City council made four additions to the city's heritage register on Monday night, following the last-minute withdrawal of one proposed addition.
Council approved adding Taylor house (1872 10th St.), Quinson elementary school (151 South Ogilvie St.) and the elm trees along Vancouver Street between Fourth Avenue and 10th Avenue, and those lining the boulevards on Dogwood and Elm Streets between 15th Avenue and 17th Avenue to the register. The additions were at the suggestion of the Prince George Heritage Commission.
The commission had also recommended Knox United Church be added to the list, but it was withdrawn from council consideration on Monday.
City general manager of planning and development Ian Wells said a new ownership group has taken over the church and they hadn't had time to review and approve adding the church, built in 1922, to the register. Although not a legal requirement, the city will only add buildings or other features to the heritage register with the consent of the owners.
Several members of city council praised the work of the commission. Coun. Garth Frizzell suggested the commission and the city could look at more opportunities to promote the city's history.
"As we go deeper into our second century as a city, it's important to look back," Coun. Garth Frizzell said. "Many cities have different approaches... There might be an opportunity for the expansion of the work the commission is doing."
Frizzell also asked commission members about their recommendation to add the Vancouver, Dogwood and Elm Street trees to the list.
"We've been concentrating on the built environment over the last few years, and that's good, there is a long way to go," commission member Trelle Morrow said. "(But) the mandate we've been given from council... includes our natural heritage."
Commission chairperson Caroline Ross added that "recognizing natural landscape features is something that's being done around the province."
The heritage register is the lowest level of heritage protection under the provincial Local Government Act. Higher levels of protection, such as designating a heritage conservation area, entering heritage covenants or agreements, or a formal heritage designation can put legal restrictions of the use and modification of a heritage property.
Other places on the city's heritage register are South Fort George school house (755 20th Ave.), Sixth Avenue liquor store (1188 Sixth Ave.), federal government building (1293 Third Ave.), the Munro/Moffat house (153 Moffat St.), Pitman house (2387 McBride Cres.) and the Nechako crossing west of the confluence of the Nechako and Fraser rivers.
