On April 10 the 2014 Shirley Dilworth Jaychuk Painting Competition Juried Art Exhibition opened at the Elora Centre for the Arts.
The competition showcases representational and impressionist paintings that capture the town and character of Elora, Fergus and rural environs of Centre Wellington.
I hope you took the opportunity to see the magnificent works of art, most of them featuring the wealth of built and natural heritage within our community.
A short time ago, I presented Heritage Centre Wellington’s (HCW) 2013 Annual Report and highlights of our 2014 work plan to the township’s committee of the whole.
While I waited for my turn to speak, I listened to Toni Ellis of NeighbourWoods talk about the important work her organization has done to inventory our forestry assets and promote the urban forest in Centre Wellington.
Ellis’ presentation and the Shirley Dilworth Jaychuk Painting Competition accentuate that Heritage entails much more than just old buildings – Heritage landscapes are built, natural and cultural.
Heritage Centre Wellington is a volunteer committee appointed by council to advise on heritage matters. The 2013 year saw us honouring a previous member of our committee and mourning the loss of one of our current ones.
Unexpectedly, on Boxing Day 2012, Nick Brown passed away while walking in the Elora Gorge. Nick was an active member of our committee and his insight and expertise have been greatly missed.
During 2013, Raoul Robinson, a longtime HCW member and one of the first members of the Fergus LACAC was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ontario Heritage Trust.
HCW gained important insight when the Township hired Mariana Iglesias, a planner with an extensive heritage background.
HCW was involved in Heritage Week, Doors Open, Culture Days and the Fergus Lions’ Home Show to promote a better understanding of heritage in Centre Wellington.
As part of our educational mandate, HCW researched and installed an information panel near the Township Offices to recognize Group of Seven painter, A. J. Casson and his Elora Portfolio. This information panel was made possible through the generosity of the CWCF mini-grant program.
The committee was also consulted on numerous heritage permits where owners of designated properties sought to make changes and renovations to their heritage buildings.
Heritage permits that come before the committee are always thoughtfully considered by our membership, balancing the importance of retaining identified heritage attributes with the continued use or adaptive reuse of the property in question.
HCW continues to work with home owners to identify heritage attributes of their houses in order to designate those attributes so that living, built heritage will remain a vital part of our community.
One proposed designation is very close to my heart. In collaboration with the director of infrastructure, HCW has completed the research necessary to advise council on the designation of one of our township’s dwindling number of bowstring bridges.
As I pointed out at the committee of the whole, in a township rich in water, bowstring bridges are an important part of our shared heritage.
One bowstring bridge has been relocated to the Wellington Place campus, but a relocated bridge is not the same as a bridge in its original position, serving the purpose for which it was built.
Bridges will need to be replaced, even our treasured bowstrings, but when a bowstring is removed, it is best replaced by one with decorative arches that pay homage to what was there before, although cost, heritage value and location are factors for serious consideration.
I also spoke about what Raoul Robinson said when I asked him about the greatest heritage challenges our community faces.
“A big stone building that no one wants,” he said. In general, large heritage stone buildings bring challenges that few developers seem eager to tackle.
“What’s the solution?” I asked.
“There has to be genuine co-operation between development and heritage interests and everyone – Heritage Centre Wellington, the developer and the building department – need to come to the table with a common interest: adaptive reuse that maintains heritage characteristics.”
I agree with Raoul. I also believe that we need to consider heritage in the making. What legacy are we building today that people in the future will feel is worth preserving? Are we considering our existing built heritage and landscapes when planning and building in the 21st century?
Centre Wellington township is currently developing design guidelines and Heritage Centre Wellington will be an invested partner during the development and implementation of those guidelines to help ensure that the answer to those two questions is a resounding yes.
Who knows? Today’s replacement bridge with the decorative arches or adaptively reused school or heritage sensitive townhouse development may prove to be the subject of a future winner of Shirley Dilworth Jaychuk Painting Competition.
Heritage isn’t just something in the past. We need to consider the future heritage we are making today when we balance style, materials and cost.
When we need to replace something we should be thinking about the legacy we are building for the future because, at least as far as the bowstring replacements we’ve seen so far, I don’t imagine anyone will be investing a canvas and a tube of paint recording those structures for posterity.
