SmartHomeOwners

ST. JOHN'S, N.L.: A curl of chimney smoke from a fisherman's shed is a signal for many people here in the historic village known as the Battery.

It means Jack Wells has lit his wood stove and is ready to receive the first guests of the day.

Tourists from all over the world drop by the white clapboard building turned social club that clings to the steep slope of Signal Hill. Called the Jack Wells Twine Store, it's where the sweet-natured 77-year-old once stored and mended his fishing nets.

Today it's a homey rec room of a place where friends and strangers are always welcome for ``a chat and a laugh.''

But the mood these days has sombre overtones as the cherished building sits on lumber supports overlooking the Narrows leading into St. John's harbour.

Wells and many neighbours are grappling with costly repairs after fierce winter storms damaged heritage properties here and at nearby Quidi Vidi _ another picturesque village where the inshore fishery once thrived.

Gale-force winds and high waves in February wiped out old fishing wharves and turned wooden sheds into match sticks. A major storm surge swept away the main supports under Jack's twine store as its upper floor hung over the water.

Friends and neighbours are now collecting donations online to help rebuild it.

``If that goes, I don't what's going to happen to me,'' Wells said of his home away from home. He built it more than 55 years ago, was married nearby and still lives with his wife just up the hill.

``It means a lot to everybody. Every morning I've generally got a crowd here.''

At issue is what approved reconstruction will cost as city officials try to preserve heritage while ensuring safety.

One neighbour whose property was also hit has received an estimate of $80,000 for repairs to meet modern building codes, said Battery resident Chris Brookes.

``We're sort of the poster child for Newfoundland tourism,'' he said of the neighbourhood named for military fortifications that protected the strategic Narrows and harbour in both world wars.

``We'd like to see it kept as much as possible. We don't want to tear those places down.''

Jack's twine store _ where tourists often mistakenly think they can buy things _ is a retreat from the stress of workaday life and a crucial gathering place, Brookes said.

Fishermen traditionally met in twine stores in winter to mend nets, swap stories and pass the time.

``But those places still serve a really important social function, especially for older men,'' Brookes said.

Mike Walsh, 82, can be found most days at the little white shed, chatting by the wood stove or feeding a pair of orange cats.

``I really enjoy my life,'' he said of his almost daily visits. ``Having a game of cards or a bottle of beer, maybe some moose stew.''

Mayor Dennis O'Keefe said the city will contribute to any road or other infrastructure issues that are municipal responsibility.

``We'll do whatever we can to ensure that the history and the heritage of the Battery and Quidi Vidi and other parts of the city are respected and continued. But we can't get into the business of providing financial assistance when it comes to the restoration of private property.

``You can't protect against everything, I suppose. But you can do what you can to ensure that what you reconstruct is safe and durable so that you may not have that kind of tragedy and damage in future.''

The city has worked hard to boost tourism and the number of cruise ships that visit St. John's. The Battery and Quidi Vidi are must-see stops for travellers, O'Keefe said.

``There are not many places in Canada where you'd find a historic fishing inlet right in the middle of a capital city.''

It's ironic, Brookes said, that residents may be left with little choice but to tear down irreplaceable reminders of a bygone fishery that raised families for 500 years.

He and others wonder if rock blasted from the Narrows to make room for the big cruise ships hasn't made the Battery more vulnerable in storms.

Jack Wells just wants his twine store back the way it was.

``It's a wonderful view, so it is,'' he said of the water sparkling outside his picture window. ``It brightens my day right up, I guarantee you.

``You won't get me out of here anyway,'' he adds, only partly kidding. ``They'll have to carry me out in a pine box or something.''