THUNDER BAY – The work is beginning on what the Thunder Bay Museum will look like in the next 50 years.
Local and political officials were on hand Tuesday to unveil funding and the outside consultant that will work with the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society to address future needs.
“The study will look at what we have done well in the past, but also looking to the future,” said Michel Beaulieu, chair of the museum's board of directors. “We are reaching capacity with the building currently as it is, in terms of collection space, how we do classrooms, school programming, how we meet our mission and mandate as a historical society and a museum... This study [will look] at how we can better serve the community moving forward.”
The consulting contract was awarded to Form Studio Architects Incorporated.
Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP Marcus Powlowski unveiled a $140,000 investment from the Department of Canadian Heritage through its Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, while Jamie Taylor, CEO of the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission, presented a cheque for $30,000 that was approved through the Tourism Development Fund.
The Our Past Needs a Future study now has approximately $310,000 in funding to support its year-long work.
Beaulieu also noted that the study will examine the number of jobs they provide for those who are full time, part time, an intern or a student.
He recalls a previous feasibility study in the late 1980s or early 1990s that eventually led to the museum being relocated to its current building, which previously served as a police station as well as a courthouse before it was decommissioned.
"Museums have changed [in terms of] the scope and focus of them," he said. "If you went back 50-60 years ago, you would have folks coming in looking at things behind glass. Well, that's not how museums operate."
"Most of what we do [now] involves programming, particularly in terms of youth [and] senior programming. We [collaborate] with other organizations: Fort William Historic Park [and] Science North... This is something that study is going to be looking at.”
The study will begin in January.
