HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-05-24, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 24, 2012.Huron East Council has
committed to architect and heritage
expert Thor Dingman’s restoration
recommendations on the historic
town hall building in Seaforth.
Dingman’s price range is sizeable,
as he says there are many variables
that can change the cost of the
project along the way, ranging from
$475,000 on the low end to
$566,000 on the high end.
Dingman’s recommendations for
the repairs are for a slate roof to
replace the existing 100-year-old
roof, 17 heritage wood windows to
replace existing windows and
copper eavestroughs and
downspouts. His recommendations,
however, were met with some
criticism from councillors who felt
other materials may stand the test of
time better than his recommended
materials.
Dealing first with the main issue,
the roof, Dingman said slate has
been proven to last for over 100
years, whereas other materials, such
as poly-slate may stand the test of
time, but are too new to have that
kind of historical proof. Dingman’s
second choice was copper, which
was preferred by Councillor Bill
Siemon.
A copper roof came with little cost
savings, but Siemon said his mind
was on durability.
Dingman said a slate roof would
come with a 75-year warranty and it
wouldn’t be unexpected for the roof
to last over 100 years. There are
some who have said a slate roof may
last for as long as 150 or 200
years he said, but he wouldn’t put
his word behind such
recommendations.
Dingman called this project a
great chance to build something the
whole municipality could be proud
of.
“This is a great opportunity to
clean it up and make it something
we can all be proud of when we’re
done,” Dingman told councillors at
their May 15 meeting.
Siemon said he didn’t want to
project a debt on the future residents
of the municipality and wanted
something durable that would last
for decades.
“I’m looking for durability,”
Siemon said. “Heritage is a factor,
but it’s not the main factor.”
Backing up his recommendation
of a slate roof, Dingman said his
decision to go with slate comes back
to heritage principles.
Siemon suggested that council
continue to debate the materials to
be used on the building, but
Dingman insisted that the process
shouldn’t drag on for much longer,
saying that construction should
begin soon to ensure it is completed
by the end of the year.
Because of the style of roof, he
said, workers wouldn’t want to be on
the roof much past mid-October. He
said the project should take about
three months to complete, but with
the tendering process and set-up still
to be completed, council wouldn’t
want to wait much longer to make a
decision on the project.
Newly-hired Building and
Property Maintenance Co-ordinator
John Hill backed Dingman’s
recommendation of wood windows,
saying that if installed correctly, the
windows should last for decades.
The recommendation was also
backed by Chief Building Official
Paul Josling who recently removed a
33-year-old door made from
similarly-treated wood from his
home and that it looked the same as
it did the day it went into the home.
Dingman said installation
shouldn’t be a problem, as Ontariohad come a long way in recent yearsas far as heritage construction. Hesaid the Seaforth project should have
a good pool of contractors with
extensive heritage experience to
draw from.
Councillor Les Falconer spoke up,
saying he knew his opinion might be
unpopular, but that spending
$500,000 to improve just one of
potentially many more phases of the
town hall project is foolish,
considering that a new building
could be built for about $1.5 million.
It would be then be accessible and
new, rather than trying to retrofit an
old building.
Deputy-Mayor Joe Steffler,
however, felt that discussion
surrounding the project had gone on
long enough and that it was time to
finally complete the project.
“We should get on with it,”
Steffler said. “Let’s get it done this
time. The money’s in the budget, so
let’s get ’er done.
“It’s part of Seaforth. It’s part of
Huron East. We should have fixed it
up 10 years ago instead of talking
about it.”
Councillor Larry McGrath said he
agreed with Falconer’s concerns, but
admitted that he wouldn’t have
wanted to be the one to say them.
McGrath also expressed concerns
about the copper downspouts,
saying that they would be stolen
within the first year.
Councillor Alvin McLellan said
he was also concerned with the
uncertain number of phases to the
town hall project. He said that
$500,000 for one phase was all well
and good, but if there were three or
four more phases, the costs would
spin out of control.
Dingman said it was council’s
right to consider the construction of
a new building, but that heritage
means a lot more than dollars and
cents to a community.
“Heritage value to a community
can be hard to measure,” Dingman
told council. “This is a symbol of
Seaforth. It’s a symbol of pride
for where you come from, where
you are and where you live. It’s
hard to do that with a new
building.”
Councillor David Blaney agreed
with Dingman, saying Seaforth (and
Huron East) had just received an
award for its attention to heritage on
the town’s main street and to turn
their backs on heritage now would
be foolish.
Siemon was concerned about the
proposed wood windows and how
high up on the building they would
be. He said that if repairs needed to
be made to the windows, it would
cost another $50,000 in repairs and
scaffolding.
He said his experiences with vinyl
windows had been great and he
would recommend vinyl for the
windows on the town hall.
Blaney, however, sided with
Dingman, saying it wasn’t fair to ask
for an expert opinion and disagree
with him at every turn.
“I wouldn’t tell Bill how to farm
or how to sell insurance,” Blaney
said. “I really have a problem with
taking a recommendation and then
cherry picking.
“Don’t ask for someone’s opinion
if you have no intention of taking it.”
Councillor Andy Flowers agreed,
saying there was a reason the
municipality brought in an expert to
consult on the project.
“I have to go with what
[Dingman] said,” Flowers said.
“He’s the expert, we’re not.”
In a recorded vote, Dingman’s
recommendations were approved by
a vote of eight votes for the
recommendation and four votesagainst it.Unsatisfied with the vote, Siemonthen proposed two motions, asking that copper be used instead of slateon the roof and that vinyl be used forthe windows as opposed to wood.Both motions were defeated. In a similar style, McGrath made amotion that copper not be used forthe eavestroughs and downspoutsand he was also voted down.Councillors skeptical over town hall renovation
Neck and... shoulder
Brussels Public School students, from left, Faith Sebastian, Rachel Miners and Rachel
Hastings were running, throwing, jumping and leaping their way into the record books during
the school’s track and field competition on May 15. The girls are shown here during the 100-
metre dash and each one of them is hoping to be a top finisher in at least one or two events
so they can represent their school at higher-level matches. (Denny Scott photo)
By Shawn LoughlinThe Citizen