Report to: Development Services Committee Report Date: June 17, 2008
SUBJECT: Interpretive Plaques for Mount Joy Heritage Buildings
PREPARED BY: George
Duncan, Senior Heritage Planner, ext. 2296
RECOMMENDATION:
That Council agree in principle to
provide a $3,300 grant from the Heritage
Reserve Fund to the Markham Village Conservancy to assist with the interpretive
plaque project for the Mount Joy
portion of the Markham Village Heritage
Conservation District;
That staff be directed to consult
with representatives of the Markham Village, Thornhill and Unionville Heritage
Conservation Districts concerning the plaque design for future, similar
projects within those heritage conservation districts;
That staff report back in
September of this year with the results of the consultation with the other
district representatives, with the preferred plaque design, and to recommend
funding for the Markham Village Conservancy project;
And that Staff be authorized and
directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Not applicable.
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this staff report
is to advise Council of the Markham Village Conservancy’s request for a grant
and approval of a project to install interpretive plaques on heritage buildings
within the Mount Joy
portion of the Markham Village Heritage
Conservation District.
BACKGROUND:
Property owners in
heritage conservation districts are interested in plaques for their buildings
For several years Heritage
Markham and Heritage Section staff have
studied options for providing interpretive plaques for heritage buildings
located within the Town of Markham’s
heritage conservation districts.
Properties that have individual designations under Part IV of the Ontario
Heritage Act have bronze
plaques mounted on their walls, provided by the Town of Markham
through Heritage Markham’s annual budget. Owners of heritage properties in the heritage
districts have approached staff on a number of occasions to find out if the Town
has any similar recognition for their properties.
The cost of providing bronze plaques for heritage properties within
heritage conservation districts is prohibitive
The bronze plaques provided for
individually designated buildings were considered expensive several years ago
($375) when the concept of plaquing district buildings was first discussed.
Today, these plaques can cost up to $700 each due to the increasing cost of bronze. Staff reviewed other alternative materials
such as wood, composite materials and aluminum that would be less
expensive. The most easily obtained and
cost-effective option is the wooden plaque with applied vinyl lettering at a
cost of approximately $50 each. The
difficulty is that these plaques have a limited lifespan (estimated at 5 years)
and so they would have to be replaced on a regular basis. Cast aluminum was
also looked at but a specific design was not considered at this early stage of
review.
A plaque that would be long-lasting but less expensive than bronze is
preferred
The Heritage
Section’s work program of outstanding projects includes research into a
preferred option for plaquing heritage buildings, when requested by property
owners, within heritage conservation districts.
This subject has been explored by staff at intervals over the past
years, and cast aluminum plaques have proven to be the most satisfactory option
reviewed to date. The type of
information that would appear on such a plaque would include the name of the
original owner, their occupation, and the date of construction of the building. It would also indicate which heritage
conservation district the property is located in.
The Markham Village Conservancy has taken the lead on moving the plaque project forward
The Markham Village Conservancy
has done a great deal of research into options for plaques for heritage
buildings within the Mount Joy
portion of the Markham Village Heritage
Conservation District. Mount
Joy is the section of the Heritage
District north of the railway tracks.
The Conservancy has agreed that a cast aluminum plaque made by a local
manufacturer would be the best option to pursue. A mock-up of the proposed design is attached
(Appendix ‘A’). The plaque has a blue
background and raised lettering and raised border in brushed aluminum.
The Conservancy is proposing a cost-sharing program for a pilot project
The Markham Village Conservancy is
proposing a cost-sharing program for a pilot project of 22 plaques on Peter
Street. Peter
Street contains a large number of heritage houses dating
from the 1890s period. For each plaque,
property owners would be advised of the opportunity to obtain a plaque. Based on 22 plaques, the cost of each one
would be $350 plus applicable taxes (resulting in a cost of $400 each). Property owners will be asked to contribute
$100, the Conservancy will contribute $150 and for the balance of $150, a grant
from the Town of Markham’s Heritage
Reserve Fund is requested. The specific
grant amount for 22 plaques is $3,300, (based on 22 x $150). The Markham Village Conservancy’s proposal is
attached as Appendix ‘B’.
OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:
Heritage Markham supports the project, including the use of
the Heritage Reserve Fund to provide a grant
Heritage
Markham supports the Markham
Village Conservancy’s project in principle, (see Heritage
Markham extract from the May 14, 2008
meeting, Appendix ‘C’). At the previous meeting of Heritage
Markham, the committee requested staff examine the possibility of financial
assistance from the Heritage Reserve
Fund. Based on staff’s review, this
project is eligible for funding within the guidelines and criteria adopted by
Council in 1991, under the category of Commemorative Plaques and Signage
Projects. The Heritage
Reserve Fund Guidelines are attached as Appendix ‘D’.
Heritage Markham recommends that staff report to Council on
a plaque program for all heritage conservation districts
Heritage
Markham members support the pilot project for Mount Joy – Markham Village Heritage
Conservation District, however they would like to see a coordinated approach
for all three of the Town’s heritage conservation districts. The proposed cast aluminum plaque design is
supported by the committee and staff.
Next steps
It is recommended that this design
be presented by staff to community representatives of the Markham
Village, Thornhill and Unionville Heritage
Conservation Districts for feedback purposes. If general agreement can be
reached on the design, the pilot project for Mount
Joy and a grant from the Heritage
Reserve Fund can be authorized by Council in the fall through a further staff
report and recommendation. The Markham
Village Conservancy wish to proceed with this project this year.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS
AND TEMPLATE: (external link)
The Markham Village Conservancy is
requesting a grant from the Heritage Reserve
Fund in the amount of $3,300. Sufficient
funds are available in this account, and if this grant is approved by Council,
it will not impact any approved projects.
HUMAN
RESOURCES CONSIDERATIONS
Not applicable
ALIGNMENT
WITH STRATEGIC PRIORITIES:
This project aligns with the
Corporate strategic focus of Growth Management (Heritage)
by providing an educational program about the history of the Town of Markham
and reinforcing the special character of the Markham Village Heritage
Conservation District.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED
AND AFFECTED:
Heritage
Markham has provided its comments
on this proposal.
RECOMMENDED BY:
_____________________________ ________________________
Valerie Shuttleworth,
M.C.I.P., R.P.P. Jim
Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.
Director of Planning & Urban
Design Commissioner of
Development Services
ATTACHMENTS:
Appendix ‘A’: Proposed Plaque Design
Appendix ‘B’: Markham
Village Conservancy Proposal
Appendix ‘C’: Heritage
Markham Extract
Appendix ‘D’: Heritage
Reserve Fund Guidelines
FILE PATH:
Q:\Development\Heritage\SUBJECT\Plaques\Interpretive\DSCJune1708.doc