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Friday, March 29, 2024
SORE wins heritage award for Randwood advocacy

Save Our Rand Estate, the Niagara-on-the-Lake group that has been fighting to protect and preserve the historic Randwood Estate in Old Town, has won a heritage award from the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario.

“The recognition of SORE’s dedication and effort is nice and appreciated,” SORE member Lyle Hall said in an email.

Hall felt the award was more important for the Rand Estate itself than for the group.

“What’s really nice is the Architectural Conservancy’s acknowledgment of the singular importance of the Rand Estate to not only the town but to the province,” Hall said.

“That is our biggest takeaway from this award.”

The Margaret and Nicholas Hill Cultural Heritage Landscape Award is given to groups or individuals that have worked to preserve a significant cultural heritage landscape.

The award is administered by Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, a charitable organization dedicated to encouraging the formation of local groups to preserve heritage buildings.

Notably, Nicholas Hill created a heritage conservation plan for the Queen and Picton area of NOTL in 1986.

Just last week, developer Benny Marotta’s Two Sisters Resorts Corp. successfully appealed a series of repair orders the town issued to be completed on the property by Jan. 25, 2022.

The appeal to delay most of the repairs until May 31 was granted by the committee of adjustment.

Hall said he was “somewhat dissapointed” by the committee’s decision.

But he said the committee member's heads were in the right space.

“We do not think the committee was buying most of what Mr. Marotta was trying to sell. We note that the committee has scheduled another meeting for November,” he said.

“This is not over. We continue to hope that Mr. Marotta will stop litigating every single thing the town does concerning the Rand Estate.”

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