The city of Port Alberni has agreed to enter into five-year leases with the McLean Mill Society (MMS) for the McLean Mill National Historic site and the city’s E&N Train Station, respectively.
Details of the new leases were released at the Aug. 14 City of Port Alberni council meeting.
Until this year, the Western Vancouver Island Industrial Heritage Society (WVIIHS) was the operator of McLean Mill, owner/operator of Alberni Pacific Railway and a tenant of the city-owned train station.
Now it is intended that the MMS will be the operator of the mill, the tenant of the train station and will provide management on behalf of the city over the mill and Alberni Pacific Railway.
Meanwhile, WVIIHS will continue to be the owner/operator of the Alberni Pacific Railway, a tenant of the city-owned roundhouse and associated lands and a tenant of the city-owned Industrial Heritage Centre.
The WVIIHS will also use a portion of the train station and will operate on city-owned tracks, as well as tracks for which the city has non-exclusive track use permissions.
The McLean Mill Society will operate, maintain and manage the heritage steam mill site and will be responsible for any environmental concerns created after Jan. 1, 2017. The society will be responsible for providing an annual operating plan and budget and an annual capital plan and budget, as well as regular and annual reporting to the city over the next five years.
The MMS will rent the train station at $1 per year, with the MMS responsible for building maintenance and repair. The city will pay all utility costs until Jan. 1, 2019, at which point the MMS will take over costs, according to the new lease.
The mill societ will be allowed to sublet space and retain net rent from subletting, but the city retains final approval over any subletting.
The heritage aspect of McLean Mill and the train station will be protected, and the city will provide all risk insurance.
Mill society executive director Deanna Beaudoin said she doesn’t have any specific plans for the train station yet, but she described it as the initial point of contact for the McLean Mill property, and also a key area in the Harbour Quay.
“We think it’s been very under-utilized,” she said.
“I can see it becoming a whole lot more vibrant there. It’s the entrance of the Harbour Quay, and this is where we want to draw our tourists.”
Beaudoin said that now that the lease is complete, the society will begin looking more specifically at what they would like to do with the train station, including discussions with the community to see what is needed.
