It's a good thing I didn't use computer proficiency as a reason to vote for me in the last election.
I just discovered how to delete eight hundred deleted e-mails in one fell swoop. Maybe I should be embarrassed by my acknowledgement I spent hours doing it last week-end, one by one. Well, I'm not. I hope you all enjoyed a chuckle at my expense.
A couple of questions have been posed. One relates to the whereabouts of the museum collection.
It's in boxes. They were in the basement of Church Street School and Historical Society members were provided with space for cataloging. Now they have a room with shelves and an opportunity to mount a display three or four times a year. No museum.
In the meantime,H.S. receives a grant from the town of $50K,originally provided, thirty years ago, to contribute to salary for a curator. H.S.being the employer.
Prior to 2003,H.S. packed the collection in boxes and stored elsewhere. H.S, took it upon themselves to gut the building in preparation for renovations which they were raising funds to pay for.
Their estimate was a million. They raised $750K. They required a legal contract with the town to protect their interest.The contract gave them authority to manage Church Street School without town staff input.
Years passed. No progress. In 2006,I moved,Ron Wallace seconded, Council approved providing the shortfall from hydro reserve funds to get the job done and the museum back in its rightful place.
Estimate changed for $1 million to $2,5 million.
Curator retired after not having a museum for several years. New Curator appointed. Became resource person to Arts and Culture Ad Hoc Committee appointed to create terms of reference and position a Board of Management.
Councillors Gaertner and Granger and former Mayor's friend and campaign manager Ken Whitehurst, and Helen Roberts, H.S. president appointed to the committee.New Curator resigns. Ken Whitehurst takes her place in a paid position while serving on the committee he answered to.
Helen Roberts H.S. president, informs Council, H.S. withdrawing commitment to manage museum.Not enough members.Asks Council for a budget on the same basis as Library Board.
Name of Chirch Street School changed from Heritage and Culture to just Culture.No explanation. No requirement.
Staff appointed. No curator in staff complement. Curator essential to set up and organise musuem and provide guidance to volunteers.
Building opens. No museum. Not referenced.Board at arm's length. Not accountable.
2010 H.S. applies for grant of $50K. Granted. New Curator appointed.
H.S.applies for 2011 grant of $50K. Requests change from grant to line item in town budget.
Curator on H.S. staff spending 80% of time as business manager. 20% as curator for Hillary House Museum. Hillary House owned and operated by Historical Society.
Sitting on a two acre site with potential for severance and trust fund foundation.
Hillary House open to visitors by appointment.H.S. curator also responsible for three or four historical displays at Culture Centre. Curator inquiry about museum rebuffed after Culture Centre opening. Museum's don't make money. Culture Centre provided free space to St. Kitt's woman for pre-jazz festival party with admission chargeof $35.
Town funds provided to Culture Centre with an annual increaes of 3%. Starting at $340K plus maintenance costs of $175K.
So,the Town is out $534K for Culture and $50K to the Historical Society, in total $584k . More than 2 points in tax levy. No museum in sight. No input into any part of either operation.
No burning desire ever expressed by any individual or group for the town to provide somebody else's idea of culture at the expense of an increase in my tax bill.
No wonder the Historical Society thinks its reasonable to request the volunteer service they provide to the community should be funded from a line item in the town's budget. Why not every other volunteer organisation in town as well.
Why not the food bank?
Like the Culture Centre.
We still wouldn't have a museum.
Board is appointed. Budget of $340.000 is approved. Staff complement appointed, no
curator.
It cost $2.5 million.
,time to stop talking about it and do something to stop this nonsense , cut the funding, hire the town curator ,reinstate the museum , get the tax payers money out of their bank and their hands and move on , Oh and dump the Cultural Centre Crap
ReplyDeleteIt may not be on the scale of the ROM but children generally LOVE visits to museums. I notice that both Whitchurch-Stouffvile and Markham have been investing in their museum facilities over the last few years. I guess Aurora's policy has been to scrap one. Perhaps our children will be learning about the history and heritage of someone else's town and not their own!
ReplyDeleteI was shocked to learn of the passing of Andy Gottschalk.
ReplyDeleteHe was a great asset to our Town.
He participated in Open Doors and The Heritage committee,historical society etc,
A long time resident and class person.
He will be missed.
I agree with both anonymous comments.
ReplyDeleteIt's disappointing to hear some in our community claim that running a museum is not viable because there is no interest, and therefore won't be profitable/sustainable.
Of course the Cultural Center is hardly profitable or self sustaining so why it has taken the place of a museum seems to be less an issue about finance, and more a bad decision all around.
And then there's Helen Roberts claim that there are 'few people interested in Aurora's history" which is complete garbage. i commented on that here: http://christopherwatts.posterous.com/he-once-got-lost-in-his-own-museum
Just because the Aurora Historical Society has failed to engage people regarding the town's history doesn't mean it can't be done, it does mean that the way they are going about it will ultimately be unsuccessful, and this needs to be corrected before the only history we have is how the town managed to bungle its history.
A museum, not just some exhibits, that was financed and grants received for the purpose needs to be placed in the Church Street School.
Anything other use that has been decided upon by a group of people held at arms length, needs to be done on their own time and budget, not the tax payers.
A cultural center does not need to occupy that building, and as previously mentioned could operate out of Town Hall and be incorporated into the planned $5million dollar upgrades.
With the grand piano and champagne glasses packed into boxes and moved out, the boxes containing Aurora's history can be unpacked and put on display.
State of the art displays and interactive exhibits, as originally planned, would engage children and all ages.
A Heritage center would be something the town sorely needs and could be very proud of. Culture is a byproduct and would be evident here as well, it just wouldn't be at the expense of our heritage.
We received the often touted Price of Wales price for Heritage, not Culture, lets live up to that award.