By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
Work is progressing on a project that will give the Canadian Fire Fighters Museum a new home and the vacated Cobourg Memorial Arena a new tenant.
Cobourg council heard further details at Monday’s committee-of-the-whole meeting from Michelle Haney-Kileeg of the Canadian Fire Fighters Museum. It opened in Port Hope in 1984, but had to close in 2018 in order to vacate its premises for the Federal radioactive clean-up process.
Last fall, council approved the tenancy of the museum in the Cobourg Memorial Arena, which has sat empty since the 2011 opening of the Cobourg Community Centre.
Following monthly meetings on the project since fall, Haney-Kileeg said,
“We are confirming there is backing for the project, and the museum has demonstrated the capacity to manage its finances and deliver on a completed project.”
Required leasehold improvements to the 74-year-old facility include work on electrical, plumbing, heating and air-conditioning issues as well as accessibility upgrades.
“We feel the project is doable, but it requires proper sharing of resources,” she added, listing such possibilities as having fees waived, being able to negotiate costs and perhaps drawing on the expertise of the town’s grant writer.
Council passed a motion thanking the museum for choosing Cobourg as its new location and called on council to approve the non-exclusive temporary use of the property for up to 12 months for two purposes.
Access would allow in-depth non-destructive engineering and architectural work for the purposes of determining detailed plans for the museum’s development.
As well, the premises could be used by the museum for fund-raising meetings, tours and activities for the purpose of generating funds to finance the required leasehold improvements.
