Heritage will be the hot topic – obviously – at the city’s annual Heritage Summit Wednesday (March 16).
Originally planned for Feb. 23 to coincide with National Heritage Week, the event was postponed three weeks due to snowfall on the earlier date.
The two-hour event’s agenda remains unchanged, with two presentations planned for the first hour.
Kirsty MacDonald, the city’s parks and open spaces planner, will talk about the general history of Nanaimo’s parks, followed by author Bill Merilees providing an historical summary of Newcastle Island.
The second hour is set aside for a roundtable discussion about projects over the past year and what’s planned for the future.
“The primary purpose is to get the different groups involved with heritage together and information sharing,” said Chris Sholberg, the city’s heritage planner.
The 7-9 p.m. forum at the Nanaimo Museum is open to the public.
“We want people to be there, even if they’re just members of the public with an interest in heritage,” Sholberg said.
Although delayed by three weeks, the timing of the forum is apt, as the Heritage Commission’s annual work plan and update goes to council Monday (March 14).
One of the key actions undertaken by the commission is the Heritage Home Grant Program, which was launched in 2006. With a $12,000 budget, the program offers grants up to $2,500 each to help homeowners, whose properties are already on the Heritage Register, maintain and preserve their buildings.
“Our focus is usually on exterior,” said Sholberg. “Roofs, siding, whatever extends the life of the building.”
The Heritage Register itself includes about 150 buildings, with commercial buildings comprising about two-thirds of the list.
Created in 2002, the list has grown steadily, with some homeowners now nominating their own houses, said Sholberg.
While the register identifies significant buildings, it does not offer protection for those structures. Only six Nanaimo buildings are protected by ‘municipal-designated’ status.
For more information on the summit, please contact Sholberg at 250-755-4472 or e-mail chris.sholberg@nanaimo.ca.