New Railway Heritage park sign

Jun 16, 2011

Photo: The new sign at Sharbot Lake caboose site

A round of applause thanked sign maker Roger MacMunn, who presented the new sign he created for the Central Frontenac Railway Heritage Society (CFRHS) for their park located on Elizabeth Street just opposite the municipal offices in Sharbot Lake. The sign names the area the Railway Heritage Park, and it is the latest addition to the park, which includes a CP caboose on a section of track, along with various railway artifacts. The thank you was made as members of the society gathered for the their annual Annual General Meeting at Oso hall on June 7.

The meeting also included an update on the society’s plan for a multi-use cultural centre. Gary Giller presented the report from the cultural centre’s steering committee, which stated that the previous land ownership issues regarding the site have been resolved and the lands have been transferred to the Township of Central Frontenac. In his report Giller stated, “Now that the ownership of the property is no longer in question, the committee can continue to pursue its original mandate to search out funding to hire a facilitator to put a feasibility/business plan in place.” He continued, “An action plan has been formulated, and various funding sources and partners are now being approached.”

The committee plans to approach the development of the site in phases, and with that in mind has recommended that the township “reduce the size and scope of its initial development of the site”. The report suggested a first step of constructing a year-round trail centre with accessible public washrooms and a display area. Giller stated, “We have not abandoned the idea of a multi-use cultural centre built as replica of the old railway station but we have decided that it might be more fruitful and feasible in the long term to support the idea of a trail centre.” He reported that the council was supportive of this concept and that the committee is now in the process of seeking funding for the next stage of the proposal, which is to create a scaled-down version of the original planned building that will in some way be reminiscent of the railway history. “This is a very important piece of property that needs to be developed in a proper way,” he said.

To date the society has held numerous fundraisers to raise the funds to create the Railway Heritage Park.