Hamilton mountain councillor Terry Whitehead wasn’t interested in saving heritage buildings when he was first elected the Ward 8 councillor.
At the time, said Whitehead, he “didn’t get it.”
But 12 years later, Whitehead is in a political fight to restore the 54-acre Auchmar Estate so it can become the first historically-designated building in public hands on the mountain.
“I get it now,” Whitehead told about 60 people who turned out to the 2015 annual general meeting of the Friends of Auchmar Oct. 29 at the Scottish Rite. “(Auchmar) was a wake up call. I am truly, truly committed to doing everything I can.”
Whitehead helped to defer a proposed plan to offer up Auchmar for sale for six months last spring requesting staff present alternative options to make the historical property on Fennell Avenue financially sustainable. Whitehead said the city’s cultural staff has created a plan to make the building and property sustainable. Ideas that will be proposed include weddings, retreats, photography shoots and conferences.
But Whitehead said the potential obstacle to keeping the building in public hands is finding the estimated $6.5 million in capital dollars to “return Auchmar to its form glory.”
He will need to convince his council colleagues to agree to disperse some of the capital money to Ward 8. Whitehead said he has already received support from Ward 1 councillor Aidan Johnson, who attended the meeting.
“I need to provide a very compelling case for my council colleagues who I will have to convince,” said Whitehead. “If we can cover that original $6.5 million, then all we have to do is maintain it.”
Whitehead, and the rest of the Friends of Auchmar, saw an idea to keep Auchmar in public hands from the success that Mississauga officials had in preserving the 1938 Bell-Gairdner Estate, located near the border of Mississauga and Oakville on Lakeshore Road West. The city, with the local councillor working behind the scenes, managed to raise $4 million to renovate the building and grounds, which are attached to a public park. The heritage-designated building is now operating as a self-sustaining business, for such events as weddings, conferences and other events, said Mississauga officials.
“I’m not that Mississauga councillor,” said Whitehead.
But he said with a strategy to use some of the money from the city’s cultural block of funding, and with help from grass roots organizations such as the Friends of Auchmar, Auchmar can be saved.
Whitehead said cultural staff “believes there are (activities) that can work on that site and make a profit. It won’t pay for the major capital works needed. (But the activities) will be able to sustain the operational and maintenance costs.”
He said once cultural staff present the report to councillors scheduled for early next year, he wants to hold another roundtable with the community and stakeholders to talk about ideas, then use the public’s feedback and incorporate the information into the report. Whitehead held his first roundtable in June that attracted about 30 people, including representatives of Friends of Auchmar.
“What I want to do is give this community, this city every opportunity to put their best case forward and not rob the city of an opportunity,” said Whitehead.
The city last year had issued a request for proposals to groups interested in operating the facility. After receiving a number of bids, including from the Friends of Auchmar, city staff turned them all down as inadequate.
The city, though, has had discussions with a Hamilton-based religious think tank, Cardus, since last year about purchasing the property.
Diane Dent, chair of the Friends of Auchmar reiterated the group’s goal to “work towards finding the best suitable use for Auchmar and keeping the entire estate in city ownership.”
Meanwhile, upgrades continue to be made at Auchmar, with a $380,000 project to restore all the major windows on the mansion completed this year.
The 15 windows at the 19th century building were carefully rebuilt, including the replacement of 30 modern sash with replicas based on historic drawings, replacement and remediation of four roofs over bay winders, reconstruction of crenellation details over four bay windows and flashings and downspouts and manufacturing of storm windows for all first floor windows and French doors.
Carolyn Samko, senior project manager, said this year also included stucco repair, including painting the building the colour it was originally. The work will be completed before Christmas.
Over the next six months heat tracing will be done on the gables to prevent icicles from forming on the roof; there will be painting in the spring of 2016; installing the front door; basic landscaping to repair damage that had been done due to the construction and the painting of the two balconies.
Samko said work is also continuing on the $800,000 restoration of the 240-foot-long stone wall around the coach housing building that began in 2014. A fence has been installed. She said staff is waiting for the capital budget this year to do the needed masonry repairs and stabilization work.
Hamilton mountain councillor Terry Whitehead wasn’t interested in saving heritage buildings when he was first elected the Ward 8 councillor.
At the time, said Whitehead, he “didn’t get it.”
But 12 years later, Whitehead is in a political fight to restore the 54-acre Auchmar Estate so it can become the first historically-designated building in public hands on the mountain.
“I get it now,” Whitehead told about 60 people who turned out to the 2015 annual general meeting of the Friends of Auchmar Oct. 29 at the Scottish Rite. “(Auchmar) was a wake up call. I am truly, truly committed to doing everything I can.”
Whitehead helped to defer a proposed plan to offer up Auchmar for sale for six months last spring requesting staff present alternative options to make the historical property on Fennell Avenue financially sustainable. Whitehead said the city’s cultural staff has created a plan to make the building and property sustainable. Ideas that will be proposed include weddings, retreats, photography shoots and conferences.
But Whitehead said the potential obstacle to keeping the building in public hands is finding the estimated $6.5 million in capital dollars to “return Auchmar to its form glory.”
He will need to convince his council colleagues to agree to disperse some of the capital money to Ward 8. Whitehead said he has already received support from Ward 1 councillor Aidan Johnson, who attended the meeting.
“I need to provide a very compelling case for my council colleagues who I will have to convince,” said Whitehead. “If we can cover that original $6.5 million, then all we have to do is maintain it.”
Whitehead, and the rest of the Friends of Auchmar, saw an idea to keep Auchmar in public hands from the success that Mississauga officials had in preserving the 1938 Bell-Gairdner Estate, located near the border of Mississauga and Oakville on Lakeshore Road West. The city, with the local councillor working behind the scenes, managed to raise $4 million to renovate the building and grounds, which are attached to a public park. The heritage-designated building is now operating as a self-sustaining business, for such events as weddings, conferences and other events, said Mississauga officials.
“I’m not that Mississauga councillor,” said Whitehead.
But he said with a strategy to use some of the money from the city’s cultural block of funding, and with help from grass roots organizations such as the Friends of Auchmar, Auchmar can be saved.
Whitehead said cultural staff “believes there are (activities) that can work on that site and make a profit. It won’t pay for the major capital works needed. (But the activities) will be able to sustain the operational and maintenance costs.”
He said once cultural staff present the report to councillors scheduled for early next year, he wants to hold another roundtable with the community and stakeholders to talk about ideas, then use the public’s feedback and incorporate the information into the report. Whitehead held his first roundtable in June that attracted about 30 people, including representatives of Friends of Auchmar.
“What I want to do is give this community, this city every opportunity to put their best case forward and not rob the city of an opportunity,” said Whitehead.
The city last year had issued a request for proposals to groups interested in operating the facility. After receiving a number of bids, including from the Friends of Auchmar, city staff turned them all down as inadequate.
The city, though, has had discussions with a Hamilton-based religious think tank, Cardus, since last year about purchasing the property.
Diane Dent, chair of the Friends of Auchmar reiterated the group’s goal to “work towards finding the best suitable use for Auchmar and keeping the entire estate in city ownership.”
Meanwhile, upgrades continue to be made at Auchmar, with a $380,000 project to restore all the major windows on the mansion completed this year.
The 15 windows at the 19th century building were carefully rebuilt, including the replacement of 30 modern sash with replicas based on historic drawings, replacement and remediation of four roofs over bay winders, reconstruction of crenellation details over four bay windows and flashings and downspouts and manufacturing of storm windows for all first floor windows and French doors.
Carolyn Samko, senior project manager, said this year also included stucco repair, including painting the building the colour it was originally. The work will be completed before Christmas.
Over the next six months heat tracing will be done on the gables to prevent icicles from forming on the roof; there will be painting in the spring of 2016; installing the front door; basic landscaping to repair damage that had been done due to the construction and the painting of the two balconies.
Samko said work is also continuing on the $800,000 restoration of the 240-foot-long stone wall around the coach housing building that began in 2014. A fence has been installed. She said staff is waiting for the capital budget this year to do the needed masonry repairs and stabilization work.
Hamilton mountain councillor Terry Whitehead wasn’t interested in saving heritage buildings when he was first elected the Ward 8 councillor.
At the time, said Whitehead, he “didn’t get it.”
But 12 years later, Whitehead is in a political fight to restore the 54-acre Auchmar Estate so it can become the first historically-designated building in public hands on the mountain.
“I get it now,” Whitehead told about 60 people who turned out to the 2015 annual general meeting of the Friends of Auchmar Oct. 29 at the Scottish Rite. “(Auchmar) was a wake up call. I am truly, truly committed to doing everything I can.”
Whitehead helped to defer a proposed plan to offer up Auchmar for sale for six months last spring requesting staff present alternative options to make the historical property on Fennell Avenue financially sustainable. Whitehead said the city’s cultural staff has created a plan to make the building and property sustainable. Ideas that will be proposed include weddings, retreats, photography shoots and conferences.
But Whitehead said the potential obstacle to keeping the building in public hands is finding the estimated $6.5 million in capital dollars to “return Auchmar to its form glory.”
He will need to convince his council colleagues to agree to disperse some of the capital money to Ward 8. Whitehead said he has already received support from Ward 1 councillor Aidan Johnson, who attended the meeting.
“I need to provide a very compelling case for my council colleagues who I will have to convince,” said Whitehead. “If we can cover that original $6.5 million, then all we have to do is maintain it.”
Whitehead, and the rest of the Friends of Auchmar, saw an idea to keep Auchmar in public hands from the success that Mississauga officials had in preserving the 1938 Bell-Gairdner Estate, located near the border of Mississauga and Oakville on Lakeshore Road West. The city, with the local councillor working behind the scenes, managed to raise $4 million to renovate the building and grounds, which are attached to a public park. The heritage-designated building is now operating as a self-sustaining business, for such events as weddings, conferences and other events, said Mississauga officials.
“I’m not that Mississauga councillor,” said Whitehead.
But he said with a strategy to use some of the money from the city’s cultural block of funding, and with help from grass roots organizations such as the Friends of Auchmar, Auchmar can be saved.
Whitehead said cultural staff “believes there are (activities) that can work on that site and make a profit. It won’t pay for the major capital works needed. (But the activities) will be able to sustain the operational and maintenance costs.”
He said once cultural staff present the report to councillors scheduled for early next year, he wants to hold another roundtable with the community and stakeholders to talk about ideas, then use the public’s feedback and incorporate the information into the report. Whitehead held his first roundtable in June that attracted about 30 people, including representatives of Friends of Auchmar.
“What I want to do is give this community, this city every opportunity to put their best case forward and not rob the city of an opportunity,” said Whitehead.
The city last year had issued a request for proposals to groups interested in operating the facility. After receiving a number of bids, including from the Friends of Auchmar, city staff turned them all down as inadequate.
The city, though, has had discussions with a Hamilton-based religious think tank, Cardus, since last year about purchasing the property.
Diane Dent, chair of the Friends of Auchmar reiterated the group’s goal to “work towards finding the best suitable use for Auchmar and keeping the entire estate in city ownership.”
Meanwhile, upgrades continue to be made at Auchmar, with a $380,000 project to restore all the major windows on the mansion completed this year.
The 15 windows at the 19th century building were carefully rebuilt, including the replacement of 30 modern sash with replicas based on historic drawings, replacement and remediation of four roofs over bay winders, reconstruction of crenellation details over four bay windows and flashings and downspouts and manufacturing of storm windows for all first floor windows and French doors.
Carolyn Samko, senior project manager, said this year also included stucco repair, including painting the building the colour it was originally. The work will be completed before Christmas.
Over the next six months heat tracing will be done on the gables to prevent icicles from forming on the roof; there will be painting in the spring of 2016; installing the front door; basic landscaping to repair damage that had been done due to the construction and the painting of the two balconies.
Samko said work is also continuing on the $800,000 restoration of the 240-foot-long stone wall around the coach housing building that began in 2014. A fence has been installed. She said staff is waiting for the capital budget this year to do the needed masonry repairs and stabilization work.