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Four years after its $23-million renovation, the Colonial Building in St. John’s has gotten a little TLC courtesy of an American tourist who took it upon herself to weed the grounds.
Sharon Adams, from Michigan, says she toured Colonial Building, the former provincial legislature, as part of a 12-day excursion across Newfoundland and Labrador.
“As we were leaving, I noticed weeds along the steps, in around the columns and I thought, ‘oh, what a shame,’” she said in an interview with CBC Radio’s The St. John’s Morning Show. “As we were walking away, I picked a few weeds and they pulled up wonderful.”
Adams said she’s an avid gardener, and was inspired to return the next day and pull more weeds from the path and flower beds.
“You’ve got some pretty flowers here that the weeds are taking over. You don’t really see them,” she said.
She was initially weeding by herself, but then nearby resident Mark Norman came to ask what she was doing — and he soon rolled up his sleeves and joined in.
“I’ve been watching the exterior condition of the Colonial Building degrade over the last couple of years, and it’s really saddened me,” he said.
Norman’s wife, Bev, joined in and he paid another nearby resident, Mike Lawrence, to lend a hand too.
‘Proverbial kick in the backside’
A 13-year-long restoration of the Colonial Building and its grounds concluded in 2022, with the provincial government contributing nearly $15 million and the federal government backing the rest of the project’s $23.4-million budget.
Now, the building, which offers exhibits and guided tours, is open to visitors for seven months a year. The provincial government’s website calls it “a testament to the optimism its builders felt about our future.”
However, Norman said he’s written the provincial government about the grounds surrounding the building.
“The fence has been removed because it was such inferior quality it was all rusted out,” he said. “The grounds aren’t maintained. There’s garbage here. A lot of the time, the weeds are overgrown. And that’s basically what brought us here today.”
In a statement, Transportation and Infrastructure spokesperson Janelle Simms said the department contracts a landscaping service to perform biweekly grass cutting and trimming around the building, curbs and perimeter, as well as regular garbage collection.
“Weed control has not historically been part of the department’s grounds-maintenance contracting practices; however, the current approach may be reviewed as part of ongoing efforts to ensure public spaces are well maintained,” said the statement.
Simms said the department is working to clean the concrete surface where the fence was once located, but the process is taking longer than expected due to “limited contractor interest.”
Norman said he wants to see more attention paid to smaller items, like weeds.
“Somebody needs to be accountable for this,” Norman said “I’m glad Sharon gave us the proverbial kick in the backside.”
For her part, Adams said she enjoyed her time in the province and hopes to visit again soon — but didn’t say if future trips will involve gardening.
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