Creative solution

Tomorrow night, residents and friends of the village of Wellington will gather at its town hall, one of the many historically significant buildings on its main street, to discuss the preservation of a building on its main intersection.

They will reflect on the history of downtown Wellington and think about its future. But they will also discuss the failure to come up with a satisfactory solution for what has gone from being an engineering dilemma to a threat to the fabric of the village.

Of course a parkette is a foolish idea. The intersection of Main and Wharf is the village’s centre of commerce. There is already a place for recreation.

Of course adding (yet another) parking lot at the only traffic light in the village will stand out like a missing tooth in a hockey player’s face. It certainly won’t fix downtown traffic woes.

But those were the solutions County staff proposed. Now it is up to the rest of us to pitch in the creative ideas. Many wish to see the corner building stand. If that’s possible, it should be an option.

The city of Malaga on the Costa del Sol in Spain is a city full of history. It was founded over 1,500 years ago, and in the time since then, magnificent buildings, trees and gardens have been established in the Mediterranean port city.

On one of its downtown plazas, there is a row of small, industrial-style huts. Part of the city’s busy commercial centre, these huts are used as tourist shops, for fundraisers, information booths, and as a part of festivals. They’re owned by the city and rented for commerce and for tourism.

Malaga is a different type of place than Wellington. A row of industrial style huts would stick out like a gold tooth in a hockey player’s face. But it’s an interesting model to adapt.

If the building must come down, parts of it could be salvaged. Perhaps those parts could be used to create facades for several small buildings in a style consistent with Wellington Main Street. Imagine three or four of them, with a small patio in front where the creek runs through.

The sheds could be rented out each summer, either by the County or by a new private owner, to businesses selling tourist paraphernalia, gear for the beach, picnic boxes.

In the fall, they can be a weigh station and a place to sell Pumpkinfest gear.

In the winter, they can be a location for a Christmas market.

Far from being a hole in the middle of the village, with some creative thinking, a lost building could be the catalyst to make its centre a meeting place.

What comes out of tomorrow night’s meeting is anyone’s guess. But if the residents and friends of Wellington are clamouring for commerce, insistent on keeping the simple charm of this village? There’s more than one way to skin that cat.

mihal@mihalzada.com