Report to: Development Services Committee Report Date: November 18, 2008
SUBJECT: Interpretive Plaques for Mount Joy Heritage Buildings
PREPARED BY: George
Duncan, Senior Heritage Planner, ext. 2296
RECOMMENDATION:
That Council endorse the design
for the interpretive plaques for the Town’s heritage conservation districts, as
proposed by the Markham Village Conservancy subject to a reduction in plaque size
to 9 by 15 inches (23 by 38 centimeters) and background colour based on
existing heritage conservation district entry and street signs;
That Council adopt the policy document
proposed by staff titled “Guidelines for Interpretive Plaques for Properties of
Cultural Heritage Value or Interest in Heritage
Conservation Districts”, attached as Appendix ‘F’ of the staff report dated
November 18, 2008;
That Council provide a grant of up
to $3,300 from the Heritage Reserve Fund (Acct.
No. 087 2800 115) to the Markham Village Conservancy to assist with the cost of
the interpretive plaque project for the Mount Joy portion of the Markham
Village Heritage Conservation District;
And that Staff be authorized and
directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Not applicable.
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this staff report
is to report back to Council on the Markham Village Conservancy’s request for a
grant and approval of a project to install interpretive plaques on heritage
buildings within the Mount Joy
portion of the Markham Village Heritage Conservation
District.
BACKGROUND:
Property owners in
heritage conservation districts are interested in plaques for their buildings
For several years Heritage
Markham and Heritage Section staff have
studied options for providing interpretive plaques for heritage buildings
located within the Town of Markham’s
heritage conservation districts.
Properties that have individual designations under Part IV of the Ontario
Heritage Act have bronze
plaques mounted on their walls, provided by the Town of Markham
through Heritage Markham’s annual budget. Owners of heritage properties in the heritage
districts have approached staff on a number of occasions to find out if the Town
has any similar recognition for their properties.
Staff has researched options for providing plaques for buildings within
heritage conservation districts
The Heritage
Section’s work program of outstanding projects includes research into a
preferred option for plaquing heritage buildings, when requested by property
owners, within heritage conservation districts.
This subject has been explored by staff at intervals over the past
years, with cost, durability and appearance being the main factors being taken
into consideration. Of the various
options considered, including bronze, wood and aluminum, cast aluminum plaques
have proven to be the most satisfactory option reviewed to date. The type of information that would appear on
these plaques would include the name of the original owner, their occupation,
and the date of construction of the building.
The plaque would also indicate which heritage conservation district the
property is located in.
The Markham Village Conservancy is seeking to move the plaque project forward
The Markham Village Conservancy
has done a great deal of research into options for plaques for heritage
buildings within the Mount Joy
portion of the Markham Village Heritage
Conservation District. Mount
Joy is the section of the Heritage
District north of the railway tracks.
The Conservancy has agreed that a cast aluminum plaque made by a local
manufacturer would be the best option to pursue. A mock-up of the proposed design is attached
(Appendix ‘A’). The Markham Village
Conservancy’s preferred plaque design has a blue background and raised
lettering and raised border in brushed aluminum.
The Conservancy has proposed a cost-sharing program for a pilot project
The Markham Village Conservancy is
proposing a cost-sharing program for a pilot project of 22 plaques on Peter
Street. Peter
Street contains a large number of heritage houses
dating from the 1890s period. Property
owners would be advised of the opportunity to obtain a plaque. Based on 22 plaques, the cost of each one
would be $350 plus applicable taxes (resulting in a cost of $400 each). Property owners will be asked to contribute
$100, the Conservancy will contribute $150 and for the balance of $150, a grant
from the Town of Markham’s Heritage
Reserve Fund is requested. The specific
grant amount for 22 plaques is $3,300, (based on 22 x $150). The Markham Village Conservancy’s proposal is
attached as Appendix ‘B’.
Council supported the project in principle, with direction to report
back after consulting with representatives of the other heritage conservation
districts
At its meeting of June 24, 2008,
Council agreed in principle to provide a grant from the Heritage
Reserve Fund to the Markham Village Conservancy to assist with the interpretive
plaque project for the Mount Joy portion of the Markham Village Heritage
Conservation District and directed staff to consult with representatives of the
Markham Village, Thornhill and Unionville Heritage
Conservation Districts concerning the plaque design for future, similar
projects within those heritage conservation districts.
Staff was asked to report back with
the results of the consultation with the other district representatives, with
the preferred plaque design, and to recommend funding for the Markham Village Conservancy
project.
OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:
Heritage Markham supports the project, including the use of
the Heritage Reserve Fund to provide a grant
Heritage
Markham supports the Markham
Village Conservancy’s project in principle, (see Heritage
Markham extract from the May 14, 2008
meeting, Appendix ‘C’). At the previous meeting of Heritage
Markham, the committee requested staff examine the possibility of financial
assistance from the Heritage Reserve
Fund. Based on staff’s review, this
project is eligible for funding within the guidelines and criteria adopted by
Council in 1991, under the category of Commemorative Plaques and Signage
Projects. The Heritage
Reserve Fund Guidelines are attached as Appendix ‘D’.
Heritage Markham recommended that staff report to Council
on a plaque program for all heritage conservation districts
Heritage
Markham members support the pilot project for Mount Joy – Markham Village Heritage
Conservation District, however they would like to see a coordinated approach
for all three of the Town’s heritage conservation districts. The proposed cast aluminum plaque design is
supported by the committee and staff. Heritage
Markham did not comment on the
proposed blue background colour.
Consultation with community representatives of the Markham Village,
Thornhill and Unionville Heritage
Conservation Districts
Over the past months, staff
contacted community representatives of the Markham
Village, Thornhill and Unionville Heritage
Conservation Districts concerning the proposed plaque program. The following questions were posed to the
groups:
-
Are you in favour of the concept?
-
Do you support the design?
-
Do you support the colour?
-
Is the size of the plaque appropriate?
-
Are you in favour of cost-sharing?
-
Would your group consider contributing to the cost of
this type of plaque in your area?
Responses were received from the
Main Street Markham Committee, Old Markham Village Ratepayers, and the Society
for the Preservation of Historic Thornhill.
Responses are awaited from the Unionville Villagers Association and the
Unionville B.I.A. (Appendix ‘E’).
Based on this consultation,
representatives are in general agreement with the proposed design and materials
for the plaques. It was also agreed that
each heritage district should have its own background colour. Some groups were of the opinion that the
plaque size should be decreased. The
Society for the Preservation of Historic Thornhill indicated an interest in
cost-sharing with property owners.
Staff support the pilot project of the Markham Village Conservancy, with minor modifications
Staff support the pilot project of
the Markham Village Conservancy, subject to minor modifications based on
community consultation. Staff recommend
that the overall dimensions of 10 by 17 inches be reduced to 9 by 15 inches and
that the background colour be coordinated with the approved entry and street
sign colour scheme for each district. In
each of Markham’s Heritage
Conservation Districts (Thornhill, Unionville and Markham
Village), the district entry signs
and street signs each have a distinct colour scheme designed to create a
consistent approach to public signage within the area. Thornhill is beige and
dark brown, Unionville is beige and maroon and Markham
Village is gold and chocolate
brown.
Therefore, in the case of Markham
Village, staff recommend medium
brown as a background, rather than blue as proposed by the Markham Village
Conservancy. This would ensure that
these plaques conform with the Markham
Village family of complementary
signs (i.e. signs coordinated in terms of colour scheme and other common design
elements to create a distinct ‘brand’ for the District) and future individual
property plaques in other parts of the Markham Village Heritage
Conservation District. When the plaque
prototype was shown to Heritage Markham in May
of this year, the committee did not have any comments on the colour.
The Markham Village Conservancy has been advised of the staff recommendation
The Markham Village Conservancy
has been advised of staff’s recommendations through the project coordinator, Donna
Wigmore. They do not support the brown
background to coordinate with the existing heritage district signage, as
recommended by staff based on consultation with other community groups. The blue background is the Conservancy’s
choice for the Mount Joy
plaques, based on an historic paint colour that reflects the area’s
Pennsylvania German heritage.
Guidelines have been
prepared for a consistent approach for interpretive plaques
General guidelines have been developed by Heritage
Section staff for the “Interpretive Plaques for Properties of Cultural Heritage
Value or Interest in Heritage Conservation
Districts” program for use throughout the Town.
The guidelines address: program objectives, plaque details, installation
and cost/funding. (see Appendix “F”).
The Town commitment to this program is $150 per property plaque. Some of the key financial guidelines are:
- If the
basic cost of the plaque increases over time, the additional cost will be
assumed by the Owner/Local Group.
- The
Town of Markham will review
its contribution commitment, as needed.
Any increase in the Town of Markham
commitment will require Council approval and amendment to the guidelines.
- The
prime source of Town funding for this project will be the Heritage
Reserve Fund. Council may choose to
allocate additional funding to this program from other general revenue sources.
- Allocation
of funds to support the Town of Markham
component will be considered on an annual basis by Council. The Town grant commitment will be
subject to the availability of funding.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS
AND TEMPLATE: (external link)
The Markham Village Conservancy is
requesting a grant from the Heritage Reserve
Fund in the amount of $3,300. Sufficient
funds are available in this account, and if this grant is approved by Council,
it will not impact any approved projects.
HUMAN
RESOURCES CONSIDERATIONS
Not applicable
ALIGNMENT
WITH STRATEGIC PRIORITIES:
This project aligns with the
Corporate strategic focus of Growth Management (Heritage)
by providing an educational program about the history of the Town of Markham
and reinforcing the special character of the Markham Village Heritage
Conservation District.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED
AND AFFECTED:
Heritage
Markham has provided its comments
on this proposal.
RECOMMENDED BY:
_____________________________ ________________________
Valerie Shuttleworth,
M.C.I.P., R.P.P. Jim
Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.
Director of Planning & Urban
Design Commissioner of
Development Services
ATTACHMENTS:
Appendix ‘A’: Proposed Plaque Design
Appendix ‘B’: Markham
Village Conservancy Proposal
Appendix ‘C’: Heritage
Markham Extract
Appendix ‘D’: Heritage
Reserve Fund Guidelines
Appendix ‘E’: Community Consultation
Appendix ‘F’: Proposed Guidelines for
Interpretive Plaques
FILE PATH:
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