Comments on: Signs of the Times http://www.urbanphoto.net/blog/2006/10/01/signs-of-the-times/ Exploring urban life through word and photography Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:47:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Rod Hemeon http://www.urbanphoto.net/blog/2006/10/01/signs-of-the-times/comment-page-1/#comment-77513 Rod Hemeon Tue, 07 Aug 2007 00:40:05 +0000 http://www.urbanphoto.net/blog/archives/42#comment-77513 From......Rod Hemeon.......Yarmouth Nova Scotia Canada. Please help save this Victorian Streetscape. Not much time left before decisions will be made and it's fate sealed. Please send the people in power in this small Town a detailed message if you can. Tell them how important something like........ this beautiful STREET is when attracting visitors. maybe tell them.... How important retention of the most important parts of your cultural heritage is crucial to the well being of a community. Tell them what you please---just please speak up. This is a link to my make shift web site, I have a large amount of information and can not put it up as it is complicated, threats of lawsuits have come in, two days in a row. Please help and send your comments To. Yarmouth Town Council care of Town Clerk Jeff Geshue cao@yarmouth-town.com This is ................. Forest Street ...... Yarmouth Nova Scotia Canada Today....... as far as I am aware ...... I have no supporters in The Heritage Community In Nova Scotia. WHY.............................. Don't ask them, judge for yourself one of these Heritage people is threatening me with law suits. WHY.............................. I suspect the powers controlling this Town have mounted a fear mongering campaign. WHY................... I have sustained constant personal attacks ..... verbal abuse..defamatory remarks......threat of lawsuits.....threat of arrest...... WHY................... I have requested that expert consultants be given the opportunity to give their opinions of just how important this streetscape is. The answer has been ''we don't want outsiders telling us what to do.'' WHY................... Some wealthy self-important powerful people have attempted to restrict my right to free speech and freedom of movement ....... WHY................... Well I am Going to Find Out. I thought I had given the Steering committee or the Proposed Forest Street Heritage Conservation District, enough educated opinions from numerous heritage conservationists, to allow them to make an informed decision when it came to approving the policies I helped develop. Which they did On June 20,2007. They, the steering committee approved Chapter 5 dealing with--The Service [Street] Infrastructure--- there was only one dissenting vote. A month later and things have changed it seems the whole committee now wants to retract that approval WHAT HAPPENED---WHAT WENT WRONG Why are they trying to discredit me, the guy who wants to save the heritage streetscape. Why all of the local heritage people against what I am saying. Don't forget ... Retention, Preservation, restoration of the historic streetscape and service infrastructure and the protection of the intact 19th century ornamental trees........ is my focus This all lies on public.... Town Owned Land Why ........... I am looking for the answer in writing to that question ...I am searching for evidence ....... the on going web site will follow this and hopefully be updated daily to it's hopefully swift positive outcome. http://yarmouthstreetscape.angelfire.com/ please Turn on sound as the music is important to the message Regards Rod Hemeon 44 Forest Street Yarmouth Nova Scotia Canada B5A3L5 From……Rod Hemeon…….Yarmouth Nova Scotia Canada.

Please help save this Victorian Streetscape.

Not much time left before decisions will be made and it’s fate sealed.

Please send the people in power in this small Town a detailed message if you can.

Tell them how important something like…….. this beautiful STREET is when attracting visitors.

maybe tell them….
How important retention of the most important parts of your cultural heritage is crucial to the well being of a community.

Tell them what you please—just please speak up.

This is a link to my make shift web site, I have a large amount of information and can not put it up as it is complicated, threats of lawsuits have come in, two days in a row.

Please help and send your comments To. Yarmouth Town Council care of

Town Clerk Jeff Geshue

cao@yarmouth-town.com

This is …………….. Forest Street …… Yarmouth Nova Scotia Canada

Today……. as far as I am aware ……
I have no supporters in The Heritage Community In Nova Scotia.

WHY…………………………

Don’t ask them, judge for yourself one of these Heritage people is threatening me with law suits.

WHY…………………………

I suspect the powers controlling this Town have mounted a fear mongering campaign.

WHY……………….

I have sustained constant personal attacks ….. verbal abuse..defamatory remarks……threat of lawsuits…..threat of arrest……

WHY……………….

I have requested that expert consultants be given the opportunity to give their opinions of just how important this streetscape is. The answer has been ”we don’t want outsiders telling us what to do.”

WHY……………….

Some wealthy self-important powerful people have attempted to restrict my right to free speech and freedom of movement …….

WHY……………….

Well I am Going to Find Out.

I thought I had given the Steering committee or the Proposed Forest Street Heritage Conservation District, enough educated opinions from numerous heritage conservationists, to allow them to make an informed decision when it came to approving the policies I helped develop.

Which they did On June 20,2007. They, the steering committee approved Chapter 5 dealing with–The Service [Street] Infrastructure— there was only one dissenting vote.

A month later and things have changed it seems the whole committee now wants to retract that approval WHAT HAPPENED—WHAT WENT WRONG

Why are they trying to discredit me, the guy who wants to save the heritage streetscape.

Why all of the local heritage people against what I am saying.

Don’t forget … Retention, Preservation, restoration of the historic streetscape and service infrastructure and the protection of the intact 19th century ornamental trees…….. is my focus

This all lies on public…. Town Owned Land

Why ……….. I am looking for the answer in writing to that question …I am searching for evidence ……. the on going web site will follow this and hopefully be updated daily to it’s hopefully swift positive outcome.

http://yarmouthstreetscape.angelfire.com/
please
Turn on sound as the music is important to the message

Regards Rod Hemeon

44 Forest Street
Yarmouth Nova Scotia
Canada
B5A3L5

]]> By: Christopher DeWolf http://www.urbanphoto.net/blog/2006/10/01/signs-of-the-times/comment-page-1/#comment-28 Christopher DeWolf Fri, 06 Oct 2006 07:10:09 +0000 http://www.urbanphoto.net/blog/archives/42#comment-28 Why too romantic? After all, why shouldn't we romanticize the city? If we don't were just left with brick, concrete and a bunch of people. My point is that things like the Farine Five Roses sign, blinking in the night, are what allow people to romanticize the city. To me it's as much a part of the skyline as Mount Royal (which, in turn, wouldn't be the same without the giant neon cross). Why too romantic? After all, why shouldn’t we romanticize the city? If we don’t were just left with brick, concrete and a bunch of people.

My point is that things like the Farine Five Roses sign, blinking in the night, are what allow people to romanticize the city. To me it’s as much a part of the skyline as Mount Royal (which, in turn, wouldn’t be the same without the giant neon cross).

]]> By: Hugo http://www.urbanphoto.net/blog/2006/10/01/signs-of-the-times/comment-page-1/#comment-18 Hugo Tue, 03 Oct 2006 01:09:02 +0000 http://www.urbanphoto.net/blog/archives/42#comment-18 I think that sign is awfully ugly. Frankly, I am glad they are taking it down (if they are). I think preservation is important to a certain extent, specifically with historical sights and parks, etc. But a FIVE ROSES FLOUR sign...eeeehh. I understand nostalgia and that's the point, take it down so we can be nostalgic about it. "Culturally relevant to a lot of people" "In these signs we see ourselves"...That's a bit too romantic wouldnt you say?... I think that sign is awfully ugly. Frankly, I am glad they are taking it down (if they are). I think preservation is important to a certain extent, specifically with historical sights and parks, etc. But a FIVE ROSES FLOUR sign…eeeehh. I understand nostalgia and that’s the point, take it down so we can be nostalgic about it.

“Culturally relevant to a lot of people” “In these signs we see ourselves”…That’s a bit too romantic wouldnt you say?…

]]> By: Christopher DeWolf http://www.urbanphoto.net/blog/2006/10/01/signs-of-the-times/comment-page-1/#comment-7 Christopher DeWolf Sun, 01 Oct 2006 19:07:18 +0000 http://www.urbanphoto.net/blog/archives/42#comment-7 I agree that city officials have only a limited role to play in sign preservation, but I still don't think the City of Montreal is doing even half of what it could. Vancouver is a really great example of a city that has taken its sign heritage to heart: the city subsidizes the restoration of old neon signs (Vancouver used to be covered in them) and it has a very progressive sign policy. The iconic "W" sign on top of the Woodwards department store, built a couple of years before Farine Five Roses, is now being restored in preparation for its central role in a big housing and civic centre development. You can read more about it on Matt Soar's blog: http://www.savefarinefiveroses.org/ But yeah, with the FFR sign specifically, its future rests entirely in the hands of the company that owns it. I agree that city officials have only a limited role to play in sign preservation, but I still don’t think the City of Montreal is doing even half of what it could. Vancouver is a really great example of a city that has taken its sign heritage to heart: the city subsidizes the restoration of old neon signs (Vancouver used to be covered in them) and it has a very progressive sign policy. The iconic “W” sign on top of the Woodwards department store, built a couple of years before Farine Five Roses, is now being restored in preparation for its central role in a big housing and civic centre development. You can read more about it on Matt Soar’s blog:

http://www.savefarinefiveroses.org/

But yeah, with the FFR sign specifically, its future rests entirely in the hands of the company that owns it.

]]> By: Olga Schlyter http://www.urbanphoto.net/blog/2006/10/01/signs-of-the-times/comment-page-1/#comment-5 Olga Schlyter Sun, 01 Oct 2006 12:29:50 +0000 http://www.urbanphoto.net/blog/archives/42#comment-5 Maybe it’s not (only) negligence or lack of interest from civic officials, maybe there aren’t any really workable means to deal with this. That’s the experience I have from my daily work with preservation issues in Sweden. The only thing civic officials here can do is trying to convince or persuade, but often they don’t even get the chance (or have time or resources) to do so. Since no permit is requested (that I know of) to take down a sign, it happens without their knowledge. Encouraging measures like awards is a good way to go. Another important thing civic offials can work with is to look after the new signs in a city. For putting up a sign on a building downtown (in Sweden at least) you need a permit. In those cases, the city officials should use their influence to make new signs look good so they become gems in the cityscape. Maybe it’s not (only) negligence or lack of interest from civic officials, maybe there aren’t any really workable means to deal with this. That’s the experience I have from my daily work with preservation issues in Sweden.

The only thing civic officials here can do is trying to convince or persuade, but often they don’t even get the chance (or have time or resources) to do so. Since no permit is requested (that I know of) to take down a sign, it happens without their knowledge.

Encouraging measures like awards is a good way to go. Another important thing civic offials can work with is to look after the new signs in a city. For putting up a sign on a building downtown (in Sweden at least) you need a permit. In those cases, the city officials should use their influence to make new signs look good so they become gems in the cityscape.

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