'Amazing project': Sask. town extends call to find new purpose for historic convent

The Town of Gravelbourg has extended its call for expressions of interest (EOI) to repurpose its historic convent, constructed in 1917.

Since the EOI was first put out in February, Ariel Haug, economic development officer for the town, said she received many interesting email suggestions on what to do with the building.

“There’s a million ideas and lots of potential for the building,” she said. “Somebody thought it should be a prison, somebody wanted to build underground walkways, something about underground tunnels, and a trade school, and then some traditional housing ideas.”

Haug said that although she has received many emails, she has not received any official submissions with a real proposal.

While the opportunities for the convent are endless and proposals can be submitted for anything, Haug would like to see the convent used for housing.

The building was constructed in 1917, with the wings being added in 1927. (Stefanie Davis / CTV News)

She said in Gravelbourg, there is very little for sale and the vacancy rate for rental units is extremely low.

“Ideally, if you look at the housing crisis, particularly in Canada, North America, we have a lack of attainable housing. We have a lack of housing in general, and you’d think this is just a city problem but it’s not,” she said. “It’s here rurally as well.”

“It’s difficult to grow your town without sufficient housing and it’s a difficult thing to demonstrate when the census shows that your population has declined.”

The building is over 76,000 square feet with three stories on the south wing and four stories in the main building, and Haug said she understands the project is intimidating.

“It’s huge, which is why it’s so daunting because certainly there are many examples of other projects half the size of this where communities have successfully rallied to either have private investment that purchases it and develops it or otherwise a non-profit community group that can get the funding to maintain the building.”

Community groups and small businesses had been renting out the space as the town works out a more permanent solution.

The chapel and reception area hosted concerts and markets. (Photo supplied by Ariel Haug)

Haug said that financially, it is not feasible to keep it running for community purposes in the meantime.

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On Feb. 21, administration sent a request for a decision to council based on the finances and council decided to give the tenants 30 days to vacate.

“It was costing the town upwards of $50,000 a year … just to keep the heat and water on in there and the revenue of the tenants was only about $16,000.”

She said the museum is still running tours and will be running tours all summer long.

The museum set up a classroom to show what the school used to look like using the original desks. (Stefanie Davis / CTV News)

“Selling things rurally is hard,” she said. “Even in the city, something of this size would be a substantial investment, but it would be an amazing project.”

The EOI is amended to stay open until the end of the year.

Gravelbourg, a town of just under 1,000 people, is 70 minutes southwest of Moose Jaw.