Dear Editor,
This is a letter regarding the Mack Laing building, or Shakesides, in Comox. I attended the Comox Council meeting last Wednesday night where a proponent of preserving Shakesides spoke before council about the idea to have the building moved to the Merville hall grounds in Merville. Once there, the building would be restored as a small museum dedicated to the legacy of Mack Laing, as well as a caretaker鈥檚 residence.
To move the building, by barge and truck, it will cost about $160,000.00. The Merville hall people would pay for the renovations of the building, permits, hookups for hydro and power, while it was assumed that the Town of Comox would pay for the move. The Town has already suggested that it could pay an initial amount of $50,000.00.
Later in the meeting, though, the Council voted to demolish the building because they felt that the move would cost too much money. However, I don鈥檛 believe that the money is a big issue. I propose that the cost to move the building could be paid for by the home owners who live in the subdivisions surrounding Mack Laing and Macdonald Wood parks. Many of these homeowners have opposed restoring the Shakesides on site. Some of these homes are even on land that was once owned by Mack Laing and which was very cheap back in the day.
if the homeowners donated up to $5,000.00 each to the Moving Fund Heritage Charity, there would be more than enough cash to finance the move as that would be combined with the Town of Comox鈥檚 contribution. The charitable donation could be tax deductible to boot. This philanthropic gesture by some of Comox鈥檚 citizens would solve two issues. One, the offending building would be gone from Mack Laing鈥檚 property thus solving the Shakesides dilemma for Comox Council and, two, the Shakesides would be restored as a Museum (as was Mack Laing's wishes) for the work of Mack Laing, one of the world鈥檚 most notable ornithologists.
The Merville hall would gain a caretaker鈥檚 residence who would look after the museum, as well as the hall, thus providing much needed rental housing in the Comox Valley.
So, I propose that, without hesitation, a Heritage Charity gets set up and then local home owners and possibly other citizens, invest in the charity to help to make the dream of Mack Laing that his home, which he built himself, become a museum dedicated to natural history, become a reality.
Cindy Hardy
Comox Valley
