While the area surrounding Black Bridge may consider itself one community, residents there live on the dividing line of Cambridge and Puslinch Township, and the line dividing Waterloo Region and Wellington County.
On June 13 Tamara and Tom Hetherington, of 537 River Rd. in Cambridge, provided Puslinch council with an update of the City of Cambridge’s Black Bridge cultural heritage landscape official plan amendment.
Tom chairs the Black Bridge Community Association, which represents 58 homes in the area (Cambridge and Puslinch). Sixteen of the homes are on the Puslinch side and the remainder are in Cambridge, he explained.
“We just wanted to provide an update of how it is progressing.”
Though this is a Cambridge study, Tom said the neighbours on the Puslinch side are very interested in taking part.
In describing the heritage landscape, Tamara referenced the study document, which states, “A community heritage landscape is defined in the Provincial Policy Statement (2005) as a geographical area of heritage significance which has been modified by human activities and is valued by the community.”
This can involve groupings of individual heritage features such as structures, spaces, archeological sites and natural elements which together form a significant type of heritage form, distinctive from that of its constituent elements or parts. These areas have great value to those of us who live there and those who pass through.”
She said the Region of Waterloo noted that cultural heritage landscapes should be identified and protected.
Tamara outlined the process that would lead to a city-initiated official plan amendment. Currently, the amendment is ready to be ratified by Cambridge city council and forwarded to Waterloo Region council for review and approval.
She noted the proposed area for the study was originally larger than what is currently being considered, “But a cultural landscape doesn’t really see municipal boundaries.”
However, being a city initiative, she explained the study could only extend to the city boundary. She said the current study area only includes an area of Puslinch up to the west side of Speed River, over to Townline Road and north to the dam head.
What the pair are hoping for is for the township to proceed with concurrently adopting the cultural heritage landscape with Wellington County.
Councillor Matthew Bulmer agreed “while municipal boundaries may mean a lot to those around the (council) horseshoe, to most of the public, they are invisible.”
Tom said the boundaries get a little bit grey north of the dam heads on the Speed River.
“Some may be in Wellington County while others may be in Cambridge,” said Tom.
Bulmer said he believes quite a bit of the mill race remains visible.
“It is something to see and is a great historic story of the dam never having been completed,” he said.
Bulmer said he thinks the dam construction dates back to the First World War but was never finished.
“I’d love to hear what our heritage committee would say about this. If it is of value, it is not really something we should slice in half,” said Bulmer.
Councillor Susan Fielding said “your tenaciousness on this has been admirable, you are obviously going to see this through to the end.”
She agreed “we need to keep our heritage features as protected as we can.”
Mayor Dennis Lever noted he attended the most recent heritage committee meeting, “and there were questions raised about the boundary on the Puslinch side.”
He noted just north of Roszell Road is an aggregate site. Lever said the item will be discussed at the committee’s meeting this fall.
