After years of uncertainty, council was told on Jan. 20 the Town of Erin owns one part of the Stanley Park gates here and Wellington County owns the other.
In a last minute motion, councillor Jeff Duncan brought forward a report prepared by heritage committee chair Jamie Cheyne showing that the town is in fact part owner of the land where the gates are located.
Since the early 2000s ownership of the gates has been in question.
This past fall, the current owners of the Stanley Park development installed a sign on the gates and “there was concern over the sign being on a landmark in the town,” Duncan said.
A county solicitor did some research, Duncan explained, and discovered the Town of Erin and Wellington County are co-owners of the gates.
“The downside or the half-empty part is, well, for eight years nobody really knew who owned them and there was no maintenance done on them and that kind of thing,” Duncan said.
The heritage committee is asking the town to pursue a transfer of ownership from the county to the town.
“The heritage committee strongly felt that the Stanley Park gates were really a Town of Erin or Village of Erin cultural asset,” Duncan continued. “It’s not really a county archive, it’s not an asset for them and, that said, the heritage committee would like the town to pursue the transfer of part two to the town so the town owns that whole block area.”
Once this transfer is completed the committee recommends the town pursue a heritage designation for the gates, Duncan explained, adding the area was once one of best recreational facilities in Ontario.
There were band shells and trains from Union Station even came to the facility.
By designating the Stanley Park gates as a heritage site they will be eligible for grants and loans that could help with restoration, Duncan said.
Council approved a motion for the town to begin discussions with Wellington County about the possible assumption of the county’s portion of the gates and to create a report about the process to apply for a formal heritage designation.
