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Historic post office MOU

Melfort Council approves MOU with Historic Post Office Advocacy Group

Aug 12, 2025 | 1:17 PM

It’s another step closer to preservation of Melfort’s Historic Post Office.

The aging facility was built well over 100 years ago, and a local initiative hopes to get more quality years from the historic building.

Council in Melfort unanimously approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Historic Post Office Advocacy Group (HPO AG) at Monday’s council meeting.

The group “is seeking to preserve and restore the Historic Post Office by fundraising and implementing building improvements,” the MOU states.

The MOU is designed for the advocacy group and the city to “establish a cooperative relationship for preserving and restoring the Historic Post Office.”

The city’s responsibilities include granting the HPO AG access to the facility for fundraising events free of charge, maintaining public liability and facility insurance for the Historic Post Office, and to provide ongoing care and preventative maintenance at the facility.

The city will also work with the group to “secure necessary building permits and heritage approvals for the preservation and restoration of the Historic Post Office.”

A building priority and needs assessment will also be kickstarted by the city to help find priority areas for preservation and restoration, with the two sides cooperating on the building priority and needs assessment process.

Meanwhile, the advocacy group has developed a 10-year restoration and preservation plan for the facility, and will fundraise for that work, which will include seeking funding via grants.

The MOU will be effective at the date of the signing by both parties for a five-year term, unless terminated earlier by either party with a 60-day notice period. The memorandum can also be extended or revised if both parties agree to do so.

Council also heard at Monday’s meeting that the city plans to apply for a Provincial Traffic Safety Fund (PTSF) grant, which is used for traffic safety initiatives.

The city plans to install Auditory/Tactile Pedestrian Signals at the MacLeod Avenue and Main Street Intersection to improve accessibility for pedestrians with visual or hearing impairments.

The application deadline for that grant is Sept. 30, with the grant likely being awarded in January of 2026.

cam.lee@pattisonmedia.com