New life for old power plants
NPC plans to redevelop up to four former power-plant buildings
Niagara Parks Commission has plans to attract investors interested in redeveloping up to four former power-plant buildings in Niagara Falls.
It’s unclear at this stage what the facilities will be used for, but they are in the care and stewardship of Niagara Parks, said chairwoman Janice Thomson.
“We’re hoping to be able to preserve them as they are — the outside appearance,” she said Friday, following the commission’s last meeting of 2015.
“When the power companies built them initially, they were only able to do it on the condition that they … have some kind of grandeur that blended into the parks and complemented the parks.
“It’s our intention that … the look of them be retained as they are, but that they be repurposed for some other public use.”
Thomson is referring to the old Toronto Power Generating Station and the Rankine Generating Station ( built for Canadian Niagara Power Co.), which are across the street from each other along the Niagara Parkway.
There’s also the Ontario Power Company Generating Station, which is the hydro facility in the Niagara Gorge, as well as the Niagara Gate House, which is across from Dufferin Islands.
All of the buildings are now closed.
“The plants are listed as an asset under our jurisdiction,” said John Lohuis, general manager of the parks commission.
“Those assets need to be properly managed. The state of repair, the ultimate use, is within our operational context, and, therefore, the mechanisms and alternatives that are open to the commission need to be fully examined in order to carry out the care and attention that these buildings deserve.”
We know … you really have one chance to do this right. You can’t go out and maybe get a couple of responses and let it fizzle and then try it again. You have to go out with your best presentation.”
Chairwoman Janice Thomson
Thomson said the commission has held a planning exercise through which senior staff and commissioners talked about ideas and potential future uses of the buildings.
A consultant is also working on the project, she said.
“It was trying to just spark imagination and guide us to the decision made, which was that we would go for an international input. We’ll do a request for interest, and it will be a worldwide opportunity,” said Thomson.
“We know … you really have one chance to do this right. You can’t go out and maybe get a couple of responses and let it fizzle and then try it again. You have to go out with your best presentation.”
She said the parks commission is securing the buildings and making sure they have properly evaluated their condition, “that we know exactly what it is that we would be offering proponents, so that when the opportunity goes out, it’s a full package.”
Thomson said whether one, more or all of the power-plant buildings are redeveloped will be determined as the process unfolds.
“We’ve heard lots of ideas around museums, but it would have to be some kind of active museums that included an inside attraction relating to power, per- haps,” she said.
“There’s a vision that has to be developed and that’s the stage we’re just getting to at.”
The Toronto Power Generating Station was built in 1906 and was decommissioned in the 1970s. Parks Canada designated the building as a national historic site in 1983 for its importance to early power generation and its style of architecture.
“We have opportunities there to get some grant funding to help us do this work,” said Thomson.
The parks commission will submit an application to the National Historic Sites cost-sharing program to help with potential conservation work.
“We want to retain the heritage, to respect the heritage. Niagara Falls has such an important tie to power, and power generation itself, and we’ve been entrusted with the future of these structures,” said Thomson.
“I think it’s important that we maintain them, for the interpretation of power’s history, or … maybe it’s a totally different type of attraction.”
We’ve heard lots of ideas around museums, but it would have to be some kind of active museums that included an inside attraction relating to power, perhaps.” Chairwoman Janice Thomson