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The old Battleford post office on 22^nd Street was closed prior to the Thanksgiving weekend due to a bat infestation problem. Recently, a spokesperson for Canada Post announced that the old building no longer met its requirements and it would not be moving back. Canada Post also indicated that it would put the old building up for sale at some point in the future. The News-Optimist has contacted Richard. W. Hiebert, president of the Battlefords Heritage Society for his insight on this issue. As follows:

This raises some potential problems for the majority of our citizens who would like to see our built heritage preserved. 

The iconic old post office has been part of the commercial, cultural and social fabric of Battleford for over a century. It should be used and maintained at all costs.

What if Canada Post cannot sell the building? Can it demolish it in order to avoid paying taxes? What if Canada Post sells the building to an individual who has no regard for history and plans to raze the building and build new from which to operate some kind of business? What if the building escapes the wrecker’s ball but stands vacant – languishing and decaying for years until finally it makes no sense to try and renovate it? Then it’s demolished. We have some examples. The old Pigeon Hotel and the old bus depot in North Battleford went through this process for many years until finally they were bulldozed a few months ago. 

The best case scenario is to have a local entrepreneur, or a group of businessmen, purchase the old building from Canada Post. The brick exterior would be preserved while the interior would be converted to office space. When we discuss retaining the historical character of a heritage building, we mean keeping the outer façade intact. The interior of a 100-year-old building was likely renovated many times. Canada Post will have to sell cheap considering the high cost of renovations.

Other possibilities for the old Post office building are an antique store and a microbrewery.

Richard W. Hiebert,

President

Battlefords Heritage Society