BEAUMONT BUZZ - Seeking Support of Town Council

Here's an update on how the new Beaumont & District Heritage Society is doing. Right now we are preparing to make a presentation to Town Council at their next official meeting on Tuesday, February 8th, 2011 at 7 p.m. in council chambers. I say that just in case you might like to be there to show your support.

We are a registered delegation so we will be speaking somewhere at the beginning of the meeting. This is the only time that members of the public can speak to council. It is our intention to ask that the town officially agrees to collaborate with our society to save the home of Marie St. Jacques from demolition. We would like to use this home for a creative year-round program that promotes and shares the town's French heritage and flair, as referred to in the Town Strategic Plan for 2010-2015.

In order for this to happen we would like the town to donate a portion of park land that we can move the home onto. The developer is willing to give us the house for free but only if we move it. We are asking members of the public to consider writing and/or signing letters of support and delivering them to the town office.

If council chooses to become an official partner with the society our next task will be fundraising. We estimate that the cost of arranging for utilities to be connected to the home could be as much as $25,000 and it will cost another $25,000 to build a full basement. Moving the home will run between $20 to $25,000. So we may as well set our goal at raising $100,000. We have less than a year to do that.

A number of years ago the former historical society tried to purchase/save the Napoleon Berube home, across the street from St. Vital Church. They had raised about $100,000, I suspect through provincial grant money, but it was not enough to buy the home. The new owner of the property offered to give the home to the society for free if they could find a place to move it. They were unsuccessful, the home was destroyed and the grant money was gone.

In 2005 the town was hoping to built an amphitheater in Four Seasons park for a centennial project. The town and province had agreed to pay a total of $450,000 to build it but unfortunately the tenders for the construction came in significantly higher and so the project was abandoned. Once again the grant money was not used.

Perhaps this third attempt will be more successful. If anyone is interested in writing a letter to council showing your support we encourage you to do so. It should be handed in to the town office by Wednesday, February 2nd so that we can be sure it will be included in the agenda.

Who knows, if all goes well we may have something historical to celebrate in the year 2012 - the hundredth birthday of the oldest building still standing in Beaumont. The Marie St. Jacques House.