Yellowknife (Apr 08/05) - A plan to rebuild a burned out federal warehouse on the Old Town waterfront won't go ahead without a fight.

"We're going to pursue our plan for a public park," Wayne Guy, spokesman for the Waterfront Memorial Park Steering Committee, said Thursday.

The committee will go ahead with a public meeting next Tuesday for its proposed park in the face of a plan by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to rebuild on the site.

"We have quite a groundswell of support," Guy said, naming the Yellowknife Hotels Association, Northern Frontier Visitors Association as well as 25 Old Town businesses. Guy said the committee has also discussed the proposed park "with all levels of government and expects the support of the Chamber of Commerce."

"Benefits to the community outweigh industrial use, but this will take negotiation," Guy said.

Ron Allen, area director for the Western Arctic area at DFO, said the department intends to rebuild on the site.

"Given the nature of our operations, we decided to rebuild rather than relocate somewhere else," Allen said. "We will go back to a similar set up that we had before - garage, storage building which serviced our operations on the waterfront."

He had no other details about the new structure, saying the financial details have yet to be arranged.

Allen said the site is critical to some of their operations.

"We conduct our search and rescue operations there and the auxiliary and that stuff is not easily relocated in this town," he said.

The lot is Commissioner's Land and is not leased by the city.

Yellowknife Mayor Gord Van Tighem said he has received comments from commercial neighbours near the location who "don't want a bunch of recreational activities in what is basically a commercial spot."

"The Coast Guard Auxiliary use that dock for all their summer activities. It is critical to water safety on the lake that they continue to operate," he said.

"Fisheries and Oceans plays a key role in what's happening with regard to our inland waterways. It's good to have a presence for them, if it is their space," he said.

One of the residents who attended a neighbourhood meeting which focused on potential uses for the vacant lot was surprised to learn Fisheries and Oceans intends to rebuild on the site.

Constantina Tsetsos said Steering Committee for the Old Town Waterfront Memorial Park wrote a letter to DFO expressing interest in the land, but have yet to get a response.

"I am personally surprised because we expected a letter back," Tsetsos said.