Mill should have heritage designation

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Mill should have heritage designation

Dear editor, It is with a sense of sadness and overwhelming déjà vu as I read in The Independent and Free Press in August how council postponed the designation of the Barber Mill as an historic site. I commend Councillor Moya Johnson for her efforts in seeking its designation. However, it appears this council, like ones before, is still being controlled by developers, sacrificing our heritage. I'm simplifying events, but there have been numerous times that Halton Hills council has not been able to protect the heritage resources in the town. This forgotten responsibility of council is disturbing and has been going on for a long time. About 20 years ago the Town had the opportunity to buy the beautiful Barber home on Maple Avenue for $1. The deal was the Town had to move the heritage home to another location. Well, future generations will never see it because council turned down the offer and soon after vandals burned the house down. This sounds similar to the Dominion Seed House when one of its barns burned after a "public" meeting. An art historian columnist for The Toronto Star recently outlined a new tactic of developers called "demolition by decay". In this process the developer waits long enough for nature to take its course. By delaying restoration, the weather wears down the buildings until they can't be repaired. This sounded what was happening with the Barber Mill site. After tantalizing the public by starting to fix up the old buildings and then simply stopping in the middle of the process, the developer appears to be working on the same premise as mentioned above. It sounds like a bully in a schoolyard: "I'll take you the to Ontario Municipal Board if you don't do what I want." Last month the chair of the Barber Mill Credit River Valley Association, Karl Baker, passed away suddenly. Over the past two years, since the proposal for a 14-storey condo and all its trimmings on the Barber Mill site, Karl worked tirelessly to prevent this travesty. I can only hope Karl's efforts were not in vain. What a wonderful tribute to his memory it would be to have town council declare the Barber Mill an historic site and insist the developer adhere to the six-storey bylaw. I hold hope that this council will go forward with the heritage designation of the Barber Mill as suggested in the Sept. 7 town staff report presented to council. Gretchen Day, Georgetown