A looming deadline to meet accessibility standards and deteriorating brick are two reasons the city is considering enclosing the open porch entrance to the Cambridge Farmers' Market in glass.
Next week city staff will ask the city's heritage advisory committee to consider an $848,000 plan to build an entrance ramp and install large windows and a door in the open-arched portico of 150-year-old market building on Dickson Street.
The project would also include repointing or replacing damaged brick and rubble foundation stones around the entire building.
The building, which was built in two portions in 1887 and 1896, is showing significant signs of water and salt damage.
Some bricks are missing and mortar joints are open. Portions of the rubble foundation also need to be repointed and replaced where stones are missing.
A conservation master plan was developed in 2017 and the city has been working through a multi-year maintenance schedule for the interior and exterior of the structure since then.
Work has already included internal heating upgrades, roof replacement and work on the chimney.
Various engineering firms and architects were commissioned to assess the structure and suggest ways to conserve the building, which includes a preferred option to enclose the front entrance portico.
Accessibility is the main consideration for moving ahead with that plan this year.
By the end of 2025, the city must make all of its facilities accessible in order to be compliant with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
To meet that goal, staff is recommending building a sloping accessibility ramp up to the building’s front entrance on the Dickson Street side. It will be cast in concrete with simple stainless steel grab and protection rails on the Dickson Street side of the ramp.
Anyone using a mobility device to enter the building will have full access to the ground floor of the market and activities that take place there throughout the year.
Staff say enclosing the open entrance to the building will also provide an element of safety for those in mobility devices as they enter because the space is very small.
Increased damage to the tile floor of the structure is also a factor in recommending the project move ahead.
The floor is a historic terrazzo floor that was installed when the red brick structure was built in 1896.
Floor tiles have been pulled up and need to be re-attached to the floor base. Staff say closing in the entrance will protect the floor as well as provide protection to anyone entering the building in mobility devices.
The city's heritage advisory committee will meet Feb. 20 to consider the recommendations.