Members of The Blue Mountains council would like to see more information about the town’s heritage and cultural assets.
At a recent meeting, council unanimously approved a resolution brought forward by Coun. Paula Hope concerning the community’s heritage and cultural assets.
The resolution stated:
“Whereas the Town of The Blue Mountains is blessed with many undocumented cultural and heritage assets;
Be it resolved that council direct staff to prepare a report to establish the process by which all town cultural and heritage assets are identified, managed and preserved.”
Hope said it is important for the town to have a full understanding of its heritage and cultural assets in order to have a protection and preservation plan.
“We have many wonderful cultural and heritage assets that we are not documenting and therefore are not recognized,” said Hope. “We can’t manage what we can’t measure.”
Hope noted that the town recently completed a tree inventory and she envisioned a similar process for heritage and cultural assets.
“This is essentially a process to identify our cultural and heritage assets then look at how to manage and preserve them,” she said.
Hope found broad support from members of council and staff for her resolution.
Clerk Corrina Giles said the town has a registry of heritage properties that includes a “strict process” a property must go through to be added to the registry.
Ryan Gibbons, director of community services, said town staff are working with library/museum staff and the local historical society on a cultural asset inventory with a formal report to come to council.
Gibbons said a full report about all “undocumented cultural assets identified by museum staff” will come to council in the new future.
Coun. Shawn McKinlay said as a member of the library board he has seen the progress of the report and has been impressed.
“It’s a great partnership. It is really coming along very nicely. It’s really exciting. It’s great stuff,” said McKinlay.
