Restoration work to preserve the former Cockshutt Plow Company office and the Timekeeper’s building is expected to be done this year.
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The work will focus on exterior brick and masonry of the two buildings. Weather protection of the roof and window openings will also be done, says a report prepared by city staff. It’s expected to be done in the second or third quarter.
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The buildings are on the remediated Mohawk-Greenwich brownfield at 66 Mohawk St. They are designated under the Ontario Heritage Act and in 2023 the city sets aside $360,000 for the restoration work.
The work aims to prevent further deterioration in the short-term in support of future use when redevelopment plans have been firmed up.
In 2020, the city entered into a 10-year lease agreement with the Canadian Industrial Heritage Center to help facilitate the centre’s plans for the two buildings, which includes a multi-use facility on the site.
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According to the staff report, the property must be ‘capped’ by hard service such as asphalt or landscaped with clean soil or fill, grass and gardens to a mandatory thickness before it can be used.
The report says capping of the property will be expensive and no funds have been set aside for that work at this time.
Plans for the restoration work were included in an update to the city’s four-year museum sustainability plan. The city is looking for ways to give local museums the tools they need to be successful.
The city provides financial support through the Community Cultural Investment Program (CCIP) to small to medium-sized cultural groups in Brantford. In 2023, the city provided just over $51,000 in support to 12 non-profit cultural organizations through the grant program.
All organizations that benefited from the grant program are members of the Brant Museums and Galleries Association or Brant Performing Arts Network.
Work on the museum sustainability plan this year will focus on how local museums can make a difference in the lives of visitors and residents.
The city began working on the museum sustainability plan following a report highlighting the challenges faced by local museums including a lack of funding and volunteers.
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