City council will spend $75,000 to rehabilitate a piece of the city’s history – a project one councillor said is a ‘total waste of time.’
Council, during budget planning last week, chose to allocate money towards improvements on the Walter Morgan Studio – a large shed built behind the Sybil Andrews Cottage by Andrews’ husband, Walter Morgan.
The studio is on the city’s heritage registry, along with the Sybil Andrews Cottage, and Mayor Andy Adams said while a temporary fix to the bracings and supports on the porch took place last year, the studio still needs some “substantial work.”
But Coun. Ron Kerr said the money isn’t worth it.
“To me it’s got a very limited use,” Kerr said. “If you’re going to spend a dollar on it, I would knock it down and put that dollar toward building a facility that can actually be good year round for artists and wood workers. To continue to pour money into what was basically a shack on the beach there, I think is a total waste of time.”
Coun. Larry Samson disagreed.
“If you look at the Sybil Andrews Cottage, people come from all over the world to that location. She was an artist recognized internationally,” Samson said. “It’s part of our heritage, part of the Willow Point Heritage down there. I think to simply tear down all our history I think is a mistake.”
The rest of council agreed and voted to undertake the improvements in 2016.