What happened at Council — October 24, 2023

Even with extremely short notice, a fair number of people came out to the Council meeting last night. The CAO had told us that Council would be asked to vote on whether to put the two ‘late’ reports on the Agenda. Those reports say that the Kitten Mill remains salvageable, and that repurposing it would be a much better financial and social deal for both the community than just knocking it down and likely leaving the property as bare acreage with a large lien on it. In other words, they refute the rationale for demolition.

We were all shocked to find that despite a promise from the CAO that Council would at least be asked to vote on whether to put the reports on the Agenda as ‘late’ items, that never happened. Now, Council members may have been polled individually before the meeting – but that’s not the same thing, as calling for a vote at Council, where people could see how each Council member voted.

So, this hugely important decision, which has irreversible consequences, wasn’t even open to discussion by Council.

Further: at the end of the Council agenda, the Reeve is required to ask if there are any questions from the public. I tried to ask a question about the issue, as did another community member – and we were shut down because the Procedural By-Law says that people can only ask questions that relate to something on the Agenda. So: refuse to put something on the Agenda (and that’s completely in the control of the CAO) and you prevent anyone from asking questions about it.

Why all the secrecy? Because, we’re told, this is an enforcement matter that must be left to staff, and Council can’t comment on it.

That makes no sense. By law, Council sets municipal policy and staff carries out those policies. Let’s be clear: Council is acting to support demolition of the Kitten Mill despite high-level reports that provide a different and better solution.

Council is behaving irresponsibly and we as community members will pay the price for its failure to carry out it’s legal responsibilities.

Excerpts from today’s Lanark Era; See the newspaper for the full story

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Excerpts from today’s Lanark Era; See the newspaper for the full story

“An architect and an engineer brought in by the Lanark Heritage Preservation Society have both determined that parts of the Glenayr Kitten Mill building in Lanark village could be saved, even as Lanark Highlands Township moves ahead with demolition plans.

“Heritage engineering company John G. Cooke and Associates says that the stone structure can be saved and conserved in place, and full demolition of the stone masonry is not required.”

Architect Toon Dreessen from the architecture and design firm DCA was asked to consider the relative economic and social value of either demolishing or repurposing the mill building. His report points out that “…[monetary] cost is a consideration, but [costs of demolition]… include: opportunity cost, when demolished buildings can never be replaced and may leave an empty site for years to come; landfill cost, which can strain existing landfills; environmental cost, as the buildings are on or close to the river and demolition could have a negative impact; and social cost, with the physical incarnation of local residents’ memories gone forever.

“The LHPS signed an agreement with [the building owner, Andrew] Robertson on Sept. 6 to give the organization a year to explore the option of restoring and repurposing the building,’ as Toon suggested. “The group planned to work with community members to see what would have to be done to restore the building, apply for provincial and federal heritage funds needed to support the reconstruction, develop a business plan, and if the project is considered feasible, go ahead with the project.

“Two weeks later, the township put a demolition order on the building and informed the owner that if he failed to comply within a month, the township would carry out the demolition and put a lien on the property to cover township costs.

“Reeve Peter McLaren said yesterday that staff is working on demolition plans and looking at potential contamination issues, with the cost – which could add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars – added as a lien on the property. He refused to say where the township would take the money from in the meantime, noting that it is a confidential matter dealing with a private taxpayer.”

Mark Your Calendar: June 29th, 2022 – The Annual General Meeting of the Lanark Heritage Preservation Society

illustration: artist rendering
The Annual General Meeting of the Lanark Heritage Preservation Society, which will be happening on Wednesday, June 29th at the Lanark Civitan Club (7:00 p.m.). The meeting is open to the community.
Continue reading “Mark Your Calendar: June 29th, 2022 – The Annual General Meeting of the Lanark Heritage Preservation Society”

Sign the Petition: Let’s Keep Up The Pressure!

Copy of the posted noticeIt was great to see that Council posted a notice to the owner of the Glenayr Kitten Mill ordering him to deal with its deteriorating state. However, this has happened before and nothing was enforced. We need to let Council know that we, the undersigned, urge Council to follow through with their posted notice.

We are also alarmed that the notice lists “demolition” as a possible solution. The Kitten Mill is an important heritage building and a keystone site at the entrance to Lanark Village.

As a resident and taxpayer of the Municipality of Lanark Highlands, I strongly urge Council to designate the building as a heritage site and enforce the township’s Clean and Safe Property By-law, the Provincial Building Act; and the Provincial Heritage Act in respect to the deteriorating condition of the Glenayr Kitten Mill.


Prefer to sign a paper-based petition?

We thank the following locations for hosting a physical signing sheet for this petition:

    • Town of Lanark:
      • Pretty Goods
      • Lanark Pizza
      • Dollar Store
      • Remedy’s Rx
      • Lanark Village Pet Centre
      • Lanark Community Thrift Shop
    • Chip stands:
      • Fitz’s (Lanark),
      • Tiny Tim’s (Lanark),
      • Fork In The Road (Clydesville)
      • Elphin Chip Stand (Elphin)
  • Highlands Country Store
    (McDonalds Corners)
  • MERA (McDonalds Corners)
  • Sylvania Lodge (Dalhousie Lake)
  • Hopetown General Store
    (Hopetown)
  • Middleville Museum (Middleville)
  • Clayton General Store (Clayton)
  • White Lake General Store
    (White Lake)

Spring Returns to Lanark

Sap buckets hung on maple trees

No, we didn’t get the My Main Street grant we applied for. But it won’t be the last one we apply for, and we’ll get the more important ones: the ones to fund the restoration of the Kitten Mill.

Meanwhile, the idea of making Lanark into a Heritage Destination site – and thus creating a new form of tourism; more customers for local businesses; and some of the local economic development that has been so sadly lacking – is still on the drawing board. Without the My Main Street grant, we’ll have to scale down our ambitions a bit, but with community support and volunteers, we can still run a Lanark Village Heritage Day. Stay tuned for the details!

And in the meantime, look at the wonderful video just posted: Memories of Kitten Mill workers.