Planning Workshop Report, Limehouse Kiln Society

July 17^th, 2001  Women’s Institute Hall, Limehouse

 

 

Background: As part of the Limehouse Kiln Society’s Master Plan project for the historic lime kilns at Limehouse and Dolly Varden, a community meeting was held on Tuesday, July 17^th in the ambience of the historic Women’s Institute Hall, formerly the Methodist Church building.

 

The purpose of the meeting was to obtain ideas and knowledge from interested residents of Limehouse and the municipality of Halton Hills as to what approaches and strategies would be appropriate, and feasible, for the preservation of the deteriorating kilns structures.

 

It was a very productive evening. Those who attended certainly demonstrated enthusiasm and commitment towards this significant community project.

 

The results are summarised in this report with apologies for any errors or omissions. For the most part, this report captures the “verbatim” comments and notes produced at the meeting, with the intent that the written record reflects the energy and ideas generated that night.

The meeting followed a pre-set agenda which included:

 

� Welcomes

 

The meeting was attended by approximately 30 community residents , each who introduced themselves.  President of the Limehouse Kiln Society, Mary Shier, provided welcoming remarks. The meeting was also attended by Mayor Kathy Gastle of  the Town of Halton Hills, representatives of Council, municipal staff, and the Credit River Conservation Authority.

 

‚ Limehouse Kiln Society -  Vision & Expectations

Mary Shier provided an overview of the Limehouse Kiln Society, and the goals for the Limehouse Master Plan project, in association with Commonwealth Historic Resource Management, the firm chosen to complete the Master Plan Study.

 

 

 

 

 

ƒ Commonwealth’s Initial Impressions

 

The Commonwealth team consisted of Susan Code, David Eckler, Ian Hunter, John McDougall, and Jim Mountain.

 

The group reported on their field work, which entailed:

 

Ø      Site mapping

Ø      Photographing the remnants of the kilns

Ø      Assessing the condition of the kilns

Ø      Historical research of documents in the Georgetown Library

Ø      Meeting with the Steering Committee discuss their opinions and ideas about the project

 

The full report of this work and the team’s analysis will be worked on through August and presented at a community meeting in the fall. (confirmed for October 10^th)

 

„ Opportunities/Challenges Discussion

 

This portion of the meeting  engaged the group as a whole in an open discussion.. Ideas were put forth about the opportunities potentially available to the Kiln Society and the overall community that could be derived from the project’s stabilization, restoration and interpretation of the Limehouse Historic Kilns.

 

Opportunites as recorded were:

 

q       Auto Wrecking Yard ® Purchasing and beautifying this site, and tying it in with the overall interpretation of the historic kilns in the Conservation Area would be a highly desireable aspect of the project

 

q       Creating interpretive plaques, panels and  publications that effectively tell the story of Limehouse and the kilns

 

q       Developing the site as an Outdoor Education Field Centre for Halton Hills and the Greater Toronto Area with area  Schools as the primary audience

 

q       Parkette Development in Heart of Village – The Millenium project is an attractive feature in the Village. Some reference to the village ‘s history could me made from this key vantage point.

 

q       Provincial and Federal Historic Site Designation: The Limehouse history is provincially and nationally significant for its connection with the development of Toronto. The formal designation process should be researched.

 

 

 

 

 

q       B&B’s/Retail : Boutiques/Artisan, “Lime” Merchandise, Farm Stays

There are potential opportunities for more commercial enterprises in the community, to complement the historical attractions of Limehouse.

 

q       Development of Events: There was a recognition that events do require a lot of work, but if feasible, these would bring to life Limehouse and its wonderful history and kilns attractions. Some of the thoughts were:

 

-           Events should highlight certain times of the Year,  (ie. Spring/Summer/Fall/Canada Day)

-                     Some events could include story tellers at ruins to bring the history to life

These could include “ghost walks” which bring to life past historical figures. Publications and a CD Rom could complement these methods of interpretation

 

q       Partnership Development:

 

Potential partners were identified who could assist in a number of ways – with promotion, volunteer, financial, or political support. Some of these listed include:

 

      -    OMAFRA/U. of Guelph Women’s Institute B&B Program

      -    Trail Organizations for Multi Use

      -    Board of Education: Schools for On Site & Outreach programs

-         Chamber, Tourism Info

-         Municipality

-         Service Clubs

-         Festivals,

-         Bruce Trail

 

Challenges for the Project to Overcome:

 

These were identified as:

 

q       How to finance the ongoing project

 

q       How to strike a balance between the maintaining the community’s present character and ambience,  and the potential future development of the historical attractions.

 

q       Ensuring the good condition and maintenance of  trails

 

q       How can the trail & Trailheads be defined, and developed with better signage

 

q       Liability and  General Safety issues to resolve

 

 

Challenges…cont’d

 

q       Not all kilns are on public land  - the historical resources are spread out with some in Limehouse, some at Dolly Varden. How can these sites be appropriately interpreted in an inter-connected way ?

 

q       The deteriorating condition of  the Kilns & Powderhouse – how to stabilize and preserve these increasingly fragile resources ?

 

q       The Wrecking Yard – How to deal with this environmental issue in a cost effective and politically expedient manner ?

 

q       Vandalism has occurred in the past – how can this be prevented in the future ?

 

 

Workshop Portion of the Meeting:

 

Given the meeting’s time limitations, it was determined that to bring out the best ideas and knowledge for Limehouse Kilns project, it would be appropriate to break into discussion groups. Five groups were established with 5-6 persons in each.

They were each given the task of working as “site planners” and asked to produce ideas for site development, with some analysis of the opportunities and tasks that would be entailed.

 

The overall Limehouse Kilns Society’s project area was divided into the following site components, with a working group assigned to each:

 

� The Historic Quarry,  Draw Kiln Site & Saw Mill Site

 

‚ Set Kilns, near the Railway tracks

 

ƒ Bruce Trail Trailhead access point, Women’s Institute Hall & Shed and the Village

 

„ The Site’s Ecology: Caves Millpond/Nature

 

… The Dolly Varden Kilns

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Results of Workshop Group Discussions:

 

Group One:            The Historic Quarry,  Draw Kiln Site & Saw Mill Site

 

For the historic draw kiln site, ideas discussed were:

 

·        Restore the existing draw kiln

·        Construction of a replica of the draw kiln

·        Conservation: Retain Elements as is, and stabilize what is there

·        Recreate the kiln off site as part of a proposed Outdoor Ed Centre

·        Recreate the kiln’s structure and magnitude with modern materials – a type of composite styrofoam was discussed, in a creative way

 

For the Quarry area

 

·        Expose an area of the historic quarry area to show extraction sites, and interpret these

·        Potential partners and funding sources could include:

 

- T.O.R.C Provincial Organization for Quarry Rehab

- Colleges & Universities

 

 

 

For the Mill Site:

                                   

- Develop appropriate controls for water, other than Beavers, -  re-build the historic dam?

- Develop a protective barrier around  the “mill arch” feature

 

Group II            Set Kilns (Within the Credit Valley Conservation Area Portion of the Site)

 

Challenges for Preservation/Interpretation were identified as:

 

a)            Physical condition of the set kilns:

             

            Solution:

            The Kilns are in  a state of ruins – can the rubble stone be re-used in restoration/rehabilitiation/stabilization of the historic kilns ? What solutions are feasible ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

b)                 Generating funding and support:

 

Solution:

Approach the Provincial lime aggregate association for assistance, and enlist Duff’s and Blue Circle companies for networking assistance.

 

c)                  Safety issues, in close proximity of the existing rail line

 

Solution:

Fence the site, parallel to the rail line

Enlist the co-operation of CN in regards to long term access ideas, such as a pedestrian bridge across the rail line

 

Project Wish List:

 

These include:

Ø     Restoring the façade of the set kilns, from the walkway to the tracks

Ø     Re-build one set kiln entirely, with pot and verandah

Ø     Interpret this portion of the site with lots of information panels/plaques

 

 

 

Group III             Bruce Trail Trailhead access point, Women’s Institute Hall & Shed and the Village of Limehouse

 

This group dealt with each  of these site components individually. Their ideas included:

 

For the Credit Valley Conservation- (195 Acres) 5^th Line South of the Women’s Institute Hall area :

 

a)      more signage

b)      gate closed in winter- Why?

Should be open all year!

c)      create a loop trail

d)      develop the cross-country skiing aspect of the trail – this is important

e)      mountain bikes- need to be included.

Should be multi-use

                        *** no snowmobiles ***

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For Limehouse Village and Trail-Head sites ideas produced were :

 

1.                  Wrecking Yard- Parking and interpretation - Long Term project – Create a special fund to acquire this site

 

2.                  Millenium Gardens – Landscape, include some interpretation of the community’s history here

 

3.                  Scout House/Limehouse Memorial Hall site – A place to have washroom facilities with a Johnny on the Spot in the short-term

 

4.                  Private Kilns – adjacent to the wrecking yard – can be interpreted from the street, from the vantage point above

 

5.                  Scout Hall/Interpretive Centre – At the trailhead, this is an ideal place to begin the interpretation of the kilns’ history

 

6.                  Elementary School Site – Could function as a short term parking area for visitors

 

7.                  Bruce Trail- Partners in further interpretation of the Escarpment and its geological and historical importance to Limehouse

 

8.                  Women’s Institute Hall : Lends itself to some interpretation and events, and as a place for teas/ refreshments for potential sale during certain times of the summer, or as part of a festive event

 

9.                  Create Additional attractions:

 

Heritage Buildings in Village – interpret with a walking tour

Heritage buildings on the trail- tell story of structures no longer existing

Re-creation of  horse drawn carts on rails (Short Term)

Restoration of Scout Hall

Orgnanize heritage events

Trail interpretation

Have a place to bake stone oven- fresh bread !

 

The group identified potential sponsors including:

 

Ø      Community- Volunteers-in-kind, donations

Ø      Aggregate Industry

Ø      Corporate Foundations- Shell/etc.

Ø      Cement & Paint Industry

Ø      Construction Industry

Ø      Credit Valley Conservation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Group 4: THEME: Ecological Balance – Caves, Millpond, Nature, Vegetation

 

This group chose a chart format to report on the results of their discussions. These included an identification of themes, their significance, and ideas for interpretation, and are reported  on the following pages.

THEME	SIGNIFICANCE	INTERPRETATION
Geology of Quarries	One of the best geological examples of the escarpment because of the stone outcrop, little earth cover, limestone close to surface, etc.	Before Quarrying – Caves Caves’ fissures/shafts illustrate the natural cleaving off of the escarpment.   After Quarrying – Cliff at Kilns Cliff at kilns is man-made, cut back from original edge by quarrying
Harvesting of Original Forests	Several generations of vegetation, representing phases of old growth, clear cutting in last century & stewardship today by CVC	Old Growth Forest – North Side of Creek Old growth trees at caves show pre-settlement condition, 19th century residential type landscaping at former site of Gowdy Residence. Newer seedlings planted by CVC in a clearing for a once-proposed parking lot would also have been originally forest.   Recent Vegetation at Kilns – South Side of Creek Recent 2nd generation vegetation at escarpment indicates the clear-cutting around kilns (also evident in historic photos). The south creek bank can demonstrate the lumber industry from foresting at the escarpment, through milling at the creek & to fuel for the kilns.
Arboriculture of the Creek Valley Edges	The particular chemical composition of the rock substrate under the soil influences the species of trees which thrive.	Limestone Bedrock – With Topsoil Enrichment of “calcareous” soil from lime neutralizes acids & thereby nurtures tree species such as Hemlock, White Pine, Cedars, Maples. Lime Quarries – Stripping of Surface Layers Below the soil, the original top rock layer, dolomite (above the limestone), would normally retain the ground water nurturing vegetation. But this layer is removed in the quarrying around the kilns cliff allowing only the hardiest trees, e.g. Red Jack Pine, Balsam Fir, to survive.
Water Systems of the Credit Valley Conservation Area	Both the cause and result of the unique rock outcrop of Limehouse is its location at the intersection of 3 watersheds flowing into 2 of the Great Lakes as follows: Lake Erie,  Ontario Watershed: Grand River  Halton, Credit River	Natural Hydrological Systems – Stewardship  by Man Black Creek has is fed by ground water &, in turn, feeds Mill Pond, known anecdotally as a superb cold water fishery. The pond was manipulated in the 19th century for the various bordering uses including the mill, paint plant, a residence, etc. At the present day, the pond is nevertheless able to be naturalized under the CVC stewardship.   Man-Made Wetlands – Reclamation of Quarries The gorge created [by]from the quarry above & west of the escarpment & kilns has become a wetland ’fenn’. The natural hydrological system of this valley has been & can continue to be a model for quarry reclamation elsewhere in the area, i.e. the ‘Dolly Varden’ Blue Circle site.