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Inside City councillors NEWS
reject heritage designation for Long Island home
New community signs for Greely will help focus on the area’s local history as a main road between historic Bytown and the countryside. – Page 3
COMMUNITY CITY HALL
The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority has partnered with the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind in a joint rain barrel sale. – Page 4
ENTERTAINMENT COMMUNITY
The Sound of Music can be heard loud and clear from the Greely Players. Their production begins on March 28. – Page 11
City politicians, heritage group spar over Manotick home Laura Mueller
laura.mueller@metroland.com
EMC News – Ottawa’s desire to provide fire truck access to an island led to a squabble over the city’s heritage responsibilities. The city purchased a home at the north point of Long Island in 2009 as a way to get access to a dam that provides the only way for fire trucks and heavy vehicles to get onto Nicholls Island to the north and the approximately 20 homes on that island. That kicked off a heritage review of the home on the property, which was built in the 1860s. While the city’s heritage staff found that the property and its open spaces contribute to the heritage and cultural value of the Long Island Lock Station and the Rideau Canal, the home itself didn’t meet the criteria to be designated a heritage building and afforded the extra protection and requirements for upkeep. That didn’t satisfy the advisory group charged with assessing built heritage in Ottawa. Chris Mulholland, chairman of the Ottawa built heritage advisory committee, said there was an opportunity for the city to do more to protect and enhance the heritage value of the home and the property. “We felt there should be a higher standard of care for the city when it comes to buildings it owns,” Mulholland said. The group disagreed with city staff’s assessment of the home’s heritage value. Mulholland said it should have been rated higher because of its connection to the canal. “We erred on the side of
heritage,” he said. The advisory committee recommended that the city designate the building as heritage, despite the objection of city staff. But city councillors disagreed, voting against the designation during a March 1 meeting of the agriculture and rural affairs committee. The ward’s councillor, Scott Moffatt, said it would cost too much to restore the home and maintain it to heritage standards, especially if it doesn’t meet the provincial criteria for what should be considered “heritage.” If the home was designated and the cost was too much for the city to bear, it could have sold the property, but that might have resulted in the new owner blocking access to Nicholls Island. The only other access to the island is via a small Parks Canada swing bridge on Nicholl’s Island Road that cannot support heavy vehicles, including fire trucks, Moffatt said. Moffatt said making the site city property also provides a link between two municipal parks: David Bartlett Park to the south and Beryl Gaffney Park to the northwest. Mulholland countered that, saying the city could likely have negotiated an agreement to maintain public access through the site, even if it was privately owned. Moffatt said he would like to see the home torn down because it is in a state of disrepair, but he would also like some beams to be saved and used to construct a gazebotype structure that could house some interpretative historical panels.
Photo by Emma Jackson
Watson’s Mill education officer Cam Trueman will pull out his bag of tricks during the March Break magic camp on Monday, March 12.
March Break magic at Watson’s Mill Emma Jackson
emma.jackson@metroland.com
EMC news - Museums are often magical places, but this March Break Watson’s Mill will take its mystique a step further. On Monday, March 12 kids aged six to 12 can spend the day at the Manotick museum learning one of the world’s oldest forms of entertainment: magic. Education officer Cam Trueman will lead the camp, and said he already has a few
tricks up his sleeve. He’ll attempt to read the kids’ minds during an ancient coin game, and he’ll teach them how to pull off some other impressive coin and card tricks throughout the day. “All of these tricks probably go back to Ancient Egypt. As long as there have been people there have been magic and illusions,” he said. “There are a few I’m still trying to master, but I’ll be ready.” The kids will also make some magical crafts and play
games outside if weather permits. Trueman said the mill has never hosted a magic camp before, and will be a nice change for the kids. “It’s a camp with a little bit of a twist,” he said. Cost for the day camp is $20 for members and $25 for non-members, which includes a snack. Kids should bring their own lunch. The camp runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the carriage shed across from the mill. To register call 613-692-6455.
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