For several years, the Lanark Heritage Preservation Society has submitted letters and proposals to Council and posted letters on-line, in the Era and on our website.

But as I was driving home today, I realized that most people, having read only snippets here and there, don’t have an overall sense of what the full benefits of saving the Mill are; what The LHPS propose to do; and what a specific process for carrying out our plans might look like.

So here’s the full picture:

1. The current situation: the building is under a demolition order. Demolition would have one positive effect: if the buildings are flattened, all risk to passersby will be removed. On the other hand, the property will become bare ground with a hefty lien on it, and is likely to remain barren and unproductive for the future. It will not grow the municipality’s tax base; will not contribute to the Village economy; will destroy a major piece of Village history and the opportunity to develop the Village as a heritage tourism site; and will create major environmental costs (demolition accounts for 20-30% of the municipal landfill burden in Ontario).
2. The LHPS proposal: The LHPS is proposing that the risk to the community be mitigated not by demolishing the building, but by stabilizing it. How to do that is detailed in the John G. Cooke & Associates report (which all Council members have received. The cost of demolition is proposed to be paid for by the Township, with a lien on the property to cover those costs. Similarly, stabilization costs could be placed as a lien on the property.
3. The future:  If that were done, LHPS’ signed conditional offer on the property could be activated — which would give us a year to research options and costs for re-purposing the building; develop a business plan; and raise project funds from heritage organizations and private donors. That research would produce a staged plan for the site that could start with restoring the stabilized stone shell and providing some landscaping. The site could then be used as a market; a site for weddings, family reunions and other events; a tourism centre; and other income-generating purposes. In a later stage, the heritage building’s interior could be restored, following some of the ideas presented at the 2021 community meeting (see Video: Kitten Mill Meeting – Sunday October 31, 2021 – The Lanark Heritage Preservation Society for a video of the meeting). That would increase income, allowing for further site development/programming as well as re-payment of the Township’s lien.

Converting the demolition order to a stabilization order it offers a much better chance that the lien on the property will be re-paid; that economic growth will result; that an irreplaceable heritage building will be retained; that the burden on the environment will be minimized; and that the physical well-being and appearance of the Village will be vastly improved.

If you see the logic of that approach, please email the Reeve: p.mclarenfarms@sympatico.ca

 The Lanark Heritage Preservation Society

Saving the Past for the Future: here’s what’s been done elsewhere

Before on top and After on the bottom

Ben Andrews · CBC News · Posted: Oct 29, 2023 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Residents, heritage group aim to halt demolition of ‘irreplaceable’ Lanark mill

Textile factory and outlet store was once centre of village economy, resident says

A group of Lanark residents and members of the Lanark Heritage Preservation Society stand outside the Glenayr Kitten Mill on Saturday. They say demolishing the mill would be a missed opportunity for the community southwest of Ottawa. (Ben Andrews/CBC News)

A heritage group in Lanark, Ont., is hoping to stop the demolition of the Glenayr Kitten Mill, a mid-19th century building that was once the cornerstone of the local economy.

The mill currently sits vacant and dilapidated on the banks of the Clyde River, about 80 kilometres west of downtown Ottawa.

Long home to the Glenayr Kitten textile company, the double-walled stone building is now slated for demolition.

But heritage group members and other residents say destroying it would amount to a missed opportunity to revitalize the once-proud property.

“The workmanship and the materials are irreplaceable,” said Linda Dunn, member of the  Lanark Heritage Preservation Society. “Once it’s down, it’s gone.”

‘Everybody had a Kitten sweater’

Made of local stone, the building dates to the mid-1800s or “just thereabouts,” said Susan Berlin, another member of the heritage society.

It started life as a general store but went through several incarnations — including as the Caldwell Woollen Mill — before a Toronto family bought it in the 1940s.

The Marckle family turned it into a factory and outlet store for the Kitten clothing label. They imported yarn before dyeing it on site and turning it into knit sweaters and cardigans, Berlin said.

That was when the building became known as the Glenayr Kitten Mill.

“Everybody had a Kitten sweater, or a Kitten sweater set,” Dunn said. “It was a very profitable, thriving business.”

The factory and store employed some 200 people at its peak, and several of its former workers still live in the village of Lanark.

“It was the heartbeat of the community,” Berlin said.

But by the 1990s, as much of Canada’s textile industry went overseas, the mill closed down.

Property records show the current owner purchased the mill for $57,000 in October 2011 and the building has sat largely unused since. They declined an opportunity to comment.

Today, fissures run between the stones of the main building, while a cinder block addition along the river bank sits exposed to the elements beneath a collapsed roof.

“It has been gradually coming down for the last ten years,” Berlin said. “And here we are.”

Building salvageable, architecture firm finds

Despite its condition, the heritage society believes the building can be salvaged.

It commissioned a report from Ottawa firm John G Cooke & Associates that determined the original stone structure, as well as some other components on the site, could be retained.

In August, the heritage society signed what Berlin called a one-year “option” to purchase the building from the current owner. They also shared the document with CBC.

Berlin said the year will give them time to conduct an environmental assessment and raise the necessary funds, should it decide to take ownership of the building.

“We’ve been advised by people in the field that it should be very doable, both physically and financially,” Berlin said.

But shortly after signing the agreement, the demolition order was posted.

Dunn said township council has shown a “complete indifference” to the building, and has cited the mill’s status as private property as a reason for taking no steps to protect it.

Peter McLaren, Reeve of the Township of Lanark Highlands, did not respond to a request for an interview.

‘Marker for what we could have done’

Lanark resident Cathie Green said she wishes the issue wasn’t dividing people in the community.

While some people believe the building should be revitalized, she said, others think it’s past the point of no return and isn’t worth the time or effort.

Green said nearby examples in Carleton Place, Ont., and Almonte, Ont., show revitalization is a viable option.

And Berlin cautioned that demolition would also come at a cost — but without offering any of the benefits that come with refurbishing the structure.

“We will be left with an industrial property at the entrance to the village which is completely useless, [which] nobody will ever buy,” she said.

“It will just sit there as a marker for what we could have done.”

CBC Coverage!!!

OCT 29, 2023 — 

The LHPS just started a petition at Change.org about saving the Kitten Mill. You can read it at:

https://chng.it/6wRCNXSK6m

We hope you’ll sign the petition, and if you do, you can scroll down to a line that reads ‘Reasons for Signing’ and post a comment. Of course, you can also send the link to friends and neighbors as well as Facebook groups, to spread the word as fast as possible!

Thank you!