Municipal Heritage Committee Chair, Councillor Cheryl Grace announced that this year, 2026, two recipients were chosen to receive the Heritage Conservation Award for their volunteerism and contributions to preserve heritage – Scott Good and Randy Schnarr.
“Scott Good has shown outstanding commitment to heritage conservation through the restoration, maintenance, and promotion of important maritime heritage assets, including the Saugeen River Range Lights and Chantry Island,” said Councillor Grace. “He led the structural rebuilding and long-term preservation planning. Built in 1903 and designated under the Federal Lighthouse Protection Act, by 2022 the rear Range Light was severely compromised by decades of insect infiltration and rot. In 2024, Scott led the planning and execution of this restoration project with fellow Marine Heritage Society members. He directed all technical aspects of the restoration, secured permits, connected with suppliers to obtain materials, organized volunteers and helped to document and promote the preservation effort. The project involved countless hours of volunteer tasks, such as hand-painting 3,500 cedar shingles, and overall, the team contributed over 1,200 volunteer hours saving the town thousands of dollars to restore this important heritage icon. He also played a significant role in the restoration of the front Range Light and continues to provide leadership and skills in ongoing improvements to the Chantry Island lighthouse and Keeper’s home and the Boathouse. It’s because of his contributions that some of Saugeen Shores important landmarks will stand for decades to come.”
“Randy Schnarr has enriched the cultural heritage of Saugeen Shores and Bruce County through decades of volunteer service and by leading the creation of heritage exhibits including at the Bruce County Museum, that preserve and share our local history. He led the development of the ‘Riding the Rails’ permanent Museum exhibit that interprets Bruce County’s railway history,” said Councillor Grace. “A retired industrial designer, Randy created a train exhibit that tells the 100-year history of commercial and personal stories surrounding the railway in Bruce County and explains how the railway displaced marine travel as a primary means of transportation in the region. Under his leadership, a team of 30 volunteers, known as the ‘Trail Team’, logged 8,000 hours of volunteer work ultimately producing a stunning exhibit at the Bruce County Museum. Volunteers were divided into seven teams covering tasks like research, photography, graphic design, structural and model building, control systems and assembling and wiring. The completion of this project is an exceptional example of community engagement and collaboration. The ‘Riding the Rails’ exhibit opened in July, 2018 with one of the largest openings in Bruce County Museum’s history. Because of Randy’s vision and leadership, our community has a permanent exhibit that exceeds current standards of museum practices while commemorating our cultural legacy of rail transportation in Bruce County. Randy is also a dedicated member of the Marine Heritage Society and, on September 10th, was recognized for his years of volunteer service to that organization.”
