Centre Wellington council is giving the go-ahead for an addition to the future Emmanuel Christian High School at the corner of Tower Street and Belsyde Avenue in Fergus.
On July 20, councillors agreed to remove the holding provision on the property and issue a heritage permit to allow construction of a one-storey addition to the former Fergus high school building.
The addition is part of the overall renovation to the building and site to allow its continued use as a high school.
In June, Centre Wellington received a heritage permit application to construct an addition to the building. Work on the property is to be completed in accordance with the approved heritage conservation plan prepared by Robinson Heritage Consulting.
The conservation plan addresses repairs, stabilization and preservation activities, as well as long-term conservation, maintenance and monitoring measures to ensure the identified heritage attributes of the property are properly maintained.
The heritage application includes the following proposed work:
– retention of the existing building fabric;
– retention of the existing doors and windows;
– removal of existing greenery/vines from façade;
– repointing of existing stone as required;
– retention of existing boys and girls entrance signs;
– addition of new one-storey structure to the north façade of the existing building;
– masonry of the new addition will consist of three bands of differing material to complement existing stone; and
– windows on new addition will complement the windows on existing building.
The property is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.
Mayor Kelly Linton said the project is very exciting “and I’m glad they are taking care of my old school.”
Council had no issue removing the holding symbol and issuing the heritage permit, provided the work is done according to the heritage conservation plan and the approved site plan.
Prior to the vote, councillor Steven VanLeeuwen declared a conflict of interest as he is a board member for the school.
