By Cecilia Nasmith

Cobourg council celebrated Heritage Week Monday by honouring two home owners and one contractor with Cobourg Heritage Conservation Awards.

The awards were presented at the committee-of-the-whole meeting by Mayor John Henderson, Councillor Nicole Beatty and Heritage Planner Dave Johnson – who co-ordinated the awards on behalf of the town's Heritage Advisory Committee.  Cobourg Heritage staff reviewed all of the completed heritage permit applications over the past year and identified potential nominees for consideration. The 2019 Cobourg Heritage Conservation Award recipients were chosen for their commitment to the responsible stewardship of Cobourg’s built heritage

Bill Verner and Marilyn Barefoot, owner of 465 George St., undertook an upper-floor porch-railing reconstruction.

Ivan Gissing, owner of 216 Church St., focused on replication in his porch-reconstruction project.

Keith Colterman, the contractor for both projects, is the owner of Historic Carpentry (formerly Heritage Point Construction).
This is the 10th year the town and the Heritage Advisory Committee have joined forces to present these awards, created on 2010 to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of property owners and tenants who have undertaken significant restoration projects in accordance with applicable heritage district plans and regulations.

Committee chair Graham Andrews offered the committee's congratulations in the press release.

“As fellow residents of Cobourg, we need to encourage this type of initiative so that future generations will be able to enjoy the beautiful town that means so much to us all,” Andrews said.

"Heritage Week provides us with an opportunity to recognize and celebrate residents who invest in and who are passionate about the historical character of our beautiful town,” said Councillor Nicole Beatty, Co-ordinator of Planning and Development.

“These porch renovations contribute to the beautification of both the home and the streetscape where they're situated."