Culture minister says no to power plant demolition
City balks at upgrade costs at heritage site
Alberta Culture Minister Heather Klimchuk said Friday she has no intention of removing provincial historic designation so the city can demolish the former Rossdale power plant.
City council members, including Mayor Stephen Mandel, have balked at the estimated $70 million it will cost to stabilize the huge structure and upgrade it for tenants, but Klimchuk said they should work out a plan with other groups.
“Respecting the challenges the City of Edmonton has with financing, it’s a really good opportunity to let the community lead the charge and see what they come up with,” Klimchuk said.
“I’m not prepared to take off that historical designation … We take this very seriously.”
Epcor has been negotiating for months to hand over ownership to the city of a 1.8-hectare slice of its Rossdale land that includes the old power plant and two pumping stations, but the deal hasn’t been completed.
A 2011 report suggested putting restaurants in the pump houses and using the fivestorey power plant, erected in stages from 1931 to 1954, for such activities as markets, exhibits, concerts, shops or studio space.
The rest of the property could see interpretive walks and a plaza, which along with upgrading the pump houses would cost another $24 million.
The structure is the only power plant from this period on this scale left in Alberta.
Edmonton could look at London’s famed Tate Modern gallery as one example of a successfully redeveloped former generating station, Klimchuk said.
“They need to work and listen to some alternatives, and not just say ‘take the designation off.’ I see that as an easy solution,” she said.
“It would be a phased-in project that I would see … I just don’t want to rush into anything.”
Replacing the roof and stabilizing the walls to keep the building standing for a few years while long-term plans are created carries an estimated price of $4 million to $7 million, depending what’s done.
Klimchuk called this “a reasonable approach,” saying there might be a small amount of provincial money available.
“To me, it’s not like putting $80 million out right now. It’s doing it in steps and thinking about uses (for the building) that could really support a landmark for Edmonton and Alberta.”
Matthew Wangler, executive director of the department’s historic resources management branch, said Alberta has never removed provincial heritage protection except for structures that have been destroyed.
The Rossdale site was designated in 2001 following a public hearing despite Epcor’s objections because then-minister Gene Zwozdesky decided the facility was important to the province, Wangler said.
“We don’t want short-term cost concerns to potentially result in the loss of irreplaceable heritage buildings.”
However, he acknowledged appropriate uses must be found so the structure isn’t simply mothballed.
Owners of historic resources are legally required to be “good stewards” of their property, and can’t destroy or change them without the minister’s permission.
The Rossdale Regeneration community group is set to release ideas for the site next week, which could include a craft brewery, housing, shops, restaurants, a farmers market, arts space, and an aboriginal history museum.