Will the Montmignon Tower, the oldest building in Friville-Escarbotin (Somme), dating from the 16th century, be razed? This is the fear of the Démucher association which is mobilizing to save it. The municipal council has issued an order to demolish this historic building because it is being eaten away by rot. The accounts are relentless: treating the premises would cost 250,000 euros, destroying everything 180,000 euros. Without the association, the tower would have disappeared from the landscape since last September to expand a parking lot.
More than 200 people have already made donations to the association. The prize pool amounts to nearly 25,000 euros. “SOS, a buoy for Montlignon”, a big evening with a musical show will take place this Saturday, November 2 to increase this war chest. Patrons are hoped for. Faced with this mobilization, the municipality put its project on standby.
A new estimate to treat the dry rot and remove asbestos from the building will be requested and a final decision will be taken at the end of the year by the municipal council. “We hope to go down to less than 200,000 euros,” wishes Jérôme Berlenguer, project manager at the municipality. The enthusiasm generated has opened the eyes of certain elected officials. With the association, we work together. She has plans for the building. We didn't know what to do with it. If we can save him, it will be a great story. »
It will be necessary to dismantle the boards, the partitions… in order to clean it up. The Démucher association already has the rest in mind. “We also hope to have the tower included in the inventory of historic buildings in order to be able to obtain subsidies from the Heritage Foundation,” explains Jean-Mary Thomas, its president. The ambition is to make it a space with a cultural vocation. The floor could be used to store archives. » A costly project which is estimated at nearly 900,000 euros.
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