Comment
Time to preserve heritage buildings

Once you knock a building over, it's physically gone forever.

And that's precisely why Innisfil council needs to start taking action to preserve the town's heritage buildings. Last week, a developer demolished the Ness-Adair home, a building that was constructed in the 1860s, to make way for a new subdivision and retail store.

And tonight, council will host a public meeting to discuss the future of another century building, the Roderick-McConkey homestead. The current homeowner is attempting to sell his land to a developer, and advocates say that without protection, it's only a matter of time before the homestead is torn down.

Council is making progress, albeit slowly. The town's heritage committee will be presenting council with a list of at least 31 places of historical interest within the municipality. The locations will not be released publicly until council approves the list. Thus, whether the Roderick-McConkey homestead is on the list remains unclear.

Once the list is approved by council, affected property owners must give two months of notice before they can destroy a house, allowing plenty of time for investigators to see if the property holds historical significance.

The need to approve that list is becoming more urgent, especially with significant development in the town already underway. And while concerned residents should be cautious when grouping all developers into one pool, there is precedence to the theory that more of these buildings will fall. For developers, it's clearly easier to demolish a building without heritage protection, rather than wait for the site to be designated. And once that building is knocked down, without protection, there's not much that can be done to punish a developer.

Town staff and members of council can take an active role in preserving these structures, aside from designating these sites. They can work with developers to ensure the buildings remain safe, at least until heritage investigations can be completed.

And maybe it's time for a little foresight and ingenuity. At last week's heritage committee meeting, there were rumblings of designating a specific area with the town as a historical village, similar to Niagara-on-the-Lake. While that is likely years away, Cookstown, would be a perfect site for this, and would certainly draw tourists on their way to cottages each weekend. Located just minutes from Highway 400, it would be closer to the Greater Toronto Area than Niagara, and easily accessible. Although certain buildings may be difficult and costly to move, some of Innisfil's old jewels could be relocated and revamped in Cookstown, far away from the planned large-scale development.

Or perhaps developers just need to embrace some of these sites, with encouragement from town council, and plan their construction accordingly. Businesses hate bad press, and most developers would likely be willing to work with council towards a resolution, once they realize there could be public outcry for an old building. In the case of the Roderick-McConkey homestead, should it be found to have enough historical significance to warrant saving, the building could have a number of uses.

All across Ireland, for example, historical churches and sites have been converted into tourist information centres. Although Innisfil is far from being a powerhouse tourism hub, it could feature information on many of the town's events and places of interest.

Perhaps even Simcoe County and the provincial government would have an interest in the building, using it to promote upcoming events across the region.

A historical village in Cookstown, coupled with the BIg Bay Point Resort, could send the tourism industry in Innisfil into a boon. The town, along with the Innisfil Community Events Corporation, could also work towards creating more special events and festivals, which would bring in more tourism dollars and justify the expense of converting the historical homestead.

Innisfil is at a crossroads. While development is necessary and ultimately beneficial, the preservation of the town's historical sites could have a long term positive impact on the community.