by Tyler Kula for the Sarnia Observer

(2015)  A 135-year-old building bearing the name of a celebrated former mayor has received a facelift from the utility company using it as a substation.

Bluewater Power recently wrapped up repairs to the exterior at 101 Water St., known as the Henry T. Ross Substation.

Built in 1880, initially as part of the Sarnia Consumer’s Gas Plant — and transformed into a substation under Ontario Hydro (now Hydro One) around 1916 — the building was eventually renamed in honour of Sarnia’s 62nd mayor, also a chair of the Hydro Commission, according to information from the Sarnia Heritage Committee.

“It’s a piece of history for that downtown,” said Bluewater Power VP Chris Gould.

The substation was among the properties Bluewater Power purchased from Hydro One years ago and powers a section of the city’s southwest, he said.

“We call it our Sub #1,” he said. “So it was our main sub in years past.”

Sprucing up at the substation site began in September after officials noted its stucco was deteriorating.

“Frankly, it was becoming an eyesore to the downtown and it’s important to us for a few reasons to do things for our community,” Gould said.

Loose material was removed, new steel-panel-siding-type material was installed inside raised panels that decorate the building’s exterior, and LED lighting was also installed, Gould said.

Landscaping work is expected to finish up early in the new year, he said.

The entire project bill is $450,000.

Along with being a substation, the building’s basement also houses equipment like excavators for Bluewater Power’s civil crew, Gould said, noting it’s one of about 16 substations Bluewater Power has in Sarnia-Lambton.

The building is one of about 30 heritage sites listed by the Sarnia Heritage Committee.

Ross, who first became mayor in 1962, presided over the creation of Centennial Park, as well as a new city hall and the Sarnia Public Library and Art Gallery during his four-year administration, according to information from the Sarnia Historical Society.