Saturday, November 28, 2009

City considers museum link to Spirit Square

Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: November 28, 2009 12:00 PM

Minor upgrades could be in the works for the exterior of the Greater Vernon Museum. City council is considering $22,000 in improvements so the rear area outside of the museum can connect with the Spirit Square project, which is currently underway. “We will bring it forward in budget discussions and go from there,” said Coun. Bob Spiers. As part of Spirit Square — which runs between city hall and the museum — there will be a water feature and landscaping.

“The beautiful new walkways being installed for Spirit Square in no way resemble the old asphalt walk leading to our rear doors and the contrast between the two is aesthetically jarring,” said Ron Candy, museum curator, in a letter to council. “With this thought in mind, would it be possible to add the old asphalt walk leading to the museum’s rear doors added to the work schedule in order that it can have the same appearance as the new walkways being installed.” Candy admits that this could add to the overall cost of the project. “However, with equipment, materials and manpower already on site, the cost might be reasonable enough to consider,” he said.

The total budget for Spirit Square is $667,000, with $250,000 coming from the provincial government. Coun. Patrick Nicol believes council should seriously consider the museum’s request. “There’s some rationale that says this would complete it,” he said of the museum entrance linking up to Spirit Square.

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