Foundry Lofts residents trying to save a century-old smokestack from biting the dust (see our earlier post, Up In Smokestack) will have to convince council if they hope to preserve this piece of T.O.’s industrial history.[rssbreak]
But the unlikely reprieve won Wednesday, May 5, for the historical landmark at Lansdowne and Dupont after angry emails to local Councillor Cesar Palacio, may just be another delay of the inevitable – even though the stack is supposed to be protected by a heritage designation.
Toronto Public Health seems unconcerned about possible health risks associated with demolition of the stack to make way for planned site development.
Local authorities have found no enviro reasons compelling enough to stop the demo of the stack, despite the potential fallout from heavy metals. The stack forms part of the old Canada Foundry steel factory.
Work crews have advised area residents to shut windows and doors and remove their shoes before entering their premises to keep contact with airborne particles from the demo to a minimum. It needn’t have come to this.
As of late last week, Mike Foderick, Councillor Palacio’s executive assistant, was talking hopefully of a compromise – saving the stack by building a road planned for the site around it instead of right through it.
But then the matter of maintenance costs associated with the stack were raised by the developer and members of the local condo board, who don’t want to see their service fees hiked to pay for the stack’s upkeep.
Diverting the road around the stack would also pose a dilemma since it’d eat into space for a planned park.
Council gave the structure a heritage designation back in 2004, but that has somehow been ignored, including by preservation services staff who signed off on the demolition.
Another defining structure laid waste by neglect? So say residents.
