This is the view from my little window bench paradise. I can gaze at my favourite mountain - yup, that one behind the buildings is my favourite. It ain't spectacular but from its summit I can look back down at Bellevue, Frank, Blairmore, Hillcrest, Turtle Mountain, The Slide, The Prairies, see eagles soaring overhead, explore old mine-workings and I can ride my bike all the way down from the top. That is one inspiring lump of earth!
Below my beloved mountain is my beloved town of Bellevue. How can the owners of all those beautiful little commercial buildings just leave them the way they are. Bellevue's little downtown is about 20 gallons of paint, one pane of glass, and a few hours of focused effort away from being something amazing. We already have the ice-cream shop who know how to keep a building's charm intact and I'm sure would love to fuel the effort. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SOMEBODY! Everyone complains that the municipality does this or doesn't do that. Bellevue could be the inspiration of the Pass and all through the efforts and passion of the residents/building owners. Does anyone want to start a "Beautify Bellevue" fund/association/group/club?
I received the following email a few days ago and have heard a great deal of promising feedback about what we're doing. The momentum is starting. Change is near.
Greetings,It is so refreshing to find someone with a dream that is willing to work on building something here in Bellevue, and in the Pass.We need more people like you. We bumped into Paul last weekend in Stone's Throw - has there seems to be a lot of curiousity about what is going on in downtown. Also it is great to see someone that can appreciate the heritage factor. That appeal is what makes places like Ft. Macleod stand out. A Qwikee Mart does not have much heritage value to it. We moved here because of several of the reasons you stated on your brainstorming.It is nice to see someone with some faith and optimism!
I wish you every success!
I'm just new to the Pass (10 months). I've been reading some of the local blogs and that's how I found yours. I love what you're doing with the property in Bellevue.
ReplyDeleteIt's downtown is cute and compact and I agree with you that it would be awesome with some sprucing up.
I also think that downtown Coleman has got some great old buildings. I think that the feds should invest some money and turn the old colliery into a working museum, something like the Medalta Potteries National Historic Site.
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ReplyDeleteRB2. I couldn't agree more and I was talking about the exact thing with regards to the Coleman mine site. I have heard people saying that maybe the old buildings should stay there and the more recent stuff be removed. I think they should keep everything - give a chance to retain the stuff for the future's history and a chance to demonstrate how coal mining evolved. I would have a walking/cycling path connecting all the different buildings and coke ovens with self-directed tour signs. Coleman does have some amazing buildings in its downtown and it definitely deserves some TLC. Having Bellevue, Blairmore and Coleman all restored would make the region a huge draw for anyone with appreciation of historic towns. So many mountain towns have been fixed up to the point that they have lost any connection to why they existed in the first place. This is a case where the Pass benefits from almost being forgotten for so long - so many amazing buildings have survived.
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of raising funds/awareness to Beautify Bellevue and Conserve Coleman. The two towns have such fascinating main streets but need a bit of TLC. Some paint some flower baskets and a few benches.
ReplyDeleteThe Pass could also use a network of marked hiking trails to celebrate/make best use of the river and mining history. Wouldn't that be great!