March 17th, 2016
Top of the morning to you my dear and gentle readers. We are to rejoice with a snow storm thus, making chicken noodle soup. We went after boot camp to purchase sushi and the noodles.
Then we were OFF to a meeting of the heritage board. Whoeee I lead such an exhilarating and stirring existence, here behind the screams at the bed and breakfast. After much and many speeches in both official languages of important counselors, planners and staff there were pictures. There were introductions’ of urban landscapes are by laws and facts like 457% of downtown is parking here in the big little city. (Yet no one knows where they can park as they want it for free.) There are landfills and empty property lots about which are deemed heritage.
The structure in place is such, that you can apply for a grant, but as one home owner pointed out, it takes the board so long to approve work, that the original plan cannot be implemented during the very short building season. Therefore they might change the date of application for the grants. They have not as yet.
They proudly stated that they would pay half of up to $10,000 if one applied for just about anything. But failed to use up and give the monies out as the plans got bogged down for one reason and seven. It cost my neighbors, $40,000 for their roof. And they put a stop work order on it while the roof was open as they did not get a work permit. AND they did not like the shingles. ( Another neighbor had the same shingles and they liked them, a picture was taken and that changed the outcome of roof eventually, however, it leaked this past winter. ) There has not been a child in the area for years, climbing on anything, maybe burglars, yet they approved a plan for a patio and made the owners put plexi glass up to prevent such an hazard. A chocking hazard possibly.
If you do apply for a work permit currently, the property is flagged and the work order goes to the board for approval without human intervention, just about the only thing. They do have very important things to do at meetings once a month than approve applications the staff member stated, (he actually did) so a heritage officer may be able to have authority for this, but this too is not in place. They have altered one thing in the by laws (which really does not affect moi as the bed and breakfast I live in is stone, which is another kettle of fish I might add) is that the paint now cannot be florescent. Yep I knew you would be impressed. Never, never, never give up. Winston Churchill &Moi