Preserving the past
Cape Traverse iceboat monument being rejuvenated
A Parks Canada monument located in Cape Traverse is getting a face-lift.
The monument, designed in 1970 to commemorate the iceboat industry, is expected to be fully refurbished by the spring of 2018.
“It’s a site that we have been looking at for the last four or five years,” said Bill Courtney, an asset manager with Parks Canada.
Last year Jamie Fox, MLA for Borden-Carleton and leader of the official opposition, submitted a request to Parks Canada asking the town of Borden-Carleton be involved in the process.
“The locals and Jamie helped spur us into action,” said Courtney. In October 2016, Courtney submitted a request for federal funding for multiple Canadian heritage sites, including the one in Cape Traverse, but was rejected meaning the group had to go back to the drawing board. “We didn’t stop there. We spoke to Holland College — they have a heritage and retrofit program in Charlottetown — and asked them to build us an iceboat replica the same size as the one that is normally at the site.
“The students will be working on it this term, and into the fall and winter. They expect by June 2018 to have an iceboat ready for display at Cape Traverse,” explained Courtney.
The students will have access to the previous replica that was on site as a way to understand how it fits together, he added. “Right now, we’re looking at a $10,000 area cost for the improvements, which includes the supplies to build the replica, paving repairs, tree pruning, those kinds of things.”
In the short term, Courtney and his team are planning to tidy the site up for the summer season. “We’re looking to install a second picnic table, refinish some plaques and do any landscaping and asphalt repairs where necessary.”
Scott Cutcliffe, a resident of Cape Traverse, is excited about the improvements coming to the site.
“I think it’s great news. I don’t know how many years it’s been empty, but it will be really nice to see it up and running and being utilized again,” said Cutcliffe. “It really comes down to preserving the history of the community.”