The Dundas-based Bruce Trail Conservancy says it is moving from Royal Botanical Gardens’ historic Rasberry House to a modern office building in the Head Street industrial park.

Although remaining in Dundas, the 15 full-time staff members would be relocating to an area of the Valley Town with no connection to the Bruce Trail itself. However, RBG staff says – as far as they know – the conservancy is still their tenant at the 156-year-old Arboretum property building.

Beth Gilhespy, the Bruce Trail Conservancy’s Executive Director, was out of the country last week and not available for comment.

But the BTC posted a message on its website last Wednesday, stating the office will officially relocate to 55 Head St. on April 18 after 32 years at Rasberry House, overlooking the Ray Lowes Side Trail – part of the almost 1,300-kilometer Bruce Trail.

“We have been assessing the suitability of Rasberry House as a head office for more than a decade, taking into consideration the lack of space needed to house all staff and office volunteers, limited storage availability, lack of meeting rooms, limited accessibility and other factors,” the BTC’s notice states. “These considerations, coupled with the RBG's own desire for more space for their growing staff and operations, gave us the impetus to seek out a new location.”

Nick Kondrat, a spokesperson for the RBG, had no comment on the organization’s plan for Rasberry House.

“This is a question for BTC as RBG still sees them as a tenant and haven’t received any formal notice of yet,” Kondrat said, Monday morning.

According to the trail conservancy’s statement, its board of directors has been setting aside money towards a planned relocation for more than seven years.

Rasberry House was built in 1860 by William Rasberry and purchased by the RBG along with surrounding lands from McMaster University in 1950.

In 1983 the Bruce Trail Association and RBG partnered to restore the building to serve as the permanent Bruce Trail headquarters. Several organizations contributed funds to the $110,000 project according to a plaque outside Rasberry House.