Sometimes, it’s easier to start from scratch than to continue with the existing system. In my mind, we, as a community, really need to focus on how we’re going to make Aurora a better place to live in the next 20 years. It’s up to the town to lead the project and provide us with the results of the strategic plan that will be implemented.

The idea of the strategic plan is a wonderful one. However, too many of the proposed ideas for the plan fall short. It’s easy to say we want this or that, but figuring out how to make it happen is the hardest part.

I wrote this post a couple of weeks ago about the Sheppard House Green Facelift, Home to the Windfall Ecology Centre. Let me revisit this topic in the context of the Aurora Strategic Plan. The Sheppard House is one of the heritage buildings in Aurora and is currently undergoing a heritage retrofit program aimed at reducing its energy consumption by about 75% while preserving its historical character. The project is being led by the Windfall Ecology Centre, an environmental non-profit organization that also resides in the Sheppard House.

I have educated myself more on their heritage retrofit program by reading this excellent detailed 25-page Guidebook.

On a side note, in this guidebook, in addition to the Sheppard House photo (the model work), there is a photo of the Hillary House, a primary suspect for my recommendation.

Aurora has a very rich history that deserves preservation and regular maintenance. The town needs to fully engage in the heritage retrofit program mentioned earlier, as this is a crucial component for the Aurora Strategic Plan.

Two recent sad stories hovering over the town are the potential demolition of the George Browning House (a must-read post: 100 Watts: The George T. Browning House by Chris Watts) and the estimated six hundred thousand dollar refurbishment costs for Hillary House. The Hillary House situation was a total surprise to me, and I hope these numbers are not just rough estimates.

Well, the strategic plan doesn’t start tomorrow; we must think about it now. Unfortunately, what is written today will be yesterday’s news, and we’re already a day behind.

I’m not sure if the George Browning House has a future, unless it is relocated, but even then, the true heritage aspect would likely be lost. On the other hand, the heritage retrofit program would be an excellent fit for Hillary House. But would that be an additional cost on top of the six hundred thousand dollar refurbishment estimate? That’s something I don’t know.

You can read the Windfall Ecology Centre guidebook yourself, as it outlines many excellent environmental benefits, with the key message being that it will preserve and conserve. The technologies are available, and the program is accessible. It may be experimental, but I believe it is doable.

So, going back to the beginning of this post, it’s always easier to start something from scratch—of course, if there’s nothing already in place. However, when we do have something in place, like a heritage building, and we’re considering demolition (such as with the Browning House), we often forget or completely overlook the fact that demolishing an old building and constructing a new one takes a significant amount of energy and resources.

Now, we have an option: the retrofit program. It’s up to the Town of Aurora, either now or in the near future, to engage with this opportunity and perhaps offer additional incentives to heritage building owners to encourage participation.