The future of the Rossdale Power Plant is being discussed again a day after the historic building opened its doors for the first time since being repurposed.
Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson was among those in attendance at the SingularityU Canada Summit reception Tuesday night.
“The last time I was in there, there was a considerable amount of pigeon debris, so it looked a lot better this time,” Iveson said Wednesday. “It gave people an opportunity to see the space from the inside, and that was very exciting.”
Iveson also said people kept going up to him saying more parties and events should be held at the Rossdale Power Plant, but more importantly, people were coming up with ideas for the long-term future of the building.
“People are also very interested in what would a durable, sustainable, cost-effective programming solution look like for the building,” the mayor said. “But we’re still a long way from squaring the financial circle and the right kind of partners necessary to find a long-term solution.”
Ken Cantor, a developer approached by the city over a decade ago, is frustrated with how long it has taken to get the project off the ground.
“If we’re having conversations 10-12 years from now saying what should we do with the Rossdale power plant, then that’s a big failure.
“If it’s just a special event venue that might get used one or two days a week, if we’re lucky, then it won’t come anywhere near giving us a potential that is inside those walls.”
For now, Iveson said he’s glad Edmontonians are talking about what the historic building could be turned into.
