Auchmar plan on the ropes
City staff say it’s time to look at other options for this crumbling heritage site
IT
APPEARS the dream of turning the deteriorating city-owned Auchmar Estate into a Royal Hamilton Light Infantry museum has gone bust.
Two and a half years after the proposal was first greeted with high hopes and expectations by Hamilton councillors, city staff say it’s time to return to the drawing board to look at other options.
The problem, according to a staff report, is the 13th Battalion Auchmar Heritage Trust has failed to advance its iffy business case or its fundraising efforts.
The trust, an independent offshoot of RHLI, envisioned raising $20 million to restore and readapt the 1850s manor house at the corner of Fennel and West 5th on the west Mountain into a museum, gift shop, chapel and park.
“I would rather we approach this with as many doors open as we can and look for ways to make it work.” GLEN NORTON Director, Hamilton Economic Development
But Glen Norton, Hamilton’s director of economic development, says realistically it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.
“It’s time to move on,” says Norton. “We can’t just let things sit any longer.”
RHLI Sgt. Brian Buckle, pointperson for the trust, is teaching a course at the Canadian Forces Base in Kingston and could not be reached.
But, according to the staff report which goes before councillors next Wednesday, two members of the trust’s board have resigned for health reasons and the group now wants to change its original plan.
The trust not only wants direct financial assistance from the city via a loan — which it pitched to council last March — it also wants the city to pay for all water and sewer upgrades to the building.
Staff believe the trust’s scheme is too tentative to look at loans and grants. Instead, it intends to develop its own work plan. Norton says that includes looking at other potential tenants and city-generated alternatives.
“I would rather we approach this with as many doors open as we can and look for ways to make it work.”
According to Norton, since staff has been dealing exclusively with the trust for the last year, it hasn’t pursued discussions with Cardus, the Hamilton-based Christian think-tank, which has previously expressed interest in leasing the building. Michael Van Pelt, the group’s president and CEO, is out of the country and unavailable for comment.
Diane Dent, chair of Friends of Auchmar, a group dedicated to preserving and restoring the old Gothic manor, believes Cardus is still waiting
in the wings.
But whatever happens, one thing is clear: All potential plans must be compatible with legal preservation agreements with the Ontario Heritage Trust. The Friends of Auchmar also insists that the city retain ownership of the building, a position ratified by the last term of council.
Naturally, Dent is very “disappointed” the trust’s plans fizzled. She “admires” their vision and says her group has tried to help by leading them to potential funders.
“Obviously, it’s a business plan we need, both for fundraising and for restoration.”
Amen to that.
The city spends up to $27,000 a year to maintain the site. In 2017, it spent $666,000 on repairs, which was matched by federal funds. Previous reports suggest the building requires about $8 million in repairs. According to Dent, the exterior has been looked after but the interior and surrounding property is in “dire need of restoration.”
Norton says staffers were initially
“optimistic” about the trust’s vision. And why not? It really did seem like a perfect fit. After all, the estate was the country home of Lt.-Col Isaac Buchanan, the 19th-century founding commander of the famed RHLI.
But by mid-2017 staff was already getting fidgety over the lack of concrete progress and momentum. Back in March last year, councillors, against the better judgment of some, opted to give the trust more time. It appears the hourglass has finally run out.
The fact is, Auchmar is a wasting heritage asset and money pit. The city can’t keep cobbling together repairs without a long-term plan. If the RHLI trust wants to submit another one, they’re welcome to do so. But in the meantime, let’s move on. As Norton says, “At some point in time you have to call it, right?”