Special donation will support Victoria Hall work

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By Cecilia Nasmith

That work being done to the front of Victoria Hall is being supported by the Victoria Hall Heritage Maintenance Trust Fund, thanks to a cheque presented Friday.

The $10,000 donation will help with the restoration of the parapet and pillars, president Edward Cunnington explained. Their inspections have uncovered salt damage to the pillars, perhaps due to some degree to making the entrance plaza safe for pedestrians in the winter, and there's risk of further damage due to the parapet leaking.

In true COVID-19-protocol fashion, a new type of cheque presentation was made. Instead of a grip-and-grin handshake event, Cunnington clipped the envelope containing the cheque to the fence that partitions off the work area for Cobourg Mayor John Henderson to retrieve.

Following the exchange, organization members drifted over to look at the progress of the work through the fencing and have a few of their questions answered by the workers.

Henderson took the opportunity to express his appreciation.,

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From left, Mayor John Henderson accepts a cheque (in an appropriately distant fashion consistent with COVID-19 protocol) from members of the Victoria Hall Heritage Maintenance Trust Fund – president Edward Cunnington, Bruce MacNeil, treasurer Sarah Holland, Fran Richardson, Janette Johnston and secretary Margaret MacKenzie.

Accompanied to the event by Communications Co-ordinator Ashley Purdy, Planner 1 Heritage Dave Johnson and Councillor Nicole Beatty (whose planning-and-development portfolio includes built heritage), he also expressed gratitude on behalf of acting Chief Administrative Officer Ian Davey and senior town staff to the Victoria Hall Heritage Maintenance Trust Fund.

This group was established in 1988 to invest and distribute funds remaining from the third phase of the landmark building's reconstruction and restoration that began in the early 1970s. Monies were transferred from the disbanded Society for the Restoration of Victoria Hall to the trust fund to be administered by a committee, invested and used for the on-going maintenance of the building's heritage aspects.

Careful professional management, along with recent higher interest rates, grew the initial $60,000 to $112,000 (as of December). As well, more than $110,000 has been received in donations over the years for a variety of projects (including major clock-tower repairs in 2002 and 2014, as well as chimney repairs and other exterior and interior projects).

“They have always been there and they will always be there, and they care so deeply,” Henderson said.

“The money will certainly help us to offset the overall cost for the portico and the pillars and the front doors, which were in dire need of tender loving care.”

Henderson also paid tribute to the company carrying out the work. Colonial Building Restoration has done numerous projects in the Town of Cobourg, he said, and they are both extremely skilled and well-versed in the requirements for work on a building such as Victoria Hall.

And that's not an inconsiderable point, the mayor added.

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“We are not just a heritage building – we are a Class A National Heritage Site. Everything we do has to be approved by the Federal government. It's all done at that level.”

While the COVID-19 shutdown made it easier to get the work done, Henderson noted it had also forced the cancellation of a big 160th-anniversary celebration that had been planned. But the important thing at the moment is supporting this work.

“This just helps us to celebrate the crown jewel we know it is,” he said of the donation - “it's the centrepiece of our town.”

Cunnington said the work should be completed by the end of August.

Meanwhile, the Victoria Hall Heritage Maintenance Trust Fund does welcome enquiries from anyone interested in volunteering for this work. They meet twice a year to review finances and approve investment decisions, and each summer meeting begins with a walk-about with town staff to assess the building's interior and exterior to see what maintenance issues have been addressed in the past year and to plan for the upcoming year – an opportunity for committee members to raise any concerns, and to make recommendations to town staff.

Cunnington added that treasurer Sarah Holland (905-349-3710) can be contacted if anyone is interested in making a donation or even a legacy – to further a particular project or just support their on-going work. As a registered charitable organization, they can provide tax-deductible receipts.