Kitchener Cold War-era bunker discussed at regional council (update)

A spot that takes Kitchener and Waterloo Region back to 1966, during the fear of a nuclear attack, comes up at a regional council meeting Tuesday.

The so-called Cold War-era bunker on King Street East, by Freeport Hospital, could finally disappear.
 
A Heritage Impact Assessment would have to be done first, then that spot could be demolished to become more park land at Schneider Park.

Total costs would top $200,000 to remove it.

The item is set to return to regional council mid-November.

The old bunker by the Freeport bridge was originally built to house roughly 40 city officials during a potential nuclear attack, for several weeks.

During Tuesday's meeting, Councillors Geoff Lorentz and Michael Harris stated they believed the bunker should be demolished, as restorations could cost $1-million.

Lorentz said the bunker has not been well-maintained over the years, and could become more of a hazard, so he doesn't think any money should be spent to keep it. Meanwhile, Councillor Harris said the cost to rehabilitate it would far outweigh any other value to taxpayers. 

The intent of the report brought to council was to raise awareness of the property. Once the process with the Heritage Impact Assessment is complete, staff would report back to council with options and a recommendation on how to proceed. 

With files from KitchenerToday Staff