A conceptual drawing released in June 2013 shows what the Osoyoos Home Building Centre will look like after it becomes the home of the Osoyoos and District Museum and Archives in 2020.
By Dale Boyd
Osoyoos Times
The new site of the Osoyoos Museum and Archives is finalizing plans to open on Main Street in June 2020.
There is a lot of work to be done and funding to acquire prior to opening day and “it will not be finished, but no museum is, nor should it be,” said Mat Hassen, president of the Osoyoos Museum Society.
Hassen updated the Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen board of directors at the community services committee meeting on Sept. 5.
The museum society is currently short of the $2.5 million needed to complete the project, with about $1 million in funding secured. However, three major grant applications are still outstanding and fundraising efforts are ongoing.
As well, contingency plans are in place for the new museum replacing the Home Building Centre which is set to move out the Main Street location by the end of the year.
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The funds include $2 million for renovating the building, revising the facade and signage, an elevator servicing lower and main levels, revisions and upgrades to the HVAC system, a new mezzanine structure, accessible washrooms and more — with an additional $500,000 earmarked for exhibit development
The Museum has received a $250,000 Community Gaming Grant from the province and funds from a capital reserve account where the net lease revenues paid by the Home Building Centre are to be used toward the construction and development of the new museum.
Contingency plans have been developed by Larry Stone, an Osoyoos resident with experience in project management assisting the museum society, for scenarios where the museum falls short of funding.
“We can only spend what we have in hand, and so Larry has developed contingency plans as such so we will be able to proceed with what we have and do the best with what we have and continue to build on that in the future,” Hassen said.
Drawings are expected to be completed in mid-September with calls for tender going out in early October and initial contracts aiming to be signed by early November.
“At 8:30 on the morning of Jan. 2, 2020 (executive director) Kara (Burton) will swing the first sledgehammer blow to begin the demolition inside and the renovation within,” Hassen said.
A 2011 referendum held by the regional district showed a two-thirds majority of respondents agreeing to borrow no more than $1.26 million to purchase the land.
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However, the Home Building Centre occupying the location had the right in the agreement to extend their lease for up to five years.
“The economy did a downturn and so Home Hardware decided to delay the progress with building (their) new facility and the lease was extended,” Hassen said.
A further extension was made until Dec. 31, 2019 and “at that point, thanks to Kara, we adopted a new slogan because our vision became 2020.”
The concept of the new facility will differ from most small-town museums, according to executive director Burton, exploring the interconnectedness of “the land, the people and the industry.”
“Each year there will be a temporary exhibit, so we would pull out one topic from each theme. Next year for our opening out of the land we will be pulling out the irrigation in the South Okanagan, for people we will be pulling out the Portuguese settler community, and for industry we will be pulling out orchard which are all so very linked,” Burton said.
She said the museum is planned to be a “cornerstone of the community,” and a flexible space.
The museum will also feature the ability to re-arrange and move exhibits so the facility can be used for community events as well. Local school groups can take in a virtual tour of the Royal BC Museum in Victoria too. An archives room and much-needed storage are planned as well.
“We are very confident that it will tell the story of the community,” Burton said.
