Our Mythical Mystical Museum

A reader seeks to know the whereabouts of the Town Museum.

It is no more.

Several million dollars have been spent on a state of the art museum facility but the town's artifact have no home.

Name and function of Church Street School has been changed to Culture Centre.

Va Va Va Va Voom.

The museum collection is stored in boxes in the basement.

The story has many twists and turns.

I was Mayor in 1976. The Town and Board of Education partnered and built the Administrative Centre on Wellington Street. Church Street School was vacated yet again.

The Historical Society was given the top floor to create a museum. A grant was obtained to pay rent to the town. A volunteer curator, retired, worked at the museum.

I was out of office for a while.

I returned .

Rent was no longer noted in town accounts. $50ks grant to the Historical Society was.

I never discovered the reason for altered circumstances. Full-time curator operated the museum but was not part of town staff complement.

Out of Office again. Returned again after thirteen years.

Church Street School gutted. Collection stashed in boxes at Hillary House with curator

Curator retires.

New curator appointed by Historical Society.

Historical Society fund-raised for renovations to Church Street School.

Costs projected,one million

Building costing on-going maintenance.

Building not usable.

Fund- raising reached $750ks.Stopped.

Shortfall $250ks.

I moved, a resolution for town to fund shortfall.

Approved.

Cost evolved to $2.3 million.

Plan commissioned by Historical Society for museum adopted by Town.

Project completed according to plans.

Treasurer recommends management board for eventual self-sufficiency.

Ad Hoc Arts and Culture Committee appointed.

Consultant appointed.

Councillors Gaertner and Granger appointed to committee.

Ken Whitehurst, Mayor's friend and campaign organiser also appointed.

New curator, staff resource person.

Grant of $700ks obtained for museum.

New curator resigns.

Replaced by Ken Whitehurst as paid resource, while still a committee member.

President of Historical Society endorses appointment.

Consultant reports to Council.

Business Plan presented.

President of Historical Society withdraws Society's commitment to operate museum.

Initial budget of $400ks proposed, to be weaned off by $100ks a year.

Board appointed.

Purchase of Culture agreement signed.

Annual funds to be provided on a quarterly basis on receipt of quarterly financial statement.

Staff hired.

No curator.

Facility name changed to Culture Centre.

September 2009, facility in operation

September 2010, as yet no quarterly statement presented to Council. Funds continue to be provided.

No museum.

No answer to question about museum.

Events promoted . No evidence of revenue.

July 29th, free use for event charging admission.

Town meetings switched to facility as opposed to Town Hall.

No fees paid.

Church Street School Culture Centre Board receives annual funds $340,000 ,on a quarterly basis from tax revenues, under a Purchase of Culture agreement.

Building costs $140.000 to maintain with heat,light and custodial service. Also paid from tax revenues.

A financial statement was provided to the Town in April. Not presented to Council.

A second statement to be presented in September.

General Committee agenda for Tuesday Sep.7th does not include a financial statement.

Current information indicates museum will not be given space because it does not generate revenue.

One year in operation, no evidence received to date suggest any function at the Culture Centre generates revenue.

Grand piano is much in evidence.

The sucking sound you hear is half a million tax dollars, with an increase of 3% annually, being siphoned out of the town treasury to buy culture you didn't even know you needed.

The Aurora Museum , a resource used by families, schools and generations of children for forty years and aspired for many more; the penultimate reason, for millions of dollars invested in the Town's most significant artifact of all. the Church Street School, has been displaced without as much as a by-your-leave and with no indication of intent to ever allow it to surface again.