"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Saturday 9 January 2010

Telling a story

Is like knitting a sweater. It's constructed one stitch at a time.

I wasn't there when Petch's cabin was lifted from it's foundations and parked at the side of Leslie Street . The development company committed to re-locating it with a new foundation wherever the town chose.There wasn't a place or use for it then and there isn't one now.

The cabin was one of a pair. The twin was a chapel. It was sold privately, transported , re-constructed and restored to use in cottage country by one, Van Nostrand of Vandorf.

He makes a business of salvaging old buildings. I think that's an art and a labour of love. All power to Van Nostrand of Vandorf.

The modest little building ,too far gone to begin with, has perched forlornly in full view on cinder blocks for more than six years. A great hole clawed open in the roof by generations of raccoons which lived and died there. The clapboard siding that originally protected the boards almost all gone and six years of hurricanes and blizzards saturated the building inside and out throughout the seasons.

Every year it's fate would be discussed. Every year $100Ks. tax dollars, to restore the building would be included in the budget. An anonymous donation of $8Ks swelled the pot.

In 2009, Van Nostrand, at no cost, examined the interior of the building and gave an authoritative opinion .

It could no longer be moved in one piece. It would have to be taken apart and the rot cut from corners. Already a small structure, the size would be reduced considerably.

Feces and carcases, floors and walls smothered in mould, made it impossible to determine the extent of interior damage.

Van Nostrand's advice was not accepted.

A second opinion was obtained at a fee of $2,900.

Again: the building could not be moved in one piece. It would have to be taken apart. Vintage boards would be needed as replacements. Cost of restoring was estimated at $400Ks.Even without knowing the condition of the interior.

Councillor MacEachern, the Mayor's right-hand and the town's representative on the Conservation Authority had persuaded staff and Chairman of SLSCA, to accept the cabin at Sheppard's Bush. As long as no trees needed to be removed for access..

I often find myself in a quandary. If I put forward a motion, it will not receive support. Because it was mine. So sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. It makes no never-mind.

After some debate, a motion was moved, seconded and approved to obtain still another opinion spending no more than $5Ks.

Mine was likely the only negative cast.

The point of the story is, the motion passed. The vote was in favour of spending still more money for another report.

Except it never happened. Months passed. Despite Council direction , no further report came forward.

Some Council Agendas had little more than previous committee minutes to approve. Hardly worth a meeting. Yet the direction given by Council on the Petch house was not followed.

On the one hand, the majority publicly decided on the side of the angels. In fact, the decision was not implemented.

Clearly a different decision was made by persons unknown outside the public eye.

Because the project was not completed in 2009, $105Ks. continues to show in 2010 budget

Despite the fact the last estimate was $400Ks. and no location or use has been identified.

The plan for a ball diamond identified a concrete structure to store equipment at a cost of $17Ks. The item was excluded to reduce cost out of consideration of the taxpayers.

The last discussion at the council table talked about locating the diminutive Petch House at a cost of $400Ks. as a facility at the ball diamond.

Mr. Petch was clearly a religious man. He built a chapel for worship. What would he think I wonder, about the cost and proposed re-use of a cabin he built more than a century ago which has served its purpose well.







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5 comments:

David Heard said...

I recently invested in the "Petch Family Bible "and brought it back to Aurora from the U.S.A.
I am concearned today as the history of this building may have a connection to Vandorf and Stouffville and its true value to Aurora is worth more debate .
$ 400,000 is alot of money when we have so many people struggling in our community today .
Also a growing number of working poor .
Building a healthy community is a priority and not salvage to a bunch of rotting logs ....oh they are not logs are they .

Anonymous said...

Is this the bible that was offered on eBay in October, 2008? The seller was in Virginia.

Local historian, John McIntyre (a Petch descendant), was made aware of the bible at that time. I wonder why he chose not to repatriate a piece of family history.

The building in question is within Aurora's current municipal boundaries, but a case could be made that the Whitchurch-Stouffville Museum might be a better home for it (if they'd have it, of course). It spent the first century-and-a-quarter of its existence in the old Township of Whitchurch, after all.

Anonymous said...

I love reading your posts, it's pleasure to hear your perspective.

David Heard said...

To answer your question ,yes it is that exact Bible and I have been informed it is a special Bible indeed .
This was a pulpit Bible according to an expert and it was presented to the Petch family by the Church .

Where do you think it belongs ?

I respect your opinion .

Anonymous said...

Well, family bibles should, naturally, stay in the family. But as this may be a pulpit bible, that's a different matter.

The congregation may have presented the bible to the family in appreciation for donating the land for the original log church. My understanding is that the Petch family gave the lot at what is now Wesley Corners. Maybe when the present church was built they acquired a new bible for the pulpit and gave the other one to the family.

The log church that was replaced by the present building also came into the possession of the Petchs. The structure was rebuilt within one of the barns on the Petch farm (near the present-day entrance to the Walmart/Smart Centre - there's an oxymoronic name if I've ever heard one).

I had the pleasure of exploring the old pioneer log church prior to the sale of the land. It was like hidden treasure to find a complete, historic building enclosed within the walls of an old, wooden barn - a barn like many others found in Ontario (but less so around here).

I was lucky enough to know the son of the owner of the former Petch farm, and was able to get the tour. This is probably the building that Cllr Buck was referring to re: sale and transportation to Cottage Country.

Regarding the bible; I think the Whitchurch-Stouffville Museum might be the place for it. Wesley Corners isn't within Aurora's municipal boundaries and Mr McIntyre apparently chose not to purchase the bible when it was made available.