Further to my published comments on heritage preservation (The Leader, June 25), I would like to expand on the opportunities and challenges associated with preserving Surrey’s built past.

First, I commend Mayor Dianne Watts for promptly considering the formation of a heritage foundation in Surrey. I served on the inaugural board of the Vancouver Heritage Foundation in the ’90s, having been appointed by then-mayor Philip Owen. It was a gratifying, eye-opening experience.

Members of the professional home-building industry build modern communities, but they are also committed to preserving structures that have been proved to hold historical significance. Sadly, some buildings have been left to decay beyond repair, a status I refer to as demolition through neglect.

The Boothroyd House was restored by a Surrey builder, Park Ridge Homes. What started as an obligation turned into a labour of love and everyone can agree the house, now a thriving coffee shop, is a shining example of what can be achieved if all stakeholders work as a team. It did not come cheap, so cost must be taken into account when considering the potential preservation of such homes.

If a builder or landowner is expected to preserve a structure on his or her property, there must be some type of incentive, such as covering the cost of moving the home to another location on the site or off site and increasing the density permitted on the property – allowing, say, 18 homes to be built instead of 15.

The Vancouver Heritage Foundation’s mandate is to “promote the preservation, maintenance and restoration of buildings, structures and lands having historical or architectural significance.”

A heritage foundation should be comprised of participants with varied backgrounds – for example, architects, planners, heritage experts or proponents, developers, builders, councillors, accountants, lawyers, etc. The participants, regardless of their level of expertise and vocation, must all be influencers, people who can cut through the red tape and get things done in an expeditious manner.

Education programs, public awareness initiatives, fundraising (very critical) and special projects such as heritage fairs and artifact sales are all important functions of a heritage foundation.

Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to John Adams, wrote, “A morsel of genuine history – a thing so rare as to be always valuable.”

Surrey has a storied past; a heritage foundation can help to bring it to life.

Peter Simpson

Chief Executive Officer

Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association