Arch enemies rising in Russell as structure divides residents

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This article was published 29/07/2017 (2968 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A plan to rebuild the arches in the town of Russell is making arch-enemies of some residents.

The council for the RM of Russell-Binscarth recently approved a $1.6-million project to replace the wooden arches that were removed last year after one toppled and crashed on Main Street, near the post office.

The arch, later discovered to be badly rotted, fell to the ground around 8:30 p.m. on June 8, 2016. No one was injured. An ensuing engineer’s inspection found dry rot threatened the remaining seven structures arching over Russell’s Main Street, so all were taken down.

In the aftermath, the town of 1,600 located about 340 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg found many people had grown fond of the arches that were installed in 2007.

Merchants along Main Street maintained the distinctive structures brought extra traffic and, with it, retail sales.

Council approved an application from the town’s volunteer board, the Main Street revitalization committee, to rebuild the arches, but with steel this time.

“The reason we’re rebuilding is because those arches had become a theme for the town. They were recognized not only by ourselves, but by communities across the province, and added considerable tourism in the town,” said Len Derkach, a former Progressive Conservative MLA turned reeve for the recently amalgamated RM.

The Russell and District Chamber of Commerce also supports rebuilding the arches.

However, some residents oppose the RM’s decision, while others believe it is being too hasty. A Facebook page called Stop the Russell Arches has formed, with more than 400 friends.

“People are saying, don’t rush this, slow it down and give people time to ask questions,” said Jamie Bradshaw, who has been critical of the new plan.

Bradshaw said the original arches had a heritage component, which is not the case with the proposed ones.

The old arches were made up of wooden rafters salvaged from the Dauphin arena that was being torn down to make way for that community’s new Credit Union Place. The arches had been manufactured in Russell by a former business, the Glu-Rite Rafters Company, and were being brought back home.

“So that was a neat little story that went along with them,” but that story doesn’t exist anymore, Bradshaw said.

As well, creation of the old arches was supported by $250,000 in private capital and $600,000 in federal funding to defray relocation and installation.

With the proposed arches, the entire $1.6 million will be footed by RM residents, making payments of $160,000 per year for 15 years to the volunteer revitalization committee. Some money will also go to sidewalk improvements and other upgrades.

While the RM’s council has stated it will not trigger a tax increase, some residents think the $1.6 million could be better spent.

Bradshaw also argues the new arches set a bad precedent that groups no longer have to raise private and public funds before obtaining major project funding.

The timetable is for the first five arches to be installed this fall, plus five more in two years. A focus group will be struck in August for input on the designs.

The previous structures were installed as two arches crossing an intersection diagonally, like an x.

One design by Samson Engineering for the new structures would be similar, while the other would be an offset where the arches don’t cross in the centre.

The steel material, which will have a 100-year life expectancy, won’t glare, and an aging process will see them take on the look of wooden arches, proponents say. The RM is considering laser-cutting art work into the steel with heritage-themed imagery.

It’s important for a town to have a trademark, Derkach said, and the arches had become that for Russell, also known as Manitoba’s “ski town,” due to the nearby Asessippi Ski Area and Resort. Downtown businesses reportedly experienced a drop in traffic since the arches were taken down.

“I’ve had lots of emails and other messages come to me from near and far encouraging us to continue the branding of our community through the expression of the arches,” Derkach said.

“We’re dependent on any traffic downtown to continue to keep our town alive,” he said. The arches are one effort “to ensure our community continues to stay alive and grows and attracts people from the area, and attracts visitors.”

bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca