As the Duncan Train Station enters the final stretch in the National Trust for Canada’s Next Great Save competition it continues to be the front runner.
With a little more than a week left to vote, the Cowichan Historical Society says the support from the public has been fantastic.
As of this early morning, the Duncan Train Station had 55,482 votes, over 13,000 more than its nearest rival, La Vielle Maison in Meteghan, Nova Scotia.
To thank the community, the society plans to open the Cowichan Valley Museum in the Duncan Train Station on Family Day from noon until 3:00 pm.
During the winter months, the museum is normally open on Thursdays and Fridays.
The Next Great Save Competition is held by the National Trust for Canada and features 10 historic properties across the country vying for a $50,000 prize.
The voting closes at 11:00 am on February 22.
If it wins the prize, the Cowichan Historical Society plans to use the prize money to help pay for renovations.
Sheila Kitson, Vice-President of the Cowichan Historical Society, says the $50,000 would be used for “upgrades to the present heating and cooling systems, which would save on energy bills and cut the building’s carbon footprint by 74 per cent.”
Kitson says they hope winning the prize money “is just the start on the quarter of a million dollars needed to restore the station to its former glory.”
The society says contest “has brought awareness to how important the train station and the museum are to the community.”
Voting continues on the National Trust for Canada website and you are able to vote once each day up until the close of the competition.
