Heritage is one of those things that once it is gone, it is gone forever.
Which is why groups such as Heritage Belleville are working as hard as they can to preserve as much of the city’s history as possible.
Heritage Belleville held an open house on Thursday evening at the Core Arts and Culture Centre and featured Ryan Leary, the Senior Heritage Planner with the City of Kingston.
Chair Janna Munkittrick-Colton says while they continue to work to designate heritage homes in the city, they now have some city staff to help them.
She says there are 129 buildings between Harriett Street, Coleman Street, the Bay and Church Street they have listed for designation because of their heritage attributes or historical significance.
Heritage Belleville Chair Janna Munkittrick-Colton
Munkittrick-Colton says she is excited to see what the heritage strategy will be for the City of Belleville and says there may be a possibility to do as other municipalities have done and create a heritage district.
Ryan Leary, Senior Heritage Planner with the City of Kingston
Leary spoke to the committee and others in attendance about how the City of Kingston has really become what he calls “a beacon” for heritage designation.
He says while he doesn’t think Kingston is where it could be when it comes to heritage conservation, he believes they are on the leading edge of bringing heritage planning and considerations to the table when meeting with developers.
Leary told Quinte News the community of Kingston drove heritage planning in the city and it is still very strong today and it remains top of mind of council because of it.
The evening wrapped up with the Heritage Belleville Committee presenting two awards for heritage preservation in the city.
Leary said whenever you can have heritage conservation at the table it’s a win and it is not as scary as people think it is.
