Maybe the entire thing should be volunteer-run?
https://www.timescol...luffing-6744230
Wednesday’s sudden closing of the Point Ellice House Museum and Gardens was not, in fact, sudden.
The operators of the Victoria heritage gem had warned for years that they would have to pull the plug if the province didn’t provide sustainable funding.
The big question now is: Will other publicly owned historical properties follow?
“We’re the first to close. There are likely to be others,” says Kelly Black, the executive director of the latest non-profit group to try, and fail, to keep Point Ellice House going.
Just look at what is happening around us, Black says. The third floor of the Royal B.C. Museum remains closed. The Bateman Gallery just pulled the plug on its Inner Harbour location. Barkerville, the jewel of the Cariboo, has struggled. “It’s not looking good for B.C.’s museums and heritage sites right now.”
The government, though, argues that it has made significant investments in Point Ellice House. It also says heritage-site operators’ requests for more money “must be considered in light of other heritage sites that British Columbians would like the province to also fund and protect.”
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Running the place sustainably would cost $325,000 a year, he says. The government budgeted $110,000 for operations for the coming year. The gift shop and admission fees don’t come close to narrowing the gap. “The costs are way more than we are able to bring in, in revenue.”
The Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport says it has paid a lot since 2019: a total of $425,000 for site operations, $338,000 for site maintenance and a one-time $226,000 grant through the B.C. 150 Time Immemorial program.
It says it has not yet been officially notified by the society that it is stepping away from its contract, which runs until 2024.
“If the province receives official notice that Point Ellice’s operator would like to leave the contract, we will follow a process to find a new operator, which will take an estimated two to three months. During that time, we would look for options to maintain public access and maintain security of the site.”
Edited by Victoria Watcher, 23 March 2023 - 03:02 AM.