Agenda Index City of Vancouver

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

TO:

Vancouver City Council

FROM:

Executive Director, Vancouver Heritage Foundation

SUBJECT:

Vancouver Heritage Foundation - 2001 Annual Report

 

RECOMMENDATION

CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS

COUNCIL POLICY

Council approved the creation of the City of Vancouver Heritage Conservation Foundation, known as the Vancouver Heritage Foundation (VHF), in June 1992, with the Mayor & Council as its Directors.

On January 1, 1998, the Mayor and Council relinquished day-to-day governance to an independent Board of Directors appointed by City Council, who remain as the Honorary Patrons.

At its September 13, 2001 meeting, the Planning & Environment Committee of Council approved a 3-year contract with the Vancouver Heritage Foundation (VHF), at an annual cost of $100,000, subject to an annual report from the Foundation, including progress on the generation of an operating endowment fund. This funding is to be provided from the annual operating budget, commencing in 2002.

Also, on September 13, 2001, the Planning & Environment Committee of Council authorized the Director of Legal Services to execute an operating agreement and contractwith the Vancouver Heritage Foundation, to be drawn to the satisfaction and approval of the General Manager of Community Services and the City Manager.

PURPOSE

This report seeks Council approval of the Vancouver Heritage Foundation's 2001 annual report according to its operating agreement with the City of Vancouver, as signed by the Foundation on March 25, 2002. Upon approval of the annual report the VHF will receive their 2002 operating money.

BACKGROUND

In the Fall of 2001, Council approved a 3-year contract with the Vancouver Heritage Foundation at an annual cost of $100,000, subject to the approval of an annual report to Council by VHF. Staff were asked to draft an operating agreement, which has now been executed. This report fulfills the annual report requirement of the VHF operating agreement with the City of Vancouver.

DISCUSSION

The Vancouver Heritage Foundation had a very successful year. A detailed account of the Foundation's 2001 accomplishments are listed in the accompanying Annual Report (Appendix A). A public version of the report will be published following the Foundation's Annual General Meeting, planned for April 29, 2002. Highlights include:

· Successfully completing the third round of granting in True Colours, bringing 3 new heritage designations and one HRA to the city, and bringing to 16 the total number of houses painted in the program. The colour palette includes 35 colours unique to the city of Vancouver. Paint chips for the True Colours are now available in some Benjamin Moore retailers. A national magazine, Style at Home, featured True Colours, as did numerous articles in the Vancouver Sun; and a pamphlet helping homeowners to find the True Colours of their own houses was produced.

· The Heritage & Antiques Fair attracted over 5,000 interested Vancouverites to almost 70 exhibits of antiques, heritage suppliers and tradespeople and related associations. The Fair offered 20 heritage-related seminars and demonstrations. Most of the salvaged terracotta from the Georgia Medical Dental Building was sold at the Fair. Over 13 corporate sponsors and private benefactors contributed monetarily to the Fair. The event raised about $40,000 for the Foundation.

In addition to fundraising at the Fair, the Foundation also reports:

· A new bequest which is a percentage of the residual of the donor's will. This is in addition to the existing $20,000 bequest to benefit education activities.

· A financial benefit of $20,000 to the VHF from the sale of the nursing sisters from the Georgia Medical Dental Building.

· The moving, restoration and sale of the Leslie Lane House at 1380 Hornby Street, continues to move through the City's permitting process. This project is slated to go ahead in 2002 and is projected to bring $100,000 to the VHF fundraising efforts. The restoration will be funded through the donation of the house and $62, 500 from the building owner, land leased at a nominal cost from the City of Vancouver, numerous donations of professional services and hard goods, and a line of credit at the VanCity Savings.

· Gratefully and successfully secured operating funding of $100,000 / yr. from the City of Vancouver for 3 years, beginning 2002.

The last fiscal year ended with a modest surplus of almost $50,000. (The 2001 audited Financial Report is attached as Appendix B.) The surplus was primarily from the fundraising and sale of terracotta at the Fair. In response to City Council and VHF's desire to grow the Endowment Fund at the Vancouver Foundation, a percentage of the operating surplus that was generated from fundraising efforts in 2001, will be deposited into the Vancouver Foundation VHF Endowment Fund. This deposit will follow receipt of the 2002 operating money from the City of Vancouver, and the fundraising results of the 2002 Heritage & Antiques Fair.

The upcoming fiscal year, January-December 2002, is looking very positive. (The budget for the current year is attached as Appendix C.) Income from the 2002 Fair is projected to be $50,000. The funds from the $20,000 sale of the terracotta nurses will come through, as will the $62,500 donation for the Lane House project.

Attached is a 2002 work plan (Appendix D) which outlines anticipated activity in the current year.

- - - - -

APPENDIX A

YEAR 2001 ANNUAL REPORT

Vancouver Heritage Foundation Mission

The Vancouver Heritage Foundation was established as a charitable organization in 1992 by Mayor & Council of the City of Vancouver, who were its inaugural governing body and remain the Foundation Honorary Patrons until today. Since 1998 the Foundation has been governed by a citizen Board of Directors.

The Vancouver Heritage Foundation was created to assist the city and its citizens in the conservation of Vancouver's built heritage in recognition of its public benefit through:

1. Fundraising to protect heritage buildings in perpetuity through endowment funds, grants and donations of real property and planned gifts.
2. Partnering with related private industry.
3. Developing granting programs that provide an economic incentive for the restoration of heritage buildings.
4. Education and awareness programs to raise public interest in Vancouver's built heritage.

Visit us on the web at www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org for up to date photos of True Colours houses, information about the Heritage & Antiques Fair, copies of OLD NEWS, a heritage homeowners resource reading list, how to become a Friend of the Vancouver Heritage Foundation and much more.

Programming


True Colours - an exterior paint granting program

True Colours is an exterior paint granting program in corporate partnership with Benjamin Moore Paint Co. Ltd. Selected heritage houses are scraped, their original colours are matched and formulated by Benjamin Moore and the houses are then painted in their original and authentic colours. A palette of over 30 colours true to the history of Vancouver has been developed. To date 12 new designations have been brought to the City of Vancouver through the program. The remaining homes are protected through Heritage Revitalization Agreements. Six houses were painted in 2001, bringing to 16 the total number of houses painted in their original and authentic colours through the True Colours program.

The program provides homeowners with approximately $4500 in assistance, with Benjamin Moore providing about $2500 in retail value of paint for each house and the Vancouver Heritage Foundation giving a $500 heritage colour consultation and a $1500 cash grant upon successful completion of each paint project.

To assist all Vancouverites interested in discovering the True Colours of their own home, the Foundation, in partnership with the Victoria Heritage Foundation, published a booklet about heritage colour, presented True Colours seminars, mounted a visual display at the Heritage & Antiques Fair, put on a bus tour of True Colours houses, developed a Self-Guided Tour Map, and lastly made available a binder of house photos and colour chips in each local Benjamin Moore retailer. Sample tins of True Colours are also available at Benjamin Moore Retailers.

The program has achieved a great deal of media attention in the past year with multiple articles in the Vancouver Sun and a feature article in the national magazine, Style at Home.

Vancouver's 2nd Heritage & Antiques Fair
March 23- 24, 2001

Under the capable guidance of Co-chairs, Mamie Angus and Robert Lemon, and Honorary Patrons, Mayor Philip Owen and Mrs. Gordon T. Southam, the Fair was a great success. At the Friday evening Opening Benefit, over 200 people enjoyed the almost 70 exhibits, silent auction, entertainment, food and wine. During the weekend, 5000 people browsed and bought antiques, linked with heritage trades and suppliers, attended the more than 20 demonstrations and seminars on topics related to heritage homes and their restoration and enjoyed the historical fashion shows with their colourful social commentary.

Corporate sponsors are a key fundraising strategy of the Fair. For the 2nd Fair there were 13 corporate sponsors and numerous financial benefactors and contributors of goods and services which together offset the tremendous cost of hosting the Fair.

Of great interest at the Fair were the terracotta fragments from the Art Deco Georgia Street Medical Dental Building which was demolished in 1992. Over 40 terracotta pieces were sold during the Fair with the proceeds going to the Foundation's fundraising efforts of the Fair. In all, through raffles, sale of the terracotta, individual benefactors and sponsorship, the Fair raised about $40,000 for the Foundation.

Education & Public Awareness

Extensive heritage related education programs are offered on the demonstration and seminar stages at the Heritage & Antiques Fair. The BC Heritage Trust awarded a generous grant to partially fund the cost of mounting the education programs. And The City Program, Simon Fraser University promoted the programs.

Two issues of the Foundation newsletter, OLD NEWS, were distributed to 2000 homes outlining the organization's accomplishments, activities and related community events.

Resource Development through gifts of real property, planned gifts and grants.

The Heritage & Antiques Fair is a fundraising program as well as an education and awareness program. The Fair links the Foundation with businesses and individuals who can assist the Foundation in its fundraising efforts.

The Foundation received its second bequest in 2001 as a percentage of the residual of the donor's estate. The previous bequest is a bequest of $20,000 to be used for research, lectures, books, displays or other educational purposes on the history of Vancouver.

Special Projects:

This Old House Committee

During 2001, the Leslie Lane House project, to move and restore this small downtown dwelling for fundraising purposes, continued to be moved through the city's permitting process. The building, and part of the cost of its relocation to Mole Hill, have been donated by Mr. Umberto Menghi. The land at Mole Hill has been leased from the City of Vancouver to the Foundation for a nominal sum. Generous donations of professional services, including architectural, legal, engineering, landscaping and real estate, were secured to benefit the project. Projected fundraising revenue to the Foundation from the project is $100,000.

The 1903 lane house behind the 1888, Victorian style Leslie House at 1380 Hornby Street, is one of the last remaining lane houses in the downtown area. It began life as a stable in 1901, then was framed in and finished in 1903 for Mr. George Leslie's daughter and son-in-law. It was subsequently occupied by a succession of tradespeople, including lathers, plasterers and carpenters, until the late 1940's when it became the home of Leslie Interiors, under the proprietorship of Miss Wilhelmine Meilicke. From the late 60's until 1981, Mano & Olive Herendy lived in the lane house and operated a well-known dress designing business out of the main Leslie House at 1380 Hornby Street. Many baby boomer brides can recall hours of wedding dress fittings in the parlour of the Leslie House. Until recently, the lane house was used for storage, but impending modifications to Umberto Menghi's restaurant operations have rendered it superfluous and it must be moved in order to avoid demolition.

Salvage:

In addition to the terracotta fragments sold at the Fair, two of the terracotta nursing sisters from the Georgia Medical building owned by the Foundation have been sold to Discovery Parks Ltd. for $20,000. The sale is dependent on the proposed development going ahead. The eleven foot high figures will be mounted on the exterior at the second floor level of a medical research building on the UBC campus. Construction is slated for 2002.

Simon Fraser University has donated 24 cornice blocks from the Morris Wosk Centre for Dialogue building to the Foundation. A buyer has yet to be found. The blocks can be viewed on the VHF website, in our newsletter and on the www.iconstrux.com website.

The Board of Directors developed a policy for the donation of salvage to the VHF. The Foundation will receive salvage from a demolished heritage building only with prior agreement of the Foundation's Board of Directors. The Directors consider gifts of salvaged goods only when the gift meets some or all of the guidelines outlined in the policy statement.

Administration & Operations

The Foundation is administered by one part-time Executive Director. Contract workers are engaged as needed for program delivery, graphics, administrative assistance and accounting. The Foundation does not have office space, office equipment or employees and thus overhead costs are kept to a minimum.

The annual audit of the Vancouver Heritage Foundation for the year ended December 31, 2001 was accepted by the Vancouver Heritage Foundation Board of Directors. The Foundation ended 2001 with a small surplus.

During 2001, Mayor and Council committed to a three-year operating agreement with the Vancouver Heritage Foundation, giving the Foundation $100,000 for each of the next three years. This agreement will be executed in 2002. See attached Audited Financial Statements prepared by Wolrige Mahon.

WORKPLAN 2002

To achieve its mission of assisting in the conservation of Vancouver's built heritage the organization has set four operational goals:

2.Partner with related industries.
3.Develop granting programs that provide an economic incentive for the restoration of heritage buildings.
4.Education and awareness programs to raise public interest in preserving Vancouver's built heritage.

In 2002, the Vancouver Heritage Foundation will achieve its goals through:

Fundraising & Resource Development

Education Programs

Granting Programs

Special Project

House Grants

Administration and Operation of VHF

A commitment to update the manual as needed.

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