THUNDER BAY — The future of an over century-old tugboat will again be before Thunder Bay city council on Monday.
Council will be asked to decide whether or not they agree with administration’s recommendation that the entirety of the James Whalen tug be “recycled” without keeping any of it for historical reasons or public display.
Prior to that vote, the Transportation Museum of Thunder Bay is scheduled to make a deputation to council to ask them to reconsider. Vice director David Muir, who also holds the museum board’s sites and operations portfolio, told Newswatch the museum doesn’t want to see the boat destroyed.
“They call it a recycle, but it's actually a destruction of an important artifact that's not only garnered a lot of attention lately, but it's been within our city for the past 110 years in various capacities,” Muir said. “It's been sitting derelict for far too long while there's been a lot of indecision taking place.”
Council was scheduled to make a decision on city staff’s recommendation at its March 24 meeting. However, they voted instead to ask administration to look into a supposed third option, after Coun. Albert Aiello said — citing an email he said he received — that a local company would take it for free.
It very quickly came to light that offer was never on the table.
On Monday, the transportation museum will make the case that they take the part of the tug “from the water line up” where it would typically be when the boat is on the water, and display that part as a “land-based attraction,” near the Alexander Henry, Muir said.
“In doing so, it saves on insurance costs, it saves on presentation costs and in our location, it would make it accessible, at least to the main deck area, for people who have mobility issues,” he said.
The city already has a contractor lined up for the tug’s demolition. Administration had, at one time, considered salvaging part of it, but later reconsidered, as costs for all options came in higher than anticipated — trying to save individual parts would only add to the price.
A report to council pegged the cost to scrap the tug at $589,811. City staff said existing funding sources can be used.
Muir said the museum's plan is costed. He added they're still trying to finalize a new lease with the city for their continued use of the waterfront location they're at; if that happens, they can pursue funding from senior levels of government.
He said the museum is still planning its own fundraising for the initiative in May.
“We wish nothing more than to take the burden of costs out of the city hands and accept it … graciously.”
Muir said the James Whalen is part of the city’s and region’s transportation history.
“We used to build World War II airplanes here,” he said. "The proximity of the Thunder Bay airport to the CanCar facility (now the Alstom plant) is because we used to have test pilots to try out the new-fandangled airplanes that we built.”
“So, we do have a very vibrant, strong … history and as our museum, we want that saved.”
