General Amherst High School will be listed on The Town of Amherstburg’s Heritage Register as a non-designated, “Property of Interest” going forward.
That's not the same as a heritage designation, rather it's just a formal acknowledgement of the heritage value of the property located at 130 Sandwich Street North.
The site went to the Heritage Committee back in December, where they found that of the nine criteria the province has for heritage value, it ticked the boxes of four of them.
Councillor Michael Prue says this move is nothing more than acknowledging that there are certain aspects of the high school that are worth saving.
""And we don't have to save them at this point, we just have to acknowledge that they're there. In terms of the masonry construction, the flat roof form, the fenestration patterns, etc."
Prue says by listing a property on the Municipal Register, it provides interim demolition protection to the town and a say in what's important.
"If someone were to buy it, if the town is not the purchaser and someone was to buy it, and we set out what the important aspects are, then they can build around it. It's called facadism."
He says no matter what the future holds for the high school, this will protect the town and school board in being able to preserve certain parts.
"There are important things here, and should someone other than the school board end up obtaining it, they would know that in advance. Whatever they want to do, everything from building a hotel to condos or whatever, that we want certain things to remain as part of a new structure. That's all, simple."
The only restriction for a listed property is that the owner is legally required to give the Town 60 days written notice of intention to demolish.
This 60-day time period allows Council to consider whether the property should be designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, or for demolition to be approved.
Should the Town ever decide to proceed with a Heritage Designation, a bylaw would have to come to council where councillors would decide which elements of the site were protected and which ones weren't.