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Posted By KEITH LACEY, THE DAILY PRESS

The Timmins Museum: National Exhibition Centre is moving into the Shania Twain Centre/Timmins Gold Mine Tour facility in early 2009.

After a long debate by city council Monday night, it was also decided that if a permanent arts heritage and museum is ever built in the City of Timmins, it will be located either within or adjacent to the McIntyre Community Centre in Schumacher.

The museum had to close up in late 2006 after flooding and mould problems forced it from its longtime home on Legion Drive in South Porcupine.

For many months, it has been located in the Porcupine Mall, but cramped space has significantly cut back programming and exhibits.

Council agreed to a consultant's recommendation and work done by a community citizen's advisory committee that moving the museum to the Shania Twain Centre on an interim basis is the best option.

The same committee and consultant suggested the best place for a permanent Timmins Arts and Heritage Centre, which would also house the Timmins Museum would be at the McIntyre Arena.

Despite some opposition from councillors John Curley and Pat Bamford, who insisted the best place for a permanent centre would be adjacent to the Whitney Arena on Porcupine Lake, the majority of council backed the McIntyre Community Centre location.

It was made clear by Timmins Museum curator Karen Bachmann that a permanent arts heritage centre, with an estimated $12-million price tag, is years away from being built.

But having council approve a permanent site and interim site will allow supporters and management to approach government, businesses and the community to begin fundraising initiatives, Bachmann said.

The proposed $12-million heritage site would include $6 million from the province and federal government, $2 million from city taxpayers and the remaining $4 million would have to come from fundraising and donations, she said.

Advisory committee chairman Michael Doody said the committee looked at 27 sites across the City of Timmins and the McIntyre and Whitney sites were the clear favourites.

The only mandate of the committee was to select a site "where it could be most successful," in the city, Doody said.

Bamford said he was disappointed the consultant and advisory committee changed its mind between April and October, switching from the Porcupine Lake site to the McIntyre.

Mayor Tom Laughren said the McIntyre site is the best choice and became the clear favourite once Goldcorp, the local mining company, ensured everyone in the community long-term mine expansion plans did not include the McIntyre site.

Coun. Billy Gvozdanovic said even though "this project is so far from getting off the ground" he wondered why council was discussing it now, he had to vote in favour of the McIntyre site because it's centrally located with the highest visibility of all sites considered.

No matter how beautiful, most people from this city would not travel 15 or 20 minutes to Porcupine Lake to attend a museum on a regular basis, he said.

Bachmann pointed out before the current national economic crisis, both the federal and provincial governments showed solid support for the concept and funding proposal for a permanent arts heritage centre in Timmins.

If fundraising efforts are solid over the next couple of years now that a permanent and interim site have been selected, Bachmann said she remains confident senior levels of government will again come to the table once the economy recovers.

Doody said moving the Timmins Museum to the Shania Twain Centre will immediately allow Bachmann and her staff to offer programming and exhibits that were greatly lacking over the last several months.

The Porcupine Mall's owner has been extremely generous in allowing the museum to operate there rent free for months, but this museum is important to the quality of life in this community and he's confident it and the Shania Twain Centre/Gold Mine Tour will all benefit working together as tourist attractions, Doody said.

http://www.timminspress.com/Article....aspx?e=1325477