Richmond Hill, Ontario, August 3, 2011 – Richmond Hill has officially opened the doors to its newly restored Eyer Wideman House, and today, federal, provincial and municipal representatives celebrated its opening by touring the historical property’s newest features.
Originally built in 1828 and awarded historical designation in 1994, the 3,800 square-foot Eyer Wideman House is located in Eyer Homestead Park. Renovations preserved and restored historical features, enhanced energy efficiency and improved accessibility. The new and improved building will house municipal administration offices and provide a venue for community youth programming, offering a variety of summer and after-school programs including video editing, self defence and electric guitar classes.
“Preserving historical buildings helps shape communities, attract tourists and invest in infrastructure for the future,” said Costas Menegakis, Member of Parliament for Richmond Hill, on behalf of the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. “We are proud to have supported the renovations of the beautiful Eyer Wideman House, just in time for residents to take advantage of its services during the summer months.”
“The Government of Ontario is proud to be building stronger, more successful communities through targeted infrastructure investments,” said Reza Moridi, MPP for Richmond Hill. “Renovations to this facility will provide a safe place for Richmond Hill youth and families to gather, learn and grow.”
“Thanks to the support we've received from the Federal and Provincial governments, we’ve been able to build a one-of-a-kind park for our community,” said Mayor Dave Barrow. “Eyer Homestead Park not only preserves our historic past through the restoration of a heritage home into a youth centre that offers a variety of programs, but also offers our vibrant and active community of today a unique ropes challenge course, among other great activities.”
The governments of Canada and Ontario have each committed over $1.02 million toward the total eligible cost of this project. The City of Richmond Hill is contributing the balance of the total project cost of $3.06 million.
Federal funding for this project comes from the Government of Canada’s Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, which is supporting over 4,100 infrastructure projects across the country.
In June, Ontario had an increase of 40,000 jobs and the unemployment rate declined to 7.7 per cent.
For additional information about investments in infrastructure, visit www.creatingjobs.gc.ca.
For further information about Canada’s Economic Action Plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.
For more information on how Ontario is revitalizing its infrastructure, visit ontario.ca/infrastructure.
Contacts:
Vanessa Schneider
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
613-991-0700
Office of MPP Moridi
905-884-8080
Dan Olding
Manager, Grants & Strategic Initiatives
Richmond Hill
905-771-5505
dolding@richmondhill.ca
Infrastructure Canada
613-948-1148 or toll-free 1-877-250-7154
