The ship's bell has rung for the stern of the Flamborough, now that city council has decided it's not worth spending another $2.4 million to keep it.
Abandoned by the province when it pulled funding for the National Maritime Centre, the Flamborough Head has been a ship, figuratively, without a rudder for the last six years.
With only a month's lead-time and no cost estimates, the heritage advocates had little chance of rescuing it from scrap.
Meanwhile, the latest staff report confirms, the mayor wasn't kidding when he said the ship's cradle was a safety concern. It would have been nice to have the information six months ago.
It will be a shame to lose what is one of the most interesting features of our waterfront, second only to the water itself but let's not forget: the city has invested millions in heritage. It offers incentives for home or business owners to restore and maintain their heritage building. The city allows extra development density in exchange for heritage preservation.
And future generations will also have some of the original Shipyards buildings, the yellow crane, artifacts from the Flamborough Head and a brand spanking new museum, which will no doubt pay appropriate homage to our shipbuilding history just steps away from where the stern rusts now - all in the Shipyards district.
If the city follows through on plans to redevelop Lot 5, there will be far more people making the trip to the waterfront who can take in and appreciate the heritage pieces we have.
