Spring Walk Through

The CMMM Board had their annual spring walk through the museum, noting what needs to be done and prioritizing the work. I've learned that patience is necessary in waiting for the list to be done. Not that I have any patience, but that it is necessary.
Some improvements have remained on the list for quite a few years. Other emergencies have pushed them down on the list. Or they just get overlooked again and again.
Optimistic Note: Many jobs have been completed and it is easy to forget this when dealing with our old buildings when the list seems to keep growing.
This year the Ovenstown building with its recurring moisture issues caused by the basement has come to the top of the list and stayed. A suggestion was made to move the building off the basement and re-locate it to another space in the park on a cement slab.Very expensive solution.
Other solutions are being discussed as well. Lots of thinking needs to go into this.

Teachers Help at Museum and Park

Local teachers, who are out on strike, spent yesterday morning cleaning museum buildings and doing work in the park and around the pond. This was a great way to do some community work and we are so grateful for it all.

It was also an opportunity for the new teachers to spend some time at the museum and park and see what we have to offer. Hopefully we can make more connections in the future.

Old Can Be Challenging

Preserving the past is expensive and time consuming.

Our museum buildings on site are almost entirely heritage buildings. Not declared heritage buildings which means the province recognizes them as such and a new set of rules and regulations are put in place as to how they are preserved. This process has been a deterrent for us for many years. The upside is that we may be eligible for grant monies for upkeep and/or expertise in dealing with the special problems that go along with heritage sites.
We should probably re-visit this path and see if our buildings are eligible and if it would benefit our museum. Anyone have some time to volunteer for this undertaking??? I don't seem to be able to fit in everything I am already committed to doing and the hardworking volunteers by my side are the same. Sigh...

Ovenstown - 1908
Duvall House - 1928
Gallivan School -1919
Raymond Store - 1916
Carruthers United Church - 1926
Bert Martin Cabin - 1920's
Louis Pascoe House (Medical Building) 1905
CPR Station 1912

It is difficult to preserve and exhibit the artifacts when the buildings housing them require so much attention.
Guess our plight is common to all museums with old buildings and for some museums with newer buildings as well.
Tourism and heritage impacts more than just the visitors. Local retail facilities, real estate, and quality of life are all impacted.
Changing the old ways of thinking about museums can be challenging too. But that's for another blog.