Heritage inventory list grows to 200

    A list of 200 prospective properties has been made as part of the Heritage Inventory of historically significant buildings in Drumheller.     In the first step to attain municipal designation and provincial historic designation, which would ultimately lead to grant availability, the Heritage Steering Committee will narrow down this initial list to 30-50 properties.
    Buildings that earn a place in those spots for heritage properties could qualify for funding for preservation. After 30-50 historic buildings have been identified by the committee, they will request permission to hire a professional consultant to go through the buildings and assess their historic value.
    Input at an open house held in early May provided excellent information on potentially significant buildings.
    “We’re going to finalize the list and then put out proposals for a heritage consultant to walk us through the next steps,” says the town’s Director of Community Services Paul Salvatore, adding they’ll put out requests for consultants in the coming weeks.
    “I think the more we’ve sat down and gone through the list and generated the list of properties, the more excited the committee has become,” said Salvatore.
    As it stands, the town doesn’t have a bylaw for historically designating buildings. This project needs to gather the documentation to make the case for a certain building. After the inventory is complete, all that data will be in place and Salvatore hopes a bylaw for heritage certification will be passed by council.
     The town hasn’t undertaken a formal process of assessing the historic value of buildings since the 1990’s Main Street Program.
    The goal for the inventory is so Drumheller has a more comprehensive system for preserving its buildings and structures of historic value.