By Joni MacFarlane
Editor, Crowsnest Pass Promoter
An application to demolish parts of the historic Coleman Collieries plant has been made, prompting a discussion on the historical value of the site.
Heritage advocate, Fred Bradley, appeared before council on April 2 to raise awareness of the potential demolition and its impact.
The Coleman Collieries site, along with parts of the town of Coleman and west Coleman, were designated as a National Historic Site in 2007 by Parks Canada. The designation places no restrictions on private property and the Historic Sites and Monuments Act doesn’t allow for any protection of historic sites when they’re in private hands.
In 1998 Luscar became the owner of the Coleman Collieries when it acquired the assets of Manalta Coal Ltd. Coal Valley Resources Inc. (CVRI), which was part of Sherritt International Corporation, then acquired Luscar in 2001.
CVRI prepared an extensive report including photographs and interviews in relation to the site, for a required historical impact assessment. Reclamation work was approved and completed in 2010. In an agreement with CVRI, Green Mountain Properties bought the property once the work was done.
In 2007, the land was rezoned from non-urban to residential.
Bradley told council that public consultation held in 2006 strongly supported maintaining a heritage option for the property.
A salvage company has now applied for demolition of the tipple and raw coal bins.
Director of Finance and Corporate Systems, Marion Vanoni, confirmed that once a permit application has been made and paid for, the demolition is allowed to go ahead.
Bradley said this demolition could impact the National Historic Site designation and the municipality’s historical downtown overlay project.
“Crowsnest Pass has more history than we can afford,” he said. “But our history is also the nation’s and it’s also the province’s history. Should we alone have to bear the impact of maintaining that very important history and those historical resources for the benefit, not only of our own local community but also for our country and our province?”
It was agreed the municipality would research its jurisdiction in the matter and work with Green Mountain to determine their plans for the site. Council also agreed to review previous council’s rationale in support of the decommissioning in 2009.