Waterfront group looks at 'prettying up' grain elevator

Thunder Bay's Waterfront Development Committee may ask the owner of an old grain elevator to partner with the city, and beautify the structure.

One committee member has proposed approaching the Buchanan Group about painting or lighting up the former Manitoba Pool 2, which is located just north of the Marina.

"A lot of people are saying it is a large structure, it may need some prettying up," Waterfront committee chair Mark Bentz said. "When I look at it, I see a piece of heritage. It's not that it's bothersome it's just what could we do to make it more interesting for the public to go down there?"

Bentz suggested ways he thinks the elevator could become more of a focal point.

"Maybe we could project some kind of lighting feature like the Northern Lights on it at night," he said.

"[That would be] something different, something new. And that might be very interesting for the public to have as a backdrop to the park."

Bentz said the concept is still very preliminary.

"I don't believe the city is in any position to request anything happening," Bentz said. "It's more of a partnership that might occur [in which] they allow us to do something if that's [something] the Waterfront Development Committee would want to recommend to council."

Other cities have lit up their grain elevators, including Quebec City and Montreal.

Buffalo, N.Y. is also consideringa similar project this summer.