A new way to recognize historical buildings in the Town of Kingsville.
Council approved the Kingsville Heritage Plaque Program (KHPP) at Monday night's meeting.
The program offers residents a less formal way to recognize historically significant properties, whether for their architectural, historical, or cultural value.
Richard J.H. Wyma, Director of Planning and Development, said KHPP provides residents the opportunity to gain some recognition rather than going through a designation via the Ontario Heritage Act.
"The idea is that the land owner would come forward with a recommendation or with a request to have their property considered, administration would take a look at those and work very closely with the [Kingsville Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee] towards ultimately approving and putting up a plaque, or having a plaque put up on those homes to celebrate the local heritage," Wyma said.
Councillor Thomas Neufeld was in favour of the program.
"Certainly if somebody wants to wear that plaque as a badge of honour so to say that we shouldn't be stopping them, and with the right marketing certainly is a great selling feature for Kingsville," Neufeld said.
Neufeld said Kingsville values and supports its heritage.
"Not having to meet all the criteria and it's fairly loose, I don't see a problem with it, I'm looking forward to seeing how the uptake is," he said.
The application fee is $100 which includes the partial cost of plaque production.
If approved, property owners would be responsible for installing the plaque in a visible location.