PICCIN I ARCHITECT. May 24, 2017

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1 PICCIN I ARCHITECT May 24, 2017 Ms. Alison Torrie-Lapaire, Planner l-heritage, Building & Planning Services Corporation of the Town of Cobourg 55 King Street West, Cobourg, Ontario K9A 2M2 Re: Cobourg Police Station, 107 King Street West Barrier-Free Access to Front Entrance of Station, and Removal of Steel Bars from Windows, Project No Dear Alison: In following up on our presentation to the Cobourg Heritage Advisory Committee on April 26th,2017, we hereby enclose the Heritage Permit Application Form for ramp option B to create barrier-free access at the main entrance of the Police Station building. Visitors arriving by wheelchair have to enter the building via an aging wooden ramp structure that starts at the north-east corner of the building and winds its way to a rear entrance. With the renovation that is near completion to create a welcoming Lobby, a Community Warming/Cooling Room and a new Reception Counter, there is an increasing need for wheelchairaccess to the front entrance of the building. Barrier-Free Ramp Option B The attached rendering shows a poured concrete ramp that hugs the north-east portion of the front facade and starts and terminates at a new stair platform. The stairs descend from the platform to the sidewalk in the east to west direction, rather than descending perpendicular to the street sidewalk. Upon further consideration by the Police Services and their Board, they prefer this option for the following reasons. The stair descending to the sidewalk in the east-west direction eliminates the necessity to widen the street sidewalk, which in turn eliminates the loss of the parking spaces directly in front of the station. The convenience provided by the short term parking spaces is important to the functioning of the station and its ability to serve the community. The other bene?t the Option B stair con?guration offers is the increased distance between the landing at the top of the ramp and the first step down to the sidewalk. The concern with the stair position of Option A was the proximity of the first step to the landing at the top of the ramp, and the possibility that a person maneuvering their wheelchair to enter the station could back up and accidentally tumble backwards down the stair. This safety concern is signi?cantly reduced with the Option B stair. Removal of Steel Bars From Windows As mentioned during our meeting, we are including the request to remove the remaining steel bars from the ground?oor police station windows. There are a total of 8 windows T48 WALTONSTREET, UNIT 1, PORT HOPE, ONTARTOLTATN6, CANADA,TEL:(905) , web:picciniurchitect.net

2 May 24, 2017 Ms. Alison Torrie-Lapaire, Planner 1-Heritage, Building & Planning Services Corporation of the Town of Cobourg Page 2 of 2 covered with steel bars; 3 on the north facade and 5 on the west facade, as shown on the attached photographs. I also enclose an archival photo taken in 1914 that shows a portion of the front of what was then an Armory building. Several windows are visible, with no signs of steel bar cover. I have con?rmed that fortunately, the steel bars are not embedded into the stone window sills, however they are drilled into the brick arches at the tops of the window openings. Once the bars are cut, it should be possible to slip them downwards to prevent damage to the brick arches. The round bars are held in place with 2?at bars; one at the top and one at the bottom. The?at bars are embedded into the brick at the sides of the window openings. Movement of the?at bars over the years has resulted in cracked and damaged brick where they are embedded, as shown in the attached photograph of one of the window openings. Once the?at bars are removed, damaged or cracked brick will be replaced with new clay brick in a matching colour and lime-basedmortar. If you require additional information, please contact me at your earliest convenience. We look forward to meeting with the Cobourg Heritage Advisory Committee at their next meeting. Sincerely, PICCINI ARCHITECT..._.._.., =14 Reno Piccini B.E.S., B.Arch., O.A.A. Attach: Option B, Ramp Rendering. Photos of north and west facades, showing windows with steel bar cover. Archival photo of front of building, circa Photo of damagedbrick where?at bar penetrates sides of window opening. Cc: Chief of Police Kai Liu. Deputy Chief Paul VandeGraaf. Sandra Arthur, Property Manager, Delcom Management Services.

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