by newsposter » Thu Apr 20, 2006 9:33 am
The following article regarding the Heritage Roundtable was written by Marilyn Williams of Cliff Bungalow-Mission for their newsletter the Mission Statement
Heritage Roundtable of Calgary Communities
Heritage is becoming a hot item in Calgary these days, and a number of inner city communities are setting up Heritage Committees. Eilish Hiebert, our former community association president, remarked on this phenomenon at a recent FCC (Federation of Calgary Communities) workshop, and proposed that the various communities interested in heritage should get together to network and learn from each other. Everyone thought it was a great idea, and the first roundtable discussion was held on March 7th , organized and facilitated by the Parkdale Community Association. Darryl Cariou, Senior Heritage Planner at the City of Calgary was invited to host the discussion, with the theme Creating a Heritage Preservation Committee in Your Community.
In addition to the communities, representatives from the Calgary Heritage Authority, FCC, and the Calgary Heritage Initiative were also invited to attend. There were many objectives for the meeting, perhaps too many for a first meeting! It was to be: an informal introduction of the City heritage planning staff; an opportunity for inner city neighbourhoods to hear each other voice their issues; a venue to inform communities of current heritage initiatives.
30 persons attended the March 7 session; in addition to the organizations mentioned above the communities of Shaganappi, Beltline, Victoria Park, Connaught, Ramsay, Mission, Cliff Bungalow, Rosedale, Parkdale and Montgomery were represented. The Rosedale representative was a historian and a past president of the Calgary Historical Society. The meeting began with introductions, the most important being the communities’ introduction of heritage topics which were important to them. Some of the common themes which emerged during this part were: how to best form committees, the resources available to these committees, and how to avoid conflicts and pitfalls? As an example of the latter point, the classic strain between community development and rejuvenation, and historic preservation was cited. Also listed was the need for improved databases of historical buildings still in existence, to understand how quickly older properties are disappearing, and what remains. There was discussion of how to best influence legislation to protect entire heritage districts, or to put more checks into the demolition permit process.
Darryl Cariou introduced his team of David Plouffe, Heritage Planner, and Michelle Reid, Heritage Landscaper (Reader’s Rock garden and Central Memorial), recently moved to the City Parks department. He explained the importance of managing development so as not to lose the sense of place and history in Calgary neighbourhoods. He understood the need to expand the evaluation criteria for historic designation beyond buildings built by wealthy or prominent personalities, to include architecture and landscapes which represent certain periods in history. His role includes supporting community heritage committees, helping develop and clarify ARP’s, and keeping other planners informed of heritage considerations in their area. His team works closely with the Calgary Heritage Authority.
The Calgary Heritage Authority is committee of volunteers with a mandate from city council, whose main role is to advise city council on heritage matters, according to Sheila Johnston, Chair, who attended the roundtable. She emphasized that, although it is important to maintain special historic inventories, they do not protect a site. The property must be designated a historical site, something the owner must initiate. To learn more about both these city groups, as well as some marvellous walking tours, publications and heritage links, go to .
A number of members of the Calgary Heritage Initiative, a new city-wide heritage group dedicated to the preservation if historic buildings and sites, were present to offer their support. There are a number of ways they can support communities: sharing their experience for working with different heritage organizations, providing information on how to research sites for inventories, and maintaining website forums and mailout distributions to keep individuals informed about sites which are threatened. Their website is well worth checking out at .
Our community Heritage Committee will be facilitating the next quarterly heritage roundtable in early June. We hope to allow more time for individual networking so that the communities can develop the contacts and support they need from other communities, and provide the opportunity for the city heritage planners to roll our their heritage management plan for Calgary.
) http://www.calgaryheritage.org/~info/fi ... ar2006.pdf