A Little More Detail

Matt Maddocks has left a new comment on your post "Home Home On The Range Where The Deer And The A...":

To "young & progressive"...

To the best of my knowledge, the Aurora Museum became operational in the old Church St school in 1972, and celebrated it's 25th anniversary there in 1997. My wife and I attended the anniversary celebration, as well as visiting the museum several other times without finding the doors locked (I suppose the fact that we checked the posted "hours of operation" was key to our successful access).

A few years later, government funding was provided to update the HVAC and mechanical systems at the Church St school for the express purpose of maintaining a balanced air environment suitable for the display of Aurora's artifacts. (This fact seems to have been lost on many - it would take quite a stretch of logic to argue that a state-of-the-art temperature and humidity control system was installed to help singers hit the high notes, or for arts & crafts glue to meet it's maximum adhesive properties, or to ensure the bratwurst is at it's freshest.)

As you suggest, the new model for museums may be to have them incorporated into a living/culture/arts centre. Of the cities you list; Burlington (approx pop 175,000), Mississauga (approx pop 730,000), Richmond Hill (approx pop 190,000), and Markham (approx pop 280,000), all do have beautiful arts & culture facilities. However, there is something they all had prior to these centres - beautiful museums.

Perhaps then, Aurora (approx pop 56,000) would be better served to have it's historical artifacts returned and displayed in the building deliberately renovated for this purpose, allowing "culture" to build naturally around our history. Embracing our past, I believe, furthers our ability to fully embrace change.

I apologize for carrying on with what you describe as "banter", but that's often the nature of those of us not so young & progressive. I am though, a supporter of Clr Buck, our museum, and of the Town of Aurora - the 1st most favourable town to live in - in my opinion.

Matt Maddocks

***********************

The museum was first set up in the Old Waterworks building on the site of the entrance to Park Place Manor. It had been vacated by the Aurora Police Department  in 1971, when the region was formed and police forces were amalgamated.

They moved to the second floor of the Church Street school when the Board of Education and the town jointly completed the Administration Centre on Wellington Street in 1976. The Board moved out of the school building which they had leased for $1. a year since York  County Public School Board was created in 1969.

In all the years the museum was on the second floor of the school,  the facility was shared comfortably with other users and without strife.

The Historical Society poured  finances and hundreds of  thousands of volunteer man hours into the building in preparation for it to become a state of the art museum .

A  bequest from the estate of  a  Historical Society member , the late  Margaret Brevik, in the amount of $200Ks was invested in the building along with other Historical Society resources.

The Historical Society never had problems sharing the facility with compatible groups. There was no intent to squeeze out  cultural activities. It was they who were squeezed out by the  "Culture" group.

Eighteen months of "talk" about accommodation for  the museum and ancillary services does not constitute  willingness to reach an agreement. A sub-lease of  the planned  museum space to a York Region Association does not indicate well-meaning  intention.

Staff chatting with staff  at the culture centre will not likely cut it, as far as this Councillor is concerned. I look forward to  a report from the town solicitor on how the agreement between the Culture Centre Board and the town meets  the community's  goals and objectives and the history of this project.