A resounding no

Wellington resident Pam Carter asked a large gathering at the town hall, including Mayor Robert Quaiff and five councillors to respect the County’s history.

Community rejects idea of parking or parkette on Wellington’s main intersection

Well over 120 people squeezed into the Wellington Town Hall last Thursday. Others, unable to get in, listened from the sidewalk outside as Pam Carter and Mike Harper sought a reprieve of the destruction of two buildings at the central intersection of Wharf and Main Streets. Nearly all who spoke said the heritage of the buildings and their role as vital components of Wellington’s downtown were too important to be forsaken for a parking lot or parkette.

Last month, the County announced it had purchased two buildings, at 282 and 284 Main Street, on the northwest corner of Wellington’s main intersection. By doing this, they would save as much as $200,000 from the rehabilitation of Lane Creek that runs under the two buildings. Rather than reroute the creek under Wharf Street, the buildings would be torn down, and the creek would stay where it is. It also avoids weeks of messy disruption to the village’s main intersection.

Almost immediately, however, objections arose, rooted in three themes: the unique historic character of the convenience store building, the prospect of a blank space on Wellington’s main corner and the desire to recover, some or all of the $620,000 the municipality paid for the buildings.

Soon after that, opposition mobilized. Hundreds of names were collected on a petition urging council to salvage the convenience store building and drop the idea of creating a parking lot or parkette at this key commercial intersection.

Pam Carter is leading the fight. The artist has painted dozens of works featuring Wellington’s downtown—more than 30 featuring the convenience store alone. She, along with Mike Harper, hopes to persuade County council that it is a bad idea to destroy the 117-year-old sentinel on Main Street—that other options be explored before the wrecking ball arrives.

Last week, the County, in a change of message, said it welcomed public feedback about the future uses of the property. It is planning public consultation regarding the property after the sale closes at the end of August.

Anthony Lemke says his kids will miss their convenience store downtown. He worries communities become disconnected when you can no longer walk to the corner store.

“The County is committed to working with the public to identify appropriate uses for 282/284 Main Street that will recognize the importance of conserving the heritage of downtown Wellington, as well as meet the needs of ongoing infrastructure maintenance,” said Neil Carbone, Director of Community Development.

WHAT WAS SAID
Carter described her presentation as a celebration of Wellington’s past. Leaning heavily on images borrowed from Marjorie Wiltse’s treasure trove of village history, Carter led a visual tour of life, business and festivity on Main Street for well over 100 years.

She pointed to decorative s-shaped buttresses supporting a third-floor protrusion of the convenience store building—a bit of architectural flourish repeated on some of the majestic homes situated east of CML Snider elementary school.

She applauded the restoration of the former Orange Lodge. In 1998, the main street building was in rough shape on a small lot in front of a busy meat processing plant, when it was put up for auction.

Fearing its destruction, the community rallied for a white knight. Felix Liebreghts stepped up, put in the highest bid, and then restored the building to the original timbers.

Today it continues to stand as a piece of Wellington’s heritage and as a vibrant retail gallery.

“Thank goodness we had people who saw the beauty and potential of Wellington’s downtown buildings,” said Pam to the crowd. “Shouldn’t we continue to respect the history and heritage of our village?”

Mike Harper wanted to know what it would say about this community if these buildings were lost and replaced with parking.

Harper said he understood that faced with the liability exposure of a waterway running under commercial buildings, County officials wanted a fast, cost-effective and practical solution. He suggested, however, that given the history of the building and significance to Wellington’s commercial vitality, this was the wrong way of looking at the issue.

“This is an opportunity,” said Harper. “It’s not a problem to solve. What if, instead we asked questions about Wellington’s strengths and assets? When was Wellington at its best? What do we value about our town? I believe you come to different conclusions.”

Harper minimized the risk of restoring the building, noting that the existing building has stood for over 100 years without today’s engineering know-how. He predicted a restored structure would last just as long— posing no risk to taxpayers.

Then it was over to residents in the packed town hall.

Nearly everyone said tearing down the buildings and replacing it with a parkette, or green space was a bad idea. Some noted that this was prime real estate in the village— that it was wrong to squander this resource for parking. Parking, they said, ought to stay on the perimeter of the commercial area, not at its centre.

Eugene Snider rejected the entire plan, calling it unnecessary meddling.

“If we just leave it alone, the building will still be here 115 years from now,” said Snider.

Anthony Lemke lamented the imminent loss of a convenience store.

“I have three kids,” said Lemke. “This is all they have left in Wellington. It is their candy store, their popsicle store, their movie store. There is nothing for them at the real estate offices. A community isn’t just a collection of homes; it is also about being able to walk to the store for some gum or pop. When we lose that, we lose a great deal more than we realize.”

Lemke worries that there are already too many gaps in Wellington’s main street.

“Density falls apart when you have these gaps,” said Lemke.

Craig Alexander wanted to know who decides how the canvas of the village is drawn. He said the decision to allow the LCBO to construct a square box on the edge of the village was made at Shire Hall without community involvement.

Carolin Boysen said Wellington’s heritage is too important to be left to County officials.

“This is your history,” said Boysen. “You must fight for it. Tell council you what want, don’t wait to be told.”

Peter Lockyer has been fighting for the County’s heritage for decades. He argues forcefully the heritage preservation need not be an expense— but an economic opportunity. He regrets that the message has not resonated inside Shire Hall. He recalled a struggle to save the Crystal Palace a few years ago when it had fallen into disrepair.

“It was saved for the benefit of the entire community,” said Lockyer. “We can choose whether heritage matters or if it doesn’t. But we need to hear it from council and staff, or we will keep fighting these battles one by one.”

Many others spoke of establishing rules to protect radical alteration of Main Street architecture.

The former economic development officer for the County, Dan Taylor, said the corner needed a building. He predicts strong growth in Wellington’s commercial core as well as demand for residential apartments.

“How are you going to accommodate this growth,” said Taylor. “You don’t do it by taking inventory off the shelf.”

Others reinforced the desire that Wellington remain a walking community—rather than an empty downtown with strip malls on the edge.

It came back to Anthony Lemke to ask what happens next.

“I have heard a lot of wisdom and experience expressed in this room tonight,” said Lemke. “This issue is about much more than the fate of the convenience store—it is about how we are going to protect the slow disintegration of the community we all love. What do we do next?”