KENILWORTH – Wellington North council is helping to ensure the Lynes Blacksmith Shop gets its new roof as planned this fall by approving an interest-free loan for the project.
“I’ve been a huge supporter of this project from the very beginning,” councillor Sherry Burke said following a presentation to council by the blacksmith shop’s restoration committee chair Kate Rowley.
“By supporting this loan, we continue to protect our heritage.”
Rowley, volunteer managing director of the Mount Forest Museum and Archives, attended Wellington North’s Aug. 26 council meeting to request a bridge loan from the township for restoration work on the historic blacksmith shop.
The 19th-century building, located on Highway 6 in Kenilworth, was donated to the township by the Lynes family in 2017. The building had been home to a forge and carriage works from 1883 to 1955, and was left relatively undisturbed after that.
Since the township assumed ownership of the property, work has been underway to restore the historic shop with the aim of using the building for educational programs, exhibits and cultural heritage events. To date, the cost of the work has been covered through fundraising, grants and donations, Rowley told council, but “the roof is a financial outlier,” she said.
Its estimated cost is $114,000 plus HST, about half of which has already been raised, Rowley said.
But with work set to begin on the roof replacement in September, Rowley asked the township to help cover the cost until the rest of the money could be raised.
“I’m asking for a bridge loan not to exceed $125,000 at a zero per cent interest rate for a period of 18 months,” she said.
She went on to say she was asking for the “whole amount,” even though the blacksmith shop account already has half the money, because of a “need to play it safe.”
“Heritage projects can surprise you,” Rowley said.
The work is required to allow a change of designation for the property that will support its future use.
Council unanimously approved the funding request.
“It’s a jewel for Kenilworth and, I would say, a jewel for Wellington North,” councillor Steve McCabe said of the building. “I have no problem supporting this.”
