Many Red Deerians are clamouring for the historic scout cabin to be saved by being transported to Sunnybrook Farm or Heritage Park, rather than being demolished.
“Sad” was a common reaction among 40-plus city residents who posted Facebook comments on an Advocate story about the hut’s days being numbered. These readers were generally in favour of finding ways to save the 85-year-old log cabin, located at 53rd Street and 47th Avenue.
“It’s history to many of us who got Christmas trees there. It was a traditional outing,” said Gaye Montpetit, referring to past tree sales held in front of the hut to benefit scouting programs.
Another resident took issue with the city’s reasoning for not trying to save the small cabin that was opened by Canada’s Governor General in 1937. While Heritage Park would have room for the building, the park is run by The City of Red Deer, which determined the scout hut is in too poor shape to move.
An integrity assessment of the structure from 2018 concluded the logs had deteriorated too badly, said Wade Martens, the city’s land and economic development co-ordinator.
But Advocate reader Donald Dubitz posted: “I guess it really depends on the definition of ‘too deteriorated to move’… To the person wanting to get rid of it would be one meaning and to a person wanting to restore it would be a different meaning.”
Ian Warwick, executive-director of Sunnybrook Farm, said on Wednesday that he had considered taking in the scout hut, after being approached informally by a scouting volunteer.
But Sunnybrook Farm already has two historic log cabins, built in 1899 and 1901, that appear to be in better shape than the scout hut. Warwick said only the bottom logs of these two cabins, build in French-Canadian and Nordic styles, had deteriorated and had to be replaced.
Since moving heritage buildings can cost thousands of dollars — much of which would have to be obtained through public fundraising — it was determined not to take on the scout hut project, said Warwick.
“We do have the two log cabins and it would have stretched our budget,” he explained, noting that Sunnybrook Farm is still working on refurbishing a rural church that was recently moved to the property.
Martens stated earlier this week that the scout hut will likely have to be demolished before construction begins on the women’s shelter expansion next door. There’s no timeline yet provided for the start of this project, which depends on getting government grants.
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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