NB Liquor taps historic train station for new store

Fredericton's downtown train station will be converted into a new NB Liquor outlet store, ending years of controversy over the future of the historic site.

The plans were unveiled in Fredericton on Friday morning by Finance Minister Greg Byrne and officials with J.D. Irving Ltd., which owns the station.

"The building will return to its former glory as a centerpiece of historic architecture in our downtown," Byrne said at a news conference in Fredericton.

The former CP Railway station, which is 318 square metres, will be transformed into a wine boutique and product sampling area. Itwill also have rooms for food preparation and special promotions.

NB Liquor and J.D. Irving Ltd. have entered into a 20-year lease arrangement for the refurbished building. The new store will open in August 2010.

Dana Clendenning, the president and chief executive officer of NB Liquor, said normally the Crown corporation signs 10-year leases for buildings with an option for a five-year extension. But he said the 20-year lease was necessary to get the deal done.

And he said the cost of $23.50 a square foot is competitive.

Stew Valcour, a vice-president at J.D. Irving Ltd., said the lease was pivotal in getting the deal signed.

"The 20-year aspect of the lease was critical from our perspective, because as you can appreciate, we are investing a significant amount of capital with no funding from any agency and the return on that is marginal even on 20 years," he said.

The company estimates it will spend more than $2 million in fixing the train station.

Valcour said that dollar figure could change as the construction on the heritage site starts.

"We don't really know what we're up against with the train station," he said.

Exterior restoration

In addition, a 929-square-metre structure will be added at the rear of the train station, which will house the store's products, a cold room and the check-out counters.

J.D. Irving Ltd. will restore the exterior of the downtown train station.

The interior brick walls will stay and historical details will be added throughout the facility.

A replacement roof will be added in the next three weeks to protect the train station during the winter.

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 Canadas Historic Sites and Monuments Board designated it as a heritage site in 1991.

Thrilled with decision

The future of the crumbling train station had been a pressing issue for heritage enthusiasts in the capital region for years.

Liz Burge, a representative with Fredericton Heritage Trust, said after a decade of watching the train station fall into disrepair, she's "thrilled" that the company is finally going to restore it.

"This has been going on almost, I think, for the last 10 years," Burge said.

"I think citizens were weary, they were getting very angry. Everyone was getting disillusioned and disappointed."