With two of Stonewall’s three historic kilns coming down, the Town of Stonewall is providing further insight into the decision behind the demolition.
A 2018 assessment noted that the kilns posed a risk to the public due to their condition. More recently, during rebuilding process for the south kiln, engineers have been monitoring and assessing the physical state of the other two kilns.
“Unfortunately, the kilns have been in a state of disrepair for many years,” said CAO Wally Melnyk. “That is why they were fenced off from the public.”
Discussions focused on other options besides demolition, but none of them would have allowed public access to the site.
“A temporary measure like netting or straps would have allowed the kilns to remain standing, but they would have had to remain behind a fence,” Melnyk said. “The goal of the Save the Kilns project was to restore the kilns and have the site opened to the public.”
Over time, council made the decision to demolish two of the kilns with a redesigned vision for the project.
“The decision to demolish two of the kilns came about after a great deal of discussion and input from a variety of individuals and groups from the community. In fact, an on-site open house was held and a survey was provided to the public for their input, which resulted in no clear direction on what should be done with the structures,” Melnyk said.
“The first wish of everyone who has been involved in the Save the Kiln project is that all three kilns could have been fully restored. Unfortunately, escalating costs made the financial viability of the project difficult, fundraising had come to a plateau and the kilns continued to deteriorate. If the site was going to be reopened to the public and sufficient funds were unavailable for restoration, there were few other alternatives.”
To date, the project has cost nearly $1.7 million with another $1.5 million to $2 million needed to complete the revised project, which will include landscaping and creation of an amphitheatre as well as walkways and lighting on site.
The estimated cost to refurbish each of the remaining kilns would be about $2 million per structure, and the cost for landscaping, lighting and amphitheatre would be in addition. As a result, council made the decision to look at a scaled-down project.
The town committed $1 million toward the project, and the provincial government contributed $1 million through an Arts, Culture and Sport in Community grant. Quarry operators and fundraising efforts have also contributed a significant amount of funds for the project. In total, about $3.5 million has been committed to the initiative.
Mayor Sandra Smith also shared a few comments on the changes to the project.
“No one involved with the Save the Kilns initiative, including town council, saw the current scenario as the optimal outcome for the project,” she said.
“However, the economic reality of the project, that saw an initial project scope of $3.5 million grow to $6 million and then $8 million meant that a full restoration of the site wasn’t financially viable.”
