New purpose

Conrad Beaubien assesses the potential of property the County is looking to dispose of in Hillier.

Surplus Hillier buildings could find new life in community venture

On Station Road, in the quiet hamlet of Hillier, there is a group of old, rusting buildings that seem forgotten by time. They are striking in appearance, with their rust and bright paint contrasting well against Hillier’s intense skies.

On the front of the building closest to the road is the outline of the words “Hillier Fire Hall.” The hall was decommissioned last year after the opening of a new facility in Consecon. Another building, set back from the road, features a gaping opening, the former salt dome for the ward.

The property the buildings stand on is one half of a crescent-shaped property owned by the County, bordered on one side by the road and on the other by Slab Creek, part of a watershed system that includes several marshes along the Millennium Trail. The other half is Jack Taylor park.

It’s a peaceful spot with little traffic, neighbouring farms and vineyards, and close enough to Hiller’s town hall that the properties share well water—a pipe runs under the road to service Hillier Hall.

According to Hillier resident and member of the Hillier Recreation Committee, Conrad Beaubien, who has interviewed elder residents of Hillier, the hall was once a one-room schoolhouse, while the fire hall had long been one of the County’s many canning factories during the height of the canning industry.

“People nowadays tell me about going to class in the schoolhouse, and when they would see their parents drive in with a truck of tomatoes to be weighed for the cannery, the teacher would dismiss them so they could come out here and give a hand unloading all the tomatoes coming from their family farm,” says Beaubien.

There is a lot of history in the property and Beaubien fears it will be lost to time if the property is sold to a corporation or developer.

In a committee of council last week, staff recommended the property be declared surplus and sold, along with the location of the old fire hall in Consecon. Although council approved this recommendation, they did so with a bookmark placed on the decision, which will be ratified at a council meeting next week.

This was after a short comment from Beaubien. He sees great things for the old buildings, and he will be bringing a full proposal to that upcoming meeting.

“I think one of the things the County’s interested in is economic drivers. This is one, and it’s a very important one,” says Beaubien.

If council does declare the property surplus, Beaubien hopes council will agree to deed it to a community group to restore the land and buildings. He sees the site as a future home for summer theatre, a farmers’ market, shade and washrooms for the park, which lacks facilities, along with an area to document Hillier’s history.

“It offers an ideal site for the development of the trail,” says Beaubien. He hopes to draw cyclists and hikers exploring Ontario’s waterfront trails to take a break in Hillier and possibly explore the hamlet and its natural heritage. “It’s a site where, in Slab Creek, the salmon return every spring. I have seen otters, believe it or not, come up from the lake and into here. It’s to be prized as a piece of conservation land.”

Beaubien recognizes Hillier is a sparsely populated ward of the County, but says this shouldn’t stop the County from investing in the land by giving it over to be renewed. He quotes the 1989 film, Field of Dreams.

“Build it and they will come. I believe it, I’ve seen it happen before,” says Beaubien. “Council has to look closely at the appendages and how they can contribute to the overall body of things. It’s nice that downtown Picton has a revitalization plan. It’s very necessary for economic growth and to attract people. There’s no reason why you can’t have a hamlet rehabilitation based on the economy of the area.”

Beaubien will present his case at a council meeting at Shire Hall on Tuesday, April 26 at 7 p.m.