The municipality’s cultural roundtable committee will work with the Harriston Historical Society on a program to place information plaques at local heritage sites.
Society members Mark McKenzie and Willa Wick appeared before council on Feb. 2 to ask if the municipality would consider getting involved in the program now that the province has backed away.
McKenzie explained the province has provided funds for four such plaques at various locations around the municipality over the past 20 years.
“The province has discontinued the plaque program so we are no longer eligible for funding … the private sector isn’t either,” he explained. “Our history is really important to Minto and to showcase it is more important.”
McKenzie told council, “We’d like to continue that program as a local marker program in a partnership with the people that own the property or if it’s a municipal building, with you people.”
The society requested council join them in forming a committee to work out the details of a heritage plaque program.
McKenzie also suggested council could set aside funds to pay for plaques at municipally-owned heritage sites, or contribute to the cost of plaques for privately-owned sites.
He said plaques could cost $1,500 to $3,000, depending on materials used.
Once a plaque is approved for a site, said McKenzie, “the historical society would be glad to do the history on that facility.”
Rather than striking a new committee, council referred the mater to the Minto Cultural Roundtable Committee to work with the historical society.
