First communication to members - since topic became public issue six months ago

While there has been extensive media coverage for six months on the topic there has been no communication on moving the Provincial Collection to the membership of the PEI Museum & Heritage - the body which should have some role in defining the policy of their organization. Today the following letter arrived informing the membership of decision made by the Board of Governors.

March 5,2007
Dear Member,
The Prince Edward Island Museum and Heritage Foundation is about to embark on a new chapter. At our Annual General Meeting on March 14, we will be introducing our new Executive Director, Dr. David Keenlyside. Since Chris Severance retired in November 2004, the Museum has operated under three interim directors - Linda Berko, Frank Butler, and Paula Kenny. We wish to extend a sincere thank you to these individuals for managing the affairs of the organization until a permanent replacement was recruited and we welcome Dr. Keenlyside to his new post.

Another very important change will take shape this year. After many years, the Museum will finally have a new home for the permanent collection. Many of you are familiar with the opinions circulating in the media; however, the Board of Governors has chosen to communicate directly to the membership.

When the Province offered the Museum a purpose-built collection storage facility, the Board of Governors considered the proposal very carefully as certain factors were not negotiable. The building would be available only in Murray River through a project by the Northumberland Community Development Corporation. For at least ten years, a new storage facility had been the priority of the Museum and there have been no funds available to bring the existing building up to the required standard. In deciding to accept the offer of a facility in Murray River, the Board of Governors stipulated a number of conditions to ensure that no added financial burden fell on the organization and also to ensure the highest standards of environmental controls would be met. The Province has agreed to virtually all the conditions and we feel this is the best action for the collection.

The Premier recently made the official announcement of the project. Tenders will be called in the near future with construction scheduled to begin this spring. The Project Manager has consulted with staff throughout the process in order to include all the appropriate systems in the design. We have been assured that the Museum will continue to be consulted during the design-build process. The environmental controls will not be reduced in negotiations with the successful tender. The Board will also insist that no change be made to the fire suppression system, including water tanks needed to operate the sprinkler system. To further increase protection, the storage area will be divided into three rooms with firewalls. The Province has also agreed to provide proper cabinets and racking for holding the artefacts and the cost of the move is covered.

This new chapter holds many opportunities and we look forward to these exciting possibilities.

Yours truly,
Satadal Dasgupta, Ph.D., Chairperson

2 Kent Street, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island CIA IM6
Tel: 902 368 6600 Fax: 902 368 6608 Email:mhpei@gov.pe.ca
website www.peimuseum.com