The Town of Smiths Falls will preserve what they can when a demolition crew knocks down the former heritage water treatment plant in 2025 at the earliest.
That’s of the request from both the Smiths Falls Municipal Heritage Committee and the town, with Councillor Chris McGuire mourning the loss of the site.
McGuire feels they were strong-armed into the demolition.
An engineer’s report presented last summer identified both demolition and restoration as possible, with the cost of a knockdown at the time being slightly less than restoration.
The heritage site caught fire last year, and council’s discussed at length about the future of the site, with insurers Intact Public Entities have stressing liability concerns about restoring the property.
The town’s Municipal Heritage Committee identified the following be prioritized for salvage:
Building 1:
- Corner quoins.
- Façade stone
- Stone sills
- Decorative stone lintels
- Date stone above west entrance.
- West entrance extrusion with masonry columns and piers
Building 2:
- Decorative brick cornice on west façade
- Arched openings, three per story on west facade and two per story on east side with stone sills, brick keystones and voussoirs
- Remaining windows and doors
Building 3:
- Signage (Commemorative plaque)
Building 4:
- Commemorative plaque with date inscription
Story by Grant Deme