Supporters of preserving Qualicum Beach鈥檚 historic St. Andrew鈥檚 Lodge demonstrated outside the structure on Monday, hoping to see it granted a reprieve from demolition.
The current plan is to retain some elements.
Anne Skipsey said she and others were at the waterfront site before 7 a.m. to have their voices heard about the lodge, which has been in place since 1938.
鈥淚t was designed and built by a gentleman named Sam Little and he was a naval architect,鈥� Skipsey said. 鈥淗e also designed a number of buildings in Qualicum Beach, throughout the area.
鈥淗e also designed our town crest.鈥�
She said the lodge served as tourist accommodation for 80 years. There were also cottages, which have since been removed.
鈥淧eople came back year after year, families came for decades.鈥�
The lodge didn鈥檛 change same much over time, Skipsey said.
鈥淲hen you step into the lodge it鈥檚 like going into a time capsule,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a gift, it鈥檚 a treasure.鈥�
Skipsey, a former town councillor, said the current council agreed to do a lengthy consultation about the lodge. The first phase saw 76 per cent of people supporting preservation of the lodge, which changed to 57 per cent saying no to preservation in the second phase when it became evident there could significant cost involved to fix it up.
But an expected phase three never happened, Shipsey said, and a decision was made by council Oct. 14 to move forward with demolition or relocation of the lodge.
鈥淧eople have been blindsided by this decision of council.鈥�
The town purchased the site in 2018 for $3.4-million, something that Skipsey said led people to believe the lodge would be saved.
But Qualicum Beach Coun. Scott Harrison said there have been some issues with the lodge鈥檚 property, like the fact it is on a flood plain.
He also pointed to the results of the second phase of the consultation, including the 44 per cent of people who said they would like the lodge to be retained but wasn鈥檛 in their top 10 priorities for amenities.
鈥淏ut it鈥檚 still some people, so it was worth following up on,鈥� Harrison said.
That led to a process starting this past June in which people were asked if they wanted to relocate the lodge, he said.
鈥淲e would鈥檝e basically given people the building.鈥�
He said people associated with Monday鈥檚 rally looked at grant opportunities for the lodge, but were faced with issues like renovation costs.
