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A Guide for Municipalities in ASSOCIATION £!: HERITAGE INDUSTRIES NEWPOIJNDLAND 4: LAllltAUOa Author Jerry Dick, Executive Director, AHI Produced by THE ASSOCIATION OF HERITAGE INDUSTRIES, NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador April, 2004 Graphic Design by Anita Singh ISBN # 0-9733193-1-3 ASSOCIATION 2!: HERITAGE INDUSTRIES NEWFO UNDLAND 6; LABstADOll © The Assoc iation of He ritage Industries, Newfoundl a nd & Labrador, 2004 PRESERVING OUR PAST PLANNING OUR FUTURE A Guide for Municipalities in Newfoundland & Labrador TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PREFACE CHAPTER 1 - MAKING THE CASE FOR HERITAGE Wha t Are Your Community's He ritage Resources'? \Vh a t He ritage Res ources can do for your Community CHAPTER 2 - RAISING AWARENESS AND BUILDING COMMUNITY SUPPORT He ritage Awar e ness Ra is ing S trategies Building Community S upport fo r He ritage Initia tives CHAPTER 3 - STEWARDSHIP &: PROTECTION OF YOUR COMMUNITY'S HERITAGE RESOURCES He ritage Desig na ti on He ritage Advi sory Committees Protecting He ritage in the Munic ipal Pla n & Developme nt Regula ti ons Acq ui s iti on of H eritage Resources by Council Munic ipa l He ritage Incentives CHAPTER 4 - ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES £;( APPROACHES FOR PRESERVING YOUR COMMUNITY'S HERITAGE E s ta bli s hing a H e ritage Commillee of Counc il Hiring a Community He ritage Coo rdina to r Pa rtn eri ng with Neighbouri ng Co mllluni t i e ~ S tra tegies fi)!· Re vitilizin g a ll His toric Community Co re Additi ona l Ways that Munic ipa liti es can S upport their Heritage A Few \Vo rcls a b out COllllllunity E conomic Developme nt CHAPTER 5 - DESIGN ISSUES IN HISTORIC TOWNSCAPES/LANDSCAPES Res toration . Re novation or Demoli t io n? )nfil in He ritage Dis tric ts a nd Communities S ig nage in He ritage Di s tri c ts Working with Local Deve lop e rs & Contrac tors P ro tecti on of Vi ews Pu b lic Improvements & Infras tru cture Work with Desig n Profe ss iona ls CHAPTER 6 - HERITAGE TOURISM Princ ip les for Effective and S ustainable He ritage Touri sm Wha t Muni cipa l Counc ils Ca n Do to Encourage He ritage Touri sm 2 3 15 25 37 51 65 AHI • A HERITAGE WORKBOOK FOR MUNICIPALITIES IN NEWFOUNDLAND 6t LABRADOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This manual has been prepared for the Association of Heritage Industries (AHI) based in St. 10hn's, Newfoundland & Labrador. AHI wishes to acknowledge the generous financial assistance of the Comprehensive Economic De velopment Agreement for making this project possible . We would also like to thank the following individuals for their feedback on this manual: Dr. Jo Shawyer Dr. Shane O'Dea Dale Jarvis Elaine Mitchell Ken O 'Brien Kim Blanchard Edward Versteeg David Bradley Thanks also to the many individuals who provided information, case studies, and photographs. AHI • A HERITAGE WORKBOOK FOR MUNICIPALITIES IN NEWFOUNDLAND lit LABRADOR 2 PREFACE This manual is intended primarily as a resource for nlLlnic ipal councillors and staff in Newfoundland and Labrador who are inte rested in protecting and developing the ir community's he ritage . It begins by making the case for municipal involveme nt in he ritage . \Vhy should municipal govern ments devote time and e ne rgy to heritage protection? How can heritage development help communities by strengthening community ide ntity, improving quality of life and cl·eating economic opportunities·? It is inte nded to provide useful information and tools that mun ic ipalities can put into prac tice. Hence, it contai ns nu merous case stud ies from around the provi nce that show how comrnunities have successfully undertaken heritage initiatives and put protection measures in place. The cultural and natural he ritage resources of Newfoundland and Labrador - buildings, landscapes. natural areas, artifacts and docume nts . traditional s kills and knowledge - are some of the most important resources that we possess. If carefully safeguarded and developed they are a re newable resource that can bring very s ignificant be nefits to res ide nts of this province for generations to come. Munic ipalities, as the le vel of government closest to most of the province's citizens, have a crucial role to play. They have available to them a number of planning tools for heritage protection and can play both a leadership and a supportive role in encouraging the de velopment and inte rpre tation of local he ritage. At a time when so many communities in the province are unde rgoing change - rapid development or, the opposite, out-migration and the loss of traditional jobs and industries - he ritage resources are more important than ever. They can help to maintain a sense of ide ntity, pride, and quality of life; they can provide a way to diversify the local economy and create jobs for young people . In many ways our past is our future This lTIallual is meant to be a companion to the Heritage Planning Guidefor Nu.tural and Cultural Heritage Projects in Newfoundla.nd & Labra.dor produced by AHI in 2003. Readers will note several refe rences to the Guide in this manual and are encouraged to rele r to it. A complete copy of the Herita.ge Pla.nning Guide can be found on the AHI we bsite: www.ahinLorg . We invite you to share your expe rie nce in working with the He ritage Manual for Munic ipalities and to provide some of your own case studies. We hope to work these into future we b ve rsions of the manuaL For additional information or assistance please contact the Association of Heritage Industries at: P.O. Box 2064, Stn C St. John's, NL AIC 5R6 TeL 709-738-4345 Email: ahi@nftd.net We bs ite : www.ahinLorg AHI • A HERITAGE WORKBOOK FOR MUNICIPALITIES IN NEWFOUNDLAND 6t LABRADOR MAKING THE CASE FOR HERITAGE MAKING THE CASE FOR HERITAGE 1. INTRODUCTION Most commun ities in Newfoundland and Labrador are curre ntly experiencing a high le vel of change. Many have been affected by the downturn in the inshore fishery, resulting in lost jobs, out-migration and an aging population. In others, particularly in and around St. John's, there has been rapid growth, res ulting in changing community landscapes. In both ins tances, the re have been pressures on he ritage resources. In many smaller communities, heritage resources - older buildings and natural and cultural landscap e e leme nts - are suffe ring from decay, under-utilizat ion, and a lack of resources to preserve the m. In the case of growing communities, heritage resources are often negatively impac ted or lost whe n ne w developme nt occurs: a wetland area is affected by new developme nt; heritage structures or landscapes are engul1ed by new housing developme nts or bulldozed to make way for the new; historic commercial areas struggle to survive as they are by-passed by malls, box s tores, or s hopping plazas on the outskirts of town. With some residents of the province th ere is still a tendency - pe rhaps foste red by the "burn your boats" philosophy of the Smallwood years - to see life ill the past as something that was "backward" or something to be left behind. Recognizing the value and be nefits of the ir h e ritage resources, numerous cOlllmunities ill the province have taken steps to protect, preserve and de velop th em. The results have been sign ificant in terms of maintaining community ide ntity, building pride, and creating economic opportunity. The town of Bonavista has seen nearly 100 new jobs c reated, as people come to ex perience the rich he ritage of this historic community. Historic sites like Ferryland, Trinity, Red Bay and othe rs have become significant regional touri s m destinations by developing their he ritage resources. In many smalle r communities, the preservation of an historic building or natural area or the development of a new museum has increased community pride . Two o/several hOlLses in B onavista that have been restored as part 0/ a community- run heritage restoration progralu. CHAPTER 1 • MAKING THE CASE FOR HERITAGE 3 Trinity Fresluvo.f.er, Conception Bay Change Islands Change Islands A community's built heritage includes not only important buildings like churches and institutional buildings bnt simple dwellings, commercial bnildings, fishing stages and stores, and root cellars to name afew. The purpose of this workbook is to provide some compelling reasons why municipalities should be involved in the protection and development of the ir he ritage and to highlight numerous case studies, tools and approaches that de monstrate practical initiatives that communities can undertake. It is intended to be a companion piece to the Heritage Planning Guidefor Natural and Cultural Heritage Projects in Newji:mndla.nd a.nd Labrador recently completed by AHI. Numerous refe re nces will be made to the Heritage Pla.nning Guide in this docume nt. A copy of the Guide can be ordered from AHI (tel. 709-738-4345, email: ahi@lnfld.net. A full version of the guide can also be found 011 AHI's website: www.ahinl.org. 2. WHAT ARE YOUR COMMUNITY'S HERITAGE RESOURCES? Every community, regardless of its age, has a he ritage: elements that ide lltify a special place that is the product of a unique set of circumstances alld development. The geography of a community - water features. h ills, cliffs, beaches, soils - affect how it developed physically (e .g., road and building lot patterns). The economic history of a place will have influenced the types of buildings that were constructed (e .g .. fishing sheds and stores, factory build ings) and the era in wh ich 1110st buildings we re erected. When considering the ir he ritage, residents of a COl111l1un ity often think of things such as old buildings or artif~lctS. There are, however, a wide range of othe r heritage resources that communities s hould consider: a) Built Heritage - A community's built he ritage includes structures of all kinds, from landmark building such as me rchant's houses, churches, institutional/civic buildings, to common ones like fisherman's dwellings, outbuildings, industrial and commercial structures, fish ing stores and stages, and root cellars. It also includes such elements as fences, traditional roads or pathways. All oJ these elements contribute to a unique sense of 'place' and characterize the social, cultural and economic de velopme nt of a community. It is th is un ique sense of place that makes a community interesting to tourists and reinforces community identity. 4 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE b) Cultural Lalldscapes - Our communities are defined by more than just the bu iidings that have been e rected in th em. They include settlement patterns (think of how a Newfoundland outport with its winding roads strung out along a harbour contrasts with a prairie town laid out in a regular grid patte rn), vegetation (both natural and planted by humans), gardens, cemete ries, parks, fountains and monuments, town squares, natllralleatures such as rive rs or lakes or hills located within a community, and scenic views. A cuIturallandscape can also be a site of past historical significance s llch as a battle field, an abandoned community. or a site used by ancient cultures. In some cases. perhaps most notably with Aboriginal groups, cultural landscapes comprise natural areas or features that are of special spiritual or historical significance (e .g., rive rs, mountains). A cultural landscape can consist of a specific site (e.g., a historic house togethe r with its garden and landscape elements). a district (of historic homes, churches or institutional buildings), an e ntire community or a region. Individual heritage features are generally much more meaningful if they are interpre ted as part of a larger cultural landscape that provides them with a context. c) Archival & Genealogical Resources - Records. documents, maps, and old photos are invaluable in providing an unde rstanding of the past. They can be useful not only for hi s torians but It)!' me d ical researche rs, people tracing their family history, writers and playwrights, or lawye rs attempting to deal with land and boundary disputes. Municipal records (minutes, tax rolls, corresponde nce) often comprise some of the most important records in a community, providing useful information about building/ land ownership, changes to a property and residents. Pape r documents are, howeve r, very vulnerable . They are easily damaged or destroyed by wet or damp conditions, regular use, or fire. In some cases resid e nts clon't fully appreciate the importance of archival mate rials and discard or dispose of them outside of the commun ity. Cable Avenue, Bay Roberts Elements sitch as street patterns and the way bllild/:ngs relate to the street help to create Ct particular community "character". New construction should, especially in older areas of a town, conform to such established patterns. The Trinit:r Historical Society Archives aU-wets a significant number of people doing genealogica1 research every year, which translates into overnight stays at local bed and breakfast establishments and local spending. The highly successful Trinity Pageant - which attracts thousctnds of visitors to Trinity every year - drew extensively on the local archivesfor its material. CHAPTER 1 • MAKING THE CASE FOR HERITAGE 5 Placentia has embarked on an ambitious archaeology program to reveal its important histor:r as Newfoundland's French capital, It is anticipated that such efforts will translate into considerable growth in the lo cal tourism industry. d) Archa.eologica.l Resources - As is becoming increasingly apparent, Newfoundland and Labrador has a wealth of archaeological resources from all cie nt fossil sites, to prehistoric Aboriginal settlements to early European New World sites. These provide an incredibly rich and important record of the past and have strong potential to draw tourists and to create economic opportunities. Municipalities often have an important role to play in protecting the ir archaeological resources. One of the most basic steps a municipality can take is to notify the Provincial Archaeologist when doing any digging work in areas that might have archaeological re mains. It can do the same for private construction projects. Municipalities can also help to educate residents about provincial re gulations concerning archae ological remains which, by law, are the property of the provincial government. e) Artifacts - Objects from the past are useful in helping people to understand how previous generations lived. These include collections of household items, equipment from old h ctories or businesses and items related to the traditional inshore fishery or agriculture, to name a few. While it was particularly the case in the past, even today, valuable collections of artifacts are all too frequently discarded in the local dump or sold for a few dollars to the antique picker from the mainland. Sometimes these items are of considerable monetary value; in other cases, they could help to explain the history of the community (i.e ., in an inte rpre tive display). Municipal officials can playa role, particularly in cases where an old business is being closed or a resident dies who is known to have a collection of artifacts or archival materials, by notifying a local or provincial he ritage organization or institution. IGNORANCE LEADS TO LOSS OF IMPORTANT ARTIFACTS In one particularly unfortunate example in the province, a community set about to restore a heritage residence as a museum that would interpret an important local personage who had lived there. Before beginning work on the bUilding, the work crew stripped out all of the contents - furn ishings and household items - and took them to the dump. When work began on developing the interpretation for the structure, someone had to go back to the dump to see what could be salvaged. 6 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE f) Intallgible Culinralllerilage - Many of the aspects that define the culture of Newfoundland and Labrador and of our communities are not physical in terms of an object or a structure. Rathe r, th ey are the traditions that have been passed down from ge neration to ge ne ration . They include such things as knowledge (locations of fishing grounds and coastal features, sacred elements in the landscape ), skills (how to build a boat or a root ce llar, pre pare traditional foods), music (SOllgS, and performance), language (dialects), stories and legends. With the many changes that Newfoundland and Labrador has undergone ove r the past decade or two, many aspects of our intangible heritage are at risk of being lost. The Me morial Unive rsity Folklore Archives (MUNFLA) is a valuable resource for learning more about our intangible cultural he ritage . WINTERTON MUSEUM PRESERVES BOAT BUILDING TRADITION With the decline of the inshore fishery the boat building skills - once widespread - are quickly disappearing. The community of Winterton is reviving and preserving these ski lls through its Boat Building Museum . Not only does the museum include displays on the building of boats but incorporates demonstrations and a program for passing on skills to a younger generation. An excellent website includes photo galleries that document the construction of a traditional motor boat. See: hhtp:/ /www.woodenboat.ca/d iscover.p h p The G ua.rdian. ~ THE BAY ROBERTS MUSEUM HIGHLIGHTS THE TOWN'S COMMERCIAL HISTORY When planning for a new museum, the Bay Roberts Historical Society actively encouraged individuals and companies to donate collections of old equipment and tools related to the commercial/ industrial history of the town. One man saved all the equipment and fixtures from his father's blacksmith shop. A local lumber firm donated various coopering machines and tools. Another family gave a complete print sop with machinery that dated from the early 1900s. These have been used to create a highly successful museum that interprets the business development of the community. CHAPTER 1 • MAKING THE CASE FOR HERITAGE 7 The town of Winterland has desig na ted a 2000 acre n ature reserve within the town bOlLn dari es. A 5 km walking trail with interpretation panels has prOl'en /.0 be pop ul ar /Ilith both visitors and area residents alike. I Clen iVl u.rray, mayor of Winnipeg speaking at the Creative Spaces + Places confe ren ce in Toron to, October 2003 g) Natural H e ritage - Newfoundland and La brador is ble ssed with an inc re dible number and variety of natural heritage tre a sures that, if properly cared for and managed, can bring many be ne fits to communities including: tourism development; recreation and educational opportunities; and an over a ll e nha ncement of the quality of life. Among othe rs, these resources include : • coa s tlines • wa te r features s uc h as rive rs, ponds, a nd we tla nds • forests • plant species including ra re specime ns • wildlife • ecosys te ms • land forl1ls, rock forma tions, fossils 3. WHAT HERITAGE RESOURCES CAN DO FOR YOUR COMMUNITY I t is safe to say tha t most municipal politic ia ns in Newfound la nd a nd Labrador s pend the majority of the ir time dealing with issues involving the provis ion of bas ic services, some times refe rred to as the 3 "Ps': p olice, pav in g, a nd pipes. While the se are real concerns for politicians and tax paye rs alike , councils mus t be careful to avoid being caught in the "utilitarian' rut. At a nationa l confe rence on the arts in Toronto Glen Murray, the mayor of Winnipeg, s tate d, ""If a counc il is only concerned with the 3 Ps they a re dead in the wa ter because th is is a game that they can never win. The re will likely neve r be e nou gh re ve nue s to totally solve infrastruc ture problems ." He went on to suggest that in orde r to e nsure that communities offe r a good qua lity of life , it is important for munic ipa l politicians to cons ide r the needs of the "whole pe rson" and to adopt a more c re ative , fi)rward looking approach that cons ide rs a r ange of quality of life issues and the cultural needs of citize ns .! A utilitarian ap proach makes it hard to justify spe nding on heritage and c ulture . A c re ative approach sees he ritage as a resource - one of a community's most valua ble - that can provide nume rous community bene fits if prope rly care d fo r and developed. He ritage offe rs opportunities : for c reating bus inesses and jobs ; for incre a s ing community spirit, pride and qua lity of life ; for attracting ne w reside nts ; and fo r increa s ing ta x re venues. Many communities in the province have recognized the value of their heritage resources a nd have unde rta ken creative and decisive s teps to preserve and de ve lop them. You will find ma ny examples throughout th is manual. 8 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE a) Enhance Your Community's Spirit and Quality of Life Often, what should be important community asse ts are viewed as a liability. Vacant or dilapidated older structures - comme rcial buildings, fishe rie s-related structures, industrial buildings, and residence s - all too ofte n become an eye sore and a hazard. In that c ondition th ey symbolize to re side nts and visitors alike , the economic de cline of a district or a whole community. As such, they are a psychological drag on the community. Howeve r, tearing down these structures isn't a solution for it usually only results in a lot of holes in the townscape . This furth e r re inforces the message that things are going down hill. Similarly, natural areas such as wetlands or barrens are often see n as "waste land". The re are se veral ins tances whe re communities have sought to fill in wetland areas or, through de velopme nt, ne gatively impacted them. As well, rivers and streams are covered over or impac ted by the loss of wate rshed vegetation. The costs of such actions are: the loss of wildlife habitat; e nvironmental degradation often leading to serious problems of flooding; ancllost opportunities for e ducation, recreation, tourism development and community green space. Alternately, re vitilize d heritage structures and districts, as well as natural areas, provide a positive psychological lift for a community: the past has value ; the re is life here. Even a single re stored structure can have a positive impact on a community. There is lots of evide nce that communities that preserve their heritage are seen as more livable places that provide a good quality of life. They are more likely to keep existing residents and to attrac t new ones - with new ideas, skills, and e ntre pre ne urial know how - who can bring new life blood to our communities. One of the leading American writers on cities, Richard Florida, says that older buildings and historic urban cores are crucial for attracting pe ople who are cre ative and innovative - two conditions that contribute to community growth and development. 2 lobs alone , e spe cially those in traditional seasonal industries, will not succeed in keeping most young people in their small communities. Many are looking for meaningful caree rs, a good quality of life, and a stimulating environment. The latest research, by p e ople such as Florida, suggests that the prese nce of a strong cultural scene in a community, is a "strong pre dictor of e ve rything from a region's high-technology base to its overall population and employment growth."3 He also belie ves that the key factor in creating economic opportunities are the presence of cre ative pe ople , whom he de scribes as the 'creative class'.4 Old commercial structnres that have outlived their original functions are often torn down as was this interesting building in Joe Batts Arm. lV/any residents just see them as " eye sores" and fail to see the potential for re - nse. ( Photo courtes:r: Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador) 2 Florida. Richard. "The Geography of Bohemia" 3 Florida, Richard. The Rise of the Creative Class, p.260 .IThe so - called creative class represents approximately 300/0 of the workforce and is responsiblefor the generation of500/0 of all economic a ctivity. It consists t:!f a wide variety of professions inclnding scientists, engineers. designers, educators, and those in the cultural fi eld who are engaged in the creation of new ideas, technologies or creative content. CHAPTER 1 • MAKING THE CASE FOR HERITAGE 9 With the demise o/the Fishermen's Protective Union in Port Union, many 0/ the struc/.ures that d efined this unique I.ollln/ell into disuse . Through the Coaker Foundation, restora.tion work has begun on some o/these buildings which, it is a.nticipated, will help to revitalize this once thriving community. So, if a community can c reate a good quality of life with cultural amenities and a d istinctive sense of place, it will be be tter able to keep and a ttract the kind of c reative people who will be committed to the place and most likely to generate new economic opportunities. There are examples of communities all around North America, large and small, that have made themselves a ttractive to creative, dynamic people . A community's natural he ritage can also provide an important focal point and source of pride . Many communities have seen the benefits of habitat preservation ancltrail construction along ponds, st reams, ocean shorelines, wetlands, or in natural areas i II and adjace nt to the mun ic ipality. The commun ity is beautified and there is an attractive place to walk which many reside nts take advantage of for health be ne fits. CASE STUDY TORBAY PRESERVING NATURAL HERITAGE RESOURCES In 2001, the Trails & Environment Committee (a subcommittee of the town of Torbay) embarked on the development of a strategic plan for the protection of the Gully, a wetland area in the middle of town. The Gully forms an important green space in this rapidly growing community as well as a natural sponge for run-off. The strategy seeks to protect and enhance the area through : inventories and monitoring the plant life, wildlife and water flows; educational and interpretive activities (two schools overlook the Gully); as well as the development of recreational and tourism opportunities. The work of the committee is critical as plans to divert one of the Gully's feeder ponds to the town's water supply would, essentia lly, dry up the Gully's wetland . Plans call for the erection of a dam to co ntrol water levels in the wetland . b) Preserve Your Community's Identity When one looks at an historic photo of a Newfoundland or Labrador community one generally ge ts a n unmistakable sense of a distinctive place. The buildings and various man-made fe atures juxtapose with the landscape to create communities that can be found nowhe re else. Often we find these old pictures appealing; somehow the place just looks right. Nostalgia aside, one of the reasons that traditional Newfoundland townscapes look appealing is that there is a certain harmony: there are clear patterns in terms of building types, materials used (e.g., clapboard, wooden shingles), and architectural detailing. Comme rcial and in stitutional buildings bespeak a strong sense of civic pride. 10 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE Unfortunately, many modern buildings lack any sense of connection to Newfoundland and Labrador. This is particularly true of most commercial, in stitutional, and government buildings that are found on the highway strips or the outskirts of our communities. They contribute to what some have described as "the geography of nowhere ." Most are little more than fun ctional boxes that, as a collection, lack any visual harmony or sense of pattern. Such building designs have often been imported from somewhere else and do not "fit" into tile community's style. The highway strip. that has developed along the edges of several of Newfoundland and Labrador':; larger towns, has been des cribed by some as "the geography of nowhere . .. Buildings h ere Q,re generally cheap to constru.ct. ofstandardi=ed design (e.g .• f or chain stores) and have no sense of trying to fit in with the character of a co nunlU/,ity. [n the case of natural areas, public access to natural features such as waterways, shorelines, forests and green spaces is an important aspect of community identity in most of Newfoundland and Labrador: providing the opportunity to walk along a s horeline, to go trouting a t a local pond, to pick b erries on the barre ns, to hike on a point of land, or simply to see the ocean from one's home . Lack of careful planning by a community can lead to the loss of such access for its citize lls. Preserving a community's he ritage is illlportant for maintaining a unique ide ntity. In fact, if a community is interested in developing a local touri sm base , it is pretty well a requirement. Three examples of historic post ofJice buildings in the province (top Carbonear; middle Greenspond. lower North Shore Conception Bay). It is interesting to contrast these with the generic brick b o:~es that replaced them . CHAPTER 1 • MAKING THE CASE FOR HERITAGE 11 The active restoration scene on the Bonavista Peninsula and elsewhere in the province has created new opportunities for companies such as Patterson WoodlVorking in Upper Amherst. CO'l'e. 111, addit.ion to traditional style jiLrniture the company produces tradition(tZlreproduction building components (windows. doors, trim. etc.). Restoration is labour-int.ensive compared to new constructionlVhich is more materials-intensive. This results in greater economic benefits to the community. Here workers restore lVindows on an old schoolhouse in Bonaz,ista. c) Create Jobs and Businesses for your Community AHI's study, Economic and Social Benefits of Heritage Industries in Neu10nndland and Labrador; demonstrated that heritage plays a significant role in the provincial economy. Approximately 3,000 to 4,000 jobs are created directly and indirectly through heritage activities and there is a GDP contribution in the range of $50- 70 million dollars annually. In some communities and regions of the province, heritage-related activities are important economic generators. In communities like Trinity, Red Bay, Brigus, Newtown, Ferryland and Bonavista, heritage translates into significant economic benefits. Through such things as building preservation, artifact conservation, and cultural tourism they achieve considerable employment and business activity. Cultural tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the tourism industry as a whole. This reflects an aging North American population that is more interested in 'soft' forms of tourism than younger generations that are often attracted to adventure tourism. Those communities with a strong, developed natural or cultural heritage base stand to benefit the most from h e ritage tourism. It is estimated that the Colony of Avalon generates close to $840,000 annually in personal and business income (GDP) for the communities around Ferryland and 30 person-years of employme nt which translates into 101 seasonal jobs. It is also recogn izecl that the preservation of buildings creates more local jobs than new construction. New construction requires large inputs of materials (usually l11anul~lctured out of the community) while re novation and restoration is more labour - intensive . For example, the restoration of the historic SUF Hall in Heart's Content provided employment for 32 people and injected nearly $90,000 into the community. Similarly, numerous communities have seen jobs created through the protection and development of natural heritage resources. Visitors with specialized interests such as geology, birding, and botany will travel to out-of-the-way places to learn and explore. These are generally individuals with high income and e ducational levels, and good spending power - just the kind of tourist that most of us want to attract. d) Increase Your Community's Tax Base The upgrading and re -use of heritage buildings makes economic sense for municipalities. Let's face it, vacant olde r buildings generate little in the way of tax revenue. By encouraging the preservation and redevelopment of he ritage structures, communities can increase their tax base and save themselves the added costs of building new services. A study prepared in the state 12 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE of South Carolina de monstrated tha t properties located within a designated historic district are , "in ge neral worth more, appreciate fast er, and retain more of the ir value than properties located outside the distric t."s According to Building magazine, renovation is adding more to the ne t mun icipal tax base more quickly than new construction. An article in Time magazine suggests that re novation has become the instrument of choice for moneyconscious municipalities in the United States.6 A trend that is being seen in many smaller communities in the province is the influx of out-of-province summer res ide nts who are attracted by older/heritage prope rties, very affordable real estate prices, great scenery and a good quality of life . There are several positive aspects of this trend. Many historic homes have been preserved creating business for local carpenters and building supply companies and increasing municipal tax re ve nues. In addition, su mme r residents spend money on local goods and services, and often bring fresh ideas, skills, and even businesses to a commun ity. There can also be down sides. The commun it y can become alrnost a ghost town outside of the summer,and there is the potential for conflicting values with long-time residents (i.e ., about access to and traclitionaluses of land). The se can, hopefully, be min imized by e ducating new resid e nts about community traditions and values, by reach ing out to them and making th em feel welcome , and by engaging them in the life of the community. e) Maximize Your Community's Existing Infrastructure It is ironic that many North American communities continue to invest in e xpe nsive new infrastructure (i.e., wa ter, sewer, roads and parks) for reside ntial and commercial developme nt while serviced areas languish through unde r-use . It is far more costeffective to revitalize older, unde r- utilized commercial, industrial, SUMMER RESIDENT CREATES A BUSINESS ON CHANGE ISLANDS Herb Bowen and Maureen Woodrow, residents of Ottawa, fell in love with the community of Change Islands when they first visited it several years ago. They purchased and renovated an older home which they use as a summer residence. Recognizing local craft skills and the need for local residents to increase family incomes, the couple established 'Stages &; Stores', an e-commerce company that manufactures and markets locally made craft items . Herb has also become involved with the Stages and Stores Heritage Foundation, which is preserving some of the fishing stages and stores that line the community's waterfront. Check out their website at: http: / /www.stagesandstores.com/ BRIG US SEES INCREASED TAX REVENUES THROUGH HERITAGE PRESERVATION The town of Brigus has seen definite pay-offs for its efforts to preserve its historic homes and townscape. Property assessments (and tax revenues) on historic properties have increased steadily over the last decade at a time when tax assessments in many other small communities in the province have remained steady or declined . According to the Municipal Assessment Agency, it is the older properties in the centre of the community that have increased, while there has been little change in the rest of the town. As well, there has been a fair amount of new residential construction within the older part of the town - adding to tax revenues - as people are attracted to the historic qualities of the area. Increased assessments mean increased tax revenue for the town council which has been able to hold the line on taxes over the last 7 or 8 years. Sill/iley, Harry. Smiling Faces Historic Places: The Economic Ben efits of Historic Preservation in South Carolina. 6Time Magazine, November 4, 1987 CHAPTER 1 • MAKING THE CASE FOR HERITAGE 13 EXPLORATIONS 1. Discuss amongst council the degree to which it has become totally wrapped up in the provision of basic services. How often do culture of quality of life issues get discussed? 2. Do a simple survey of residents to see how they view their community, particularly the older section . Do the historic parts of the community add to the people's pride or are they a source of embarrassment? Such a survey could take the form of a mail-in, web-based surveyor focus (d iscussion) groups. 3. Investigate the number of jobs in your community generated by tourism and by heritage industries. Discuss the potential for increasing employment in these areas. 4 . Do a survey of your community to see how much infrastructure (buildings, public services, land) is underutilized or vacant within the established areas of your town . Contrast this with how much new land has been developed over the past few years and the cost of new se rvice s. or residential areas that already have infrastructu re than to build new. In order to make older neighbourhoods more attractive for redevelopment it is often necessary for a municipality to put special incentives in place, to invest in anchor projects (i.e., redevelopment of a heritage structure for a public use), or to upgrade infrastructure (street/waterfront beautification). f) Help Your Community's Natural Environment It is an accepted f~lct that the re novation of existing buildings makes fewe r resource demands (i.e ., on forests, mineral, energy and wate r supplies) than new construction. This is, of course, good for the environment. But even more compelling for municipalities is the f~lct that re-using older buildings saves on land-Jill costs . Tearing a bu ilding down puts a lot of solid stream waste in to local landfill sites. In fact, according to Statistics Canada, one-third of all wastes hauled to Canadian landfills is used construction materiaL Natural heritage features such as watersheds and wetlands are extremely important for communities. They act as natural sponges, absorbing rain and melting snow, and help to prevent flooding. Many commun ities have seen the consequences of habitat destruction in the form of frequent floods. INVESTMENT IN BONAVISTA'S INFRASTRUCTURE PAYS OFF The town of Bonavista has seen a major investment in its downtown area and in its heritage resources generally. The restoration and interpretation of the Ryan Fish Merchant's Premises by Parks Canada, together with an ambitious heritage bu ilding restoration program and main street revital ization, is credited with injecting new life in the community. This historic fishing community, which had been seriously impacted by the moratorium on northern cod, is once again seeing renewed growth. Permits for new construction are once again reaching historic highs. 14 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE HOW YOUR COMMUNITY CAN RAISE AWARENESS OF AND BUILD SUPPORT How Your Community Can Raise Awareness of and Build Support for Heritage 1. INTRODUCTION O h en the first step necessary for a community to protect and capitalize on its he ritage resources is to raise awareness of the ir value. Environmental conse rvation groups have long understood that education is key to changing attitudes and getting people to take pe rsonal respons ibility for stewardsh ip. When res idents of a community have an appreciation for th e ir heritage th e re is more support for municipal action on he ritage protection and for p ersonal stewardship of he ritage resources. Often, at the beginning or a community he ritage illitiative, it is useful to get a sense of a community's attitudes and values toward its heritage . This can help to gauge current levels of awareness and to see if th ere is support Ii)r a particular heritage in itiati ve . Often the best way to do this is to unde rtake some sort of survey. A similar survey can be re peated in the future to see if there have been positive changes in attitudes and, the reby, to gauge how e ffec tive awareness activities or ca mpaigns have been. For more information on conducting a community survey see the Heritage Planning Guide, pp. 30-31. 2. HERITAGE AWARENESS RAISING STRATEGIES There are a variety of different tools and approac hes that a cOlllmunity can use to raise awareness about its he ritage resources. Those that involve a certain amount of seU'discovery are often the most eflective and fun. A number of these are outlined below: a) COlILllwnity Walkabout - this involves holding a day-long workshop in which reside nts of a community, often with a few outside resource people, explore the ir environment noting such things as the features/patte rns that characterize the community and unattractive /problem areas. It is a good way to get people to take a second look at the ir community. A sample worksheet can be found at the end of this section. For more information on conducting a Community Walkabout see the Heritage Planning Gnide, pp. 33-34). b) Learning about local Wildlife - a community walkabout could be expanded or adapted to encompass the natural heritage of a community. Work with local naturalists or science teachers to develop th is. Ot he r act ivities can include: bird counts (an annual community count of birdlife ); plant/ wildlife inve ntory projects; and public lectures. CHAPTER 2 • HOW YOUR COMMUNITY CAN RAISE AWARENESS AND BUILD SUPPORT 17 The Doors Open program is a great way to ra.ise awareness about a community's built h eritage. Here visitors line up to visit the Presentation House Convent. St. }ohn\. c) Doo,.s Open -launched fi)r the first time in St. 10hn's in 2003, this program provides an opportunity for citizens to explore a community's hidden historical, architectural, and cultural buildings and sites. It can include not only the architectural "gems" but places of worship and places of work. Examples of the latter could include a tour of a local paper mill or fish plant, or the opportunity to see how the local newspaper is produced. Doors Open usually takes place over the course of a single weekend and provides access (often with a guided tour) of homes, religious structures, institutional, and commercial/industrial buildings that aren't normally open to the general public. The first St. John's Open Doors, held in early September, 2003, attracted more than 25,000 visits to 16 participating buildings. According to one participant, "I learned more in this weekend about Newfoundland history than I have in my whole 78 years." For more information about Doors Open contact the Newfoundland Historic Trust at: generalmanager @historictrust.com (TeL 709-739-7870). d) Tou,.s/Lectu,.es by Historians and othe,.lIe,.itage Professionals - invite an historian or heritage professional to provide a public lecture or, bette r yet, to provide a tour of the community, highlighting the significal\ce of your community's cultural heritage . e) Educational brochu,.ehnap/poster - a brochure that highlights a community's heritage resources can be prepared (this could be a good collaboration between the local heritage society and a local high school) for distribution through the community. It could highlight buildings, sites and collections of significance in the community and highlight some of the things that make the community unique (e.g., building and landscape forms). Ideally, it should contain notions about heritage stewardship and suggest actions that residents can take to preserve their heritage. Some cOllllllunities have developed maps highlighting natural and cultural heritage resources. These are useful fin' tourism promotion purposes. A local artist or graphic designer may be willing to help out. f) Wo,.king with Schools and Youth G,.oups - the encouragement of strong values about heritage stewardship starts with the young. Work with local heritage organizations, schools and youth organizations to develop special educational programs and activities about heritage that use the community as a classroom. Check out the following resources for ideas: 18 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE For cultnral heritage and communities: The Heritage Education Ne twork http://h istpres.mtsu.edu/the nl The Canadian Institute of Planners has published a Kid:5 Guide to Building Great Communities that can be orde red through: www.c ip-icu.ca For natural heritage and environrnental education: 'Project Wild', an en v iron me ntal education manual for te a ch ers is available through Salmonier Nature Park (Tel. 709-729-7888). For additional information check out: http://www.wil(le(lucation.org/more e ducation.asp 'Waterscapes', a manual for teache rs that e ducates stude nts about wa te r issues is a vailable through Eastern Habitat Joint Ve ntures (EHJV) (Tel. 709-637-2013) For developing curricnlwn about commllnily economic development (and its links to heritage): REDA (Re gional Economic De velopnlent and Schools) at www.redas.nl. ca (Tel. 737-8616) g) Photographic/Art/Poster Displays - public dis plays of photos, artwork or posters relating to a cOlllmunity heritage the me can be a good way to ge t residents thinking about the ir local he ritage . This could be done in the form or a competition. Displays could be held in public buildings (libraries, shopping malls, schools) and in shop windows. h) lIeritllge Discol'ery - a town council can a ct as a sponsor for this program, which is a great way to help connect a community to its past and its heritage resources. It can s tir inte rest in re sidents to take ste ps to preserve the ir he ritage , The program can be particularly effective in a community whe re there is no organized he ritage group. A town counc il could playa lead role in seeking funding for a Heritage Discovery project and in providing office space and computer acce ss. He ritage Di.scovery basically works in the following way: i) A small team of traine d re se arche rs l works in the community for a period of four weeks or so, trying to gather as much information as possible about its natural and cultural he ritage. Much of th is consists of talking to community residents - partic ularly seniors - and docume nting the ir stories, photographs, artifacts, songs, information about historic structures and le atures, e tc . Community naJural (treas pro vide a great outdoor classroomjor lo cal school groups. Here yonng p eople participate in an inventory of the Gully Wetland in Torbay. CHAPTER 2 • HOW YOUR COMMUNITY CAN RAISE AWARENESS AND BUILD SUPPORT 19 HERITAGE DISCOVERY ON THE BACCALIEU TRAil In the early 1990s the Baccalieu Trail region became involved with Heritage Canada's 'Heritage Regions' program. As part of this program a series of Heritage Discovery projects were launched . The results were significant. Several communities got more in touch with their heritage. A number of new community heritage groups we re formed which have led the way in preserving local heritage resources. IThe hads of research skills that would be usejid in.clude: workin.g with archival materials (documents and phot.os); doing oral history interviews. documenting heritage buildings and other cultural landscape features ~Modu le.s of the He ritage Pla nning Guide deals in d etail with building communi ty support. Whe re poss ible inte rviews are recorded on audio or video tape, artifacts are photographed and documents/photos are scanned. ii) A public forum is organized to which all members of the community are invited. The fIndings of the research team are presellted back to the com mun ity wh ich is the n followed by a discussion about what s teps might be taken to preserve its heritage (e.g., start a he ritage committee or society, undertake a special project). It can be useful to videotape the forum. An added eleme nt to the forul1I can be presentations of traditional mus ic or storytelling by local e nte rtaine rs. iii) A report 011 the research and the public forum is prepared and presented to the cOlllmunity. A Heritage Discovery project could be funded through anyone of a number of employmen t or youth programs. It could entail partnerships with a local school, library, or community group. It is important, howe ve r, that participants receive adequate training and orientation in research and presentation techniques. 3. BUILDING COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR HERITAGE INITIATIVES Getting community 'buy-in' for any community heritage proj ~c ~ or ~l1U~l i~ipal initia~ive is ir~p o rtant: P~rhaps a muniCIpalIty IS IIlte rested III de votlflg public funds to a special heritage project (e.g., restoration of a building). Or maybe it wants to explore the imple mentation of stewardsh ip measures such as special zoning or heritage design regulations . Ensuring that the public is 'on-board' for such undertakings is critical to ensuring the success of such illitiatives. The best by-laws will be of little value if the public doesn't accept the m. And no council wants to get a lot of negative feedback on its decis ions. Module 5 of the Heritage Planning Guide deals with the topic of building support for he ritage initiatives. A number of key points around building support for he ritage initiatives are highlighted below:!: i) Consult with your comnuLnity - consultation with the community helps to ensure that any munic ipal initiative is wanted and needed by the public. Real consultation is about more than just presenting a copy of the final plans to the community and saying, "What do you think'?" It is most effective when it involves the community in the early planning stages to ide ntify concerns and issues, generate 20 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE ideas, a nd e nsure that people feel part of the process. For example, if a munic ipa lity announced that it was going to adopt a he ritage bylaw to control what can happen within a he ritage area (i.e., r e stric ting certain uses, requiring certa ill design e le me nts on new construction) it is possible that there would be some opposition from the public. After all, people don't gelle rally like be ing told what they can and call't do with th eir prope rty. The most eflective way would be to start the process with a community meeting in which the public was invite d to s hare concerns and ideas a bout preserving the community's he ritage. Various protection options could be outlined and discussed. Such a session would provide the opportunity to answer questions and, the reby, to allay co ncerns. ii) Share your plallswith yonr eOIlLlIlunily - use a variety of techniques to share your plans with the community: newsle tte r or website, local media (radio and newspaper), open houses or presentations to local community groups. Make it clear that you are seeking community leeclback on your plans which will be reflec ted in the final plan. iii) Keep your eOlll,munity illformed - using various media, keep the community up to date on the progress of a project or initiative. Invite public partic ipation in revie wing he ritage bylaws or protection measures from ti me to time. EXPLO RATIONS 1. Discuss how the town currently seeks input on important community issues and initiatives. Is it a case of "here's what we're going to do, what do you think?" Or are residents genuinely engaged in identifying issues and developing strategies and solutions? 2. What tools does the town currently use in communicating with its residents? How could these be strengthened? 3. Discuss the types of heritage awareness raising techniques that you think would be most effective in your community. COMMUNITY CONSULTATION IN TORBAY When the Trails & Environment Committee of the town of Torbay initiated a plan for a wetland area in the middle of the community it began with a survey of local property owners who lived near the area. The survey was followed up by a meeting. This gave property owners the opportunity to express concerns and identify issues before actual protection measures or development plans were put in place. It went a long way toward getting this group on board . CHAPTER 2 • HOW YOUR COMMUNITY CAN RAISE AWARENESS AND BUILD SUPPORT 21 Community Walkabout Worksheet Community Feature Questions Notes Older Residential Properties 1. Are there typical patterns for traditional housing types in the community (building shapes, orientation, number of openings)? 2. What are the distinctive features that characterize older residential buildings (roof forms, windows, materials, colours, decorative detailing, chimneys)? 3. Identify outstanding/well-preserved examples. 4. How have these structures changed over time? Have the changes been sympathetic? Why or why not? 5. How does new construction fit in with older residential neighbourhoods? 6. What kinds of outbuildings are associated with these buildings (sheds, root cellars, etc.)? Are there many of them left? 7. What are the typical setbacks of buildings from roads? Gardens/Landscaping 1. What types of plantings are traditionally found in and around older residential properties? Along streets/roadways? 2. Are/were properties typ ically fenced? What patterns of fencing exist/existed in the community? Circulation Routes 1. Identify road and circulation patterns including old pathways and trails. 2. What is it like for pedestrians to walk in the community? (i.e., Is it safe? Scenic? Convenient?) 3. What is the condition of roads and pathways? Landmark Buildings 1. Identify the special landmark buildings in the community (churches, public buildings, etc). 2. How have they changed over time (alterations/use)? Have these changes been sympathetic? Why or why not? 22 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE Community Walkabout Worksheet Commercial/I ndustrial/ 1. What types of structures exist/existed in the community? Fisheries Structures Describe them in terms of form, materials, location, and function. 2. What changes have they undergone over time? Have these been sympathetic? Why or why not? 3. Are many of the structures vacant or under-used? 4. What community needs could be accommodated in vacant structures (e.g., recreational, social, housing, cultural activities)? Open Spaces 1. Describe the open spaces in the community (empty lots, shorelines, parks/recreational areas, wetland areas). What condition are they in (i.e., well-maintained, neglected, polluted)? 2. How do they contribute to the quality of life in the community? 3. How could under- utilized spaces best be used to contribute to the quality of life in the community? (As infil housing? Recreational spac·e?) General 1. How do the above features/structures contribute to a unique sense of place? 2. What has been lost from the urban fabric? 3 . What should be preserved? 4. Identify 'eyesores' in the community. What could be done to improve them? 5. Identify the areas in the community where people like to hang out, to walk, to engage in recreational and social activities. What makes them attractive? How could they be enhanced? CHAPTER 2 • HOW YOUR COMMUNITY CAN RAISE AWARENESS AND BUILD SUPPORT 23 24 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE STEWARDSHIP & PROTECTION OF YOUR COMMUNITY'S HERITAGE RESOURCES STEWARDSHIP &- PROTECTION OF YOUR COMMUNITY'S HERITAGE RESOURCES Perhaps the most important role for any Illunicipality to play in terms of its heritage resources is protection. Mun icipal cOllncils are in a good position to safeguard heritage resources as they are the level of government closest to the ground in a community. As they are responsible for sllch things as zoning, and approval of permits for new construction, re novations and building demolitions they have several tools that they can use to protect he ritage resources. Most of the available tools are provided for ill the provincial Munic ipa lities Act and the Urban and Rural Planning Act. These fall into a numbe r of categories: 1. DESIGNATION The des ignation of buildings, nalural or cultural he ritage areas, even intangible heritage resources is a way to recognize the ir importance and to Hag them for s pecial protection. Designation can occur at the munic ipal, provincial, fede ral, even international le vels. Municipal - buildings, structures, or land may be designated with a he ritage status that afJorcis them protection . Under the Munic ipalities Act: Council may rnake regulations designating real property as a heritage building, structure or land. (Section 414) A building, structure or land designated by a council as a heritage building, structure or land shall not be demolished or buill upon nor the e;);terior of the building or structure altered, e.'l:pect under a written permit of the council specifically authorizing the alteration and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the permit. (Section 200) Esse ntially, these provisions allow a council to protect he ritage structures from being torn down or being altered in ways that are unsympathetic to their historic character. They also allow for the prote ction of natural heritage areas. A he ritage advisory committee, appointed by council, can advise on which buildings should be designated. They would make recomme ndations after carrying out the necessary research to determi ne the h istoric/arch itectural significance of a structure. While the cooperation of a building owner is definitely desired when designating a building, it is not required. In instances where a building is uncler immine nt threat of destruction a munic ipal designation can buy valuable time to ide ntify possible preservation strategies. Should a property owner not deal with their he ritage property in an appropriate manner: CHAPTER 3 • STEWARDSHIP 6t PROTECTION OF YOUR COMMUNITY'S HERITAGE RESOURCES 27 The Bleak House is a provincial registered h eritage structure that serces as a community museum in the tOlUn of Fog o. A council may make an order that a building constructed on heritage lands be removed and the lands restored and that the e,y;terior of a heritage building or structure not altered in accordance with a permit be restored as required by the council. (Section 404, Munic ipalities Act) A relatively s mallllumber of munic ipalities in the province have active he ritage designation programs. Some of those that do include St. John's, Woody Point, Harbour Grace, and Conception Bay S outh . MUNICIPAL HERITAGE DESIGNATION PROGRAM IN CONCEPTION BAY SOUTH The town of CBS has an active municipal heritage designation program that includes not only build ings but a heritage district, cemeteries, and even individuals and organizations that have played an important part in the history of the community. According to Heritage Advisory Committee member Regina O'Keefe, "Our town is growing very quickly which means that there is a lot of pressure on our heritage structures. We feel that it is important to preserve our heritage for future generations and to instill a sense of pride in our rich heritage." For the last number of years the town has hired a student to undertake historical research to assist the town in identifying buildings and sites for designation . To date, around 15 sites have a lready received designation . P"o'vincial- The He ritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador desig nates individual s truc tures and di stricts deemed to be of provincial significance. Designatioll of a structure or di strict provide s a level of recognition that can translate into tourism marketing poss ibilities and , hopefully, can open up funding possibilitie s. In a ddition, designated structures and dis tricts qualify for te chnical a nd planning assistance from the He ritage Foundation and other agencies. In order to qualify !i:n' registered provinc ial he ritage distri ct designation a municipal council mus t pass a motion to apply as well as munic ipal he ritage bylaws simila r to those described above . De pe nding upon availability of funding, the foundation also offe rs grants for the upgrading of he ritage structures. For more information see http;llwww.he ritagefoundation.ca/or contact 709-739-1892 . National - National Historic Sites wh ich comme morate districts, structures, historical e vents, or pe r sonages of national significance are de signated by the His toric Sites and Monume nts Board of Canada. While a national historic site des ignation cloesn't provide any real legal protection, it does give re cognition a nd s tatus that can be ve ry useful in a ccess ing development monies or in marketing a s ite . Parks Canada 28 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE may be a ble to provide research, tec hnical, and planning assistance for national historic sites. A numbe r of othe r designation tools or organ izat ional structures are desc ribed in the Heritage Planning Guide (see pp. 20-21 and 53-59) that can offer protection and stewardship of heritage resources. 2. HERITAGE ADVISORY COMMITTEE The Munic ipalities Act permits munic ipalities to establish '"Heritage Advisory Committees" that can advise a coull cil on wit ic h heritage structures to designate and 011 the preparati on of guidelines or bylaws to apply to designated structures or di stri cts. They can also provide adv ice to council on the treatment of he ritage buildings (e ithe r individually designated or within a he ritage district) and develop appropriate c rite ria for heritage designation. A Heritage Advisory Cotllmittee can also serve as a source of advice for homeowne rs and build ing contractors . One of the particular be ne fit s of s llch a co mtllittee is that it allows for c itizen input into the he ritage preservation process. TILTING'S PROVINCIAL HERITAGE DISTRICT In the summer of 2003 the entire town of Tilting on Fogo Island was designated as a provincial registered heritage district in recognition of its well-preserved buildings and landscape features related to the inshore fishery. In particular, it possessed a large collection of fish stages and stores, as well as older residences. The designation ceremony itself garnered a lot of attention including visits by the Irish Minister for Trade and Commerce and the Irish Ambassador to Canada. According to Lillian Dwyer, mayor of Tilting, "we have seen an increase in the number of tourists visiting our community and a move to develop new businesses in town. The designation is helping to put us on the map and is an affirmation of the work of Tilting's residents to preserve their heritage." THE ROCK WALLS OF GRATES COVE Through the efforts of the Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation (BTHC) the extensive collection of rock walls in Grates Cove, near the tip of the Bay de Verde Peninsula, were deSignated as a national historic site. The designation recognizes some of the province's best preserved examples of protective rock walls surrounding land that was taken in for vegetable gardens and hay fields. With government assistance the BTHC was able to develop a parking area along with interpretive panels on the site. The designation creates an additional tourism draw for the community and the region . CHAPTER 3 • STEWARDSHIP 6t PROTECTION OF YOUR COMMUNITY'S HERITAGE RESOURCES 29 The t01(ln of Placentia commissioned a Townscape De·velopment & Cultural Heritage District Masl.er Plan to g uide it in protect ing and detJeLoping it.s hislon:c core. 3. MUNICIPAL PLAN AND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS Powers unde r the Munic ipalities Act, only give council the ability to control the preservation and restoration of designated he r itage buildings and st ru c tures. Under this provision, counc il cannot determine wha t is all appropr iate use of · a he ritage building nor what can be built next door to it. Similarly, it has little co nt rol over what can be done in or near an area of natural sign iflCa llce. If counc ils need broader powers to protect the overall character and integrity of a he ritage area they need to adopt a Municipal Plall and Development Regulations. These allow for: the control of uses of he ritage buildings/districts and natural areas; control over the design and scale of new buildings in a he ritage area; and the re developme nt and revitalization of a natural or cultural he ritage area. \Vithout these provis ions it becomes diffi cult to control unsympathet ic de velopme nt (i.e ., a high rise building ill a district of he ritage homes or an industrial e nte rpr ise in or near a significant natural area.) A Mun ic ipal Plan is a legal document wh ich allows a council to direct growth and de velopment. As such it co ntains policy s tatements outlining directions for future growth. The plan is implemented th rough regula tions which set out specific standards and conditions for all buildings and land use. A plan and regulations can be simple and just outline what type of uses are appropria te in various areas of a town. Or they can be far-reaching, dealing with major issues such as re vitalization initiatives, appropriate building treatments and design, infil development, streetscape design, corridors/buffe rs along trails, and protection of na tural features. Some communities that have included the preserv a tion of built he ritage in their mun icipal plans include St. John's, Placentia, Trinity and Brigus. Gande r, Carmanville , a nd Torbay have designated a reas to protect waterfowl habitat. In total almost 140 towns ill the province have Munic ipa l Plans and Development Regulations The process of de veloping a plan and impleme nting regulations is a major unde rtakin g. It must involve a professiona l planner and allow for a high level of public consultation, both with residents and govern ment de partme nts. Such COl1lmun ity in volveme nt en sures that the plan reflects the needs and values of residents and that the re is a high degree of community 'buy-in', which makes it easie r for council to e nforce. It should be recogn ized that the munic ipal planning process is a dynamic one that allows 10 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE for change (i.e., counc ils can amend the m). Ideally, plans are reviewed every 5 years or so to re tlect changes in the commun ity. For more information on developing and implementing a Munic ipa l Plan or on in corporating he ritage conservation district provisions into an exist ing one, contact the Urban a nd Rural Planning Division of the De partme nt of Munic ipal Affairs (Tel. 709-729- 3090) . Staff are available to meet with a council to discuss the process. They can also prov ide a list of professional planning cons ultants. Diffe rent zoning options include: i) Historic Conservalion Dislricl Zoning- this applies to areas of cultural significance (structures or cultural landscapes). In the case of an his toric downtown core , anothe r option is to designate a 'Redevelopment Area' for which a redevelopme nt plan is prepared. To be mean ingful, special zon ing re quires the preparation of a he ritage development plan tha t de tails how tlte goals a nd inte nt of the zoning can be realized . It includes such things as perlllittedirecommendecl uses in a n area, schemes or strategies for its rev italization, and recomme ndations for appropriate building treatme nt, design and intil. Some munic ipalities also adopt signage bylaws to apply to commerc ial bu ildings with ina he ritage conse rvation district. In an eHort to promote trad it ional styles fo r s heds and outbuildings the town of Tiltin g e nacted a bylaw that prohibited the e rection of fa bricated "baby barns". In some European countries architectural features are actually legislated clown to the colours that one can use on bu ildings. In Canada the "carrot" approach often works be tte r in regulating developme nt in historic reside ntial or comme rcial districts. Design guide lines serve to educate the public about appropri a te building treatments within heritage di s tric ts. It is advised that a community works with a heritage consultant, arch itect or landscape a rch itect to develop appropriate local heritage guidelines. An illustrated brochure or bookle t is a useful tool for a munic ipality to develop, describing the c harac te ri s tics of a community's built heritage along with examples of appropriate development or alte rations. The message to property owne rs and developers is, "if YOll follow the guidelines as laid out, the pe rmit process will be smooth." A council has the right to reject any proposal that it feels is not sympathetic to the cha racter of an hi storic area. Design guidelines provide an objective criteria for dealing with heritage properties. CHAPTER 3 • STEWARDSHIP &. PROTECTION OF YOUR COMMUNITY'S HERITAGE RESOURCES 31 I For more information see p.21 of the He ritage Planning Guide . 2 For more information see p.55 of the He ritage Plan ning Guide. Below are a few examples of he ritage property bylaws and design guidelines: • Maintaining sta.ndards of herita.ge properties: http://www. cityofport nlOody.com/C it y+Govern me nt/Bylaws/l-Ie r itage+ Ma in tenance+Standards+ Bylaw.htm • Design Guidelines: The Town of Brigus Heritage Guidelines (see at end of this chapter) http://www.atlanticplan ne rs.org/wha tnew/booksl grandprel bylaw. ht l1J http://www.downtownwhitby.calrev it/i mprove lfacade improvement volume l.pdf ii) Conse,..vation District - areas of natural significance within a community can be designated as conservation districts with special development gu idelines. For wildlife habitat located within a community, a municipality can also seek a designation as a Munic ipal Stewardship Area unde r the Easte rn Habitat Joint Ve nture (EHJV) program.1 Natural and cultural areas lying outside of a municipal boundary, for which protection is sought, can be designated by the Min iste r of Mun ic ipal Affairs. 4. PROPERTY MAINTENANCE BYLAW A town counc il can establish a bylaw to ensure that prope rties within the community a re maintained to a reasonable standard and not allowed to become an eyesore or a hazard. If, after b e ing appropriately notified, a property owner fails to bring a property up to standards, a town counc il can undertake the work and charge the owne r for costs. While such a bylaw should be used sp a rin gly, it can be used to e ns ure that older buildings in the community are not allowed to fall into disrepair. For information on establish ing a propert y maintenance bylaw contact the Provincial Department of Municipal Affairs. 5. ACQUISITION OF HERITAGE RESOURCES BY COUNCIL Some times the b est or only option for preserving a heritage property and putting it to good use is for a town council to acquire it. This may be the case in particular where a property is de relict and at ri sk. The re are a number of options for a council to acquire heritage properties: i) Purchase: Under Section 201 of the Municipalities Act a coun cil can acquire and hold real and p ersonal property whic h is not necessary for the operations of the council but whic h meets community need s . In order to do this, a council needs to get prior written permission from the Minister of Municipal and Provinc ial Affairs . A munic ipal council can also set up a non-profit he ritage development corporation or a he ritage trus t to purchase he ritage prope rties.2 32 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE ii) Tax Arre ars: Sometimes older buildings, stru c tures and land fall into tax a rrears. T he Muni c ipalities Act outlines a process in which a council can obta i n these a rrears with the last option be ing sale by auc tion. Section 141 (3 ) a llows counc il to bid for a nd purchase real property being sold to satisfy taxes, inte rest or othe r expenses due. One has to be somewha t ca reful with this provis ion though. In one case, the munic ipality threate ne d a public sale to cover un paid ta xes on a property only to see the owne r pay up the taxes, then tear clown the buildin g on it to reduce future taxes. iii) Expropriation: A counc il can ask the Minister of Munic ipal and Provincial Affairs for permission to e xpropria te property ( )r municipal purposes including econolllic developme nt. It is a serious decis ion to deprive a prope rty owne r of h is /he r private prope rt y and in orde r to do so one mus t : a ttempt to negotia te a purchase a nd, failing that, (or being una ble to locale th e owner); provide a suitable jus tification to the Min is ter for the need to expropria te . A council must pay the fair ma rke l va lue for a property when expropria ting and e n sure that the use is for counc il or public purposes. Insta nces whe re a counc il might exp ropriate a he ritage property or bu ilcling include: whe re it is to be developed as a community hall, rec reati o nall~lc ilit y, or p a rk; for an economic development initia tive that could include touri sm development. Before cons ide rin g e xpropria tion a munic ipa l coun c il s hould always a Lte mpt a negotia ted purchase. The re a re a lso provis ions under the His toric Resources Act for the Prov incial Governme nt to protect his toric resources a nd a rc haeological s ites. They can include: a re quirement for an assessment to be unde rta ken prior to a ctivities that might imp a ct the resource and for the government to re quire that a munic ipality not issue a development permit on a s ite whe re he ritage resources e xis t; de clara tion of an his toric resource or a rc haeological s ite as a provin cial c ultural property; and a cqu is it ion of that resource through purc ha se /expropriation. Again , expropriation is a last resort and very ra rely used by government. Prov is ions of the His toric Resources Act a re concerned prima rily with p rotecting heritage resources, not necessarily in seeing th e m de velope d. This would me an, for example, th at the government would not normally e xpropria te just to allow it to unde rta ke an archaeological dig. For specifics, see the His toric Resources Act a t: http : / /www.gov.nLca/hoa/ s ta tutes/h14 .htm PURCHASE FREES UP DERELICT HISTORIC PROPERTY IN CARBON EAR In the mid-1980s d owntown Carbonear had a big eyesore on its hands. What had fo rmerly been a prominent business on Water Street lay in ruins. A fire had totally destroyed one building and only the co nc rete walls of another were inta ct . The owner had done nothing to c lean up the property and it had, for a few yea rs, formed a huge eyesore in the town's historic commercial area . It was assumed th at the prope rty was su ch a t angled legal mess th at little could be d o ne. When the matter was investigated it was discovered that the Town could acquire the property fo r back taxes owed. The area was cleaned up and the remaining 1930s co n crete building was salvaged and devel oped as a senior's ce ntre. USE OF EXPROPRIATION IN FERRYLAND The Provincial Government has engaged in land acquisition of archaeolo gical sites in a few instan ces in the provin ce. It has, for example, purchased land in Ferryland (Lord Baltimo re's plantatio n) and in Port aux Choix (Maritime Archaic I ndian site). In the case of Ferryland, the government used expropriation as a way to deal with a lack of clear title on a number of properties that it wished to purchase. While all of the owners had agreed to se ll at a negotiated price, it was deemed most feasible to use expropriation as a way to overcome the title problems. CHAPTER 3 • STEWARDSHIP & PROTECTION OF YOUR COMMUNITY'S HERITAGE RESOURCES 33 34 6. HERITAGE INCENTIVES Often finan c ial incentives are the most effective tool to e nc ourage h eritage pre se rvation and a pprupriate standards. Such incentives e ssentially ta ke two forms : i) Grants: Some municipalities offe r grants to owne rs of heritage prope rties for e xte rior restoration/mainte na nce work. Th is recognizes th a t he ritage structures often have higher maintenance costs , especially if a building re quires extensive restoration. Granting bodies gene rally requ ire an e asement agreement from tlte property owner whic h is a legal docume nt that, essentially, gives that body the right to specify what may be done with th e e xte rior of the building. This is to e nsure that any work unde rtaken mee ts he ritage preservation standards. In addition to providin g a n ince ntive to prope rty owne rs to re store th eir he ritage struc tures, a grant gives a munic ipality some influen ce on how that work is carried out. Ge ne rally such grants are for exte rior work only and are cos t- s hare d. In the 1990s the City of St. 10hn's offe red one -third of the cost of exterior restoration for the public face of a building to a maximum of $3,000. Bonavista, through the Bonavista His toric Townscape Foundation, oIle rs 700/0 of exterior re novat ion costs up to a maximum of $::W,OOO. BONAVISTA'S 'HISTORIC PROPERTIES INVESTMENT PROGRAMME' YIELDS BIG RETURNS The community of Bonavista has realized huge gains from its heritage grants program. In its first year of operations 11 historic properties, in total, received approximately $145,000 through the Historic Properties Investment Programme (administered by the Bonavista Historic Townscape Foundation with funding from ACOA) . This leveraged nearly $110,000 in private and other public funding . As all of the labour and most of the materials originated in the Bonavista region, most of this money went directly into the pockets of local residents, including $93,000 in labour. The visual impact of the program is immediately obvious when one enters the historic town. Together with other public investment in heritage in the town, the preservation of the community's historic townscape is helping to create a growing cultural tourism industry, which has offset losses in fisheries employment. By the time the program is completed it is estimated that around 45 bui ldings will have been restored . AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE ii) Tax /ncellli-ves - Munic ipalities can offe r tax incentives as a way to e ncourage he ritage preservation and the re-use of he ritage buildings. As illlproveme nts to a he ritage struc ture will often lead to an increase in the assessed value - th e reby leading to higher taxes - some munic ipalities provide a property tax re bate on the diffe re nce be tween the old and new assessed values. This can e ithe r be a total re bate on the diHerence for a pe riod of say 3 years or be graduated over a pe riod of years. The City of St. John's curre ntly has a 5 year property tax rebate for 'at-risk' he ritage struc tures regis te red by th e c ity. UsiJlg the St. J ohn's exalllple , fo r a property with a pre -re storation tax of $1,000 that in creased to $2,200 afte r re storation, a 5 year graduated tax incentive would work like this: New tax rate ($ 2,200) - old tax ra te ($ 1,000) = $1,200 Year 1 (100% re bate) = $ 1,200 Year 2 ( 80% re bate) = $ 960 Year 3 ( 60% re bate) = $ 720 Year 4 ( 40% re bate ) = $ 480 Year 5 ( 20% re bate) = $ 240 TotalS year tax rebate = $3,600 For comme rc ial buildings, Illuni c ipalities can also provide a re bate on bu s iness taxes. In the cases of both property and business tax re bates the re is , essentia lly, no cost to a munic ipa lity as heritage prope rties are ge nerally serviced so the re are no additional servi cing costs and the increased taxes wouldn't be collec ted by the munic ipality anyway if the prope rty was not upgraded . In the case of empty comme rc ial prope rty no bus iness taxes are being collected. The municipality wins in the end as, e ve ntually, restored heritage prope rties yield higher tax revenues (by year 2 in the g raduated scheme )! The new His toric Places Initiat ive , managed by the Department of Canadian He ritage, has establi she d a "Comme rc ia l He ritage Prope rties Incentive Fund" that ofJe rs grants for restoration to owners of private designa ted heritage buildings that a re to be used for comme rc ial purposes. This could include the conversion of a he ritage prope rty into a bed and breakfast, restaurant, off1ces, or re tail space. For more information see: http ://www.pc .gc .ca/ progs /plp-hpp/plp-hpp2a E.asp EXPLORATIONS 1. Discu ss how zoning and/or heritage guidelines could be used to protect heritage resources in your community. Make contact with a community in your area that has included heritage zoning and bylaws to discuss the pros and cons of such an initiative (the Dept. of Municipal Affairs should be able to provide you with names) . 2. Make a list of structures in your community that may be worthy of designation at either the municipal or provincial level. 3. Make a list of older underutilized properties that are tied up due to legal limbo or unpaid taxes_ Try to identify possible uses for those buildings that fit with council responsibilities as indicated under the Municipalities Act. 4 . Develop a list of residents who have loca l knowledge of/ interest in heritage bUildings and the community's history and who could serve on a heritage advisory committee. S. Develop a list of local resources useful to people undertaking the restoration of heritage buildings. These could include contractors and craft persons with heritage experience as well as suppliers of traditional building materials (clapboard, wood shingles) . CHAPTER 3 • STEWARDSHIP lit PROTECTION OF YOUR COMMUNITY'S HERITAGE RESOURCES 35 36 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES AND APPROACHES Additional Strategies & Approaches for Preserving Your Community's Heritage Many munic ipalities in Newfoundland and Labrador have taken proactive approaches to preserve their he ritage . In most cases these have resulted in s ignificant re turns to local communities in te rllls of increased community pride , new economic opportunities and private investme llt. 1. HERITAGE COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL I n a number of comlllunities councils have taken the initiative to form a local he ritage organization, in some cases, as a co mmittee of counc il. This e nsures a strong link with counc il wh ich has a varie ty of resources and Illechan iSllls to support heritage. The town of Torbay has a He ritage Committee to deal with c ultural he ritage and a Trails & Environme nt Committee which, essentially, concerns itself with the natural he ritage of the town. The counc il provides support in the form of office/museum space, an annual grant and funding for staff p ositions. It is important that the re be a strong liaison on such committees with town council/stafr. As was me ntioned pre viously, counc ils can also e stabli s h a He ritage Advisory Committee to advise them on various aspects of built he ritage and c ultural landscape , partic ularly on issues relating to heritage designation and appropr iate treatme nt of he ritage resoll rces. 2. COMMUNITY HERITAGE COORDINATOR The hiring of a community he ritage coordinator/officer by a municipality can do a lot to further the protection and development of heritage resources. Such a person can: • facilitate planning on he ritage initiatives; • de velop funding proposals for he ritage projects; • provide information and advice to the general public on the appropriate treatment of he ritage resources, funding programs , e tc .; • unde rtake community e ducation and awareness; and • provide a resource to community volunteers involved with heritage allowing the m, in mos t cases, to be muc h more produc tive . CHAPTER 4 • AD D I TI 0 NAL STRATEG I ES AND APPROACH ES 39 The restoration of the John William Roberts hOlLse in Woody Point for lLse as a l,isitor's centre is one of the initiatives that has been undertaken by the Bonne Bay Regional Heritage office. TOWN OF CBS HIRES SEASONAL HERITAGE WORKERS For the last several summers the town of CBS has been hiring a folklore student to research and promote the community's heritage . The position is answerable to the town's economic development officer. The student has been involved in : creating an inventory of heritage bUildings; gathering information on the community's history; and researching heritage buildings for consideration for municipal designation; developing a walking tour for the Topsail Heritage District; collecting oral history; writing pieces on heritage for the local newspaper. The heritage worker also sits as a member of the loca l heritage committee. Generally, a heritage coordinator will raise several times their own salary in successful grant applications and in encouraging private investment. While only large municipalities will likely be in a position to hire a heritage coordinator, in the case of s malle r municipalities it can be made feasible by partnering with other communities in a region. In various instances, it has been possible to cost-share these positions with a government funding agency such as HRSD or Human Resources Labour & Employment. In commu nities where th e re is no active heritage organization or heritage efforts are just getting off the ground, a municipality may wish to hire a student during the summe r to research and promote community he ritage. For this to be e ffect ive, a well-qual ified student (ideally with guidance) should be considered (i .e., someone studying history, archaeology, folklore or cultural geography). 3. PARTNERING WITH NEIGHBOURING COMMUNITIES While it may be difficult for small communities to access funding to hire professional heritage expertise or to effectively package and promote their heritage to p otential tourists, by working with ne ighbouring communities it becomes possible to create a critical mass. This could include several communities collaborating to c re ate a regional heritage centre that is able to open year round with professional paid staff (as opposed to several small museums that struggle to keep their doors open for a few months in the summer). It could also involve a regional collaboration to hire a he ritage development officer or a regional museum curator/manager to operate several community museums . Regional approaches to developing and promoting high quality nature -based or cultural tourism packages will be far more effective in attracting visitors to a region for an e xtended period of time than if each community attempts to go it alone and compete with neighbouring communities. The reality is that many small communities cannot create a strong e nough draw to pull tourists off the main highway or to keep visitors for more than a short time, but they may do so as part of a larger package. In other words, the total becomes more than the sum of the individual parts. Communities should consider working with their Regional Economic Development Boards (REDBs) and regional tourism associations in assessing the potential of heritage resources and in promoting and marke ting them. In the late 1990s most of the REDBs were involved in the developme nt of a Coastal Community Resources Inventory that mapped natural and cultural heritage resources along the province's coastline. Its purpose is to provide a tool for the development and management of these resources. 40 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE Contact your local REDB for a copy of this inventory. It could provide a model for an expanded inventory that e ncompasses the natural and cultural he ritage resources within an entire region. BONNE BAY REGIONAL HERITAGE COORDINATOR What started as a heritage researcher for the town of Woody Point has turned into a regional heritage coordinator, shared by several communities in the Bonne Bay area. The town of Woody Point offers in-kind services in the form of an office and support. The coordinator works with various communities on a variety of heritage projects and initiatives: awareness raising, heritage education in local schools, promoting, packaging and marketing heritage attractions, funding for restoration projects, and the development of heritage by-laws. She also acts as a resource for local volunteer groups and the public on heritage programs. In 2003 alone it is estimated that the Bonne Bay heritage coordinator raised over $200,000 in grants funding for heritage initiatives. According to Woody Point town councilor, Eldon King, "the regional heritage coordinator has allowed us to move ahead in preserving and developing our town's heritage resources much more quickly than if we had been trying to do everything strictly as volunteer groups." 4. STRATEGIES FOR REVITILIZING AN HISTORIC COMMUNITY CORE Ge nerally, the area in a community with the greatest concentration of heritage buildings is in the old comme rcial/industrial core, usually found along the wate rfront. In the case of inland towns, this area was often clustered along the railway line. In larger communities this encompasses commercial, industrial and institutional buildings, surrounded by older residential areas. In smaller outports, the harbours are ringed by older houses, commercial fishing premises, fish ing stages, and e1ll1 rches. Communities can take active steps to e ncourage the redevelopment of their historic cores. A number of strategies are outlined below: a) Creation of a Downtown/Heritage De'velopment Strategy - the revitilization of an unde r-utilized downtown or h e ritage district rarely happe ns of its own accord. A clear vision with a pro-active strategy is needed. A municipal council is generally in the best position to lead in the developme nt of such a strategy. Communities in the province that have prepared such plans include St. 10hn's, Bonavista and Placentia. Key ingredients for success in developing and implementing effective strategies include: a strong commitment from council to the process; a high level of public input and consultation; and the forging of strong partnerships with residents, various le vels of government, and the private sector. UsuaUy a consulting team with experie nce in urban Very often the historic centres of communities have declined due to changes in the local economy (such as the decline of the inshore fishery) and a shiji in comrnercial activity to the comnwnit/s ou.tskirts (the highway strip J. This has manifested itself in vacant. ojien crumbling buildings. As they deca:red. many have been removed, resulll:ng in lwge gaps in the streetsc(tpe. It. is dijficult to have (t healthy community when its very heart is dying or dead. Here part ofa range ofuniqlte mid-19th century row houses in Harbour Grace is being demolished (2003) . The loss of heritctge structures usu.ally occurs gradually resulting. over time. in the loss 0./ the buildings that help define (t com.munity. CHAPTER 4 • ADDITIONAL STRATECIES AND APPROACHES 41 PLACENTIA TOWNSCAPE DEVELOPMENT & CULTURAL HERITAGE DISTRICT MASTER PLAN With funding from ACOA the town of Placentia undertook the development of a master plan in order to : focus its preservation efforts; help rea lize its potential for cultural tourism development as a way to diversify the economy; enhance the quality of life for its residents; and to conserve and develop its historic townscape and heritage resources for future generations. The plan is an attempt to move beyond what is often a piecemeal approach to developing c ultural heritage resources within a community. One of the things that became evident in developing a plan was that before beautification and enhancement of streets/sidewalks, parks and he ritage areas could occur, it was necessary to upgrade much of the town's infrastructure (i.e., to avoid future tear ups) . Acco rd ing to the town's mayor, "while the project is an am bitious one, this plan gives us a blueprint from which to work in a step by step manner." design, he ritage preservation and economic development is engaged to develop such a strategy. It is important that consultants be sensi tive to: local heritage resources; political and economic realities; and local human capacity. Each community is different; there are no 'cook ie cutter' solutions. b) /'weslmenl in Infrastructure - the beautification of a heritage dist rict or installation /upgrading of public infrastruc ture (streets, sidewalks, lighting, e tc.) , by a municipality can have a major psychological impact on a community and act as a catalys t for additional private investme nt and business development. Wate rfront development in the form of harbourfront walkways, boardwalks and parks can make the historic core more attractive and gene rate more foot traffic. Wate rfront walkways can, in some cases, make the backs of buildings on the main commercial s treet a ttractive for commercial development. Expenditures on infrastru cture should be seen by a municipality as an investme nt for which the re is an expected return (i.e., more private investme nt, additional tax re venue, satisfact ion of recreational needs) . Plannillg for such infrastructure should include consultation with community and business groups to ensure that it meets local needs and that it is sustainable. It is estimated that f()!' e ve ry dollar of city money invested in public improveme nts on George Street in St. J ohn's in the late 1980s, several dollars of private money were invested in building upgrades and business start-up. Bonavista Townscape Church S Tbi~ pruject " 'as mad" possible through fundin!: from the C'lRatlaiN~wfoulldland A;:rceGlt:nt r!" the E('onomic n"vellJpmeol Compon(:nt of the Canadian Fisheries Adjustment and Restructuring Initiative Canad§ pro.iet ;J ~t'; rendu poss ibl~ gt',ii't finuneement de l' Ellt~nU Canada - '1erTI.'-llew,e relati .. :lU ,okt Oc"eloPP"'m.llt eCCJoomiq llt des tlUOII!HUllQU et de "'_QltnH,hlr'ati4>n dfS pechcs BONAVISTA UPGRADES ITS MAIN COMMERCIAL STREET As part of its Historic Townscape Management Plan, the town of Bonavista undertook an ambitious beautifi cation of its main thoroughfare, Church Street, that included its historic commercial and institutional core. It has served to tidy up the ap pearance of the street with new curbs and sidewalks as well as a few decorative treatments such as brick pavers and attractive fencing (wrought iron in front of the library and cenotaph and picket along residential and ecclesiastical areas) . The restoration of two-way traffic to the street has slowed traffic and increased the sense of activity on the street. 42 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE c) The Main Street Approach- back in the 1980s and early 1990s the Heritage Canada Foundation operated a program called 'Main Street Canada'. ~While the He ritage Canada Founda tion no longer sponsors the Main Street program the re is no reason that any particular community cannot follow the Main Street approach. The program was based on the recognition that much of the country's built he ritage is found in the hi s toric commercial cores of towns and cities. For various reasons - not the le a st of whi ch was the growth of suburban shopping malls and th e ' highway strip' - these downtown comme rc ial areas had declined, resulting in empty shop fronts and neglected buildings, many of which came to be at ris k. As well, many older downtown buildings had seen unsympathe tic changes (modern re novations and signage) which masked th e ir unique heritage charac ter. He ritage Canada recognized that the preservation of hi s toric commer c ial and ins titution a l buildings had to go hand in hand with a rev italization of the comme rc ial and c ivic func tions of downtowlI. The program had four basic compone nts: i) Business De'velopment - downtown buildings need to have tenants and to generate sufficient revenues before their owners will consider upgrading or restoring th em. This means developing strategies for attracting new bus inesses and other fun ction s downtown . These could include such things as: bus iness tax breaks for new businesses setting up downtown; an assessment of r e tail gaps in the community and recruitment activit ies to recruit prospective new businesses; e ntre pre ne urial works hops and train ing; and an assessment of commun ity needs that could fill downtowlI b'uildings (e .g., c1aycare, special housing needs, cultural and rec reational needs ). Often it is necessary to find new uses for older buildings that no longe r serve the function for which they we re built (e .g., houses. churches, in s titutional, and indus trial structures). His toric districts generally figure very prominently in efforts to develop tourism in a community. ii) Promotions, Marketing & Special E-vents - the downtown bus iness community can learn from the malls whe re all tenants participate in joint promotions. By pooling their promotional dollars a nd packaging downtown as a dest ination that is more than just the sum of its individual parts, downtown business operators can more effectively compe te with suburban shopping areas. These can include special events and promotions (seasonal promotions, farme rs' or craft marke ts, festivals, window displays); anything that will get people downtown. These are mos t effective when they draw on the un ique he ritage and c haracter of downtown. WALKWAYS ENHANCE WATERFRONT APPEAL Typically communities have turned their backs on their waterfronts. Usually the shoreline was the scene of industrial or commercial activity which made it unappealing to residents or cut it off altogether from the rest of the community. Yet a shoreline can be one of the most interesting and scenic areas of a community. Increasing ly, communities in the province are recognizing the appea l of shorelines to both residents and tou rists by developing waterfront walkways. Two places that come to mind are Port aux Basques and Trout River on Newfoundland's west coast. Port aux Basques has developed a boardwalk that links the ferry terminal with the commercial area of the town. It includes a number of small retail kiosks and an outdoor stage offering local entertainment, geared toward ferry passengers with time on their hands. In the small community of Trout River a half kilometre board walk runs along the shoreline. On one side is the beach; the other is lined with buildings including a cafe and two museums which form anchors at each end of the walkway. It has done much to enhance the scenic appeal of the community and to welcome visitors. CHAPTER 4 • ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES AND APPROACHES 43 A n ew businessfills a vacant building on Water Street in Carbonear resulting in a "je£ce lift" iii) Orgallization - be fore positive change can happen in a his toric district it is neces sary to ge t a community mobilized and organized . Appropriate organizational structures need to be e stablished to unde rtake projects and initiatives and partnerships forged with a wiele variety of commun ity and public stake holde rs. One of the key elements is getting the downtown business community organized and working together. The Business De velopment Are a is one model ill which a municipality passes a law that allows for a levy on all downtown busine sses to raise funds for the operation of a Downtown Developme nt Association. Such a group engages in a variety of projects to promote a mi develop the downtown area. In terms of developing a ppropriate organizational models it must be understood that the re is no such thing as "one size fits all." Appropriate structures must be developed to fit the particular community. For more information on organizationa l models for heritage initiatives see Module 6 in the Heritage Planning Guide. CARBONEAR FESTIVAL CElEBRATED CARBON EAR'S WATERFRONT In 1986 downtown Carbonear held its first 'Stationers Festival' which celebrated the annual spring departure for the Labrador fishery (that had been happening on the town's waterfront for more than 150 years) . The festival included events such as a re-enactment, dory races on Water Street, food, entertainment, d isplays, and an ecumenical church service commemorating those lost at sea. Part of the intent of the festival was to get residents to take a second look at their downtown, which many had seemingly turned their backs on. As an example, one of the old, boarded-up timber-framed storehouses that had been part of John Rorke & Sons mercantile premises was turned into a craft market. Many people marveled at the beauty of the building and commented on what a great public space it would be. This historic structure was subsequently designated a provincial heritage structure, restored by the town council and now operates as a museum and theatre space. 44 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE i-v) IJeritage Preservation & Design - years of experie nce have shown that the most successful way to revitalize a downtown or an older district is not to destroy the historic l~lb ri c and put up new buildings but to preserve the stru ctures that give a commun ity a un ique sense of place. All too often the charac ter of older buildings has been lost as arch itectural features and detailing we re re moved or else covered up with unsympathet ic materials and signage. Where possible the restoration of historic buildings should be encouraged. Where this is not feasible they may be upgraded to make them more attractive and to fit better into the overall s treetscape. This requires expertise in unde rstanding historic buildings and research to de termine how buildings have changed over tillle. The key for a community is to work with what it has and not to a ttempt to create a blse sense of his tory be creating fake 'heritage ' facades. Other aspects of design include the developme nt of attracti ve signage that respects a building (i.e ., doesn't cover up detailing), and the development of new infrastructure and amenities to improve an area (e .g., attractive public spaces/parks, walkways, s idewalks, lighting, e tc.) . -v) The Main Street Office - in order to implemen t the Main Street approach a coordinator was placed in a community for a minimum of three years. His/her job was to an irnate the downtown revitalization process, helping to facilitate planning, and to provide professional expertise in the areas desc ribed above. The costs of running a Main Street office we re generally shared between the Illunicipality, other levels of government, and of tell the local bus iness community. The He ritage Canada Foundation provided planning services, training for coordinators, and technical advice. Various provincial organizations exist that can provide the necessary technical advice, such as the He ritage Foundation of Ne wfoundland and Labrador (dealing with built he ritage) and the Association of He ritage Industries. A community also doesn't need to have a large downtown comme rc ial core to use the process. Many communities in Newfoundland and Labrador are characterized by a fairly dispersed business community and don't have a traditional comme rcial core along a main street. The Main Street approach could be adapted to any town that has a fairly strong concentration of he ritage buildings that include those used for reside ntial, industrial, and institutional structures. What is needed to make the program work is a strong commitme nt from a munic ipal council, the local business community, and the community at large. CHAPTER 4 • ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES AND APPROACHES 45 Revitalizing a boarded up storejj'ont for lise as Carbonears lVlain S treet. ojJice /lias a /Vax to show that old buildings c an have a new life. Water St. Carbonear. 193()s Water St. Carbonear. 2003 CARBON EAR'S MAIN STREET PROGRAM By the early 1980s Carbonear's Water Street had suffered the same fate as many North American downtowns: commercial deve lopment on the suburban fringe combined with the decline of the old Water Street merchant fami li es had led to serious decay of the downtown. In 1985 the town became invo lved with the Main Street prog ram. With the assistance of a Main Stree t coordinator the community engaged in Heritage Canada's Four Point Approach. The project was successfu l in bringing down the vacancy rate from 45% to roughly 15%; severa l buildings were given face li fts; many vacant buildings were given a new life; and seve ral hundred thousand d ollars of public and private money we re invested in the area. Unfortunately, when the 3 year program e nded there w as no concerted efforts to maintain the momentum and things began to slide back somewhat. This is one of the lessons of heritage revit a lization, there are no quick fixes and it takes a sustained effort with a long -term strategy. d) Additional Ways that Municipalilies can Support their Jle ritage - there are a varie ty of other ways that your munic ipality can support heritage efforts in your community: i) In-I.·ill.d COlI.lI"ibulions to lo cal herilage g roups l,,,d projects - municipal cou nc ils are often ill a good position to provide 'in-kind' support to heritage initiatives and groups. These could include: • free meeting space for the local heritage socie ty; • space for historical displays and interpre ta tion a ctivities; • snow cleari ng a nd maintenance of community museum build ings; • use of heavy equipment for constru ction projects ; and • free office space/equipment for special projects (e.g., summer stude nts, research projects) 46 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE i) Financial Contributions - most local culLural heritage attractions are developed and managed by volunteer, community-based organizations. Most of these groups operate with few resources and most are very good at stretch ing a dollar. It has been said that cultural tourism (worth over $200 million to the provincial economy) is the only sector of the provincial economy bu ilt largely on the bac ks of volunteers. A finan cial contribution by a municipal council can of te ll make a big diffe re nce in wnning a local museum, heritage attraction or archive. PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN HERITAGE SOCIETY AND TOWN COUNCIL IN BAY ROBERTS A collaboration between the Bay Roberts Heritage Society and the Bay Roberts Town Council has made possible the restoration of the historic Cable Building and the development of a museum, archive and art gallery. While the heritage society was successf ul in securing funding to restore the large building, a major cha llenge was to provide for the on-going operating and maintenance costs. The town council moved into the first floor of the Cable Building and entered into an agreement whereby it would pay for the operating costs of the entire building on a year-round basis. This allows the museum to operate year-round, something that few community museums can do, due to the expenses of providing heat and light. ii) Encouraging the Arts as a CataLyst for the Re-use of Heritage Buildings - it is often a real challenge to find alternative uses for unde r-utilized or abandoned he ritage structures. This is especially the case with large structures such as industrial buildings, ware houses, schools, churches, or commercial pre mises. Often the first thing that occurs to groups or communities is to turn older buildings into museums. Ye t the ability of most commun ities to sustain more than one museum is limite d. Another possibility is to cons ide r the arts - the pe rforming arts (theatre, music, dance), visual arts , new media and film - which often fit very well into larger, open spaces in the types of buildings described. There is an increasing numbe r of examples worldwide of industrial The old Carbonear railway station gained new life as a community museum. The tOltln council covers the cost 0/ utilities on I.he/acility and has,/rom time 1.0 tl:me, prot1iciedjil1ancial assistance and o(.her 'in- kind' contributions. CHAPTER 4 • ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES AND APPROACHES 47 The Distillery District in Toronto has turned the old Gooderham & Worts D isf,illery into a complex 0/ artist's sf,adios, galleri es, restaurants, and pe/forming spaces, crea,tecl one o/the city's most clynwuic urban areas. heritage buildings that have been turned into arts spaces. They include the Distillery District in Toronto and MASS MoCA of North Adams, Massachusetts (a former mill town in Weste rn Massachusetts) that have conve rted Victorian indust rial buildings into vibrant complexes of artist's stud ios, galleries, museums, shops, restaurants and performance spaces. One of the particular benefits of such projects is that they bring many creat ive individuals (visual artists, film make rs, small high tech companies, etc.) a nd arts groups together under one roof - usually a t a belowcost re nt - c reating opportunities for collaboration. In many instances these kinds of projects have been undertaken by private developers. While most smaller communities in Newfoundland and Labrador will not have the population base to sustain large arts complexes, by considering a variety of community needs (learning spaces, recreational and soc ial spaces, office spaces for government and non-profit groups) it may be poss ible to put together a project that not only creates new uses for older buildings but gene rates lots of foot traffic and an exciting and vibrant community space. The key to making these types of projects work is partnerships. A municipality can act as a catalyst in such an initiative by assessing community needs a nd by bringing together a variety of community players to discuss the potential of such a project. iii) Municipal Re-lLse of Heritage Buildings -municipalities can adopt a policy that they will actively seek to re -use he ritage buildings for the ir own acti vities and needs. This could be for use as a town hall, office space, library, or other functions carried out by a municipality. He ritage structures such as schools, institutional or commerc ial buildings are often well-suited as they have spacious interiors and, with the ir architectural detailing, have a strong "civic" presence. Through partnerships with other organ izations and funding for he ritage preservation, the convers ion of heritage structures is often a low-cost alternative for a municipality that needs new space. The town of Bay Roberts partnered with the local heritage society to de velop a restored cable office for use as a town hall, muse um, archives, and a rt gallery. The town of Bonavista hopes to move its offices into a 1928 school building that will a lso serve as a regional visitor centre. Municipalities can a lso encourage the re -use of her itage buildings for use as government offices, By way of example the old Belve de re Orphanage in St. 10hn's has been converted for use as office space for MCP. 48 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE i'v) A Few Words aboLLt Community Economic Development (CED) - the traditional approach to developme nt in many communities in North America has been to attract new businesses and industries from outside the community. This often involves large tax co ncessions and gove rnllle nt grants. While sometimes this meets with success, a more holistic approach - alld one more suited to small rural communities - is re fe rred to as "Comlllunity Economic Developme nt" or CED. CED is based on the notion that a community looks at its own assets (human, physical, c ultural, natural) as well as its own problems, needs, and values in de vising developme nt strategies. It asks questions like : • What local resources and skills could be turned into economic opportunities? • What do we value about our cOllllllunity that we don't want to lose'? • What social, e nvironmental, cultural and economic needs do we have to address to allow us to move forward and to create a be tter quality of life'? Community Economic Development involves a process of in-depth comll1unity consultation and planning. It works when partnerships are forged with a wide variety of groups and inte rests in the community. Invariably in the CED process, communities discover that sOl1le of their greatest assets are the ir heritage resources. These run from buildings and other physical aspects of he ritage, to traditional skills and knowledge (and the people who possess them), to a comll1un ity's history and traditions, and its natural and scen ic areas. Two examples from rural France demonstrate this point well: • An economically depressed region discovered that in the Middle Ages the re had been a strong local industry producing medicinal herbs. The tradition was rev ived with an historical interpretation (a tourism draw) and the actual development of a new industry to supply the growing demand for herbal remedies. • In a district of northe rn France the loss of the local cattle industry led to an e nvironmental problem: former pastureland had gone wild with resulting grass fi res. To deal with the problem hardy Scottish long-horned cattle we re introduced that revived the cattle industry. The old Forbes ilrlethodist School in Bonavista is currently being restored with plans in place to use it as a visitor centre and town hall. The historic Woods Building in downtown St. John's was at risk 0/ demolition until the City 0/ St. Johns worked out an arrangement with the owner whereby it would enter into a long term lease/or ojJice space. Here the building is under reconstruction. CHAPTER 4 • ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES AND APPROACHES 49 50 EXPLORATIONS 1. If you have a local heritage organization, meet with them to explore ways that you can support one another. If you don't have one, call a public meeting to see if there is local interest in forming one. 2. Discuss the benefits of having a heritage development coordinator for your community. In what ways would such a person benefit your community? What types of projects could he/she support? Which neighbouring communities could collaborate on hiring such a person? 3. I nvite interested residents (particularly older ones) to describe how the historic core of the community has changed over time. What has been lost? Or sponsor a 'Community Walkabout'. 4. Have an ad-hoc committee (including heritage and business representatives) explore the possibility of creating a Heritage Development/Downtown Revitilization Strategy. Invite a representative from a municipality that has undertaken such a strategy to meet with your group (or go visit their community to gauge their progress) to discuss the hows and whys of such an initiative. 5. Hold a community focus group or undertake a survey to see what residents think about community infrastructure and what areas they might like to see beautified or developed . Use this as an opportunity to see how much support there is for municipal investment in this area . 6 . Ask a resource person to provide additional information on the Main Street Approach. Contact AH I for suggested speakers. 7. Do an inventory of under-utilized buildings in the community, including such things as square footage, condition, existing services and amenities. Discuss whether there are any municipal functions that could be accommodated in heritage buildings and what kinds of partnerships could be formed to make this happen. 8 . Meet with representatives from neighbouring communities to explore how the heritage resources of each could be packaged and promoted on a regional basis. AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE DESIGN ISSUES IN HISTORIC TOWNSCAPES/lANDSCAPES Design Issues in Historic Townscapes/Landscapes 1. INTRODUCTION Planne rs and preservationists often s peak of his toric townscapes. By that term they refe r to the overall characte r of a place and to the individual ele ments that contribute to it. For e xample , the character of a place might be described as: urban with high de nsities of buildings; outport cons isting of low-scale developme nt clu s te red around a harbour with an organic settlement pattern: historic with a human scale with a high concentration of older buildings. A wide variety of elements combine to give a distin c tive c haracte r • typical building patterns (with common shapes, colours, materials, placement of open ings) • layout of roads and circulation routes: organic - often curving, conforming to landscape fe atures with little distin c tive sense of pattern; or rational - plan ned, often in the form of a grid or geometric pattern • common setbacks of buildings from the road • types of vegetation (natural or plante d) • how bu ild i ngs relate to the natural landscape • property lines and fences • outbuilcl ings As examples, an historic townscape in Newfoundland and Labrador (places like St. 10hn's, Harbour Grace, Port Union) would likely be charac te rized by low-rise buildings (of no more than 3 or 4 floors) with high de nsities (s ituated close together and close to or right on the street). Materials would consist largely of clapboard (often painte d a wide variety of colours), brick or stone, and the re would be clear palterns in te rms of window and door sizes and placeme nts, roof forms and chimneys. An historic outport would, typically, be c haracterized by low rise buildings (usually 2 storeys) with clear patterns in terms of houses (clapboard with 3 openings across the front and ge ne rally a centre door), and fishing structures (clapboard painted either red/yellow ochre or white) hugging the shoreline. Often buildings are situated fairly close to roadways wh ich are usually laid out in a manner that, to the outsider, seems haphazard. A number of smaller outbuildings may be clus tered behind houses. Typically, a fairly limited range of colours was used on buildings. The overall effect is one of unity, with clear patterns emerging. Just as harmonious music (i.e., balanced, with clear patterns) appeals to the ear, so does a harmonious built landscape appeal to the eye. Gower Street, with its 3 -store:r attached houses, is l:rpical of much of the dense downtown core of St. Johns. CHAPTER 5 • DESIGN ISSUES IN HISTORIC TOWNSCAPES/LANDSCAPES 53 ilt[ost oflhe older houses in King's Cove are ofa similc[,/" pattern (2-sto rey, gabled roof) and are situated right 0/1. I.he road. The ol'erall ejJect is harrnonious and pleasing. Du.e to its scenic qucdities the community ha.s become very attractive to outsiders interested in restoring an old house j;)r a weekend residence, IFor a more in-depth discussion on preservation issues see Modu.le 2 of the He ritage Planning Guide. This chapter deals with the maintenance of historic townscapes including ways to sympathetically integrate new de velopme nt. It addresses s uch issues as: • to restore or to renovate • signage issues in historic districts • design guidelines • how to integrate new development ill to a historic context (infil) The intent of protecting hi storic buildings, ne ighbourhoods or townscapes is not to preclude new developme nt or to freeze a community in a particular period of its past. He ritage preservation can go hand in hand with growth ancl c ha nge. And, in fact, a community's built heritage becomes a record of its history and change - economic and social - and effurts should be made to both preserve that record and to allow the community to evolve. 2. RESTORATION, RENOVATION OR DEMOLITION? I t is not always easy to determine the best way to deal with heritage structures in a community. When is restoration required? What changes to a building sh ould be preserved and which olles s hould be removed? When are structures just too br gone to bother with saving them? When adapting older buildings for new uses what level of change should be permitted?1 a) Builtlillg ~1a.inlenance - the best way to preserve the older stru ctures in a community is to maintain th em on an on-going basis. This is definitely more cost-eHicient than wa iting until buildings get run-down to the point at which they require major resources to preserve them. Municipal councils can help to e nsure building mainte nance by putting in place and enforcing maintenance bylaws. A set of standard 'Occupa ncy and Mainte nance Regulations' are outlined in the Urban and Rural Planning Act and are available from the Department of Municipal Affairs (TeL 709-729-3090) . b) When to Resto,.e - restoring a building in volves putting it back to a particular period in time : strippin g away additions and changes that are deemed inappropriate and repai riJlg elements that have deteriorated us ing authentic materials and construction methods, This is a fairly costly process and it is generally considered when the building is architecturally or hi storically sign ificant, the required resources and expertise are available to unde rt a ke the work, and ways can be found to sustain/operate the structure whe n it is comple ted. In cases where the building is important but the resources are not available, the most appropriate thing 54 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE to do may be to stabilize the structure and to prevent furth er de te rioration or to undertake restoration in several phases. If an important building is going to be adapted to a new use it may be appropriate to restore only the exterior while allowing significant changes to the interior (attempting to preserve significant inte rior features where possible). The goal of historic preservation is to preserve as much of the original fabric (i.e ., material) of a structure as possible. This means replacing only what is absolutely necessary to maintain the structural integrity of the building. A few sags and sloping Hoors in an historic building may be acceptable as long as the building is stable. All too often, historic buildings end up becoming, essentially, reconstructions when almost all of the materials are replaced. This happens when the people dealing with them don't have sufficient expertise or knowledge . Which raises the point: always get appropriate advice be fo re tackling a building restoration. SAVING THE BRIDGE HOUSE The Bridge House in Bonavista, dating from 1811, is the earliest dwelling for which documentation can be found in the province and it is one of the finest architectural examples of the Georgian period. Unused and neglected, the building was at considerable risk. To prevent further water damage the owner sheeted over the roof.* When the Bonavista Historical Society acquired Bridge House they decided that the first task to keep the building from deteriorating further was to restore the roof. The Society now plans to undertake a restoration feasibility study in order to determine how to proceed with the task of restoration which will, likely, occur in different phases over a few years. The point of this example is that sometimes stop-gap measures are required to preserve a building until the resources can be found to fully restore it. When other groups are not available to facilitate this, a municipal council can playa leadership role. *U nfortunately, chipboard was used to cover the roof which acted like a sponge and speeded up the deterioration of the rafters and roof plate. This reinforces the need to get expert opinion before tacking the preservation of an historic building. 1 -·-;1 ~" 1:~,I JI.I, .. '.ii I I New vinyl windows and siding on this historic Masonic Lodge hat'e resulted in the loss a/much o/the bu.ildings original architectu.ral d etailing and appeal. The imitation mullions don't even properly replicate the original 'six over six' windows. CHAPTER 5 • DESIGN ISSUES IN HISTORIC TOWNSCAPES/LANDSCAPES 55 56 c) Whe" to Demolish- not infreque ntly, an historic bu iid ing is torn clown after a de molition permit has been issued by a mun ic ipal council that fears it is a public hazard. De molition s hould only be considered when all other avenues have been e xhausted. There are several things tha t a municipal council can do to facilitate the preservation of a th reale ned historic structure: • Be sure that a building is, in fact, s tructurally unstable before issuing a de molition orde r. Peeling paint alld a few sags don't necessarily mean that a building is unsalvageable - in fact, virtually any building can be salvaged if the money is a vailable. If there are concerns about children gaining access, ensure that the building is prope rly sealed up. • Work with the owners of olde r, unused buildings by making them aware of the importance of a structure. Let them know of heritage preservation assistance programs and attempt to facilitate the sale of a prope rty to someone who may be interested in pre se rving it. • Develop a clear process or checklist for dealing with older, derelict buildings and p ermits for demolition. This list can include : consultation with the local heritage advisory committee, heritage organization or the He ritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador; an inspection of the property by a qualified he ritage expert to develop a clear understanding of its structural condition; and cl iscussions with property owners to encourage pre servation or the facilitation of the sale of the property. • Consider establishing a He ritage Development Corporation or Trust that can acquire heritage buildings (usually for littl
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Descriptive Title | A Guide for Municipalities in Preserving our Past - Planning Our Future Newfoundland and Labrador. |
Category |
Migration/settlement |
Topic |
Towns |
Keywords |
Communities |
Description | A manual intended as a resource for municipal councilors and staff in NL who are interested in protecting and developing their community's heritage. |
Date | 2004-04 |
Collector |
Dick, Jerry Association of Heritage Industries, Newfoundland and Labrador |
Location Depicted/Discussed | Canada—Newfoundland and Labrador |
Format | application/pdf |
Type | Text |
Language | eng |
Collection | Intangible Cultural Heritage - Emphemera Collection |
Rights | CC BY-NC 2.0 CA |
Transcript | A Guide for Municipalities in ASSOCIATION £!: HERITAGE INDUSTRIES NEWPOIJNDLAND 4: LAllltAUOa Author Jerry Dick, Executive Director, AHI Produced by THE ASSOCIATION OF HERITAGE INDUSTRIES, NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador April, 2004 Graphic Design by Anita Singh ISBN # 0-9733193-1-3 ASSOCIATION 2!: HERITAGE INDUSTRIES NEWFO UNDLAND 6; LABstADOll © The Assoc iation of He ritage Industries, Newfoundl a nd & Labrador, 2004 PRESERVING OUR PAST PLANNING OUR FUTURE A Guide for Municipalities in Newfoundland & Labrador TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PREFACE CHAPTER 1 - MAKING THE CASE FOR HERITAGE Wha t Are Your Community's He ritage Resources'? \Vh a t He ritage Res ources can do for your Community CHAPTER 2 - RAISING AWARENESS AND BUILDING COMMUNITY SUPPORT He ritage Awar e ness Ra is ing S trategies Building Community S upport fo r He ritage Initia tives CHAPTER 3 - STEWARDSHIP &: PROTECTION OF YOUR COMMUNITY'S HERITAGE RESOURCES He ritage Desig na ti on He ritage Advi sory Committees Protecting He ritage in the Munic ipal Pla n & Developme nt Regula ti ons Acq ui s iti on of H eritage Resources by Council Munic ipa l He ritage Incentives CHAPTER 4 - ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES £;( APPROACHES FOR PRESERVING YOUR COMMUNITY'S HERITAGE E s ta bli s hing a H e ritage Commillee of Counc il Hiring a Community He ritage Coo rdina to r Pa rtn eri ng with Neighbouri ng Co mllluni t i e ~ S tra tegies fi)!· Re vitilizin g a ll His toric Community Co re Additi ona l Ways that Munic ipa liti es can S upport their Heritage A Few \Vo rcls a b out COllllllunity E conomic Developme nt CHAPTER 5 - DESIGN ISSUES IN HISTORIC TOWNSCAPES/LANDSCAPES Res toration . Re novation or Demoli t io n? )nfil in He ritage Dis tric ts a nd Communities S ig nage in He ritage Di s tri c ts Working with Local Deve lop e rs & Contrac tors P ro tecti on of Vi ews Pu b lic Improvements & Infras tru cture Work with Desig n Profe ss iona ls CHAPTER 6 - HERITAGE TOURISM Princ ip les for Effective and S ustainable He ritage Touri sm Wha t Muni cipa l Counc ils Ca n Do to Encourage He ritage Touri sm 2 3 15 25 37 51 65 AHI • A HERITAGE WORKBOOK FOR MUNICIPALITIES IN NEWFOUNDLAND 6t LABRADOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This manual has been prepared for the Association of Heritage Industries (AHI) based in St. 10hn's, Newfoundland & Labrador. AHI wishes to acknowledge the generous financial assistance of the Comprehensive Economic De velopment Agreement for making this project possible . We would also like to thank the following individuals for their feedback on this manual: Dr. Jo Shawyer Dr. Shane O'Dea Dale Jarvis Elaine Mitchell Ken O 'Brien Kim Blanchard Edward Versteeg David Bradley Thanks also to the many individuals who provided information, case studies, and photographs. AHI • A HERITAGE WORKBOOK FOR MUNICIPALITIES IN NEWFOUNDLAND lit LABRADOR 2 PREFACE This manual is intended primarily as a resource for nlLlnic ipal councillors and staff in Newfoundland and Labrador who are inte rested in protecting and developing the ir community's he ritage . It begins by making the case for municipal involveme nt in he ritage . \Vhy should municipal govern ments devote time and e ne rgy to heritage protection? How can heritage development help communities by strengthening community ide ntity, improving quality of life and cl·eating economic opportunities·? It is inte nded to provide useful information and tools that mun ic ipalities can put into prac tice. Hence, it contai ns nu merous case stud ies from around the provi nce that show how comrnunities have successfully undertaken heritage initiatives and put protection measures in place. The cultural and natural he ritage resources of Newfoundland and Labrador - buildings, landscapes. natural areas, artifacts and docume nts . traditional s kills and knowledge - are some of the most important resources that we possess. If carefully safeguarded and developed they are a re newable resource that can bring very s ignificant be nefits to res ide nts of this province for generations to come. Munic ipalities, as the le vel of government closest to most of the province's citizens, have a crucial role to play. They have available to them a number of planning tools for heritage protection and can play both a leadership and a supportive role in encouraging the de velopment and inte rpre tation of local he ritage. At a time when so many communities in the province are unde rgoing change - rapid development or, the opposite, out-migration and the loss of traditional jobs and industries - he ritage resources are more important than ever. They can help to maintain a sense of ide ntity, pride, and quality of life; they can provide a way to diversify the local economy and create jobs for young people . In many ways our past is our future This lTIallual is meant to be a companion to the Heritage Planning Guidefor Nu.tural and Cultural Heritage Projects in Newfoundla.nd & Labra.dor produced by AHI in 2003. Readers will note several refe rences to the Guide in this manual and are encouraged to rele r to it. A complete copy of the Herita.ge Pla.nning Guide can be found on the AHI we bsite: www.ahinLorg . We invite you to share your expe rie nce in working with the He ritage Manual for Munic ipalities and to provide some of your own case studies. We hope to work these into future we b ve rsions of the manuaL For additional information or assistance please contact the Association of Heritage Industries at: P.O. Box 2064, Stn C St. John's, NL AIC 5R6 TeL 709-738-4345 Email: ahi@nftd.net We bs ite : www.ahinLorg AHI • A HERITAGE WORKBOOK FOR MUNICIPALITIES IN NEWFOUNDLAND 6t LABRADOR MAKING THE CASE FOR HERITAGE MAKING THE CASE FOR HERITAGE 1. INTRODUCTION Most commun ities in Newfoundland and Labrador are curre ntly experiencing a high le vel of change. Many have been affected by the downturn in the inshore fishery, resulting in lost jobs, out-migration and an aging population. In others, particularly in and around St. John's, there has been rapid growth, res ulting in changing community landscapes. In both ins tances, the re have been pressures on he ritage resources. In many smaller communities, heritage resources - older buildings and natural and cultural landscap e e leme nts - are suffe ring from decay, under-utilizat ion, and a lack of resources to preserve the m. In the case of growing communities, heritage resources are often negatively impac ted or lost whe n ne w developme nt occurs: a wetland area is affected by new developme nt; heritage structures or landscapes are engul1ed by new housing developme nts or bulldozed to make way for the new; historic commercial areas struggle to survive as they are by-passed by malls, box s tores, or s hopping plazas on the outskirts of town. With some residents of the province th ere is still a tendency - pe rhaps foste red by the "burn your boats" philosophy of the Smallwood years - to see life ill the past as something that was "backward" or something to be left behind. Recognizing the value and be nefits of the ir h e ritage resources, numerous cOlllmunities ill the province have taken steps to protect, preserve and de velop th em. The results have been sign ificant in terms of maintaining community ide ntity, building pride, and creating economic opportunity. The town of Bonavista has seen nearly 100 new jobs c reated, as people come to ex perience the rich he ritage of this historic community. Historic sites like Ferryland, Trinity, Red Bay and othe rs have become significant regional touri s m destinations by developing their he ritage resources. In many smalle r communities, the preservation of an historic building or natural area or the development of a new museum has increased community pride . Two o/several hOlLses in B onavista that have been restored as part 0/ a community- run heritage restoration progralu. CHAPTER 1 • MAKING THE CASE FOR HERITAGE 3 Trinity Fresluvo.f.er, Conception Bay Change Islands Change Islands A community's built heritage includes not only important buildings like churches and institutional buildings bnt simple dwellings, commercial bnildings, fishing stages and stores, and root cellars to name afew. The purpose of this workbook is to provide some compelling reasons why municipalities should be involved in the protection and development of the ir he ritage and to highlight numerous case studies, tools and approaches that de monstrate practical initiatives that communities can undertake. It is intended to be a companion piece to the Heritage Planning Guidefor Natural and Cultural Heritage Projects in Newji:mndla.nd a.nd Labrador recently completed by AHI. Numerous refe re nces will be made to the Heritage Pla.nning Guide in this docume nt. A copy of the Guide can be ordered from AHI (tel. 709-738-4345, email: ahi@lnfld.net. A full version of the guide can also be found 011 AHI's website: www.ahinl.org. 2. WHAT ARE YOUR COMMUNITY'S HERITAGE RESOURCES? Every community, regardless of its age, has a he ritage: elements that ide lltify a special place that is the product of a unique set of circumstances alld development. The geography of a community - water features. h ills, cliffs, beaches, soils - affect how it developed physically (e .g., road and building lot patterns). The economic history of a place will have influenced the types of buildings that were constructed (e .g .. fishing sheds and stores, factory build ings) and the era in wh ich 1110st buildings we re erected. When considering the ir he ritage, residents of a COl111l1un ity often think of things such as old buildings or artif~lctS. There are, however, a wide range of othe r heritage resources that communities s hould consider: a) Built Heritage - A community's built he ritage includes structures of all kinds, from landmark building such as me rchant's houses, churches, institutional/civic buildings, to common ones like fisherman's dwellings, outbuildings, industrial and commercial structures, fish ing stores and stages, and root cellars. It also includes such elements as fences, traditional roads or pathways. All oJ these elements contribute to a unique sense of 'place' and characterize the social, cultural and economic de velopme nt of a community. It is th is un ique sense of place that makes a community interesting to tourists and reinforces community identity. 4 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE b) Cultural Lalldscapes - Our communities are defined by more than just the bu iidings that have been e rected in th em. They include settlement patterns (think of how a Newfoundland outport with its winding roads strung out along a harbour contrasts with a prairie town laid out in a regular grid patte rn), vegetation (both natural and planted by humans), gardens, cemete ries, parks, fountains and monuments, town squares, natllralleatures such as rive rs or lakes or hills located within a community, and scenic views. A cuIturallandscape can also be a site of past historical significance s llch as a battle field, an abandoned community. or a site used by ancient cultures. In some cases. perhaps most notably with Aboriginal groups, cultural landscapes comprise natural areas or features that are of special spiritual or historical significance (e .g., rive rs, mountains). A cultural landscape can consist of a specific site (e.g., a historic house togethe r with its garden and landscape elements). a district (of historic homes, churches or institutional buildings), an e ntire community or a region. Individual heritage features are generally much more meaningful if they are interpre ted as part of a larger cultural landscape that provides them with a context. c) Archival & Genealogical Resources - Records. documents, maps, and old photos are invaluable in providing an unde rstanding of the past. They can be useful not only for hi s torians but It)!' me d ical researche rs, people tracing their family history, writers and playwrights, or lawye rs attempting to deal with land and boundary disputes. Municipal records (minutes, tax rolls, corresponde nce) often comprise some of the most important records in a community, providing useful information about building/ land ownership, changes to a property and residents. Pape r documents are, howeve r, very vulnerable . They are easily damaged or destroyed by wet or damp conditions, regular use, or fire. In some cases resid e nts clon't fully appreciate the importance of archival mate rials and discard or dispose of them outside of the commun ity. Cable Avenue, Bay Roberts Elements sitch as street patterns and the way bllild/:ngs relate to the street help to create Ct particular community "character". New construction should, especially in older areas of a town, conform to such established patterns. The Trinit:r Historical Society Archives aU-wets a significant number of people doing genealogica1 research every year, which translates into overnight stays at local bed and breakfast establishments and local spending. The highly successful Trinity Pageant - which attracts thousctnds of visitors to Trinity every year - drew extensively on the local archivesfor its material. CHAPTER 1 • MAKING THE CASE FOR HERITAGE 5 Placentia has embarked on an ambitious archaeology program to reveal its important histor:r as Newfoundland's French capital, It is anticipated that such efforts will translate into considerable growth in the lo cal tourism industry. d) Archa.eologica.l Resources - As is becoming increasingly apparent, Newfoundland and Labrador has a wealth of archaeological resources from all cie nt fossil sites, to prehistoric Aboriginal settlements to early European New World sites. These provide an incredibly rich and important record of the past and have strong potential to draw tourists and to create economic opportunities. Municipalities often have an important role to play in protecting the ir archaeological resources. One of the most basic steps a municipality can take is to notify the Provincial Archaeologist when doing any digging work in areas that might have archaeological re mains. It can do the same for private construction projects. Municipalities can also help to educate residents about provincial re gulations concerning archae ological remains which, by law, are the property of the provincial government. e) Artifacts - Objects from the past are useful in helping people to understand how previous generations lived. These include collections of household items, equipment from old h ctories or businesses and items related to the traditional inshore fishery or agriculture, to name a few. While it was particularly the case in the past, even today, valuable collections of artifacts are all too frequently discarded in the local dump or sold for a few dollars to the antique picker from the mainland. Sometimes these items are of considerable monetary value; in other cases, they could help to explain the history of the community (i.e ., in an inte rpre tive display). Municipal officials can playa role, particularly in cases where an old business is being closed or a resident dies who is known to have a collection of artifacts or archival materials, by notifying a local or provincial he ritage organization or institution. IGNORANCE LEADS TO LOSS OF IMPORTANT ARTIFACTS In one particularly unfortunate example in the province, a community set about to restore a heritage residence as a museum that would interpret an important local personage who had lived there. Before beginning work on the bUilding, the work crew stripped out all of the contents - furn ishings and household items - and took them to the dump. When work began on developing the interpretation for the structure, someone had to go back to the dump to see what could be salvaged. 6 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE f) Intallgible Culinralllerilage - Many of the aspects that define the culture of Newfoundland and Labrador and of our communities are not physical in terms of an object or a structure. Rathe r, th ey are the traditions that have been passed down from ge neration to ge ne ration . They include such things as knowledge (locations of fishing grounds and coastal features, sacred elements in the landscape ), skills (how to build a boat or a root ce llar, pre pare traditional foods), music (SOllgS, and performance), language (dialects), stories and legends. With the many changes that Newfoundland and Labrador has undergone ove r the past decade or two, many aspects of our intangible heritage are at risk of being lost. The Me morial Unive rsity Folklore Archives (MUNFLA) is a valuable resource for learning more about our intangible cultural he ritage . WINTERTON MUSEUM PRESERVES BOAT BUILDING TRADITION With the decline of the inshore fishery the boat building skills - once widespread - are quickly disappearing. The community of Winterton is reviving and preserving these ski lls through its Boat Building Museum . Not only does the museum include displays on the building of boats but incorporates demonstrations and a program for passing on skills to a younger generation. An excellent website includes photo galleries that document the construction of a traditional motor boat. See: hhtp:/ /www.woodenboat.ca/d iscover.p h p The G ua.rdian. ~ THE BAY ROBERTS MUSEUM HIGHLIGHTS THE TOWN'S COMMERCIAL HISTORY When planning for a new museum, the Bay Roberts Historical Society actively encouraged individuals and companies to donate collections of old equipment and tools related to the commercial/ industrial history of the town. One man saved all the equipment and fixtures from his father's blacksmith shop. A local lumber firm donated various coopering machines and tools. Another family gave a complete print sop with machinery that dated from the early 1900s. These have been used to create a highly successful museum that interprets the business development of the community. CHAPTER 1 • MAKING THE CASE FOR HERITAGE 7 The town of Winterland has desig na ted a 2000 acre n ature reserve within the town bOlLn dari es. A 5 km walking trail with interpretation panels has prOl'en /.0 be pop ul ar /Ilith both visitors and area residents alike. I Clen iVl u.rray, mayor of Winnipeg speaking at the Creative Spaces + Places confe ren ce in Toron to, October 2003 g) Natural H e ritage - Newfoundland and La brador is ble ssed with an inc re dible number and variety of natural heritage tre a sures that, if properly cared for and managed, can bring many be ne fits to communities including: tourism development; recreation and educational opportunities; and an over a ll e nha ncement of the quality of life. Among othe rs, these resources include : • coa s tlines • wa te r features s uc h as rive rs, ponds, a nd we tla nds • forests • plant species including ra re specime ns • wildlife • ecosys te ms • land forl1ls, rock forma tions, fossils 3. WHAT HERITAGE RESOURCES CAN DO FOR YOUR COMMUNITY I t is safe to say tha t most municipal politic ia ns in Newfound la nd a nd Labrador s pend the majority of the ir time dealing with issues involving the provis ion of bas ic services, some times refe rred to as the 3 "Ps': p olice, pav in g, a nd pipes. While the se are real concerns for politicians and tax paye rs alike , councils mus t be careful to avoid being caught in the "utilitarian' rut. At a nationa l confe rence on the arts in Toronto Glen Murray, the mayor of Winnipeg, s tate d, ""If a counc il is only concerned with the 3 Ps they a re dead in the wa ter because th is is a game that they can never win. The re will likely neve r be e nou gh re ve nue s to totally solve infrastruc ture problems ." He went on to suggest that in orde r to e nsure that communities offe r a good qua lity of life , it is important for munic ipa l politicians to cons ide r the needs of the "whole pe rson" and to adopt a more c re ative , fi)rward looking approach that cons ide rs a r ange of quality of life issues and the cultural needs of citize ns .! A utilitarian ap proach makes it hard to justify spe nding on heritage and c ulture . A c re ative approach sees he ritage as a resource - one of a community's most valua ble - that can provide nume rous community bene fits if prope rly care d fo r and developed. He ritage offe rs opportunities : for c reating bus inesses and jobs ; for incre a s ing community spirit, pride and qua lity of life ; for attracting ne w reside nts ; and fo r increa s ing ta x re venues. Many communities in the province have recognized the value of their heritage resources a nd have unde rta ken creative and decisive s teps to preserve and de ve lop them. You will find ma ny examples throughout th is manual. 8 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE a) Enhance Your Community's Spirit and Quality of Life Often, what should be important community asse ts are viewed as a liability. Vacant or dilapidated older structures - comme rcial buildings, fishe rie s-related structures, industrial buildings, and residence s - all too ofte n become an eye sore and a hazard. In that c ondition th ey symbolize to re side nts and visitors alike , the economic de cline of a district or a whole community. As such, they are a psychological drag on the community. Howeve r, tearing down these structures isn't a solution for it usually only results in a lot of holes in the townscape . This furth e r re inforces the message that things are going down hill. Similarly, natural areas such as wetlands or barrens are often see n as "waste land". The re are se veral ins tances whe re communities have sought to fill in wetland areas or, through de velopme nt, ne gatively impacted them. As well, rivers and streams are covered over or impac ted by the loss of wate rshed vegetation. The costs of such actions are: the loss of wildlife habitat; e nvironmental degradation often leading to serious problems of flooding; ancllost opportunities for e ducation, recreation, tourism development and community green space. Alternately, re vitilize d heritage structures and districts, as well as natural areas, provide a positive psychological lift for a community: the past has value ; the re is life here. Even a single re stored structure can have a positive impact on a community. There is lots of evide nce that communities that preserve their heritage are seen as more livable places that provide a good quality of life. They are more likely to keep existing residents and to attrac t new ones - with new ideas, skills, and e ntre pre ne urial know how - who can bring new life blood to our communities. One of the leading American writers on cities, Richard Florida, says that older buildings and historic urban cores are crucial for attracting pe ople who are cre ative and innovative - two conditions that contribute to community growth and development. 2 lobs alone , e spe cially those in traditional seasonal industries, will not succeed in keeping most young people in their small communities. Many are looking for meaningful caree rs, a good quality of life, and a stimulating environment. The latest research, by p e ople such as Florida, suggests that the prese nce of a strong cultural scene in a community, is a "strong pre dictor of e ve rything from a region's high-technology base to its overall population and employment growth."3 He also belie ves that the key factor in creating economic opportunities are the presence of cre ative pe ople , whom he de scribes as the 'creative class'.4 Old commercial structnres that have outlived their original functions are often torn down as was this interesting building in Joe Batts Arm. lV/any residents just see them as " eye sores" and fail to see the potential for re - nse. ( Photo courtes:r: Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador) 2 Florida. Richard. "The Geography of Bohemia" 3 Florida, Richard. The Rise of the Creative Class, p.260 .IThe so - called creative class represents approximately 300/0 of the workforce and is responsiblefor the generation of500/0 of all economic a ctivity. It consists t:!f a wide variety of professions inclnding scientists, engineers. designers, educators, and those in the cultural fi eld who are engaged in the creation of new ideas, technologies or creative content. CHAPTER 1 • MAKING THE CASE FOR HERITAGE 9 With the demise o/the Fishermen's Protective Union in Port Union, many 0/ the struc/.ures that d efined this unique I.ollln/ell into disuse . Through the Coaker Foundation, restora.tion work has begun on some o/these buildings which, it is a.nticipated, will help to revitalize this once thriving community. So, if a community can c reate a good quality of life with cultural amenities and a d istinctive sense of place, it will be be tter able to keep and a ttract the kind of c reative people who will be committed to the place and most likely to generate new economic opportunities. There are examples of communities all around North America, large and small, that have made themselves a ttractive to creative, dynamic people . A community's natural he ritage can also provide an important focal point and source of pride . Many communities have seen the benefits of habitat preservation ancltrail construction along ponds, st reams, ocean shorelines, wetlands, or in natural areas i II and adjace nt to the mun ic ipality. The commun ity is beautified and there is an attractive place to walk which many reside nts take advantage of for health be ne fits. CASE STUDY TORBAY PRESERVING NATURAL HERITAGE RESOURCES In 2001, the Trails & Environment Committee (a subcommittee of the town of Torbay) embarked on the development of a strategic plan for the protection of the Gully, a wetland area in the middle of town. The Gully forms an important green space in this rapidly growing community as well as a natural sponge for run-off. The strategy seeks to protect and enhance the area through : inventories and monitoring the plant life, wildlife and water flows; educational and interpretive activities (two schools overlook the Gully); as well as the development of recreational and tourism opportunities. The work of the committee is critical as plans to divert one of the Gully's feeder ponds to the town's water supply would, essentia lly, dry up the Gully's wetland . Plans call for the erection of a dam to co ntrol water levels in the wetland . b) Preserve Your Community's Identity When one looks at an historic photo of a Newfoundland or Labrador community one generally ge ts a n unmistakable sense of a distinctive place. The buildings and various man-made fe atures juxtapose with the landscape to create communities that can be found nowhe re else. Often we find these old pictures appealing; somehow the place just looks right. Nostalgia aside, one of the reasons that traditional Newfoundland townscapes look appealing is that there is a certain harmony: there are clear patterns in terms of building types, materials used (e.g., clapboard, wooden shingles), and architectural detailing. Comme rcial and in stitutional buildings bespeak a strong sense of civic pride. 10 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE Unfortunately, many modern buildings lack any sense of connection to Newfoundland and Labrador. This is particularly true of most commercial, in stitutional, and government buildings that are found on the highway strips or the outskirts of our communities. They contribute to what some have described as "the geography of nowhere ." Most are little more than fun ctional boxes that, as a collection, lack any visual harmony or sense of pattern. Such building designs have often been imported from somewhere else and do not "fit" into tile community's style. The highway strip. that has developed along the edges of several of Newfoundland and Labrador':; larger towns, has been des cribed by some as "the geography of nowhere . .. Buildings h ere Q,re generally cheap to constru.ct. ofstandardi=ed design (e.g .• f or chain stores) and have no sense of trying to fit in with the character of a co nunlU/,ity. [n the case of natural areas, public access to natural features such as waterways, shorelines, forests and green spaces is an important aspect of community identity in most of Newfoundland and Labrador: providing the opportunity to walk along a s horeline, to go trouting a t a local pond, to pick b erries on the barre ns, to hike on a point of land, or simply to see the ocean from one's home . Lack of careful planning by a community can lead to the loss of such access for its citize lls. Preserving a community's he ritage is illlportant for maintaining a unique ide ntity. In fact, if a community is interested in developing a local touri sm base , it is pretty well a requirement. Three examples of historic post ofJice buildings in the province (top Carbonear; middle Greenspond. lower North Shore Conception Bay). It is interesting to contrast these with the generic brick b o:~es that replaced them . CHAPTER 1 • MAKING THE CASE FOR HERITAGE 11 The active restoration scene on the Bonavista Peninsula and elsewhere in the province has created new opportunities for companies such as Patterson WoodlVorking in Upper Amherst. CO'l'e. 111, addit.ion to traditional style jiLrniture the company produces tradition(tZlreproduction building components (windows. doors, trim. etc.). Restoration is labour-int.ensive compared to new constructionlVhich is more materials-intensive. This results in greater economic benefits to the community. Here workers restore lVindows on an old schoolhouse in Bonaz,ista. c) Create Jobs and Businesses for your Community AHI's study, Economic and Social Benefits of Heritage Industries in Neu10nndland and Labrador; demonstrated that heritage plays a significant role in the provincial economy. Approximately 3,000 to 4,000 jobs are created directly and indirectly through heritage activities and there is a GDP contribution in the range of $50- 70 million dollars annually. In some communities and regions of the province, heritage-related activities are important economic generators. In communities like Trinity, Red Bay, Brigus, Newtown, Ferryland and Bonavista, heritage translates into significant economic benefits. Through such things as building preservation, artifact conservation, and cultural tourism they achieve considerable employment and business activity. Cultural tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the tourism industry as a whole. This reflects an aging North American population that is more interested in 'soft' forms of tourism than younger generations that are often attracted to adventure tourism. Those communities with a strong, developed natural or cultural heritage base stand to benefit the most from h e ritage tourism. It is estimated that the Colony of Avalon generates close to $840,000 annually in personal and business income (GDP) for the communities around Ferryland and 30 person-years of employme nt which translates into 101 seasonal jobs. It is also recogn izecl that the preservation of buildings creates more local jobs than new construction. New construction requires large inputs of materials (usually l11anul~lctured out of the community) while re novation and restoration is more labour - intensive . For example, the restoration of the historic SUF Hall in Heart's Content provided employment for 32 people and injected nearly $90,000 into the community. Similarly, numerous communities have seen jobs created through the protection and development of natural heritage resources. Visitors with specialized interests such as geology, birding, and botany will travel to out-of-the-way places to learn and explore. These are generally individuals with high income and e ducational levels, and good spending power - just the kind of tourist that most of us want to attract. d) Increase Your Community's Tax Base The upgrading and re -use of heritage buildings makes economic sense for municipalities. Let's face it, vacant olde r buildings generate little in the way of tax revenue. By encouraging the preservation and redevelopment of he ritage structures, communities can increase their tax base and save themselves the added costs of building new services. A study prepared in the state 12 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE of South Carolina de monstrated tha t properties located within a designated historic district are , "in ge neral worth more, appreciate fast er, and retain more of the ir value than properties located outside the distric t."s According to Building magazine, renovation is adding more to the ne t mun icipal tax base more quickly than new construction. An article in Time magazine suggests that re novation has become the instrument of choice for moneyconscious municipalities in the United States.6 A trend that is being seen in many smaller communities in the province is the influx of out-of-province summer res ide nts who are attracted by older/heritage prope rties, very affordable real estate prices, great scenery and a good quality of life . There are several positive aspects of this trend. Many historic homes have been preserved creating business for local carpenters and building supply companies and increasing municipal tax re ve nues. In addition, su mme r residents spend money on local goods and services, and often bring fresh ideas, skills, and even businesses to a commun ity. There can also be down sides. The commun it y can become alrnost a ghost town outside of the summer,and there is the potential for conflicting values with long-time residents (i.e ., about access to and traclitionaluses of land). The se can, hopefully, be min imized by e ducating new resid e nts about community traditions and values, by reach ing out to them and making th em feel welcome , and by engaging them in the life of the community. e) Maximize Your Community's Existing Infrastructure It is ironic that many North American communities continue to invest in e xpe nsive new infrastructure (i.e., wa ter, sewer, roads and parks) for reside ntial and commercial developme nt while serviced areas languish through unde r-use . It is far more costeffective to revitalize older, unde r- utilized commercial, industrial, SUMMER RESIDENT CREATES A BUSINESS ON CHANGE ISLANDS Herb Bowen and Maureen Woodrow, residents of Ottawa, fell in love with the community of Change Islands when they first visited it several years ago. They purchased and renovated an older home which they use as a summer residence. Recognizing local craft skills and the need for local residents to increase family incomes, the couple established 'Stages &; Stores', an e-commerce company that manufactures and markets locally made craft items . Herb has also become involved with the Stages and Stores Heritage Foundation, which is preserving some of the fishing stages and stores that line the community's waterfront. Check out their website at: http: / /www.stagesandstores.com/ BRIG US SEES INCREASED TAX REVENUES THROUGH HERITAGE PRESERVATION The town of Brigus has seen definite pay-offs for its efforts to preserve its historic homes and townscape. Property assessments (and tax revenues) on historic properties have increased steadily over the last decade at a time when tax assessments in many other small communities in the province have remained steady or declined . According to the Municipal Assessment Agency, it is the older properties in the centre of the community that have increased, while there has been little change in the rest of the town. As well, there has been a fair amount of new residential construction within the older part of the town - adding to tax revenues - as people are attracted to the historic qualities of the area. Increased assessments mean increased tax revenue for the town council which has been able to hold the line on taxes over the last 7 or 8 years. Sill/iley, Harry. Smiling Faces Historic Places: The Economic Ben efits of Historic Preservation in South Carolina. 6Time Magazine, November 4, 1987 CHAPTER 1 • MAKING THE CASE FOR HERITAGE 13 EXPLORATIONS 1. Discuss amongst council the degree to which it has become totally wrapped up in the provision of basic services. How often do culture of quality of life issues get discussed? 2. Do a simple survey of residents to see how they view their community, particularly the older section . Do the historic parts of the community add to the people's pride or are they a source of embarrassment? Such a survey could take the form of a mail-in, web-based surveyor focus (d iscussion) groups. 3. Investigate the number of jobs in your community generated by tourism and by heritage industries. Discuss the potential for increasing employment in these areas. 4 . Do a survey of your community to see how much infrastructure (buildings, public services, land) is underutilized or vacant within the established areas of your town . Contrast this with how much new land has been developed over the past few years and the cost of new se rvice s. or residential areas that already have infrastructu re than to build new. In order to make older neighbourhoods more attractive for redevelopment it is often necessary for a municipality to put special incentives in place, to invest in anchor projects (i.e., redevelopment of a heritage structure for a public use), or to upgrade infrastructure (street/waterfront beautification). f) Help Your Community's Natural Environment It is an accepted f~lct that the re novation of existing buildings makes fewe r resource demands (i.e ., on forests, mineral, energy and wate r supplies) than new construction. This is, of course, good for the environment. But even more compelling for municipalities is the f~lct that re-using older buildings saves on land-Jill costs . Tearing a bu ilding down puts a lot of solid stream waste in to local landfill sites. In fact, according to Statistics Canada, one-third of all wastes hauled to Canadian landfills is used construction materiaL Natural heritage features such as watersheds and wetlands are extremely important for communities. They act as natural sponges, absorbing rain and melting snow, and help to prevent flooding. Many commun ities have seen the consequences of habitat destruction in the form of frequent floods. INVESTMENT IN BONAVISTA'S INFRASTRUCTURE PAYS OFF The town of Bonavista has seen a major investment in its downtown area and in its heritage resources generally. The restoration and interpretation of the Ryan Fish Merchant's Premises by Parks Canada, together with an ambitious heritage bu ilding restoration program and main street revital ization, is credited with injecting new life in the community. This historic fishing community, which had been seriously impacted by the moratorium on northern cod, is once again seeing renewed growth. Permits for new construction are once again reaching historic highs. 14 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE HOW YOUR COMMUNITY CAN RAISE AWARENESS OF AND BUILD SUPPORT How Your Community Can Raise Awareness of and Build Support for Heritage 1. INTRODUCTION O h en the first step necessary for a community to protect and capitalize on its he ritage resources is to raise awareness of the ir value. Environmental conse rvation groups have long understood that education is key to changing attitudes and getting people to take pe rsonal respons ibility for stewardsh ip. When res idents of a community have an appreciation for th e ir heritage th e re is more support for municipal action on he ritage protection and for p ersonal stewardship of he ritage resources. Often, at the beginning or a community he ritage illitiative, it is useful to get a sense of a community's attitudes and values toward its heritage . This can help to gauge current levels of awareness and to see if th ere is support Ii)r a particular heritage in itiati ve . Often the best way to do this is to unde rtake some sort of survey. A similar survey can be re peated in the future to see if there have been positive changes in attitudes and, the reby, to gauge how e ffec tive awareness activities or ca mpaigns have been. For more information on conducting a community survey see the Heritage Planning Guide, pp. 30-31. 2. HERITAGE AWARENESS RAISING STRATEGIES There are a variety of different tools and approac hes that a cOlllmunity can use to raise awareness about its he ritage resources. Those that involve a certain amount of seU'discovery are often the most eflective and fun. A number of these are outlined below: a) COlILllwnity Walkabout - this involves holding a day-long workshop in which reside nts of a community, often with a few outside resource people, explore the ir environment noting such things as the features/patte rns that characterize the community and unattractive /problem areas. It is a good way to get people to take a second look at the ir community. A sample worksheet can be found at the end of this section. For more information on conducting a Community Walkabout see the Heritage Planning Gnide, pp. 33-34). b) Learning about local Wildlife - a community walkabout could be expanded or adapted to encompass the natural heritage of a community. Work with local naturalists or science teachers to develop th is. Ot he r act ivities can include: bird counts (an annual community count of birdlife ); plant/ wildlife inve ntory projects; and public lectures. CHAPTER 2 • HOW YOUR COMMUNITY CAN RAISE AWARENESS AND BUILD SUPPORT 17 The Doors Open program is a great way to ra.ise awareness about a community's built h eritage. Here visitors line up to visit the Presentation House Convent. St. }ohn\. c) Doo,.s Open -launched fi)r the first time in St. 10hn's in 2003, this program provides an opportunity for citizens to explore a community's hidden historical, architectural, and cultural buildings and sites. It can include not only the architectural "gems" but places of worship and places of work. Examples of the latter could include a tour of a local paper mill or fish plant, or the opportunity to see how the local newspaper is produced. Doors Open usually takes place over the course of a single weekend and provides access (often with a guided tour) of homes, religious structures, institutional, and commercial/industrial buildings that aren't normally open to the general public. The first St. John's Open Doors, held in early September, 2003, attracted more than 25,000 visits to 16 participating buildings. According to one participant, "I learned more in this weekend about Newfoundland history than I have in my whole 78 years." For more information about Doors Open contact the Newfoundland Historic Trust at: generalmanager @historictrust.com (TeL 709-739-7870). d) Tou,.s/Lectu,.es by Historians and othe,.lIe,.itage Professionals - invite an historian or heritage professional to provide a public lecture or, bette r yet, to provide a tour of the community, highlighting the significal\ce of your community's cultural heritage . e) Educational brochu,.ehnap/poster - a brochure that highlights a community's heritage resources can be prepared (this could be a good collaboration between the local heritage society and a local high school) for distribution through the community. It could highlight buildings, sites and collections of significance in the community and highlight some of the things that make the community unique (e.g., building and landscape forms). Ideally, it should contain notions about heritage stewardship and suggest actions that residents can take to preserve their heritage. Some cOllllllunities have developed maps highlighting natural and cultural heritage resources. These are useful fin' tourism promotion purposes. A local artist or graphic designer may be willing to help out. f) Wo,.king with Schools and Youth G,.oups - the encouragement of strong values about heritage stewardship starts with the young. Work with local heritage organizations, schools and youth organizations to develop special educational programs and activities about heritage that use the community as a classroom. Check out the following resources for ideas: 18 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE For cultnral heritage and communities: The Heritage Education Ne twork http://h istpres.mtsu.edu/the nl The Canadian Institute of Planners has published a Kid:5 Guide to Building Great Communities that can be orde red through: www.c ip-icu.ca For natural heritage and environrnental education: 'Project Wild', an en v iron me ntal education manual for te a ch ers is available through Salmonier Nature Park (Tel. 709-729-7888). For additional information check out: http://www.wil(le(lucation.org/more e ducation.asp 'Waterscapes', a manual for teache rs that e ducates stude nts about wa te r issues is a vailable through Eastern Habitat Joint Ve ntures (EHJV) (Tel. 709-637-2013) For developing curricnlwn about commllnily economic development (and its links to heritage): REDA (Re gional Economic De velopnlent and Schools) at www.redas.nl. ca (Tel. 737-8616) g) Photographic/Art/Poster Displays - public dis plays of photos, artwork or posters relating to a cOlllmunity heritage the me can be a good way to ge t residents thinking about the ir local he ritage . This could be done in the form or a competition. Displays could be held in public buildings (libraries, shopping malls, schools) and in shop windows. h) lIeritllge Discol'ery - a town council can a ct as a sponsor for this program, which is a great way to help connect a community to its past and its heritage resources. It can s tir inte rest in re sidents to take ste ps to preserve the ir he ritage , The program can be particularly effective in a community whe re there is no organized he ritage group. A town counc il could playa lead role in seeking funding for a Heritage Discovery project and in providing office space and computer acce ss. He ritage Di.scovery basically works in the following way: i) A small team of traine d re se arche rs l works in the community for a period of four weeks or so, trying to gather as much information as possible about its natural and cultural he ritage. Much of th is consists of talking to community residents - partic ularly seniors - and docume nting the ir stories, photographs, artifacts, songs, information about historic structures and le atures, e tc . Community naJural (treas pro vide a great outdoor classroomjor lo cal school groups. Here yonng p eople participate in an inventory of the Gully Wetland in Torbay. CHAPTER 2 • HOW YOUR COMMUNITY CAN RAISE AWARENESS AND BUILD SUPPORT 19 HERITAGE DISCOVERY ON THE BACCALIEU TRAil In the early 1990s the Baccalieu Trail region became involved with Heritage Canada's 'Heritage Regions' program. As part of this program a series of Heritage Discovery projects were launched . The results were significant. Several communities got more in touch with their heritage. A number of new community heritage groups we re formed which have led the way in preserving local heritage resources. IThe hads of research skills that would be usejid in.clude: workin.g with archival materials (documents and phot.os); doing oral history interviews. documenting heritage buildings and other cultural landscape features ~Modu le.s of the He ritage Pla nning Guide deals in d etail with building communi ty support. Whe re poss ible inte rviews are recorded on audio or video tape, artifacts are photographed and documents/photos are scanned. ii) A public forum is organized to which all members of the community are invited. The fIndings of the research team are presellted back to the com mun ity wh ich is the n followed by a discussion about what s teps might be taken to preserve its heritage (e.g., start a he ritage committee or society, undertake a special project). It can be useful to videotape the forum. An added eleme nt to the forul1I can be presentations of traditional mus ic or storytelling by local e nte rtaine rs. iii) A report 011 the research and the public forum is prepared and presented to the cOlllmunity. A Heritage Discovery project could be funded through anyone of a number of employmen t or youth programs. It could entail partnerships with a local school, library, or community group. It is important, howe ve r, that participants receive adequate training and orientation in research and presentation techniques. 3. BUILDING COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR HERITAGE INITIATIVES Getting community 'buy-in' for any community heritage proj ~c ~ or ~l1U~l i~ipal initia~ive is ir~p o rtant: P~rhaps a muniCIpalIty IS IIlte rested III de votlflg public funds to a special heritage project (e.g., restoration of a building). Or maybe it wants to explore the imple mentation of stewardsh ip measures such as special zoning or heritage design regulations . Ensuring that the public is 'on-board' for such undertakings is critical to ensuring the success of such illitiatives. The best by-laws will be of little value if the public doesn't accept the m. And no council wants to get a lot of negative feedback on its decis ions. Module 5 of the Heritage Planning Guide deals with the topic of building support for he ritage initiatives. A number of key points around building support for he ritage initiatives are highlighted below:!: i) Consult with your comnuLnity - consultation with the community helps to ensure that any munic ipal initiative is wanted and needed by the public. Real consultation is about more than just presenting a copy of the final plans to the community and saying, "What do you think'?" It is most effective when it involves the community in the early planning stages to ide ntify concerns and issues, generate 20 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE ideas, a nd e nsure that people feel part of the process. For example, if a munic ipa lity announced that it was going to adopt a he ritage bylaw to control what can happen within a he ritage area (i.e., r e stric ting certain uses, requiring certa ill design e le me nts on new construction) it is possible that there would be some opposition from the public. After all, people don't gelle rally like be ing told what they can and call't do with th eir prope rty. The most eflective way would be to start the process with a community meeting in which the public was invite d to s hare concerns and ideas a bout preserving the community's he ritage. Various protection options could be outlined and discussed. Such a session would provide the opportunity to answer questions and, the reby, to allay co ncerns. ii) Share your plallswith yonr eOIlLlIlunily - use a variety of techniques to share your plans with the community: newsle tte r or website, local media (radio and newspaper), open houses or presentations to local community groups. Make it clear that you are seeking community leeclback on your plans which will be reflec ted in the final plan. iii) Keep your eOlll,munity illformed - using various media, keep the community up to date on the progress of a project or initiative. Invite public partic ipation in revie wing he ritage bylaws or protection measures from ti me to time. EXPLO RATIONS 1. Discuss how the town currently seeks input on important community issues and initiatives. Is it a case of "here's what we're going to do, what do you think?" Or are residents genuinely engaged in identifying issues and developing strategies and solutions? 2. What tools does the town currently use in communicating with its residents? How could these be strengthened? 3. Discuss the types of heritage awareness raising techniques that you think would be most effective in your community. COMMUNITY CONSULTATION IN TORBAY When the Trails & Environment Committee of the town of Torbay initiated a plan for a wetland area in the middle of the community it began with a survey of local property owners who lived near the area. The survey was followed up by a meeting. This gave property owners the opportunity to express concerns and identify issues before actual protection measures or development plans were put in place. It went a long way toward getting this group on board . CHAPTER 2 • HOW YOUR COMMUNITY CAN RAISE AWARENESS AND BUILD SUPPORT 21 Community Walkabout Worksheet Community Feature Questions Notes Older Residential Properties 1. Are there typical patterns for traditional housing types in the community (building shapes, orientation, number of openings)? 2. What are the distinctive features that characterize older residential buildings (roof forms, windows, materials, colours, decorative detailing, chimneys)? 3. Identify outstanding/well-preserved examples. 4. How have these structures changed over time? Have the changes been sympathetic? Why or why not? 5. How does new construction fit in with older residential neighbourhoods? 6. What kinds of outbuildings are associated with these buildings (sheds, root cellars, etc.)? Are there many of them left? 7. What are the typical setbacks of buildings from roads? Gardens/Landscaping 1. What types of plantings are traditionally found in and around older residential properties? Along streets/roadways? 2. Are/were properties typ ically fenced? What patterns of fencing exist/existed in the community? Circulation Routes 1. Identify road and circulation patterns including old pathways and trails. 2. What is it like for pedestrians to walk in the community? (i.e., Is it safe? Scenic? Convenient?) 3. What is the condition of roads and pathways? Landmark Buildings 1. Identify the special landmark buildings in the community (churches, public buildings, etc). 2. How have they changed over time (alterations/use)? Have these changes been sympathetic? Why or why not? 22 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE Community Walkabout Worksheet Commercial/I ndustrial/ 1. What types of structures exist/existed in the community? Fisheries Structures Describe them in terms of form, materials, location, and function. 2. What changes have they undergone over time? Have these been sympathetic? Why or why not? 3. Are many of the structures vacant or under-used? 4. What community needs could be accommodated in vacant structures (e.g., recreational, social, housing, cultural activities)? Open Spaces 1. Describe the open spaces in the community (empty lots, shorelines, parks/recreational areas, wetland areas). What condition are they in (i.e., well-maintained, neglected, polluted)? 2. How do they contribute to the quality of life in the community? 3. How could under- utilized spaces best be used to contribute to the quality of life in the community? (As infil housing? Recreational spac·e?) General 1. How do the above features/structures contribute to a unique sense of place? 2. What has been lost from the urban fabric? 3 . What should be preserved? 4. Identify 'eyesores' in the community. What could be done to improve them? 5. Identify the areas in the community where people like to hang out, to walk, to engage in recreational and social activities. What makes them attractive? How could they be enhanced? CHAPTER 2 • HOW YOUR COMMUNITY CAN RAISE AWARENESS AND BUILD SUPPORT 23 24 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE STEWARDSHIP & PROTECTION OF YOUR COMMUNITY'S HERITAGE RESOURCES STEWARDSHIP &- PROTECTION OF YOUR COMMUNITY'S HERITAGE RESOURCES Perhaps the most important role for any Illunicipality to play in terms of its heritage resources is protection. Mun icipal cOllncils are in a good position to safeguard heritage resources as they are the level of government closest to the ground in a community. As they are responsible for sllch things as zoning, and approval of permits for new construction, re novations and building demolitions they have several tools that they can use to protect he ritage resources. Most of the available tools are provided for ill the provincial Munic ipa lities Act and the Urban and Rural Planning Act. These fall into a numbe r of categories: 1. DESIGNATION The des ignation of buildings, nalural or cultural he ritage areas, even intangible heritage resources is a way to recognize the ir importance and to Hag them for s pecial protection. Designation can occur at the munic ipal, provincial, fede ral, even international le vels. Municipal - buildings, structures, or land may be designated with a he ritage status that afJorcis them protection . Under the Munic ipalities Act: Council may rnake regulations designating real property as a heritage building, structure or land. (Section 414) A building, structure or land designated by a council as a heritage building, structure or land shall not be demolished or buill upon nor the e;);terior of the building or structure altered, e.'l:pect under a written permit of the council specifically authorizing the alteration and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the permit. (Section 200) Esse ntially, these provisions allow a council to protect he ritage structures from being torn down or being altered in ways that are unsympathetic to their historic character. They also allow for the prote ction of natural heritage areas. A he ritage advisory committee, appointed by council, can advise on which buildings should be designated. They would make recomme ndations after carrying out the necessary research to determi ne the h istoric/arch itectural significance of a structure. While the cooperation of a building owner is definitely desired when designating a building, it is not required. In instances where a building is uncler immine nt threat of destruction a munic ipal designation can buy valuable time to ide ntify possible preservation strategies. Should a property owner not deal with their he ritage property in an appropriate manner: CHAPTER 3 • STEWARDSHIP 6t PROTECTION OF YOUR COMMUNITY'S HERITAGE RESOURCES 27 The Bleak House is a provincial registered h eritage structure that serces as a community museum in the tOlUn of Fog o. A council may make an order that a building constructed on heritage lands be removed and the lands restored and that the e,y;terior of a heritage building or structure not altered in accordance with a permit be restored as required by the council. (Section 404, Munic ipalities Act) A relatively s mallllumber of munic ipalities in the province have active he ritage designation programs. Some of those that do include St. John's, Woody Point, Harbour Grace, and Conception Bay S outh . MUNICIPAL HERITAGE DESIGNATION PROGRAM IN CONCEPTION BAY SOUTH The town of CBS has an active municipal heritage designation program that includes not only build ings but a heritage district, cemeteries, and even individuals and organizations that have played an important part in the history of the community. According to Heritage Advisory Committee member Regina O'Keefe, "Our town is growing very quickly which means that there is a lot of pressure on our heritage structures. We feel that it is important to preserve our heritage for future generations and to instill a sense of pride in our rich heritage." For the last number of years the town has hired a student to undertake historical research to assist the town in identifying buildings and sites for designation . To date, around 15 sites have a lready received designation . P"o'vincial- The He ritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador desig nates individual s truc tures and di stricts deemed to be of provincial significance. Designatioll of a structure or di strict provide s a level of recognition that can translate into tourism marketing poss ibilities and , hopefully, can open up funding possibilitie s. In a ddition, designated structures and dis tricts qualify for te chnical a nd planning assistance from the He ritage Foundation and other agencies. In order to qualify !i:n' registered provinc ial he ritage distri ct designation a municipal council mus t pass a motion to apply as well as munic ipal he ritage bylaws simila r to those described above . De pe nding upon availability of funding, the foundation also offe rs grants for the upgrading of he ritage structures. For more information see http;llwww.he ritagefoundation.ca/or contact 709-739-1892 . National - National Historic Sites wh ich comme morate districts, structures, historical e vents, or pe r sonages of national significance are de signated by the His toric Sites and Monume nts Board of Canada. While a national historic site des ignation cloesn't provide any real legal protection, it does give re cognition a nd s tatus that can be ve ry useful in a ccess ing development monies or in marketing a s ite . Parks Canada 28 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE may be a ble to provide research, tec hnical, and planning assistance for national historic sites. A numbe r of othe r designation tools or organ izat ional structures are desc ribed in the Heritage Planning Guide (see pp. 20-21 and 53-59) that can offer protection and stewardship of heritage resources. 2. HERITAGE ADVISORY COMMITTEE The Munic ipalities Act permits munic ipalities to establish '"Heritage Advisory Committees" that can advise a coull cil on wit ic h heritage structures to designate and 011 the preparati on of guidelines or bylaws to apply to designated structures or di stri cts. They can also provide adv ice to council on the treatment of he ritage buildings (e ithe r individually designated or within a he ritage district) and develop appropriate c rite ria for heritage designation. A Heritage Advisory Cotllmittee can also serve as a source of advice for homeowne rs and build ing contractors . One of the particular be ne fit s of s llch a co mtllittee is that it allows for c itizen input into the he ritage preservation process. TILTING'S PROVINCIAL HERITAGE DISTRICT In the summer of 2003 the entire town of Tilting on Fogo Island was designated as a provincial registered heritage district in recognition of its well-preserved buildings and landscape features related to the inshore fishery. In particular, it possessed a large collection of fish stages and stores, as well as older residences. The designation ceremony itself garnered a lot of attention including visits by the Irish Minister for Trade and Commerce and the Irish Ambassador to Canada. According to Lillian Dwyer, mayor of Tilting, "we have seen an increase in the number of tourists visiting our community and a move to develop new businesses in town. The designation is helping to put us on the map and is an affirmation of the work of Tilting's residents to preserve their heritage." THE ROCK WALLS OF GRATES COVE Through the efforts of the Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation (BTHC) the extensive collection of rock walls in Grates Cove, near the tip of the Bay de Verde Peninsula, were deSignated as a national historic site. The designation recognizes some of the province's best preserved examples of protective rock walls surrounding land that was taken in for vegetable gardens and hay fields. With government assistance the BTHC was able to develop a parking area along with interpretive panels on the site. The designation creates an additional tourism draw for the community and the region . CHAPTER 3 • STEWARDSHIP 6t PROTECTION OF YOUR COMMUNITY'S HERITAGE RESOURCES 29 The t01(ln of Placentia commissioned a Townscape De·velopment & Cultural Heritage District Masl.er Plan to g uide it in protect ing and detJeLoping it.s hislon:c core. 3. MUNICIPAL PLAN AND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS Powers unde r the Munic ipalities Act, only give council the ability to control the preservation and restoration of designated he r itage buildings and st ru c tures. Under this provision, counc il cannot determine wha t is all appropr iate use of · a he ritage building nor what can be built next door to it. Similarly, it has little co nt rol over what can be done in or near an area of natural sign iflCa llce. If counc ils need broader powers to protect the overall character and integrity of a he ritage area they need to adopt a Municipal Plall and Development Regulations. These allow for: the control of uses of he ritage buildings/districts and natural areas; control over the design and scale of new buildings in a he ritage area; and the re developme nt and revitalization of a natural or cultural he ritage area. \Vithout these provis ions it becomes diffi cult to control unsympathet ic de velopme nt (i.e ., a high rise building ill a district of he ritage homes or an industrial e nte rpr ise in or near a significant natural area.) A Mun ic ipal Plan is a legal document wh ich allows a council to direct growth and de velopment. As such it co ntains policy s tatements outlining directions for future growth. The plan is implemented th rough regula tions which set out specific standards and conditions for all buildings and land use. A plan and regulations can be simple and just outline what type of uses are appropria te in various areas of a town. Or they can be far-reaching, dealing with major issues such as re vitalization initiatives, appropriate building treatments and design, infil development, streetscape design, corridors/buffe rs along trails, and protection of na tural features. Some communities that have included the preserv a tion of built he ritage in their mun icipal plans include St. John's, Placentia, Trinity and Brigus. Gande r, Carmanville , a nd Torbay have designated a reas to protect waterfowl habitat. In total almost 140 towns ill the province have Munic ipa l Plans and Development Regulations The process of de veloping a plan and impleme nting regulations is a major unde rtakin g. It must involve a professiona l planner and allow for a high level of public consultation, both with residents and govern ment de partme nts. Such COl1lmun ity in volveme nt en sures that the plan reflects the needs and values of residents and that the re is a high degree of community 'buy-in', which makes it easie r for council to e nforce. It should be recogn ized that the munic ipal planning process is a dynamic one that allows 10 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE for change (i.e., counc ils can amend the m). Ideally, plans are reviewed every 5 years or so to re tlect changes in the commun ity. For more information on developing and implementing a Munic ipa l Plan or on in corporating he ritage conservation district provisions into an exist ing one, contact the Urban a nd Rural Planning Division of the De partme nt of Munic ipal Affairs (Tel. 709-729- 3090) . Staff are available to meet with a council to discuss the process. They can also prov ide a list of professional planning cons ultants. Diffe rent zoning options include: i) Historic Conservalion Dislricl Zoning- this applies to areas of cultural significance (structures or cultural landscapes). In the case of an his toric downtown core , anothe r option is to designate a 'Redevelopment Area' for which a redevelopme nt plan is prepared. To be mean ingful, special zon ing re quires the preparation of a he ritage development plan tha t de tails how tlte goals a nd inte nt of the zoning can be realized . It includes such things as perlllittedirecommendecl uses in a n area, schemes or strategies for its rev italization, and recomme ndations for appropriate building treatme nt, design and intil. Some munic ipalities also adopt signage bylaws to apply to commerc ial bu ildings with ina he ritage conse rvation district. In an eHort to promote trad it ional styles fo r s heds and outbuildings the town of Tiltin g e nacted a bylaw that prohibited the e rection of fa bricated "baby barns". In some European countries architectural features are actually legislated clown to the colours that one can use on bu ildings. In Canada the "carrot" approach often works be tte r in regulating developme nt in historic reside ntial or comme rcial districts. Design guide lines serve to educate the public about appropri a te building treatments within heritage di s tric ts. It is advised that a community works with a heritage consultant, arch itect or landscape a rch itect to develop appropriate local heritage guidelines. An illustrated brochure or bookle t is a useful tool for a munic ipality to develop, describing the c harac te ri s tics of a community's built heritage along with examples of appropriate development or alte rations. The message to property owne rs and developers is, "if YOll follow the guidelines as laid out, the pe rmit process will be smooth." A council has the right to reject any proposal that it feels is not sympathetic to the cha racter of an hi storic area. Design guidelines provide an objective criteria for dealing with heritage properties. CHAPTER 3 • STEWARDSHIP &. PROTECTION OF YOUR COMMUNITY'S HERITAGE RESOURCES 31 I For more information see p.21 of the He ritage Planning Guide . 2 For more information see p.55 of the He ritage Plan ning Guide. Below are a few examples of he ritage property bylaws and design guidelines: • Maintaining sta.ndards of herita.ge properties: http://www. cityofport nlOody.com/C it y+Govern me nt/Bylaws/l-Ie r itage+ Ma in tenance+Standards+ Bylaw.htm • Design Guidelines: The Town of Brigus Heritage Guidelines (see at end of this chapter) http://www.atlanticplan ne rs.org/wha tnew/booksl grandprel bylaw. ht l1J http://www.downtownwhitby.calrev it/i mprove lfacade improvement volume l.pdf ii) Conse,..vation District - areas of natural significance within a community can be designated as conservation districts with special development gu idelines. For wildlife habitat located within a community, a municipality can also seek a designation as a Munic ipal Stewardship Area unde r the Easte rn Habitat Joint Ve nture (EHJV) program.1 Natural and cultural areas lying outside of a municipal boundary, for which protection is sought, can be designated by the Min iste r of Mun ic ipal Affairs. 4. PROPERTY MAINTENANCE BYLAW A town counc il can establish a bylaw to ensure that prope rties within the community a re maintained to a reasonable standard and not allowed to become an eyesore or a hazard. If, after b e ing appropriately notified, a property owner fails to bring a property up to standards, a town counc il can undertake the work and charge the owne r for costs. While such a bylaw should be used sp a rin gly, it can be used to e ns ure that older buildings in the community are not allowed to fall into disrepair. For information on establish ing a propert y maintenance bylaw contact the Provincial Department of Municipal Affairs. 5. ACQUISITION OF HERITAGE RESOURCES BY COUNCIL Some times the b est or only option for preserving a heritage property and putting it to good use is for a town council to acquire it. This may be the case in particular where a property is de relict and at ri sk. The re are a number of options for a council to acquire heritage properties: i) Purchase: Under Section 201 of the Municipalities Act a coun cil can acquire and hold real and p ersonal property whic h is not necessary for the operations of the council but whic h meets community need s . In order to do this, a council needs to get prior written permission from the Minister of Municipal and Provinc ial Affairs . A munic ipal council can also set up a non-profit he ritage development corporation or a he ritage trus t to purchase he ritage prope rties.2 32 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE ii) Tax Arre ars: Sometimes older buildings, stru c tures and land fall into tax a rrears. T he Muni c ipalities Act outlines a process in which a council can obta i n these a rrears with the last option be ing sale by auc tion. Section 141 (3 ) a llows counc il to bid for a nd purchase real property being sold to satisfy taxes, inte rest or othe r expenses due. One has to be somewha t ca reful with this provis ion though. In one case, the munic ipality threate ne d a public sale to cover un paid ta xes on a property only to see the owne r pay up the taxes, then tear clown the buildin g on it to reduce future taxes. iii) Expropriation: A counc il can ask the Minister of Munic ipal and Provincial Affairs for permission to e xpropria te property ( )r municipal purposes including econolllic developme nt. It is a serious decis ion to deprive a prope rty owne r of h is /he r private prope rt y and in orde r to do so one mus t : a ttempt to negotia te a purchase a nd, failing that, (or being una ble to locale th e owner); provide a suitable jus tification to the Min is ter for the need to expropria te . A council must pay the fair ma rke l va lue for a property when expropria ting and e n sure that the use is for counc il or public purposes. Insta nces whe re a counc il might exp ropriate a he ritage property or bu ilcling include: whe re it is to be developed as a community hall, rec reati o nall~lc ilit y, or p a rk; for an economic development initia tive that could include touri sm development. Before cons ide rin g e xpropria tion a munic ipa l coun c il s hould always a Lte mpt a negotia ted purchase. The re a re a lso provis ions under the His toric Resources Act for the Prov incial Governme nt to protect his toric resources a nd a rc haeological s ites. They can include: a re quirement for an assessment to be unde rta ken prior to a ctivities that might imp a ct the resource and for the government to re quire that a munic ipality not issue a development permit on a s ite whe re he ritage resources e xis t; de clara tion of an his toric resource or a rc haeological s ite as a provin cial c ultural property; and a cqu is it ion of that resource through purc ha se /expropriation. Again , expropriation is a last resort and very ra rely used by government. Prov is ions of the His toric Resources Act a re concerned prima rily with p rotecting heritage resources, not necessarily in seeing th e m de velope d. This would me an, for example, th at the government would not normally e xpropria te just to allow it to unde rta ke an archaeological dig. For specifics, see the His toric Resources Act a t: http : / /www.gov.nLca/hoa/ s ta tutes/h14 .htm PURCHASE FREES UP DERELICT HISTORIC PROPERTY IN CARBON EAR In the mid-1980s d owntown Carbonear had a big eyesore on its hands. What had fo rmerly been a prominent business on Water Street lay in ruins. A fire had totally destroyed one building and only the co nc rete walls of another were inta ct . The owner had done nothing to c lean up the property and it had, for a few yea rs, formed a huge eyesore in the town's historic commercial area . It was assumed th at the prope rty was su ch a t angled legal mess th at little could be d o ne. When the matter was investigated it was discovered that the Town could acquire the property fo r back taxes owed. The area was cleaned up and the remaining 1930s co n crete building was salvaged and devel oped as a senior's ce ntre. USE OF EXPROPRIATION IN FERRYLAND The Provincial Government has engaged in land acquisition of archaeolo gical sites in a few instan ces in the provin ce. It has, for example, purchased land in Ferryland (Lord Baltimo re's plantatio n) and in Port aux Choix (Maritime Archaic I ndian site). In the case of Ferryland, the government used expropriation as a way to deal with a lack of clear title on a number of properties that it wished to purchase. While all of the owners had agreed to se ll at a negotiated price, it was deemed most feasible to use expropriation as a way to overcome the title problems. CHAPTER 3 • STEWARDSHIP & PROTECTION OF YOUR COMMUNITY'S HERITAGE RESOURCES 33 34 6. HERITAGE INCENTIVES Often finan c ial incentives are the most effective tool to e nc ourage h eritage pre se rvation and a pprupriate standards. Such incentives e ssentially ta ke two forms : i) Grants: Some municipalities offe r grants to owne rs of heritage prope rties for e xte rior restoration/mainte na nce work. Th is recognizes th a t he ritage structures often have higher maintenance costs , especially if a building re quires extensive restoration. Granting bodies gene rally requ ire an e asement agreement from tlte property owner whic h is a legal docume nt that, essentially, gives that body the right to specify what may be done with th e e xte rior of the building. This is to e nsure that any work unde rtaken mee ts he ritage preservation standards. In addition to providin g a n ince ntive to prope rty owne rs to re store th eir he ritage struc tures, a grant gives a munic ipality some influen ce on how that work is carried out. Ge ne rally such grants are for exte rior work only and are cos t- s hare d. In the 1990s the City of St. 10hn's offe red one -third of the cost of exterior restoration for the public face of a building to a maximum of $3,000. Bonavista, through the Bonavista His toric Townscape Foundation, oIle rs 700/0 of exterior re novat ion costs up to a maximum of $::W,OOO. BONAVISTA'S 'HISTORIC PROPERTIES INVESTMENT PROGRAMME' YIELDS BIG RETURNS The community of Bonavista has realized huge gains from its heritage grants program. In its first year of operations 11 historic properties, in total, received approximately $145,000 through the Historic Properties Investment Programme (administered by the Bonavista Historic Townscape Foundation with funding from ACOA) . This leveraged nearly $110,000 in private and other public funding . As all of the labour and most of the materials originated in the Bonavista region, most of this money went directly into the pockets of local residents, including $93,000 in labour. The visual impact of the program is immediately obvious when one enters the historic town. Together with other public investment in heritage in the town, the preservation of the community's historic townscape is helping to create a growing cultural tourism industry, which has offset losses in fisheries employment. By the time the program is completed it is estimated that around 45 bui ldings will have been restored . AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE ii) Tax /ncellli-ves - Munic ipalities can offe r tax incentives as a way to e ncourage he ritage preservation and the re-use of he ritage buildings. As illlproveme nts to a he ritage struc ture will often lead to an increase in the assessed value - th e reby leading to higher taxes - some munic ipalities provide a property tax re bate on the diffe re nce be tween the old and new assessed values. This can e ithe r be a total re bate on the diHerence for a pe riod of say 3 years or be graduated over a pe riod of years. The City of St. John's curre ntly has a 5 year property tax rebate for 'at-risk' he ritage struc tures regis te red by th e c ity. UsiJlg the St. J ohn's exalllple , fo r a property with a pre -re storation tax of $1,000 that in creased to $2,200 afte r re storation, a 5 year graduated tax incentive would work like this: New tax rate ($ 2,200) - old tax ra te ($ 1,000) = $1,200 Year 1 (100% re bate) = $ 1,200 Year 2 ( 80% re bate) = $ 960 Year 3 ( 60% re bate) = $ 720 Year 4 ( 40% re bate ) = $ 480 Year 5 ( 20% re bate) = $ 240 TotalS year tax rebate = $3,600 For comme rc ial buildings, Illuni c ipalities can also provide a re bate on bu s iness taxes. In the cases of both property and business tax re bates the re is , essentia lly, no cost to a munic ipa lity as heritage prope rties are ge nerally serviced so the re are no additional servi cing costs and the increased taxes wouldn't be collec ted by the munic ipality anyway if the prope rty was not upgraded . In the case of empty comme rc ial prope rty no bus iness taxes are being collected. The municipality wins in the end as, e ve ntually, restored heritage prope rties yield higher tax revenues (by year 2 in the g raduated scheme )! The new His toric Places Initiat ive , managed by the Department of Canadian He ritage, has establi she d a "Comme rc ia l He ritage Prope rties Incentive Fund" that ofJe rs grants for restoration to owners of private designa ted heritage buildings that a re to be used for comme rc ial purposes. This could include the conversion of a he ritage prope rty into a bed and breakfast, restaurant, off1ces, or re tail space. For more information see: http ://www.pc .gc .ca/ progs /plp-hpp/plp-hpp2a E.asp EXPLORATIONS 1. Discu ss how zoning and/or heritage guidelines could be used to protect heritage resources in your community. Make contact with a community in your area that has included heritage zoning and bylaws to discuss the pros and cons of such an initiative (the Dept. of Municipal Affairs should be able to provide you with names) . 2. Make a list of structures in your community that may be worthy of designation at either the municipal or provincial level. 3. Make a list of older underutilized properties that are tied up due to legal limbo or unpaid taxes_ Try to identify possible uses for those buildings that fit with council responsibilities as indicated under the Municipalities Act. 4 . Develop a list of residents who have loca l knowledge of/ interest in heritage bUildings and the community's history and who could serve on a heritage advisory committee. S. Develop a list of local resources useful to people undertaking the restoration of heritage buildings. These could include contractors and craft persons with heritage experience as well as suppliers of traditional building materials (clapboard, wood shingles) . CHAPTER 3 • STEWARDSHIP lit PROTECTION OF YOUR COMMUNITY'S HERITAGE RESOURCES 35 36 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES AND APPROACHES Additional Strategies & Approaches for Preserving Your Community's Heritage Many munic ipalities in Newfoundland and Labrador have taken proactive approaches to preserve their he ritage . In most cases these have resulted in s ignificant re turns to local communities in te rllls of increased community pride , new economic opportunities and private investme llt. 1. HERITAGE COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL I n a number of comlllunities councils have taken the initiative to form a local he ritage organization, in some cases, as a co mmittee of counc il. This e nsures a strong link with counc il wh ich has a varie ty of resources and Illechan iSllls to support heritage. The town of Torbay has a He ritage Committee to deal with c ultural he ritage and a Trails & Environme nt Committee which, essentially, concerns itself with the natural he ritage of the town. The counc il provides support in the form of office/museum space, an annual grant and funding for staff p ositions. It is important that the re be a strong liaison on such committees with town council/stafr. As was me ntioned pre viously, counc ils can also e stabli s h a He ritage Advisory Committee to advise them on various aspects of built he ritage and c ultural landscape , partic ularly on issues relating to heritage designation and appropr iate treatme nt of he ritage resoll rces. 2. COMMUNITY HERITAGE COORDINATOR The hiring of a community he ritage coordinator/officer by a municipality can do a lot to further the protection and development of heritage resources. Such a person can: • facilitate planning on he ritage initiatives; • de velop funding proposals for he ritage projects; • provide information and advice to the general public on the appropriate treatment of he ritage resources, funding programs , e tc .; • unde rtake community e ducation and awareness; and • provide a resource to community volunteers involved with heritage allowing the m, in mos t cases, to be muc h more produc tive . CHAPTER 4 • AD D I TI 0 NAL STRATEG I ES AND APPROACH ES 39 The restoration of the John William Roberts hOlLse in Woody Point for lLse as a l,isitor's centre is one of the initiatives that has been undertaken by the Bonne Bay Regional Heritage office. TOWN OF CBS HIRES SEASONAL HERITAGE WORKERS For the last several summers the town of CBS has been hiring a folklore student to research and promote the community's heritage . The position is answerable to the town's economic development officer. The student has been involved in : creating an inventory of heritage bUildings; gathering information on the community's history; and researching heritage buildings for consideration for municipal designation; developing a walking tour for the Topsail Heritage District; collecting oral history; writing pieces on heritage for the local newspaper. The heritage worker also sits as a member of the loca l heritage committee. Generally, a heritage coordinator will raise several times their own salary in successful grant applications and in encouraging private investment. While only large municipalities will likely be in a position to hire a heritage coordinator, in the case of s malle r municipalities it can be made feasible by partnering with other communities in a region. In various instances, it has been possible to cost-share these positions with a government funding agency such as HRSD or Human Resources Labour & Employment. In commu nities where th e re is no active heritage organization or heritage efforts are just getting off the ground, a municipality may wish to hire a student during the summe r to research and promote community he ritage. For this to be e ffect ive, a well-qual ified student (ideally with guidance) should be considered (i .e., someone studying history, archaeology, folklore or cultural geography). 3. PARTNERING WITH NEIGHBOURING COMMUNITIES While it may be difficult for small communities to access funding to hire professional heritage expertise or to effectively package and promote their heritage to p otential tourists, by working with ne ighbouring communities it becomes possible to create a critical mass. This could include several communities collaborating to c re ate a regional heritage centre that is able to open year round with professional paid staff (as opposed to several small museums that struggle to keep their doors open for a few months in the summer). It could also involve a regional collaboration to hire a he ritage development officer or a regional museum curator/manager to operate several community museums . Regional approaches to developing and promoting high quality nature -based or cultural tourism packages will be far more effective in attracting visitors to a region for an e xtended period of time than if each community attempts to go it alone and compete with neighbouring communities. The reality is that many small communities cannot create a strong e nough draw to pull tourists off the main highway or to keep visitors for more than a short time, but they may do so as part of a larger package. In other words, the total becomes more than the sum of the individual parts. Communities should consider working with their Regional Economic Development Boards (REDBs) and regional tourism associations in assessing the potential of heritage resources and in promoting and marke ting them. In the late 1990s most of the REDBs were involved in the developme nt of a Coastal Community Resources Inventory that mapped natural and cultural heritage resources along the province's coastline. Its purpose is to provide a tool for the development and management of these resources. 40 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE Contact your local REDB for a copy of this inventory. It could provide a model for an expanded inventory that e ncompasses the natural and cultural he ritage resources within an entire region. BONNE BAY REGIONAL HERITAGE COORDINATOR What started as a heritage researcher for the town of Woody Point has turned into a regional heritage coordinator, shared by several communities in the Bonne Bay area. The town of Woody Point offers in-kind services in the form of an office and support. The coordinator works with various communities on a variety of heritage projects and initiatives: awareness raising, heritage education in local schools, promoting, packaging and marketing heritage attractions, funding for restoration projects, and the development of heritage by-laws. She also acts as a resource for local volunteer groups and the public on heritage programs. In 2003 alone it is estimated that the Bonne Bay heritage coordinator raised over $200,000 in grants funding for heritage initiatives. According to Woody Point town councilor, Eldon King, "the regional heritage coordinator has allowed us to move ahead in preserving and developing our town's heritage resources much more quickly than if we had been trying to do everything strictly as volunteer groups." 4. STRATEGIES FOR REVITILIZING AN HISTORIC COMMUNITY CORE Ge nerally, the area in a community with the greatest concentration of heritage buildings is in the old comme rcial/industrial core, usually found along the wate rfront. In the case of inland towns, this area was often clustered along the railway line. In larger communities this encompasses commercial, industrial and institutional buildings, surrounded by older residential areas. In smaller outports, the harbours are ringed by older houses, commercial fishing premises, fish ing stages, and e1ll1 rches. Communities can take active steps to e ncourage the redevelopment of their historic cores. A number of strategies are outlined below: a) Creation of a Downtown/Heritage De'velopment Strategy - the revitilization of an unde r-utilized downtown or h e ritage district rarely happe ns of its own accord. A clear vision with a pro-active strategy is needed. A municipal council is generally in the best position to lead in the developme nt of such a strategy. Communities in the province that have prepared such plans include St. 10hn's, Bonavista and Placentia. Key ingredients for success in developing and implementing effective strategies include: a strong commitment from council to the process; a high level of public input and consultation; and the forging of strong partnerships with residents, various le vels of government, and the private sector. UsuaUy a consulting team with experie nce in urban Very often the historic centres of communities have declined due to changes in the local economy (such as the decline of the inshore fishery) and a shiji in comrnercial activity to the comnwnit/s ou.tskirts (the highway strip J. This has manifested itself in vacant. ojien crumbling buildings. As they deca:red. many have been removed, resulll:ng in lwge gaps in the streetsc(tpe. It. is dijficult to have (t healthy community when its very heart is dying or dead. Here part ofa range ofuniqlte mid-19th century row houses in Harbour Grace is being demolished (2003) . The loss of heritctge structures usu.ally occurs gradually resulting. over time. in the loss 0./ the buildings that help define (t com.munity. CHAPTER 4 • ADDITIONAL STRATECIES AND APPROACHES 41 PLACENTIA TOWNSCAPE DEVELOPMENT & CULTURAL HERITAGE DISTRICT MASTER PLAN With funding from ACOA the town of Placentia undertook the development of a master plan in order to : focus its preservation efforts; help rea lize its potential for cultural tourism development as a way to diversify the economy; enhance the quality of life for its residents; and to conserve and develop its historic townscape and heritage resources for future generations. The plan is an attempt to move beyond what is often a piecemeal approach to developing c ultural heritage resources within a community. One of the things that became evident in developing a plan was that before beautification and enhancement of streets/sidewalks, parks and he ritage areas could occur, it was necessary to upgrade much of the town's infrastructure (i.e., to avoid future tear ups) . Acco rd ing to the town's mayor, "while the project is an am bitious one, this plan gives us a blueprint from which to work in a step by step manner." design, he ritage preservation and economic development is engaged to develop such a strategy. It is important that consultants be sensi tive to: local heritage resources; political and economic realities; and local human capacity. Each community is different; there are no 'cook ie cutter' solutions. b) /'weslmenl in Infrastructure - the beautification of a heritage dist rict or installation /upgrading of public infrastruc ture (streets, sidewalks, lighting, e tc.) , by a municipality can have a major psychological impact on a community and act as a catalys t for additional private investme nt and business development. Wate rfront development in the form of harbourfront walkways, boardwalks and parks can make the historic core more attractive and gene rate more foot traffic. Wate rfront walkways can, in some cases, make the backs of buildings on the main commercial s treet a ttractive for commercial development. Expenditures on infrastru cture should be seen by a municipality as an investme nt for which the re is an expected return (i.e., more private investme nt, additional tax re venue, satisfact ion of recreational needs) . Plannillg for such infrastructure should include consultation with community and business groups to ensure that it meets local needs and that it is sustainable. It is estimated that f()!' e ve ry dollar of city money invested in public improveme nts on George Street in St. J ohn's in the late 1980s, several dollars of private money were invested in building upgrades and business start-up. Bonavista Townscape Church S Tbi~ pruject " 'as mad" possible through fundin!: from the C'lRatlaiN~wfoulldland A;:rceGlt:nt r!" the E('onomic n"vellJpmeol Compon(:nt of the Canadian Fisheries Adjustment and Restructuring Initiative Canad§ pro.iet ;J ~t'; rendu poss ibl~ gt',ii't finuneement de l' Ellt~nU Canada - '1erTI.'-llew,e relati .. :lU ,okt Oc"eloPP"'m.llt eCCJoomiq llt des tlUOII!HUllQU et de "'_QltnH,hlr'ati4>n dfS pechcs BONAVISTA UPGRADES ITS MAIN COMMERCIAL STREET As part of its Historic Townscape Management Plan, the town of Bonavista undertook an ambitious beautifi cation of its main thoroughfare, Church Street, that included its historic commercial and institutional core. It has served to tidy up the ap pearance of the street with new curbs and sidewalks as well as a few decorative treatments such as brick pavers and attractive fencing (wrought iron in front of the library and cenotaph and picket along residential and ecclesiastical areas) . The restoration of two-way traffic to the street has slowed traffic and increased the sense of activity on the street. 42 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE c) The Main Street Approach- back in the 1980s and early 1990s the Heritage Canada Foundation operated a program called 'Main Street Canada'. ~While the He ritage Canada Founda tion no longer sponsors the Main Street program the re is no reason that any particular community cannot follow the Main Street approach. The program was based on the recognition that much of the country's built he ritage is found in the hi s toric commercial cores of towns and cities. For various reasons - not the le a st of whi ch was the growth of suburban shopping malls and th e ' highway strip' - these downtown comme rc ial areas had declined, resulting in empty shop fronts and neglected buildings, many of which came to be at ris k. As well, many older downtown buildings had seen unsympathe tic changes (modern re novations and signage) which masked th e ir unique heritage charac ter. He ritage Canada recognized that the preservation of hi s toric commer c ial and ins titution a l buildings had to go hand in hand with a rev italization of the comme rc ial and c ivic func tions of downtowlI. The program had four basic compone nts: i) Business De'velopment - downtown buildings need to have tenants and to generate sufficient revenues before their owners will consider upgrading or restoring th em. This means developing strategies for attracting new bus inesses and other fun ction s downtown . These could include such things as: bus iness tax breaks for new businesses setting up downtown; an assessment of r e tail gaps in the community and recruitment activit ies to recruit prospective new businesses; e ntre pre ne urial works hops and train ing; and an assessment of commun ity needs that could fill downtowlI b'uildings (e .g., c1aycare, special housing needs, cultural and rec reational needs ). Often it is necessary to find new uses for older buildings that no longe r serve the function for which they we re built (e .g., houses. churches, in s titutional, and indus trial structures). His toric districts generally figure very prominently in efforts to develop tourism in a community. ii) Promotions, Marketing & Special E-vents - the downtown bus iness community can learn from the malls whe re all tenants participate in joint promotions. By pooling their promotional dollars a nd packaging downtown as a dest ination that is more than just the sum of its individual parts, downtown business operators can more effectively compe te with suburban shopping areas. These can include special events and promotions (seasonal promotions, farme rs' or craft marke ts, festivals, window displays); anything that will get people downtown. These are mos t effective when they draw on the un ique he ritage and c haracter of downtown. WALKWAYS ENHANCE WATERFRONT APPEAL Typically communities have turned their backs on their waterfronts. Usually the shoreline was the scene of industrial or commercial activity which made it unappealing to residents or cut it off altogether from the rest of the community. Yet a shoreline can be one of the most interesting and scenic areas of a community. Increasing ly, communities in the province are recognizing the appea l of shorelines to both residents and tou rists by developing waterfront walkways. Two places that come to mind are Port aux Basques and Trout River on Newfoundland's west coast. Port aux Basques has developed a boardwalk that links the ferry terminal with the commercial area of the town. It includes a number of small retail kiosks and an outdoor stage offering local entertainment, geared toward ferry passengers with time on their hands. In the small community of Trout River a half kilometre board walk runs along the shoreline. On one side is the beach; the other is lined with buildings including a cafe and two museums which form anchors at each end of the walkway. It has done much to enhance the scenic appeal of the community and to welcome visitors. CHAPTER 4 • ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES AND APPROACHES 43 A n ew businessfills a vacant building on Water Street in Carbonear resulting in a "je£ce lift" iii) Orgallization - be fore positive change can happen in a his toric district it is neces sary to ge t a community mobilized and organized . Appropriate organizational structures need to be e stablished to unde rtake projects and initiatives and partnerships forged with a wiele variety of commun ity and public stake holde rs. One of the key elements is getting the downtown business community organized and working together. The Business De velopment Are a is one model ill which a municipality passes a law that allows for a levy on all downtown busine sses to raise funds for the operation of a Downtown Developme nt Association. Such a group engages in a variety of projects to promote a mi develop the downtown area. In terms of developing a ppropriate organizational models it must be understood that the re is no such thing as "one size fits all." Appropriate structures must be developed to fit the particular community. For more information on organizationa l models for heritage initiatives see Module 6 in the Heritage Planning Guide. CARBONEAR FESTIVAL CElEBRATED CARBON EAR'S WATERFRONT In 1986 downtown Carbonear held its first 'Stationers Festival' which celebrated the annual spring departure for the Labrador fishery (that had been happening on the town's waterfront for more than 150 years) . The festival included events such as a re-enactment, dory races on Water Street, food, entertainment, d isplays, and an ecumenical church service commemorating those lost at sea. Part of the intent of the festival was to get residents to take a second look at their downtown, which many had seemingly turned their backs on. As an example, one of the old, boarded-up timber-framed storehouses that had been part of John Rorke & Sons mercantile premises was turned into a craft market. Many people marveled at the beauty of the building and commented on what a great public space it would be. This historic structure was subsequently designated a provincial heritage structure, restored by the town council and now operates as a museum and theatre space. 44 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE i-v) IJeritage Preservation & Design - years of experie nce have shown that the most successful way to revitalize a downtown or an older district is not to destroy the historic l~lb ri c and put up new buildings but to preserve the stru ctures that give a commun ity a un ique sense of place. All too often the charac ter of older buildings has been lost as arch itectural features and detailing we re re moved or else covered up with unsympathet ic materials and signage. Where possible the restoration of historic buildings should be encouraged. Where this is not feasible they may be upgraded to make them more attractive and to fit better into the overall s treetscape. This requires expertise in unde rstanding historic buildings and research to de termine how buildings have changed over tillle. The key for a community is to work with what it has and not to a ttempt to create a blse sense of his tory be creating fake 'heritage ' facades. Other aspects of design include the developme nt of attracti ve signage that respects a building (i.e ., doesn't cover up detailing), and the development of new infrastructure and amenities to improve an area (e .g., attractive public spaces/parks, walkways, s idewalks, lighting, e tc.) . -v) The Main Street Office - in order to implemen t the Main Street approach a coordinator was placed in a community for a minimum of three years. His/her job was to an irnate the downtown revitalization process, helping to facilitate planning, and to provide professional expertise in the areas desc ribed above. The costs of running a Main Street office we re generally shared between the Illunicipality, other levels of government, and of tell the local bus iness community. The He ritage Canada Foundation provided planning services, training for coordinators, and technical advice. Various provincial organizations exist that can provide the necessary technical advice, such as the He ritage Foundation of Ne wfoundland and Labrador (dealing with built he ritage) and the Association of He ritage Industries. A community also doesn't need to have a large downtown comme rc ial core to use the process. Many communities in Newfoundland and Labrador are characterized by a fairly dispersed business community and don't have a traditional comme rcial core along a main street. The Main Street approach could be adapted to any town that has a fairly strong concentration of he ritage buildings that include those used for reside ntial, industrial, and institutional structures. What is needed to make the program work is a strong commitme nt from a munic ipal council, the local business community, and the community at large. CHAPTER 4 • ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES AND APPROACHES 45 Revitalizing a boarded up storejj'ont for lise as Carbonears lVlain S treet. ojJice /lias a /Vax to show that old buildings c an have a new life. Water St. Carbonear. 193()s Water St. Carbonear. 2003 CARBON EAR'S MAIN STREET PROGRAM By the early 1980s Carbonear's Water Street had suffered the same fate as many North American downtowns: commercial deve lopment on the suburban fringe combined with the decline of the old Water Street merchant fami li es had led to serious decay of the downtown. In 1985 the town became invo lved with the Main Street prog ram. With the assistance of a Main Stree t coordinator the community engaged in Heritage Canada's Four Point Approach. The project was successfu l in bringing down the vacancy rate from 45% to roughly 15%; severa l buildings were given face li fts; many vacant buildings were given a new life; and seve ral hundred thousand d ollars of public and private money we re invested in the area. Unfortunately, when the 3 year program e nded there w as no concerted efforts to maintain the momentum and things began to slide back somewhat. This is one of the lessons of heritage revit a lization, there are no quick fixes and it takes a sustained effort with a long -term strategy. d) Additional Ways that Municipalilies can Support their Jle ritage - there are a varie ty of other ways that your munic ipality can support heritage efforts in your community: i) In-I.·ill.d COlI.lI"ibulions to lo cal herilage g roups l,,,d projects - municipal cou nc ils are often ill a good position to provide 'in-kind' support to heritage initiatives and groups. These could include: • free meeting space for the local heritage socie ty; • space for historical displays and interpre ta tion a ctivities; • snow cleari ng a nd maintenance of community museum build ings; • use of heavy equipment for constru ction projects ; and • free office space/equipment for special projects (e.g., summer stude nts, research projects) 46 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE i) Financial Contributions - most local culLural heritage attractions are developed and managed by volunteer, community-based organizations. Most of these groups operate with few resources and most are very good at stretch ing a dollar. It has been said that cultural tourism (worth over $200 million to the provincial economy) is the only sector of the provincial economy bu ilt largely on the bac ks of volunteers. A finan cial contribution by a municipal council can of te ll make a big diffe re nce in wnning a local museum, heritage attraction or archive. PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN HERITAGE SOCIETY AND TOWN COUNCIL IN BAY ROBERTS A collaboration between the Bay Roberts Heritage Society and the Bay Roberts Town Council has made possible the restoration of the historic Cable Building and the development of a museum, archive and art gallery. While the heritage society was successf ul in securing funding to restore the large building, a major cha llenge was to provide for the on-going operating and maintenance costs. The town council moved into the first floor of the Cable Building and entered into an agreement whereby it would pay for the operating costs of the entire building on a year-round basis. This allows the museum to operate year-round, something that few community museums can do, due to the expenses of providing heat and light. ii) Encouraging the Arts as a CataLyst for the Re-use of Heritage Buildings - it is often a real challenge to find alternative uses for unde r-utilized or abandoned he ritage structures. This is especially the case with large structures such as industrial buildings, ware houses, schools, churches, or commercial pre mises. Often the first thing that occurs to groups or communities is to turn older buildings into museums. Ye t the ability of most commun ities to sustain more than one museum is limite d. Another possibility is to cons ide r the arts - the pe rforming arts (theatre, music, dance), visual arts , new media and film - which often fit very well into larger, open spaces in the types of buildings described. There is an increasing numbe r of examples worldwide of industrial The old Carbonear railway station gained new life as a community museum. The tOltln council covers the cost 0/ utilities on I.he/acility and has,/rom time 1.0 tl:me, prot1iciedjil1ancial assistance and o(.her 'in- kind' contributions. CHAPTER 4 • ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES AND APPROACHES 47 The Distillery District in Toronto has turned the old Gooderham & Worts D isf,illery into a complex 0/ artist's sf,adios, galleri es, restaurants, and pe/forming spaces, crea,tecl one o/the city's most clynwuic urban areas. heritage buildings that have been turned into arts spaces. They include the Distillery District in Toronto and MASS MoCA of North Adams, Massachusetts (a former mill town in Weste rn Massachusetts) that have conve rted Victorian indust rial buildings into vibrant complexes of artist's stud ios, galleries, museums, shops, restaurants and performance spaces. One of the particular benefits of such projects is that they bring many creat ive individuals (visual artists, film make rs, small high tech companies, etc.) a nd arts groups together under one roof - usually a t a belowcost re nt - c reating opportunities for collaboration. In many instances these kinds of projects have been undertaken by private developers. While most smaller communities in Newfoundland and Labrador will not have the population base to sustain large arts complexes, by considering a variety of community needs (learning spaces, recreational and soc ial spaces, office spaces for government and non-profit groups) it may be poss ible to put together a project that not only creates new uses for older buildings but gene rates lots of foot traffic and an exciting and vibrant community space. The key to making these types of projects work is partnerships. A municipality can act as a catalyst in such an initiative by assessing community needs a nd by bringing together a variety of community players to discuss the potential of such a project. iii) Municipal Re-lLse of Heritage Buildings -municipalities can adopt a policy that they will actively seek to re -use he ritage buildings for the ir own acti vities and needs. This could be for use as a town hall, office space, library, or other functions carried out by a municipality. He ritage structures such as schools, institutional or commerc ial buildings are often well-suited as they have spacious interiors and, with the ir architectural detailing, have a strong "civic" presence. Through partnerships with other organ izations and funding for he ritage preservation, the convers ion of heritage structures is often a low-cost alternative for a municipality that needs new space. The town of Bay Roberts partnered with the local heritage society to de velop a restored cable office for use as a town hall, muse um, archives, and a rt gallery. The town of Bonavista hopes to move its offices into a 1928 school building that will a lso serve as a regional visitor centre. Municipalities can a lso encourage the re -use of her itage buildings for use as government offices, By way of example the old Belve de re Orphanage in St. 10hn's has been converted for use as office space for MCP. 48 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE i'v) A Few Words aboLLt Community Economic Development (CED) - the traditional approach to developme nt in many communities in North America has been to attract new businesses and industries from outside the community. This often involves large tax co ncessions and gove rnllle nt grants. While sometimes this meets with success, a more holistic approach - alld one more suited to small rural communities - is re fe rred to as "Comlllunity Economic Developme nt" or CED. CED is based on the notion that a community looks at its own assets (human, physical, c ultural, natural) as well as its own problems, needs, and values in de vising developme nt strategies. It asks questions like : • What local resources and skills could be turned into economic opportunities? • What do we value about our cOllllllunity that we don't want to lose'? • What social, e nvironmental, cultural and economic needs do we have to address to allow us to move forward and to create a be tter quality of life'? Community Economic Development involves a process of in-depth comll1unity consultation and planning. It works when partnerships are forged with a wide variety of groups and inte rests in the community. Invariably in the CED process, communities discover that sOl1le of their greatest assets are the ir heritage resources. These run from buildings and other physical aspects of he ritage, to traditional skills and knowledge (and the people who possess them), to a comll1un ity's history and traditions, and its natural and scen ic areas. Two examples from rural France demonstrate this point well: • An economically depressed region discovered that in the Middle Ages the re had been a strong local industry producing medicinal herbs. The tradition was rev ived with an historical interpretation (a tourism draw) and the actual development of a new industry to supply the growing demand for herbal remedies. • In a district of northe rn France the loss of the local cattle industry led to an e nvironmental problem: former pastureland had gone wild with resulting grass fi res. To deal with the problem hardy Scottish long-horned cattle we re introduced that revived the cattle industry. The old Forbes ilrlethodist School in Bonavista is currently being restored with plans in place to use it as a visitor centre and town hall. The historic Woods Building in downtown St. John's was at risk 0/ demolition until the City 0/ St. Johns worked out an arrangement with the owner whereby it would enter into a long term lease/or ojJice space. Here the building is under reconstruction. CHAPTER 4 • ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES AND APPROACHES 49 50 EXPLORATIONS 1. If you have a local heritage organization, meet with them to explore ways that you can support one another. If you don't have one, call a public meeting to see if there is local interest in forming one. 2. Discuss the benefits of having a heritage development coordinator for your community. In what ways would such a person benefit your community? What types of projects could he/she support? Which neighbouring communities could collaborate on hiring such a person? 3. I nvite interested residents (particularly older ones) to describe how the historic core of the community has changed over time. What has been lost? Or sponsor a 'Community Walkabout'. 4. Have an ad-hoc committee (including heritage and business representatives) explore the possibility of creating a Heritage Development/Downtown Revitilization Strategy. Invite a representative from a municipality that has undertaken such a strategy to meet with your group (or go visit their community to gauge their progress) to discuss the hows and whys of such an initiative. 5. Hold a community focus group or undertake a survey to see what residents think about community infrastructure and what areas they might like to see beautified or developed . Use this as an opportunity to see how much support there is for municipal investment in this area . 6 . Ask a resource person to provide additional information on the Main Street Approach. Contact AH I for suggested speakers. 7. Do an inventory of under-utilized buildings in the community, including such things as square footage, condition, existing services and amenities. Discuss whether there are any municipal functions that could be accommodated in heritage buildings and what kinds of partnerships could be formed to make this happen. 8 . Meet with representatives from neighbouring communities to explore how the heritage resources of each could be packaged and promoted on a regional basis. AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE DESIGN ISSUES IN HISTORIC TOWNSCAPES/lANDSCAPES Design Issues in Historic Townscapes/Landscapes 1. INTRODUCTION Planne rs and preservationists often s peak of his toric townscapes. By that term they refe r to the overall characte r of a place and to the individual ele ments that contribute to it. For e xample , the character of a place might be described as: urban with high de nsities of buildings; outport cons isting of low-scale developme nt clu s te red around a harbour with an organic settlement pattern: historic with a human scale with a high concentration of older buildings. A wide variety of elements combine to give a distin c tive c haracte r • typical building patterns (with common shapes, colours, materials, placement of open ings) • layout of roads and circulation routes: organic - often curving, conforming to landscape fe atures with little distin c tive sense of pattern; or rational - plan ned, often in the form of a grid or geometric pattern • common setbacks of buildings from the road • types of vegetation (natural or plante d) • how bu ild i ngs relate to the natural landscape • property lines and fences • outbuilcl ings As examples, an historic townscape in Newfoundland and Labrador (places like St. 10hn's, Harbour Grace, Port Union) would likely be charac te rized by low-rise buildings (of no more than 3 or 4 floors) with high de nsities (s ituated close together and close to or right on the street). Materials would consist largely of clapboard (often painte d a wide variety of colours), brick or stone, and the re would be clear palterns in te rms of window and door sizes and placeme nts, roof forms and chimneys. An historic outport would, typically, be c haracterized by low rise buildings (usually 2 storeys) with clear patterns in terms of houses (clapboard with 3 openings across the front and ge ne rally a centre door), and fishing structures (clapboard painted either red/yellow ochre or white) hugging the shoreline. Often buildings are situated fairly close to roadways wh ich are usually laid out in a manner that, to the outsider, seems haphazard. A number of smaller outbuildings may be clus tered behind houses. Typically, a fairly limited range of colours was used on buildings. The overall effect is one of unity, with clear patterns emerging. Just as harmonious music (i.e., balanced, with clear patterns) appeals to the ear, so does a harmonious built landscape appeal to the eye. Gower Street, with its 3 -store:r attached houses, is l:rpical of much of the dense downtown core of St. Johns. CHAPTER 5 • DESIGN ISSUES IN HISTORIC TOWNSCAPES/LANDSCAPES 53 ilt[ost oflhe older houses in King's Cove are ofa similc[,/" pattern (2-sto rey, gabled roof) and are situated right 0/1. I.he road. The ol'erall ejJect is harrnonious and pleasing. Du.e to its scenic qucdities the community ha.s become very attractive to outsiders interested in restoring an old house j;)r a weekend residence, IFor a more in-depth discussion on preservation issues see Modu.le 2 of the He ritage Planning Guide. This chapter deals with the maintenance of historic townscapes including ways to sympathetically integrate new de velopme nt. It addresses s uch issues as: • to restore or to renovate • signage issues in historic districts • design guidelines • how to integrate new development ill to a historic context (infil) The intent of protecting hi storic buildings, ne ighbourhoods or townscapes is not to preclude new developme nt or to freeze a community in a particular period of its past. He ritage preservation can go hand in hand with growth ancl c ha nge. And, in fact, a community's built heritage becomes a record of its history and change - economic and social - and effurts should be made to both preserve that record and to allow the community to evolve. 2. RESTORATION, RENOVATION OR DEMOLITION? I t is not always easy to determine the best way to deal with heritage structures in a community. When is restoration required? What changes to a building sh ould be preserved and which olles s hould be removed? When are structures just too br gone to bother with saving them? When adapting older buildings for new uses what level of change should be permitted?1 a) Builtlillg ~1a.inlenance - the best way to preserve the older stru ctures in a community is to maintain th em on an on-going basis. This is definitely more cost-eHicient than wa iting until buildings get run-down to the point at which they require major resources to preserve them. Municipal councils can help to e nsure building mainte nance by putting in place and enforcing maintenance bylaws. A set of standard 'Occupa ncy and Mainte nance Regulations' are outlined in the Urban and Rural Planning Act and are available from the Department of Municipal Affairs (TeL 709-729-3090) . b) When to Resto,.e - restoring a building in volves putting it back to a particular period in time : strippin g away additions and changes that are deemed inappropriate and repai riJlg elements that have deteriorated us ing authentic materials and construction methods, This is a fairly costly process and it is generally considered when the building is architecturally or hi storically sign ificant, the required resources and expertise are available to unde rt a ke the work, and ways can be found to sustain/operate the structure whe n it is comple ted. In cases where the building is important but the resources are not available, the most appropriate thing 54 AHI • A GUIDE FOR MUNICIPALITIES. PRESERVING OUR PAST - PLANNING OUR FUTURE to do may be to stabilize the structure and to prevent furth er de te rioration or to undertake restoration in several phases. If an important building is going to be adapted to a new use it may be appropriate to restore only the exterior while allowing significant changes to the interior (attempting to preserve significant inte rior features where possible). The goal of historic preservation is to preserve as much of the original fabric (i.e ., material) of a structure as possible. This means replacing only what is absolutely necessary to maintain the structural integrity of the building. A few sags and sloping Hoors in an historic building may be acceptable as long as the building is stable. All too often, historic buildings end up becoming, essentially, reconstructions when almost all of the materials are replaced. This happens when the people dealing with them don't have sufficient expertise or knowledge . Which raises the point: always get appropriate advice be fo re tackling a building restoration. SAVING THE BRIDGE HOUSE The Bridge House in Bonavista, dating from 1811, is the earliest dwelling for which documentation can be found in the province and it is one of the finest architectural examples of the Georgian period. Unused and neglected, the building was at considerable risk. To prevent further water damage the owner sheeted over the roof.* When the Bonavista Historical Society acquired Bridge House they decided that the first task to keep the building from deteriorating further was to restore the roof. The Society now plans to undertake a restoration feasibility study in order to determine how to proceed with the task of restoration which will, likely, occur in different phases over a few years. The point of this example is that sometimes stop-gap measures are required to preserve a building until the resources can be found to fully restore it. When other groups are not available to facilitate this, a municipal council can playa leadership role. *U nfortunately, chipboard was used to cover the roof which acted like a sponge and speeded up the deterioration of the rafters and roof plate. This reinforces the need to get expert opinion before tacking the preservation of an historic building. 1 -·-;1 ~" 1:~,I JI.I, .. '.ii I I New vinyl windows and siding on this historic Masonic Lodge hat'e resulted in the loss a/much o/the bu.ildings original architectu.ral d etailing and appeal. The imitation mullions don't even properly replicate the original 'six over six' windows. CHAPTER 5 • DESIGN ISSUES IN HISTORIC TOWNSCAPES/LANDSCAPES 55 56 c) Whe" to Demolish- not infreque ntly, an historic bu iid ing is torn clown after a de molition permit has been issued by a mun ic ipal council that fears it is a public hazard. De molition s hould only be considered when all other avenues have been e xhausted. There are several things tha t a municipal council can do to facilitate the preservation of a th reale ned historic structure: • Be sure that a building is, in fact, s tructurally unstable before issuing a de molition orde r. Peeling paint alld a few sags don't necessarily mean that a building is unsalvageable - in fact, virtually any building can be salvaged if the money is a vailable. If there are concerns about children gaining access, ensure that the building is prope rly sealed up. • Work with the owners of olde r, unused buildings by making them aware of the importance of a structure. Let them know of heritage preservation assistance programs and attempt to facilitate the sale of a prope rty to someone who may be interested in pre se rving it. • Develop a clear process or checklist for dealing with older, derelict buildings and p ermits for demolition. This list can include : consultation with the local heritage advisory committee, heritage organization or the He ritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador; an inspection of the property by a qualified he ritage expert to develop a clear understanding of its structural condition; and cl iscussions with property owners to encourage pre servation or the facilitation of the sale of the property. • Consider establishing a He ritage Development Corporation or Trust that can acquire heritage buildings (usually for littl |
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