Related
The historic downtown Fredericton train station is being turned into a new NB Liquor store.
(CBC)The flagship NB Liquor store slated for the historic Fredericton train station is running behind schedule.
The store was slated to be open by the end of August, but the opening of the former CP station has now been pushed back till December. Fredericton's Bird Construction will begin the work this week.
J.D. Irving Ltd., the company that owns the property, says that the renovations have to be approved federally, which has taken longer than expected.
Irving spokesman Geoff Britt noted that Irving-owned Commercial Properties Limited has experience with a similar restoration at CentreBeam Place in uptown Saint John.
"There's time associated with these steps and with heritage projects and that's what's been occurring," he said.
The former train station, which has been a dilapidated eyesore on the city's south side for years, is to be used for wine tastings and special events. An addition to the back of the station will house a standard liquor store. Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside said the delay is frustrating, but no big deal.
A graphic illustration of what the new NB Liquor store will look like, incorporating the historic Fredericton train station.
(Province of New Brunswick)"We've been waiting for a long time, and a little bit longer is not going to hurt us," he said. "But that train station is going to be brought back, it's going to be beautiful, and everyone's going to live happily ever after."
Controversy about the future of the historic site had raged for years, until a 20-year lease arrangement was struck between J.D. Irving Ltd. and NB Liquor in September 2009.
J.D. Irving has estimated it will spend more than $2-million fixing the station.
The Canadian Pacific Railway built the station in 1923 and J.D. Irving Ltd. acquired it when the company bought the rail lines east of Montreal in 1995.
Since then, the station has been deteriorating, even though Parks Canada’s Historic Sites and Monuments Board designated it as a heritage site in 1991.
Share Tools
Latest New Brunswick News Headlines
- 'Unauthorized' pension change to be reversed
- Saint John's outgoing deputy mayor says an "unauthorized change" to the city's pension plan that would have benefitted the city's top earners if they retired early will be reversed. more »
- Fredericton invites citizens to weigh-in on new bylaw
- The City of Fredericton is inviting citizens to have their say on the municipality's new zoning bylaw. more »
- Workers' EI history to affect claim under new rules
- Human Resources Minister Diane Finley has announced details about the government's planned changes to employment insurance that would tighten the rules for Canadians collecting the benefit. more »
- 8 views on EI changes: 'political football' or 'eHarmony'?
- Human Resources Minister Diane Finley released more details of the government's plans for reforming employment insurance Thursday. Here's a sample of the reaction. more »
Top News Headlines
- Quebec faces mounting pressure amid student crisis
- The morning after nearly 700 people were arrested in protests in Montreal and Quebec City, Jean Charest announced he has replaced his top aide with his former right-hand man. more »
- Reclaiming the dead on Mt. Everest
- The difficulty, danger and expense of removing the bodies of climbers who died in Mount Everest's "death zone" mean most of the dead remain on the mountain as a stark reminder to other climbers of the risks. more »
- Conservatives move again to have robocalls suits tossed
- The Conservative Party has filed a second motion to dismiss the robocalls lawsuits filed by the left-leaning Council of Canadians, calling council chairperson Maude Barlow a 'virulent critic' of Prime Minister Stephen Harper who has 'orchestrated' the litigation. more »
- Suspect arrested in decades old N.Y. missing boy case
- A man has been arrested in the 1979 disappearance of a six-year-old New York City boy, in the first arrest ever made in a case that helped give rise to the nation's missing-children movement. more »
- Man dies after assault at house party
- 'Unauthorized' pension change to be reversed
- Workers' EI history to affect claim under new rules
- 300 litres of heavy water spilled at Point Lepreau
- Saint John managers ‘duped’ council, says deputy mayor
- Scrap metal plant sparks noise complaints
- Moose on the loose shot in Fredericton
- Food safety course necessary, trainer says
- Plastic bag fees should be legislated, council says
