Save the Amherst Armoury

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

To the Editor

I’d like to share a letter with you that I sent to several officials with the Department of Defence in reference to a message I received from MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin regarding a request to use the Amherst Armouries for a New Year’s Gala event.

“Lenore Zann here, the new Member of Parliament for Cumberland-Colchester. 

I sincerely ask that you grant Ms Smith-McCrossin’s request to use the building for the purposes she sets out in her letter.

I have had the pleasure of visiting the Armouries a few times over the past few years and find it to be quite beautiful. Thanks to former MP Bill Casey, who has been and remains dedicated to saving the building, the community recently had the pleasure of attending a fantastic German concert in honour of the closure of the POW camp in Amherst. 

I also attended this concert and can assure you I found it to be world-class. There is absolutely no reason why these kinds of events can’t be held there more often. 

As a 33-year professional performer myself I recognize that it has great acoustics and is a perfect building to put on many more professional and community performances as well as military cadet reviews etc.

I can also envision its use on weekends as a year-long Farmers Market - just as we have in Truro in a 100 year-old brick Firehall. It is hugely successful and self-sustainable, a great gathering place for the community every weekend with various types of delicious food, a café, contests, live local music, artisans selling their creations, and fresh produce from local farms. A win-win-win situation! 

The Amherst Armouries building is over 100 years old and as such is an important part of our Nova Scotian Heritage. It’s also a great addition to the downtown core of Amherst. We would very much like to preserve and repurpose the building so that it remains a proud part of our history and our community fabric for years to come. 

The Truro Experience

In Truro, where I reside, we managed to save an even older building in our downtown core which was in much worse shape than the Amherst  Armouries - the old Normal College, built in 1858. In fact 12 years ago I was able to help raise $67,000.00 to do a feasibility study for that building and the final report showed that “If we build it they will come.” Meaning that if we invested in repairing the building (including repainting the bricks on the outside) and repurposing of the building for some creative purpose, it would become a draw for people to our downtown. 

At that time many older businesses were closing with people fearing that our downtown was dying. 

Luckily for us the Town of Truro & Colchester County Council listened to the advice to save and repurpose the old Normal College instead of just sending in the wrecking ball, and now it is the gem of Truro’s downtown core - the jewel in the crown - and it shines brightly as our new Library with a skating rink in front and the Farmers Market beside. Many more people of all ages now spend more time downtown which has in turn kick-started local economy and many new businesses have opened and they and our Farmers Market are thriving. 

Tourists love the building, artists paint pictures of it which tourists (and locals) buy - and the community is thrilled that “what was old is new again” - cherished as a vital part of the fabric of this town and our community. 

So wouldn’t it be in everyone’s best interests to do the same thing for the Amherst Armouries as Truro has done for the old Normal College? And you, gentlemen, would not only be thanked by veterans, military buffs, and the community, but I’d hazard a guess that you’ll be lauded as saviours of this important piece of local military heritage. 

Last week I met with the Nova Scotia Heritage Trust and described the situation regarding the Amherst Armouries and we are all in agreement that something must be done to save this historic landmark. 

In closing, as the local Member of Parliament, along with former MP Casey, provincial MLA Smith-McCrossin, the non-profit organization Amherst Armouries Plus Society, and the NS Heritage Trust, I would sincerely request that we be given the opportunity to discuss the future of the Amherst Armoury with you and any other representatives from the Department of Defence regarding our desire to acquire, preserve, and repurpose the building for imminent and ongoing future events. 

Thank you for your time. I keenly await your response to Ms Smith-McCrossin’s request to hold a fundraising gala in the Armoury for a great cause this New Year’s (I for one would love to attend) and for a meeting at your earliest convenience. 

Sincerely, 

Lenore Zann, MP

Cumberland-Colchester 

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