Another relic of Innisfil’s past is set to meet the wrecking ball, however its replacement will look fairly similar.
Council gave the go-ahead to demolish the storage garage at 1 Hamilton St., in Cookstown, adjacent to the former Cookstown Town Hall. The situation with the building is more dire than the report council let on, explained Jeremy Dutka, the town's manager of capital engineering.
“The structural condition is key right now — we need to do something before the winter,” he said. “Whether that means demolishing it or we have to spend money to stabilize it through reinforcement or we have to cordon off a safe area.”
The recommendation from Innisfil's heritage advisory committee was for council to consider a request for a proposal to be initiated so that further discussion could be guided to determine if the garage should be repaired or replaced.
During the Sept. 12 meeting of the heritage committee, town staff provided an overview of the garage’s current condition and shared the proposed plan to replace it in conformity with the Cookstown Heritage District Plan (HCD) and design guidelines.
The heritage committee had concerns, however.
“The heritage impact assessment identified that the garage meets two of the evaluation criteria pursuant to Ontario Regulation 9/06 and stated that demolition of contributing properties within the HCD is not recommended,” the minutes of the meeting indicated.
Coun. Fred Drodge saw a disconnect between what the consultant said should happen and what the heritage committee wanted.
Manager of planning Brandon Correia explained several studies had been completed on the property, including a cultural heritage evaluation report, a heritage impact assessment and a structural integrity report.
“Each kind of read independently and comprehensively do come to similar conclusions which staff do agree with,” Correia said. “With most of these studies, there are a number of alternative mitigation measures and conservation methods that are explored … When you read the heritage report but also the structural report, it’s evident and clear something needs to be done quite soon, really before wintertime.”
Finding out just what can be done was at the base of the recommendation from the heritage committee, Deputy Mayor Kenneth Fowler told his colleagues.
“The first report we got was from engineers, the second was to replace it completely,” said Fowler, who chairs the heritage committee. “These are two separate reports. They're very close in price, but we want to get a harder number to see if we can manage to rehabilitate the building for a comparable cost as opposed to replacing the building.”
The committee wasn’t about to say tear down the garage or keep it, Fowler insisted. For the group, it was more a fact-finding to determine just how far apart in cost the two options are.
Staff already have an idea though: tearing it down and rebuilding would cost about 30 per cent less than saving the existing structure.
Regardless of the cost, there are significant concerns from staff the building might not last through the winter.
“The report doesn’t indicate that there is a potential for imminent collapse,” Dutka said. “In some certain areas, certain aspects of it potentially could fall imminently.”
Drodge put a revised motion on the floor that directed staff to remove and replace the garage, salvaging as much of the original structure as possible.
Councill passed the motion with Fowler in dissent.
Two other items recommended by the heritage committee were passed without alteration.
The town will seek to designate 3857 30th Sideroad — St. Andrews by the Lake — under Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.
“The Church Camp has retained the original ‘cottage country’ look and feel of Big Bay Point in the 1920s,” the report to the heritage committee stated. “An abundance of trees and vegetation, including the woodlot on the southern side of the property, provides a backdrop to the church and gateway.
Construction of the church, near Big Bay Point and 30th Sideroad began in 1930, with money donated by the Playter family.
Charlotte Playter was an earlier cottager at Big Bay Point in the late 19th century. A descendant of an early settler to the what became the City of East York in the Broadview-Danforth area of Toronto, Playter had a vision for a Church Camp on the property to allow for “the clergy of the Anglican Church could gather and renew their body, mind, and spirit,” the report stated.
The Church Camp has “been try to the vision of Charlotte Playter for over 95 years” and the Church Camp Corporation has owned the property since 1992, when it was purchased from the Playter estate.
Rev. Darcey Lazerte, Chair of the Church Camp Corporation, has indicated to the committee his organization supports the designation.
The designation, along with consideration of a heritage master plan during the 2025-26 budget deliberations, both passed unanimously.
