Duncan train station a finalist in online competition for restoration funds
![Duncan Train Station The Duncan Train Station is a top 10 finalist in a national online competition that will award $50,000 to a historical building for restoration. (CTV)](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2023/1/24/duncan-train-station-1-6245022-1674619840476.jpg)
The Duncan train station is a top 10 finalist in a national online competition that will award $50,000 to a historical building for restoration.
The heritage building is the only entry on Vancouver Island and is one of four in B.C. to be a finalist.
The competition is called the Next Great Save and is put on by the National Trust of Canada. The mission in this competition is to save heritage buildings in Canada by reducing their carbon footprint.
The Cowichan Historical Society operates the station, which also houses the Cowichan Valley Museum and Archives, says if it wins the competition, it will use the funds to make the building more energy efficient.
The building's heating system desperately needs to be replaced with energy-efficient electric heat pumps. By doing so, the society says it would reduce its carbon emissions by 24 per cent and its heating costs by 70 per cent. In the winter months, the building's current hydro bill is more than $900 per month.
The society would also like to increase the building’s insulation and replace the windows with custom-made ones that are energy efficient and also meet historical standards.
Built in 1912, the train station was originally proposed to be farther north on the island, but the community at the time rallied to keep in Duncan. Now, 111 years later, it still stands in the same location.
“It’s very unique,” says Keith Price, a director with the Cowichan Historical Society.
“There are some others in Canada that are being saved or in the process, but they have been moved from their original locations.”
Other renovations – such as replacing shingles, gutters and fascia boards, repointing the original chimneys, repainting the exterior, and fixing drainage issues – all need to be addressed as well.
The society has plans to restore the whole building over the next 10 to 15 years, at an estimated cost of $300,000. That estimate was made before the COVID-19 pandemic, however, and the society believes the total cost has increased since then.
People can vote once per day on the national trust website until the competition ends on Feb. 22.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6977430.1721929538!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
'There's mom and dad's house': New video appears to show destruction of Jasper neighbourhood
Video posted to social media on Thursday morning appears to show the charred remains of a Jasper, Alta., neighbourhood.
LIVE NOW Multiple homes, businesses 'lost' to wildfire in Jasper National Park: Parks Canada
Officials from Parks Canada and Jasper say "multiple structures, including a number of businesses and homes, in and around the town of Jasper, have been lost" to wildfire in Jasper National Park.
Prince William's 2023 salary revealed in new report
Newly released financial reports show that William, the Prince of Wales, drew a salary of $42.1 million last fiscal year, his first since inheriting the vast and lucrative Duchy of Cornwall.
Jennifer Aniston criticizes JD Vance for 'childless cat ladies' remarks: 'I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children'
Jennifer Aniston is criticizing JD Vance for comments he made in his past about women without children.
WATCH LIVE Alberta premier says a third, perhaps half, of all Jasper buildings destroyed by fire
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says early reports indicate a third and perhaps up to half of all buildings in the historic Rocky Mountain resort town of Jasper have been destroyed in a wildfire.
NASA says no return date yet for astronauts and Boeing capsule at space station
Already more than a month late getting back, two NASA astronauts will remain at the International Space Station until engineers finish working on problems plaguing their Boeing capsule, officials said Thursday.
'Skibidi Toilet:' If you don't know what it is, you will
'Skibidi Toilet' is already an internet sensation and now its about to get even more exposure after the YouTube series is being developed for TV and film, according to a report by Variety.
French sprinter will wear a cap during Olympic opening ceremony after hijab dispute is resolved
French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla will be allowed to participate in the opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics wearing a cap to cover her hair, an agreement reached with the French Olympic Committee after Sylla said she was barred because of her hijab.
Spicy dispute over the origins of Flamin' Hot Cheetos winds up in court
A former PepsiCo executive is suing the company, saying it destroyed his career after questioning his claim that he invented the popular flavor of Cheetos snacks.