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Smith Falls council has entered three year standing offer agreements with a trio of heritage consulting firms for future preservation and planning matters.
A staff report from Manager of Development Services Karl Grenke said the move follows a 2025 Service Delivery Review that identified a growing need for specialized heritage expertise as the town takes a more proactive approach to heritage conservation.
Staff originally recommended the town deal with the top two firms, but Councillor Chris McGuire made the case for the third.
Council agreed to include to hire the third firm, Watson MacEwen Teramura Architects (WMTA), alongside Stantec Consulting and NPG Planning Solutions.
Staff reviewed and scored the 13 submitted applications out of a total of 100 points. NPG was ranked first with a score of 81.1, with Stantec (79.7), and WMTA (79.5) just below.
The report noted that while Smiths Falls planning staff are experienced in land use planning and development processes, they do not have specialized heritage qualifications. Heritage-related work currently accounts for about 0.3 of a full-time position, making outside consulting support a more flexible and cost-effective option than hiring permanent staff.
Grenke says the standing offer agreements allow staff to address concerns as they arise.
The consulting work will be funded through the Planning Division’s existing legal and consulting budget, which totals $51,000 for 2026.
Story by Grant Deme
