A long contested Second World War era site in Bowmanville has been spared demolition, but the responsibility for restoring it now rests with the non profit group that has spent months fighting to save it.
Clarington council has unanimously approved a plan that allows the Jury Lands Foundation to take on the restoration of a former cafeteria building at Camp 30, the last municipally owned heritage structure remaining on the site. The decision prevents the building from being torn down, but places the financial and organizational burden of the project squarely on the foundation.
Marilyn Morawetz, board chair of the Jury Lands Foundation, presented the group’s proposal to councillors earlier this week. While she said discussions with council had been positive in recent weeks, the unanimous vote still came as a surprise.
She described the approval as deeply meaningful and said the organization is committed to delivering on its promise to restore the building.
The Camp 30 site has a long and complex history. It first opened in the 1920s as a reform school for boys and was later converted during the Second World War into a prisoner of war camp for German soldiers. The facility closed in 2008 and much of the site has since fallen into disrepair.
Since 2022, the cafeteria building has been the only heritage structure on the land owned by the municipality. Council had struggled with how to fund its stabilization and restoration, with earlier estimates suggesting costs as high as $4.5 million.
Last fall, councillors granted the Jury Lands Foundation time to assess the building’s condition. The group partnered with Manorville Homes, a restoration focused builder, to evaluate what would actually be required to save the structure.
Both the foundation and Manorville Homes concluded that the building’s condition had been overstated. While visibly deteriorated, they argued it is structurally comparable to many successful restoration projects.
According to Morawetz, phase one of the restoration is now estimated at $2.6 million. The foundation has already secured $1 million through a federal grant, allowing work to begin while additional fundraising continues.
The first phase will focus on removing hazardous materials, repairing the roof, and stabilizing the building’s exterior shell. Manorville Homes estimates this phase will take about a year to complete once the remaining $1.6 million is raised. Council has given the foundation until the end of the year to secure those funds.
Municipal staff will work alongside Manorville Homes to oversee the project.
The Jury Lands Foundation has already begun demonstrating the site’s potential as a community asset, including the creation of a rejuvenation garden near the cafeteria. Supporters argue the restoration could serve as a foundation for future educational, cultural, and community uses tied to the site’s layered history.
For now, the building stands. Its future depends on the foundation’s ability to turn public support into sustained funding and careful restoration.
To help document the structure’s current form, a detailed 3D rendering of the Camp 30 cafeteria building was created during the summer. Readers can explore the model here: https://skfb.ly/pFNsz
