The 1950s era military airplane, along with other artifacts located in Veteran’s Memorial Park, will be moved as the entrance to the town is redesigned to provide better traffic flow and to open up several acres of land for commercial development.
Former Pictou Mayor Lawrence LeBlanc, who was instrumental in creating the park, is disappointed the plane and the park are being displaced.
“It’s not a good idea as far as I’m concerned,” he said. “I don’t like the idea at all.”
LeBlanc wanted the park established for a dual purpose – to recognize the military’s contributions and to attract people to visit the town.
“Pictou County, and particularly Pictou, have a long military history and I don’t think we should ever forget the military people and the sacrifice they made,” he said.
While he doesn’t agree with moving the park to create the roundabout, he’s now looking for a new location for Veteran’s Memorial Park and its artifacts and said he’s scouting several possible sites.
“The original idea was to attract air force people because of the (144 Construction Engineering) Flight here,” he said. “I thought we should build a park here – that’s an ideal spot. It can be seen from the rotary and attract tourists into the town.”
LeBlanc said American tourists often like to look at military artifacts, and he thought having the plane would bring them into the town after disembarking the ferry from P.E.I.
Current Mayor Joe Hawes is confident a new location will be found. “Eventually we’ll find a suitable spot.”
In the meantime, the plane and the other items will be stored at the 144 CEF, said Jim Chisholm, Pictou’s public works superintendent. “When we find another location, it will be set back up.”
Veteran’s Memorial Park was officially dedicated in 2005. It was established when the CT-133 Silver Star T-Bird was received for free. The plane, which was never used in combat, was obtained by the Air Engineering Flight (now the 144 Construction Engineering Flight) and mounted on a pedestal in late 2003.
Two other monuments – a large anchor and a stone and plaque – were unveiled in 2004, with each item representing a different branch of the military.
LeBlanc, who is chairman of the board of the 144 CEF, said the air force, navy and merchant navy are all represented, with only the army not having a monument there. He said arrangements were made to have an armoured personnel carrier displayed, but the idea was rejected. He hopes the idea may be revisited when a new park is founded.
He would also like to see recognition for the Pictou shipyard, which constructed military vessels during the Second World War. He said 24, 46,000-ton ships were built there in a two-year period. “These vessels were built in such a short time – it was quite a feat.”
The town has been trying to improve its main entrance since 2010, and work began several weeks ago to build the roundabout next to the Visitor Information Centre where the town’s soccer field was located.
