Cornwall ON – We received this email this morning from Mr. Adam McGrath and are printing it unedited.
Oct. 10, 2010
RE: Cotton Mill Fire – 150 Edward St.
To whom it may Concern,
An extremely regrettable incident occurred on the evening of Sunday, October 10, 2010. At around 6:30 p.m., “Building One” of the Cotton Mill Complex caught fire. While the damage is extensive I trust everyone will join us in expressing our relief that no-one was injured.
The building was scheduled for demolition the first of November and was completely decommissioned. All services had been disconnected, and everything mobile removed from the building. We would like to assure our neighbours that nothing hazardous or of a chemical nature was stored in the building.
It is regrettable that such an important part of Cornwall’s history has been destroyed. One of our goals when developing the Cotton Mill Complex was to retain as much of the original buildings as possible, lamentably this is no longer an option. The original building was post and beam wood framing consisting of beautiful Douglas Fir beams and columns which we had hoped to salvage and reuse. Many of the unique architectural features we recently reviewed with our consultants have unfortunately been lost. However it is our belief that the cut stones used in the perimeter foundation and some of the brick shell can be salvaged.
Thanks to the brave men and women of the Cornwall Fire Department and the Cornwall Police Department. Their efforts are greatly appreciated. We also wish to take this opportunity to thank Demo Plus. Demo Plus had equipment on-site to facilitate demolition at the Cotton Mill Lofts construction site and was able to demolish the catwalks connecting the two buildings. It is likely the weave shed would have suffered substantial damage had these three parties not reacted with alacrity and diligence to this emergency.
Sincerely,
Adam McGrath
Project Planning and Development
R.M.P. Construction Ltd.
We’ll be covering the aftermath of the fire. If you have any photos or information please email them to info@cornwallfreenews.com or you can call our hotline at 613.361.1755
