The Mountain View Museum has been inundated with public support following an Albertan article last month over the maintenance deficiencies at the institution.
“Within 24 hours we had an offer for a freezer and for paint,” said Anne Lindsay, the museum's manager who came to Olds in June after managing two museums for 11 years at CFB Petawawa in Ontario. “Within a week two members of town staff came. Basically we showed them some deficiencies that had to be fixed. They were very supportive in helping us.”
Last month Lindsay told the Albertan the museum, located in the old historic AGT building on 50 Street, was in desperate need for a modest makeover.
She said clothes moths had infested the building. The paint was peeling from the walls and new tiles were needed for the main entrance.
“With the freezer we will freeze almost every artifact that comes in the museum. It will kill off any pest infestation,” she said last month.
In addition to the in-kind donations there were also many phone calls to the museum offering verbal encouragement, said Lindsay.
“People thought the article (Sept. 27 Albertan) was great, timely and they felt people should get behind the museum,” said Lindsay, a paid employee and also the Main Street coordinator for Uptowne Olds and the Olds Institute.
In the Sept. 27 Albertan article Lindsay went on to say the “biggest challenge” facing the museum is funding.
She said the museum is now funded by both Uptowne Olds and the Olds Institute. There is also occasional funding from the Alberta Lottery Fund and the Mountain View Film Group. She added the town donates in-kind, providing the building free of charge and covering the cost of utilities.
Lindsay is trying to secure a $12,000 grant from the Alberta Museums Association. The grant is intended to fund collections management and preservation at the museum.
However, Norm McInnis, the town's chief administrative officer, said the town's contribution to the museum is more than just an in-kind donation. He said the town budgeted $11,618 in 2011 for basic maintenance, utilities and wages. McInnis added the town's Carly Smart, its community services coordinator, has provided a strong link between the partnership and the town.
He emphasized the town is not in any way blind to the ongoing trials faced by the museum but noted there has been a change in management over the past year, which has caused a temporary stalling in getting into action in areas that otherwise deserve immediate attention.
“It wasn't that we were neglecting the state of affairs at the museum. It is just that it wasn't an immediate priority of the partnership (Uptowne Olds, Olds Historical Society and museum board),” said McInnis. “The issue is that the partnership had a change in management.”
He added that because Lindsay is the new manager at the museum she will now have to “put her mark” on the institution's direction, including setting priorities such as building maintenance improvements.
McInnis also added it is a possibility the museum could see more money dedicated to it now that the town will see about $43,000 in new revenues from its recent gas franchise fee hike.
The gas franchise fee on an annual basis covers the costs the town incurs for the museum, library and the senior centre.
McInnis emphasized while the museum may see a bit more money the amount has yet to be finalized.
Meanwhile, Lindsay said the museum is now moving forward with fundraising initiatives and a cleaning blitz where volunteers will reorganize the museum's storerooms, including taking a thorough inventory.
“We are trying to get on an even keel,” she said, adding the recent public input into the museum's affairs has provided an added hopeful feeling at the institution.
“I always feel hopeful. We still have to overcome hurdles but I am hopeful,” said Lindsay.
