Museum?? .....Culture Centre??

The intention when funds were provided from the Hydro  reserve fund  was for both to happen at the Church Street School.

It was decided forty years ago the building would be saved. Even before the last $2. 6 million contract. several million dollars had been  spent  just to keep it standing.

The museum has not been in  place for a number of years.The collection was stashed in boxes waiting to come back to its rightful place.

The museum was a well used program by schools . Families  donated precious artifacts knowing they would be  treasured  and cared for and used for enlightenment  about the community's history.

$750K were raised by the fifty-nine member   Historical Society to restore the building. Generous donations are always a sure  sign of community support.

The town has provided a $50K grant to the Historical Society for at least thirty years to  help provide a curator for the museum. In turn,   heritage  research services  were provided to the  planning department and a summer camp program  augmented the leisure service department's summer and special events programs.

Between the town and the historical society, the community was well served at reasonable expense  with  invaluable  volunteer support.

Funds   from the hydro reserve fund  seemed a good use of part of that asset. A fine facility was planned  which would undoubtedly be appreciated in the community,operated by volunteers at minimal cost  with  financial support towards the salary of a curator.

Cultural events were also envisioned in the building. I  certainly never envisioned taxing property-owners to pay for them.

It seemed to me the agreement with the Historical Society was the best kind of co-operation with the town to enrich the  community with the finer things without incurring a tax burden.

Something went wrong. It doesn't matter how. What matters now is we get things back on the right track.

If the Historical Society doesn't want to follow through with their original  commitment,I'm sure there are enough Friends of the Museum  in Aurora, prepared to take up the cause. I would certainly be receptive to any organisation  willing to step up to the plate.

No-one should expect  I won't be ready to fight for the museum collection to be where it was  intended;in a controlled environment, on display at the Church Street School  for the  continuous enlightenment ,enjoyment and appreciation of  people  fortunate enough  to be to-days residents of  a fine little town of Victorian vintage which acquires ever greater antiquity as  years go by.

Don't  tell me a community's history is not relevant to its culture.