Tommy's #1 SHANIA TWAIN SuperSite Message Board

Timmins city council's formal decision this week to move the Timmins Museum and National Exhibition Centre over to the Shania Twain Centre (STC) and the Gold Mine Tour (GMT) is likely going to see a marked increase in traffic to those facilities.

Add that to the fact there is no obvious funding available for heritage or cultural projects from higher levels of government at this time and it now seems likely that the Timmins Museum will be operating out of the STC-GMT site for many months, perhaps many years.

For some time now, local critics of the Shania centre have argued that it should be made into a museum. They may get their wish. The Timmins museum staff will begin moving into its new location in January. There is no indication when a new heritage centre to replace the museum will be built.

The museum was shut down two years ago this month, when flooding occurred, resulting in mould and structural problems at the old building on Legion Drive. Since then, the museum has been operating on an ad-hoc basis out of the Porcupine Mall and space at the Whitney Arena.

Museum director Karen Bachmann and the city's development director Mark Jensen both agree those locations are no longer suitable for museum programs.

It was Jensen who recommended to council on Dec. 1, that the Shania centre and the gold mine tour buildings be used for the museum until such time as funding is found for the new $12-million arts and heritage centre, as designed by consultants Diamond and Schmitt, who were hired by the city earlier this year.

Council has already been told by heritage centre advisory committee chair Mike Doody that the shovel will not go in the ground until the new centre is paid for. Doody told council at the beginning of the month that fundraising would be a major undertaking, mainly because there is no obvious government funding available at the moment.

The committee is well aware of the economic mood that we're in, not only in the municipality but in this province and in the country. So there is still a great deal of work, Doody told council.

As council was preparing to vote on the issue this week, city councilor Denis Saudino expressed concern about whether the gold mine tour buildings would be appropriate for museum programs and for museum style art and artifact displays. Saudino, who would eventually vote in favour of the decision, was told by Jensen that work is ongoing to explore ways of how the three facilities could work together - - such as having the museum gift shop combined with the retail space at the Shania Centre.

There are also plans to incorporate open spaces at the STC to hold art exhibitions.

I guess the report highlights our initial plan which is to utilize the vast majority of the Gold Mine tour facility initially for programming and exhibit space as well as offices for our museum staff, said Jensen.
Jensen also mentioned that the museum could work with the gold mine tour to enhance the mining heritage tourism opportunities.

We are certainly going to explore further synergies. We have talked about using the main foyer area of the Shania Twain Centre to host some exhibits as to promote increased use of that facility as well, he said.

Another benefit is that the modern STC is fully accessible for seniors and persons with disabilities.

Council's decision on the matter was a unanimous vote.

http://www.timminstimes.com/ArticleD...aspx?e=1343611