as originally planned in 2008