No more money: Charlottetown heritage grants tapped out again

Charlottetown is looking for ways to boost funding for its heritage grant program because it keeps running out of money. 

"This program has been in place since 2000. It's my understanding that we get drained out pretty quickly. It's usually in the first four months of each year that this money gets eaten up ," said Councillor Greg Rivard, chair of the Planning and Heritage Committee.  

The grant program is designed to provide financial assistance to owners of heritage resources to develop the exterior of their  property. Depending on the project, properties owners can be given a percentage of the eligible cost with a maximum of $1,000 to $5,000. 

This year, the city put aside $45,000 for the grant It approved 10 applications and have two owners on a wait list. On average, it receives 10 to 15 applications a year. 

"If one of the projects that was previously approved doesn't start or get completed or whatever, then some of the monies will be made available to someone else that has a completed application in place for this year."

A revamp 

Rivard said the fact that the money is getting used is a good thing, but running out is not good news for the 350 heritage properties in the city. At the last planning and heritage committee meeting, an idea was floated to make the plan better. 

"We discussed an option of maybe withholding some of the tax money that the city would get from property taxes, withholding a portion of it into a trust fund of some sort for heritage resources," he said 

"If [property owners] ever come forward with renovations in the future, they can tap into that money and basically get their  money back."

The committee is looking into the fiscal implications of that plan and when it is more solid, will bring it to council. 

Rivard said he realizes that the upkeep of a heritage property can be more expensive, and for that reason the city is also in the midst of a review of the conditions put on heritage properties when it comes to updates and renovations. 

But he said it is still very early days to provide details about the review.