Tom Henihan
Express Staff
The Town of Falher formally presented the keys of the Falher Railway Station building to the Northern Alberta Railway and Historical Museum in McLennan.
Mayor of Falher, Donna Buchinski, McLennan Mayor Michele Fournier, members of both councils, along with Northern Alberta Railway Museum President, Julian Gervais and other members of the museum society gathered on the deck of the Northern Alberta Railway Station (NAR) in Falher for the transfer of the keys.
Those representing both communities felt strongly that this is a positive development not only for the Railway Museum but for the entire region.
The NAR station, located on the north side of Highway 49 at the entrance to the Town of Falher, will be relocated for the third time, on this occasion to the site of the Northern Alberta Railway and Historical Museum on Highway 2 in McLennan.
Smoky River Tourism Society will once again operate from the building at its new location and there are plans to put in a bigger parking lot to make the site safe and accessible for Tourism Office and Railway Museum visitors.
When the Town of Falher offered the station building to the Northern Railway Museum Society, the society recognized the great addition the building would be to the museum, and in its new, location it will ultimately be a boon for the region.
The cost of moving the station is estimated to be in the region of $100,000 when it is completed, and to help achieve that financial goal Railway Museum treasurer, Theresa Demeule started a GoFundMe page with a target of $50,000, which will allow the Society to apply for matching grants.
A casino in the New Year will also contribute along with sales of the History of McLennan and the Northern Alberta Railway DVD.
Anyone wishing to donate to this project can do so through the Northern Alberta Historical and Railway Museum GoFundMe page or donate directly by e-transfer to the museum society treasurer at: gtdemeule@gmail.com
A statement from the Mayor of Falher
Falher Council took this step to ensure the preservation and permanency of the Falher Northern Alberta Railway (NAP) Station in the Smoky River Region.
The Northern Alberta Historical and Railway Museum Society has appreciatively accepted the offer, providing the Town of Falher an opportunity to benefit the entire Smoky River region while preserving our heritage.
When the NAR Station was relocated within the Town of Falher from its original site, it no longer qualified for Provincial Historical Designation that comes with provincial dollars for restoration, but would only qualify for a one time $5,000 grant.
With the Society’s designation, they would be eligible to apply for Provincial Grants such as the Community Initiatives Program ($75,000) and the Community Facility Enhancement Program ($125,000) to help restore and preserve Falher’s NAR Station for generations to come.
Seeing what has transpired in the Village of Nampa and their Museum site, where a number of historical structures were relocated, this is an opportunity to support the Northern Alberta Historical and Railway Museum Society build their museum site in our Region.
Mayor of Falher
Donna Buchinski