Bracebridge; In Praise of Open Spaces In The Urban Neighborhood

IN PRAISE OF OPEN SPACES - AND THE KINDESS OF STRANGERS -

BRACEBRIDGE HAS COMPROMISED THE URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD

     The history makers? Who are they? International history makers? National? Provincial, regional and municipal? Do these history makers know in advance, their decision are going to change the rules of conduct? Influence social / cultural / economic history, when they approve major developments, and urban re-structuring?
    Mankind is the predominate history maker, after mother nature of course, so citizens are obviously aware that decisions they make, can and will have a profound impact on others. I have, on the other hand, met with municipal councillors in the past, who didn't consider themselves history makers in the least. They were all very immediate and "in the now," in thinking, with no real concern about collateral realities of decisions they made. In some cases, the decisions they made, demanded some future considerations, but largely, they gave it far less thought before casting their vote, than they should have; at least in context of altered community values that had been heralded on their watch.
     When Bracebridge Councillors, for example, decided to decentralize town hall, the recreation centre, the new ball diamonds, the high school, and one major commercial pod, I'm sure citizens would have hoped they understood this "history making" aspect, to their governance impact, on the community at large. I knew, as a community historian, that each one of these decisions, to move from the centre to the outskirts of the urban area, was what had been happening to thousands of similar small towns throughout North America. I also know, by extensive reading, that many of these communities have suffered from those same decisions; downtowns and main streets being disadvantaged economically, for many years, even decades, while commercial focus and re-investment adapts, and eventually adjusts. There are urban necessities to move outward, of course, but many communities that bought into the mall and plaza sprawl phenomenon, of the 1970's and 80's, caused their communities the health and welfare of the traditional business cores. But in order for the sprawl and decentralizing to have occurred, it required a host of in-favor enablers of town councils. Their decisions have had a profound impact on the local economy, and how the town will develop in the future. They didn't have to do this, but they did! So, as history makers everywhere, they have to be judged on whether their initiatives were positive, or negative, for the community. Or how much backtracking, and compromises have had to be made since their decisions took effect. Then there is the social / cultural impacts of changing from a small town, with a definable, prosperous centre of commerce and activity, to one that is sprawled out and less clearly defined, than what had been prevalant for most of its history to that point.
     I am not an urban planner. I did take a university level urban studies course, once, and had to study a downtown Toronto neighborhood, encompassing a dozen or so streets, in the Victorian influenced neighborhood of the The Grange. I studied the work of famed urban development guru, Jane Jacobs, so I do know a little bit about the influences of history, and what we should know, in the modern era, about too many dwellings, too few parks and open spaces.
     When our family moved to Bracebridge in the mid 1960's, first to a new bungalow on upper Toronto Street, and then one block west, to Alice Street, (a new neighborhood to an old one), there was no public parkland in our quarter of town. I pointed this out to a previous town council, on the day they made a public presentation, about selling Jubilee Park, on Wellington Street, for re-deployment as a university / college campus. I spoke at the public meeting, chaired by the mayor, with university officials in attendance, and reminded the town, that as far as due diligence went, in urban planning, selling the small, historic, central town park was reckless, as far as future neighborhood development. The officials looked at me as if I was from another galaxy. Throughout the period of public consultation, and the Ontario Municipal Board hearing, which ruled in favor of the development, I never once got a satisfactory answer about open space reduction in the key urban area of the town. Much as if there was no need to address what wasn't a big issue at the time. The present council wouldn't be any different, in acknowledging that selling the park had been the right thing to do at the time; but would now exclaim the virtues of the new ball diamonds that had to be created on rural property because of the Jubilee Park sale.
     This was another example of this historian going rogue, and I was one of only two, who made their objections to the plan, aggresively public.
     So back in 1966, in a small town of about 2,500 residents, in the urban neighborhoods (three years before the boundary changes that came with the implementation of Regional Government) we had Jubilee Park in "The Hollow," which was better known as "The Fairgrounds." When we arrived, it was best known, other than for baseball, as the grounds used in mid-September, for the annual Bracebridge Fall Fair. There was a track around the outside, which had once been used for horse races, and a large oval for equestrian events. On the north edge of the park, on the Ontario Street side, there were stalls for the livestock, and it also doubled as an entrance on fair days.
     There was William's Park, on the Muskoka River, although for a lot of youngsters, it was a long hike unsupervised, and because it abutted the Muskoka River, there were parents who wouldn't let their kids swim or even play there, unless adults went along. From Hunt's Hill, where Alice Street, was situated, it was a considerable hike on a hot day, and as kids are tuned, it was in another neighborhood, controlled by the youth of "The Hollow." Jubilee Park also was in their territory, but because it had the only ball diamonds in town for many years, it became a neutral place to meet-up, for casual afternoon baseball. All the young baseballers, would gather at around seven on those late spring evenings, to play in the minor baseball league. The mens recreational league played there twice a week. It was a nice central park, but it was void of trees, and could get ridiculously hot on summer days.
     Memorial Park uptown was okay for strolling through, and listening to occasional concerts, for special occasions, in the bandshell, but it wasn't suitable for baseball, football or soccer. It was the park we cut through to get to and from Bracebridge Public School. There was the Bracebridge and Muskoka Lakes Secondary School playing field, and the Monck Public School playground, which was substantial (soccer fields today), but these were also in The Hollow, and fields best suited for athletics, and not for playing cops and robbers, or war games, like most kids I knew back then enjoyed, with an array of plastic guns, or gun shaped pieces of wood, including dangerous looking sticks. There was the green belt at Bass Rock, on the North Branch of the Muskoka River, but it wasn't a designated parkland at that time. It was owned by the municipality, but had never been set-up as a public park, which didn't bother us. It was our little sliver of paradise, especially in our teenage years, for both laying on the rocks, watching the hippies wandering the shoreline, below the SSJE monastery, on the east side of the river, and hobos looking for a brief sunny respite; while we enjoyed swimming in the narrows between two rock hillsides.
     Up on Alice Street, and Hunt's Hill, we didn't have designated parkland. Not even a parkette. Even in a small, rural community, we had neighborhoods that were starved for park-sites. I can tell you, if it wasn't for the kindness to kids, shown by property owners, we would have had a much less enjoyable childhood. For example, the Webers, who let the local kids play in the sand-pit, on the hillside, behind their apartment building; Fred Bamford's kindness, to let us play in the sliver of woodland, behind their Woodley Park Cottages, between Toronto and Alice Streets; the owners of "The Grove," connecting our neighborhood to the Woodchester Villa (the Bird House) hillside, and the tract of field, behind the former Hammond's Garage, and the Ontario Hydro Yard, on Baysville Road. This was the most adverse place to play, in town, which was best suited for football games, each autumn season. The ground had years of oil tracked through, by many passing vehicles over the well worn, dirt path, and my mother, well ahead of her time on environmental issues, worried about what hydro might have in the way of chemicals, stored behind fences in their yard. When I came home, after a game of football, my pants were not only grass stained, but I had oil on my hands and on my clothes. Plus lots of small cuts and scrapes on my legs and elbows. Many people in that neighborhood wondered about chemicals like Agent Orange, and PCB contamination of the soil, from any spillage that might have occurred in those years, leaking from old transformers, getting into the ground water. I think about it whenever I hear of someone being diagnoized with cancer, who I know lived in that area of town. So far, none of my mates from those football years, has had a problem this way, and certainly nothing that could be linked to that field. But still, it was for all intents and purposes, an industrial corridor, unsuited for a playground. It was convenient however, and it's what neighborhood kids needed in close proximity. Adult councillors had a hard time seeing through the eyes of a child. It was blasphemy when I'd suggest they should ask their opinion, in a public neighborhood survey. What did they have to fear? That kids would be smarter and more insightful than they were being, selling off green space for development?
     The Grove was a large and wonderful green belt, in private hands I believe, and although there were neighborhood rivalries, we knew when and where not to venture, into certain parts of the multi acreage forest. For example, it became urban legend, that there would be grave consequences, if the Hunt's Hill kids, ventured into the low side of the woodland, where "Seven Tunnels" were apparently located; which was the hang-out zone of older teenagers, from Queen and Woodchester Streets, who wanted their privacy to do whatever they desired. We had some close encounters, but nothing serious. We gave them the respect they wanted, and stayed on the upper paths only, where we rode our bikes almost daily, throughout the summer season. It was a cool, inspiring place, but it was only by the owner's kindness, that we had this place to retreat to, when the days got hot, and we got bored.
     Bamford's Woods, was the same situation, but only a fraction of the size of "The Grove" property. Our third floor apartment window looked out over the woods, and I studied it over the four seasons; it was so generous of Fred and Mary Bamford, to let us play and ride our bikes through the tiny parkland, where I spent a huge amount of free time, swinging from trees, or playing some game or other. Merle liked it when I played there, because I was an easy "bellow" away, for lunch and dinner. There was a great little bike path across the road, from our apartment, to Black's Variety Store, in 1966, which would later become "Lil & Cec's," and then "Frasers," during my years living up on Hunt's Hill. It still operates now as the "Quicky Mart," I believe. Fred Bamford, was only concerned that we didn't cut down trees, or contaminate the landscape with our garbage. He had cottager renter who liked the natural pine buffer, between them and the urban neighborhood on the back, which was Alice Street, and our apartment block. So we tried to be good stewards, on Fred's behalf, and it made me nuts, when it was sold off, and developed into an apartment complex, quite a few years after we moved to another part of town. Those young kids from that point, lost the sand pit, because there is another apartment where it was located, Bamford's Woods is a distant memory, and The Grove has been filled with residential properties. Or most of it. The open ground beside where the old hydro yard was situated, is still open but not a good place to play.
     So now with the new baseball diamonds, re-established on Taylor Line, across the four lane highway, it can be said, that the Hunt's Hill neighborhood has parkland it didn't have before. As kids, from the area, we wouldn't have used the park, except if we were forced to do so, in order to play organized baseball. It's not convenient, and even with an overpass, our mothers, from that vintage, would not have approved us playing there because of the necessity of crossing over the highway. Parents are still concerned about their kids walking and biking to this out-of-the-way park, which is well equipped and designed, but still inconvenient to a lot of urban area youngsters. The parallel, would be how our mothers didn't like us playing at Williams Park, because of access they knew we would gain, to the abutting Muskoka River. I had to get permission to go to Jubilee Park, and it didn't have river frontage. I think parents are more protective of their children today, than the parents in my youth. So I'm pretty sure, there is concern, at present, about the distance their kids have to travel to get to this outer edge recreational facility.
     So a lot has changed since 1966, but not necessarily for the better. The Hunt's Hill kids lost three major green belts, in which to enjoy a variety of recreations, but have gained a ball park at about the same distance, as it was for us, back then, to attend Jubilee Park. There is still a need, as there was in my youth, for open space, and parkland for what will, one day, be a much more heavily populated neighborhood. This was another point, that bothered me about the attitude councillors had, at the time the park was sold for a use as a university / college campus. There was little concern about what should have been obvious, to any planning department, in any urban area in the world. The older neighborhoods of Bracebridge, will eventually be re-developed, and whole streets will be razed, for the eventual construction of multi-family units, apartment and condos. To prove my point, you just have to look at the transformation of the former High School property, now a new condo development, on the top of Tanbark Hill. At some point, this will become a high density area, and the parkland / open space has been compromised. The former high school track, was considered surplus a few years ago, but the Board of Education withdrew plans for selling it off; which undoubtedly would have been for development, and not conserved as urban open space. There has already been townhouse development, on the extension of Quebec Street, (formerly Ontario Street), offering multi-family residential housing. You don't need to be an urban planner, to sense the way of the future in an obviously transitional neighborhood. It is transitional. No doubt about it! Largely older houses at or past their prime. You can hate me for saying this, but it's just the way it is!
     The Town Council, that forwarded the Jubilee Park plan, despite considerable objection from neighboring residents, changed town history more than they will ever know; just as they did by facilitating re-location of the new recreation centre and high school, the town offices, and establishing a huge commercial pod at the north end, of the built-up urban area of the old town. As a direct result of these decentralizing changes, the town is now considering an upgraded transit strategy, to bridge a problem they created with largely unwarranted urban sprawl, in a still dominate seasonal, tourist economy. Critics might successfully argue, that the town got too far ahead of itself, in planning for future growth, and somewhat forgot about important things, like the well being of the traditional, historic, well established urban areas. Councils these days, aren't too concerned about parkland designations, and conserving urban open spaces for public use. Parks seem to be more of a liability to politicians these days. Insurance money pits! If however, they were concerned about the future, they would know how critical these allocations are, when they have to make decisions later, on plans for high density residential developments, of condos and apartment structures, where single family residences once stood. Once the parkland is gone, well, it's gone. Selling off Jubilee Park was short-sighted, and considering the park designation had survived from the 1800's, to the new century, we can at the very least, thank councils and the citizenry of the past, for their stewardship of an important urban resource.
     I remember when this issue came up for public scrutiny, and being flabbergasted that there wasn't one dissenting vote at the council table; not even one councillor against selling off public property, that belonged to the constituents of the municipality. It was a done-deal from the beginning, and objectors were made to feel bad, about trying to stop-up what was so great for the community's future prosperity. I can remember being taunted by the pro-side, that cold spring night, when Suzanne and I joined with neighbors and other objectors, protesting at a public meeting, at the former Centennial Centre on Wellington Street. I will never forget that night, and how a Bracebridge Councillor told us, pretty clearly, their side was going to win, and do so easily, so we should just drop our placards and go home. It had become a grudge match to the end, and the wounds will take a generation to heal. Well sir, time has passed, but feelings still haven't improved, and that has historical implications. It's the one thing council hasn't figured out how to remedy! How their decision to sell off the park, will be judged in coming decades, as the old urban area of town is transformed by new residential development. But I think Council has other things on their minds these days; like public transit for example. And by the way, Brant Scott and I, back in the early 1980's, following the opening of the Wellington Street Bridge, did a full page feature on the potential of public transit, in Bracebridge, and when it would become a necessity, due to the urban sprawl that was obvious even back then. So if council now thinks it is the first to contemplate this, it's just not so!
     One day in the near future, council will be forced to reconcile with the planning decisions made by former councillors, on the town's behalf. They may be forced to admit, at some distant point in time, that some of the decentralizing decisions didn't work as they were supposed to, and have caused certain other problems of urban planning, to rear-up instead. The town can not justify, in the economic sense, any substantial foray into public transit. There are a lot of other things to spend money on, in terms of upgrades, before covering even partial costs of a transit program, which of course, has become in some ways, a necessary project, because of planning decisions of the past. With the large number of houses for sale throughout South Muskoka, and some unfinished, and unfulfilled residential projects currently on the books, and the very real possibility South Muskoka Memorial Hospital, may receive additional cut-backs in services, and even be forced into a future merger, with Huntsville Hospital, the limits to growth are mounting as a much tighter frame, and possibly a little nerve-wracking, to those councillors who once, could see no end to city-bound development.
     Municipal councillors, with their four year terms of office, have far more impact on their communities, as a group, than ever before in regional history, because of continuity and consistency, over longer stays in office; which can work in a positive sense. Depending on the like-mindedness, on the other hand, it can also work in the opposite direction, as some municipalities have suffered with the impact of an adverse council, not performing as the constituency wishes. But they are history-makers, without doubt, and it's up to residents, to make sure it's a course of history they can live with. I don't believe, that if the Jubilee Park debate arrived on the council table today, much would change from the original decision. This will become a more contentious issue down the road than at present, because this is when the history it created, will either shine and prosper, or be seen as the compromise of the century, with decades of regret yet to come.
     It was made clear to this historian, at the time, angrily so, from many different objectors, to my involvement in the park debate, that I shouldn't use heritage as a leverage of protest, to quite literally stop history from being made in the first place. I tried, quite unsuccessfully, to convince these folks, that historians, because of the precedents they study, and what they know can and will repeat again, of both good and bad circumstance, possess an unspecified amount of information and experience that can be used to predict future outcomes. It's not that we're clairvoyent. Far from it! We just believe that what has passed, and been enjoyed, celebrated, and in many cases, endured, is more useful as a resource of knowledge, than as solely a black and white entry, according to protocol, in a history book, that serves only when called upon. My critics thought it would be good if I wrote a book, and they would call upon it, when they felt the need. In other words, "Historian, get lost, and stay that way!" Well, once you've gone rogue, there's no going back.
     Thanks so much for joining today's blog. It's great to have you aboard. If you want to get in touch with me, or offer an opinion about one of these blogs, feel free to correspond.


FROM MY BRACEBRIDGE ARCHIVES

ARRIVAL OF MUSEUM.....A GLOWING ACHIEVEMENT

WOODCHESTER HAD IT ALL - OR SO IT APPEARED

When Wayland Drew called me one evening, and asked if I had time to meet with him, regarding the idea I had recently proposed (in the local press) for a Bracebridge Historical Society (circa 1978 I believe), I was thrilled to have a potential partner. The initial response had been slow. I didn’t really know who Wayland (Buster) was, at that point, until my girlfriend at the time, Gail Smith, told me about the book he wrote on Lake Superior. I found out quite a bit about the good Mr. Drew, before I attended the meeting at his Bracebridge house. Here I was, a snotty nosed recent university graduate, with the ink still wet on the diploma, and I’m having an intimate meeting about Canadian and regional history, with an author of considerable national acclaim.

I wasn’t in that meeting five minutes, before I knew we would come to be good friends, and something terrific would happen up on that Woodchester Villa hillside. He had such a gentle, calming influence over a scared kid, who had just then, been happily, but politely put in his place. I was delighted to be his underling. And that never changed through many years and quite a few challenges. We didn’t always agree. Wayland and I got into a terrible fight over the removal of huge trees, that lined the steep lane up to the Bird house. He was trying to protect the century old pines and I advocated cutting them down. I was wrong. I told him so later. By then some of those trees had been removed. I won the initial argument, siding with the town, but it was no victory when I realized I’d crushed my partner.....a keen environmentalist who cared so much about the heritage of nature.....

Wayland may never have known this, because I certainly gave the appearance of being an unflinchingly independent, arrogant son-of-a-bitch, but he became one of the only mentors I’ve ever had. I read everything he’d put his pen to, and I thoroughly enjoyed his company for those early Historical Society evenings. He was an important man but you’d never know it, being in his company. It’s at Woodchester now that I see him so clearly. Every time I visit the site, I think about our first tour up to the Bird House, all boarded-up and desolate in early 1978. Gail and I walked around the property with him.....and despite how desperate the situation to reclaim the building, he had confidence something construction could happen here. And it did. He called his friends. Those friends called others, and it kept going and going, until there was a battalion of volunteers. I spent a lot of time in Wayland’s company, usually with my chin stuck against my chest, in absolute awe how he did what he did!

While to many Bracebridge citizens today, Woodchester Villa isn’t even a blip on the community radar. Why would it be? It’s just a museum. It has become largely a tourist-only venue, in its own thirty year history, although that was never the intent by those who faithfully tended the restoration. There is something important here that has been lost....just as much in need of refurbishing as the building itself. It’s the attitude we nursed along for that first decade, trying to make Bracebridge citizens as proud of the museum as we were. It was the exceptional show of citizen action, the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of folks who worked on that restoration......, and set-up the museum, that inspires me even today about the power of a hometown to attain incredible milestones. I think now about the thousands of hours spent on paper work issues, negotiations for the Alvin Kaye collection, gardening, decorating, painting and trimming.....not to mention work spent on so many elaborate fundraising events in those early years. To many weary folks, exhausted from exquisite Empire Dinners, and both Blueberry and Strawberry Socials, that took so many, many hours away from family, home and business responsibilities. It did result in family stresses. I was threatened with divorce many times during my years of near-residence on-site. Yet, at the end of every event, at closing time every day, sitting on those steps of the front verandah, it all seemed worth the effort. It seemed so very relevant to Bracebridge.....and it’s true that all the work, and blind faith in what we were doing, tended to blind us to the reality many citizens still had no interest in visiting.....even when we suspended admission charges. We just didn’t have the money to invest in promotion and counted on the generosity of two local newspapers to help us out. But that was running into opposition as well, by the late 1980's, as their publishers decided the free-ride was over. It was a back breaker but they were right. We should have been able to pay for and profit from promotions. It didn’t happen that way. Then came the recession. Change was imminent.

When it comes to a thorough examination of Woodchester’s future, I will have no hesitation whatsoever, barking out in a loud, clear, and arrogant voice, about my very great pleasure in life, to have been associated with the grand effort of the Bracebridge Historical Society, the Bracebridge Rotary Club and the Town of Bracebridge, in a hometown partnership that produced a really fine museum. What might now be considered a nuisance expense, and a civic burden, was once considered the hallmark of citizen action. It was not just the “who’s who” of Bracebridge who rebuilt Woodchester, but a mixture of casual acquaintances who became friends; good and lasting friends.

The last time I spoke with Wayland Drew, it was at an outdoor literary event, sponsored by “Muskoka Ink,” held at Woodchester, long after we had both retired from the Historical Society. Quite ill, by this time, I remember him walking across the lawn to shake my hand, after I’d read a short paper about former Toronto Sun columnist, Paul Rimstead, a former Bracebridge lad. I didn’t know it prior to this, but Wayland and I were both Rimstead fans. He let me know I’d written an excellent tribute piece. From him, it was a moment to be cherished. The fact that he acknowledged my writing at all, was a great honor. We stood for awhile talking about the old days at Woodchester, all the work, the frustrations, anxious moments, and successes we both felt had been achieved on this beautiful hillside, overlooking the Muskoka River. It was such a perfect, warm and memorable evening. We shook hands, made the same trustful eye contact, we had on our first meeting, and wished each other well. And I knew this would probably be our last meeting. It was.

When it comes to making a decision about the property, there are many who should be consulted about its fate. There’s a lot more to this old building than what appears to the eye. It is very much a monument to so many people, who had the best intentions for the site.......but if they can be at fault for anything, it was a general misunderstanding of grants and revenues, long past those first five years of operation. The fact so many of these people were elderly at the beginning, meant an ongoing need to bring aboard enthusiastic young folks to carry the burden. It didn’t happen with the same vigor as it had begun. As the town debates this site’s future, I hope it will consider its history with some sensitivity and compassion......because to dismiss it casually, or disregard its storied past, would be unforgivable to all hometown values.

Let Town Council know what you think. They know my opinion!

SOME FINAL OBSERVATIONS ABOUT WOODCHESTER VILLA AND THE ILL FATED BRACEBRIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

THE BRACEBRIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY WAS LAUNCHED BY GOOD INTENTION. IT'S MISSION TO RESTORE ONE OF NORTH AMERICA'S FEW REMAINING OCTAGONAL BUILDINGS, BASED ON THE DESIGN OF ORSON SQUIRE FOWLER, WAS AN IMPORTANT HERITAGE PROJECT. IT WASN'T FRIVOLOUS OR A WASTE OF MONEY. IT WAS A GOOD AND SOUND PROPERTY ACQUISITION, AND THE FACT THE CHAPEL GALLERY HAS BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL WITH ITS MUSKOKA ARTS AND CRAFTS ASSOCIATION, PROVES THAT FOLKS WILL TRAVEL A LITTLE OUT OF THE WAY TO SEE SOMETHING THAT PLEASES THEM. THE MUSEUM FOR MANY YEARS, DID THE SAME, AND REPRESENTED BRACEBRIDGE AND ITS HERITAGE QUITE WELL. I KNOW SO. I WAS THERE.

WELL RESPECTED CITIZENS WERE BEHIND THIS PROJECT. I CO-PRODUCED THE WOODCHESTER VILLA BOOKLET WITH BRACEBRIDGE HISTORIAN ROBERT BOYER. THE PRESIDENT OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, WAYLAND DREW, WAS A WELL KNOWN CANADIAN AUTHOR. HIGHLY RESPECTED LAWYER, E.P. LEE HELPED DRAFT OUR CONSTITUTION. BANK MANAGER AND TOWN COUNCILLOR, RALPH MELVIN, OFFERED A WEALTH OF INFORMATION ON THAT FIRST BOARD OF DIRECTORS. THE LIST OF VIPS IS A LONG ONE. THE WORK OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF BRACEBRIDGE WAS REMARKABLE. THESE WERE THE HALCYON HERITAGE DAYS IN BRACEBRIDGE, AND IT WAS EXCITING. WHEN WOODCHESTER VILLA IS CONSIDERED TODAY, UNFORTUNATELY, MUCH OF THIS IS MISSING FROM COUNCIL DISCUSSIONS, AND NEWSPAPER REPORTING. I COULDN'T NEGLECT THIS MINOR RE-TELLING OF A MEMORABLE PERIOD IN OUR LOCAL HISTORY. IT IS SUCH A SAD OCCASION NOW, TO KNOW ITS FUTURE LOOKS SO BLEAK.

PRESENT BRACEBRIDGE COUNCILLORS MIGHT STAND UP ON THAT HILLSIDE TODAY, AND LOOK AT WOODCHESTER AND THE ANCHOR OF ITS HERITAGE DESIGNATION, AND FEEL IT IS NOTHING MORE THAN A LEGACY "MONEY PIT." AS I MENTIONED NUMEROUS TIMES THROUGHOUT THE SMALL SERIES OF WOODCHESTER BLOGS, THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE NARROW VIEW, CERTAINLY FROM THE MID 1980'S, WHEN EVEN MENTIONING WOODCHESTER VILLA TO A COUNCILLOR, BROUGHT ABOUT A SUDDEN CHILL IN THE CONVERSATION. SO IT'S NOT THAT I BLAME PRESENT COUNCILLORS FOR VIEWING THE MUSEUM THIS WAY, AND MOST OF IT IS TRUE. THE MEASURE OF ITS SUCCESS HOWEVER, HAS ALWAYS BEEN CLOAKED BY ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES. THE NON-FISCAL REALITIES OF THE SITE, ARE EITHER IGNORED OR MISUNDERSTOOD, BECAUSE NO ONE HAS EVER BEEN ABLE TO PRESENT ITS TOURISM VALUE SUCCESSFULLY, TO A TOWN COUNCIL DEALING WITH PROFIT, LOSS AND COMPLIANCE TO BUDGETS. THIS IS A PROBLEM FOR MANY HERITAGE SITES, ART GALLERIES, AND I DARE SAY EVEN PUBLIC LIBRARIES. WHAT IS THE VALUE OF "GOODWILL." HOW MUCH "GOODWILL" HAS BEEN RAISED BY THIS LITTLE OCTAGONAL HOUSE ON THE HILL? WHAT ABOUT THE CHAPEL GALLERY?

WHENEVER I HAD TO APPROACH COUNCIL FOR ASSISTANCE, AT WOODCHESTER, IT WAS ALWAYS THE CASE OF "SHOW US THE MONEY." I UNDERSTOOD THAT NEED. NO MATTER HOW MANY VISITORS TO WOODCHESTER WERE IMPRESSED BY THE SHOW WE PUT ON FOR THEM, THE ONLY ACCOUNTING THE TOWN WAS CONCERNED WITH, WAS THE EVENTUAL DEPOSIT WE MADE AT THE BANK. THEY NEVER UNDERSTOOD THAT BECAUSE WE HAD A TIGHT BUDGET, THERE WASN'T MUCH MONEY, AFTER STAFFING THE PLACE, LEFTOVER TO PLACE ADVERTISEMENTS IN THE LOCAL PRESS, OR ANYWHERE ELSE. I HAD TO BEG MUSKOKA PUBLICATIONS TO RUN OUR PRESS RELEASES AT LEAST, TO PROMOTE SOME OF OUR LARGE EVENTS. I BECAME VERY PROFICIENT AT THE ART OF THE "PRESS RELEASE." I GOT A LOT OF PUBLICITY FOR FREE, AND ANYONE WHO CONTACTED US ABOUT DOING A STORY ON WOODCHESTER, WAS TREATED AS IF THEY WERE ROYALTY. I ENTERTAINED MANY TRAVEL WRITERS FROM DAILY PUBLICATIONS, LIKE THE TORONTO STAR, AND MAGAZINES FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, WHO WERE LOOKING AT INTERESTING HERITAGE LOCATIONS IN CANADA. IT WAS THE SAME WITH THE ELECTRONIC MEDIA. I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY FREEBIES I CONNED OFF CKCO REGIONAL NEWS REPORTER, GAR LEWIS, WHO THANKFULLY WAS A GOOD FRIEND…..AND ALWAYS INTERESTED IN SOMETHING NEW AT THE MUSEUM. I JUST KEPT COMING UP WITH INTERESTING ANGLES, AND COMMUNITY EVENTS THAT WOULD MAKE GOOD PHOTO-OPS. WE HAD TO TAKE WHATEVER WE COULD TO PROMOTE THE MUSEUM, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE DIDN'T HAVE MORE THAN ABOUT A GRAND A YEAR, FOR CONVENTIONAL NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING. THE TOWN COULDN'T HAVE CARED LESS ABOUT OUR DISADVANTAGES THAT WAY, AND YUP, THIS WAS THE NAGGING PROBLEM THAT FRANKLY, DOOMED THE MUSEUM FROM THE BEGINNING.

THERE IS NO WAY OF EVER TRULY KNOWING WHAT GOODWILL WAS WORTH IN THOSE YEARS, AND WHAT THE SPIN-OFF WAS TO THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY. WE ALWAYS REMINDED GUESTS TO VISIT DOWNTOWN BRACEBRIDGE, AND WE WOULD ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT GOOD PLACES FOR FAMILY DINING, CLOTHES SHOPPING, ANTIQUE SHOPS AND SO MANY INQUIRIES ABOUT SANTA'S VILLAGE. WE WERE AS MUCH A TOURIST INFORMATION SITE, AS A COMMUNITY MUSEUM. WE FELT, ON MOST OCCASIONS, THAT WE WERE SENDING PEOPLE OFF TO SEE THE REST OF TOWN, FEELING AS IF THEY HAD ENJOYED OUR HOSPITALITY AS A STARTING POINT TO A COMMUNITY-WIDE VISIT. THE STAFF WAS RIGOROUSLY REMINDED THAT THEY WERE TOWN AMBASSADORS, AND AS SUCH, IT WAS IMPORTANT TO BE AS OBLIGING AS POSSIBLE. IF WE HAD A COMPLAINT, IT WAS NEVER BECAUSE A STAFF MEMBER WAS RUDE, OR INDIFFERENT. IF WE WEREN'T ABLE TO AFFORD A NEWSPAPER OR MAGAZINE ADVERTISEMENT, THEN WE HAD TO COUNT ON OUR SATISFIED CUSTOMERS, SPREADING THE WORD AMONGST OTHER POTENTIAL VISITORS. IT DID WORK TO A DEGREE. WHEN WE PUT ON CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS ESPECIALLY, WE HAD MANY RETURNING FAMILIES EVENT AFTER EVENT. SOME CAME FROM AREA RESORTS, THAT HAD OFFERED OUR SCHEDULE OF EVENTS ON THEIR COMMUNITY RECREATION BOARDS. WE FLEW ON THE CHEAP, AND HONESTLY, WE FLEW A LONG WAY ON A LITTLE.

IF I STOOD SIDE BY SIDE PRESENT BRACEBRIDGE COUNCILLORS, AT THE FRONT OF WOODCHESTER VILLA TODAY, I WOULD HAVE THE SAME PERPLEXING PROBLEM AS I HAD IN THE 1980'S, WHEN I FIRST MENTIONED THE NEED TO MAKE SOME REPAIRS TO THE VERANDAH….THE PORCH, THE CRUMBLING WALL. "SHOW US THE MONEY?" WHY WOULD IT BE ANY DIFFERENT NOW? IF I COULDN'T GENERATE ENTHUSIASM WHEN WE HAD FIVE HUNDRED OR MORE VISITORS TO A BLUEBERRY SOCIAL, OR A CHRISTMAS IN JULY EVENT, HOW IN THE WORLD WOULD I BE ABLE TO SELL THEM ON THE PRESENT, LOOKING-ABANDONED BIRD HOUSE? IF EVER THERE WAS THE REQUIREMENT OF A COUNCILLOR TO BE CONCILIATORY AND VISIONARY, ABOUT THIS HERITAGE SITE, NOW IS THE TIME. WHAT A TIME FOR THIS TO HAPPEN! WITH THE ABSOLUTE NEED FOR BUDGET RESTRAINT, AND TAXPAYER EXHAUSTION, I'M AFRAID IT IS THE WORSE PERIOD IN MODER HISTORY, TO BE ASKING COUNCIL FOR A HAND-OUT OR A HAND-UP. PROVINCIAL AND FEDERAL FUNDING IS GOING TO BE HARDER TO GET.

A YEAR AGO I STUCK MY OAR IN, ON THE WOODCHESTER DEBACLE. I DID SO AS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY MEMBERS, AND INITIATORS OF THE BIRD HOUSE RESTORATION, DATING BACK TO 1977-78. I FELT AN OBLIGATION TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM, I HAD A HAND IN CREATING IN THE FIRST PLACE. I WROTE TO THE TOWN, AND COMPOSED A LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE BRACEBRIDGE EXAMINER, OFFERING MY ASSISTANCE, TO DEAL WITH ANY IMMEDIATE AND FUTURE ISSUES…..WHICH COULD HAVE MEANT GOING INTO THE BUILDING AND SECURING THE VALUABLE ANTIQUES AND HERITAGE ITEMS IN THE MUSEUM. FROM THE LETTER IN THE NEWSPAPER, I ONLY RECEIVED TWO RESPONSES, AND FROM THE TOWN, A POLITE "THANK YOU." NOW CONSIDERING WOODCHESTER WAS RESTORED BY HUNDREDS OF VOLUNTEERS, STRETCHING OVER ABOUT FIVE YEARS OF ITS MOST ACTIVE MUSEUM BUSINESS, IN THE EARLY 1980'S, THE COMMUNITY WAS BEING QUITE CLEAR ON THE MATTER. "LEAVE US ALONE." AS FOR THE TOWN, MY FEELING WAS THE SAME. AND I DID. UNTIL JUST RECENTLY, READING COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL SOURCES, INDICATING THE BUILDING MIGHT BE BULLDOZED, TAKEN APART, AND REBUILT PIECE BY PIECE, AND THAT AT LEAST ONE COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE, WAS UNAWARE IF THE CONTENTS WERE STILL IN THE MUSUEM. SO I STUCK MY OAR IN AGAIN, WHETHER IT WAS DESIRED OR NOT.

I INFORMED THE EDITOR OF THE BRACEBRIDGE EXAMINER, THAT SHOULD THE REPORTER, WHO DID THE MOST RECENT STORY ON WOODCHESTER, WISH SOME BACKGROUND ON THE MUSEUM…..SOME INSIGHT ABOUT THE YEARS OF STRUGGLE TO KEEP IT AFLOAT, AND MY INVOLVEMENT AS ONE OF THE FOUNDING DIRECTORS, I WOULD WELCOME THE REVIEW OF MY POSTED BLOGS, DATING BACK TO THE LATE WINTER OF 2011. JUST FOR THE RECORD. TO CLEARLY SHOW THAT I HAD OFFERED TO HELP AFTER THE COLLAPSE OF THE WRAP-AROUND VERANDAH, AND ADVISE ON THE POSSIBLE FUTURE OUTCOMES FOR THE SITE. AS YOU CAN READ FROM MY PREVIOUS BLOGS, POSTED ON THIS BRACEBRIDGE SITE, I AM NOT A STRICT ADVOCATE FOR SITE RESTORATION, OR ITS RETURN TO MUSEUM FUNCTION, BASED ON THE HIGH COST OF REPAIRS INSIDE AND OUT. I HAVE SUGGESTED THE SITE BE CONSIDERED AS AN ARTS / HERITAGE CENTRE, AND IF THE BUILDING COULD BE RESTORED, THAT IT BE USED AS AN ART-RELATED FACILITY. I SEE THE VALUE OF A COMMUNITY MUSEUM IN THE FUTURE, BUT IN A NEW BUILDING IN A MORE ACCESSIBLE, VISIBLE PART OF TOWN.

THIS IS MY LAST WORD ABOUT WOODCHESTER…..AT LEAST UNTIL I READ THE NEXT NEWS ITEM ABOUT ITS FATE. I WISH THE TOWN HAD BEEN BETTER STEWARDS OF THE SITE, SINCE MY DEPARTURE IN 1989, BUT WHAT IS DONE IS DONE. WHAT HAPPENS NOW? MAYBE YOU CAN PLAY A ROLE. DON'T BE AFRAID OF MAKING COMMENT.