Council eyes alternative to heritage designation

If town councillors are going to be reticent about the properties they designate for heritage protection, the mayor is hoping they’ll find another way to live up to their commitment to celebrate Fort Erie’s history.

After council voted against a staff recommendation to designate a Mennonite church on Ott Road, Wayne Redekop requested staff prepare a report considering a historical marker program.

“If we’re not going to designate, we need to be able to highlight what the significance of some of these buildings or properties may be,” he said.

Councillors have struggled with some heritage reports in the past. While protecting built heritage is mentioned in the municipality’s strategic plan, town politicians haven’t always followed through with designation or properties, especially in cases when the owners aren’t in agreement.

In the case of the Ott Road church, the congregation expressed concern over potentially increased insurance costs that could come with designation.

This has been a relatively common concern, despite mixed signals from the insurance industry. It’s something that’s frustrated Councillor Nick Dubanow, who said heritage designation shouldn’t affect insurance premiums, and umbrella organizations have said as much.

However, he accepted that individual providers may be telling clients something different and he couldn’t blame a property owner for being concerned.

The church congregation also expressed to staff a desire to remain a quiet, peaceful place of worship, something Dubanow said he could understand.

“I’m very wary about stepping on their toes for this,” he said.

There’re more than 200 years of Mennonite history on the property, the original staff report said. The building, meanwhile, dates back to 1872.

That history offered both reasons for and against designation. On the one hand, it’s been an important and continuous meeting place for local Mennonites. But on the other hand, the community has maintained the property for decades already and told staff they have no plans to alter it.

“I think we need to recognize they’ve taken excellent care of this building for over a century,” said Councillor Ann-Marie Noyes.

While Redekop acknowledged that, he also pointed out the future is uncertain.

“I’m a little nervous about this because I don’t know what 20 or 30 years may hold for this particular building,” he said.

A plaque program has been floated in the past. In most cases, the town could conceivably place a plaque on public property in front of most buildings in question.

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