TOWN OF WHITBY REPORT RECOMMENDATION REPORT

REPORT TO: Operations Committee

REPORT NO: CMS 1-11

DATE OF MEETING: 10 January 2011

FILE NO(S):

PREPARED BY: Community and Marketing Services

LOCATION: Town Wide

REPORT TITLE/SUBJECT:

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Plaques in Municipal Buildings

RECOMMENDATION: 1.

That Council repeal existing Policy 100006 – Plaques in Municipal Buildings; and,

2.

That Council approve the proposed policy regarding Plaques in Municipal Buildings as outlined in Community and Marketing Services (CMS) Report CMS 1-11.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Town’s practice is when a new or a significantly renovated municipally owned building has completed construction, a dedication plaque is prepared and situated in a place that the public can view. The plaque identifies pertinent information about the project/building, and generally includes the names of the Mayor and members of Council, and the municipal staff persons and external companies involved in the project. The existing policy regarding Plaques in Municipal Buildings, which dates back to 1976, is no longer in keeping with the Town’s current and more recent past practice and needs to be updated.

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ORIGIN: The Community and Marketing Services Department has been undertaking a review of current (parks and recreation) policies. During the past two years a number of existing policies have been repealed or updated, while new policies have been introduced and approved by Council. Policy 100006 is corporate in perspective, however the Community and Marketing Services Department is responsible for the construction and renovation of many municipal buildings. The most recent occasion for the

Report to: Operations Committee Report No.: CMS 1-11

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preparation and installation of a plaque was with the opening of the new Brooklin Community Centre and Library. 4.0

BACKGROUND: The Town’s current policy for Plaques in Municipal Buildings was adopted on March 8, 1976, through resolution 122-76. The Policy states as follows: “Plaques shall be installed in all municipal buildings indicating the date of construction only and where possible, corner-stones be laid.” A cornerstone is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. Over time a cornerstone has become a ceremonial masonry stone, or replica, set in a prominent location on the outside of a building, usually with an inscription on the stone indicating the date(s) of the building, and names of the architect, builder and other significant individuals. In February 2009 Council adopted a policy regarding naming of Parks and Recreation properties and facilities, however, that policy did not address plaques in municipal buildings.

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DISCUSSION/OPTIONS: Due to the significance associated generally with the permanency of installing plaques, it is prudent to have a policy that guides the municipality in this practice. Regarding the implementation of the current policy (Policy 100006), the Town has not typically laid a cornerstone in its new and renovated municipal buildings. Rather than use cornerstones, the Town’s current and past practice has been to install generally a cast bronze dedication plaque in a prominent location within the building for the public to view, usually in the vestibule or lobby. The Town’s practice has been to incorporate the name and/or description of the project, the names of the Mayor and members of Council, the architectural firm, the general contractor, and the names of key administrative staff, i.e., the Chief Administrative Officer, the Director of the Department and the Project Manager. Depending on the project, there is sometimes a description of the building included on the plaque. The date that is typically placed on the dedication plaque is when the building or facility is ‘officially opened’ by Council, which does not always coincide with when the building or facility is opened to the public for general programming purposes. The most recent example was the new Brooklin Community Centre and Library, which opened to the public on November 15th, while the official opening was held on November 27th.

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PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS/PLAN: N/A

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CONSIDERATIONS: A.

PUBLIC The purpose of a dedication plaque is to inform the public about the project/building, and convey information about when it was officially opened, and the names of the Mayor and members of Council, and key municipal staff and companies involved in the project.

B.

FINANCIAL The cost of the preparation and installation of a dedication plaque is incorporated into the overall construction cost of the project. A bronze plaque that measures 24” x 36” (60 cm x 90 cm) costs approximately $3,000.

C.

IMPACT ON & INPUT FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS/SOURCES Dedication plaques are generally placed in all municipal buildings.

D.

CORPORATE AND/OR DEPARTMENT STRATEGIC PRIORITIES Preserve and advance Whitby’s heritage, culture and natural environment.

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SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION That Council repeal the existing policy regarding Plaques in Municipal Buildings and replace the policy with the one proposed and attached to CMS Department Report 111.

Report to: Operations Committee Report No.: CMS 1-11

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ATTACHMENTS Attachment No. 1 - Policy 100006 Plaques in Municipal Buildings Attachment No. 2 – Proposed Policy for Plaques in Municipal Buildings For further information contact: Peter LeBel, Ext. 4319

___________________________________________ Peter LeBel, Director of Community and Marketing Services, Ext. 4319

___________________________________________ Robert Petrie, Chief Administrative Officer, Ext. 2211

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