Public reaction should be swift and punishment severe if the move goes ahead
by John Eldon Green - special to The Guardian - Oct 2, 2006
Recently a 96-year old friend urged me to write in opposition to the proposed move of the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation’s artifactory to south Kings, which pains her greatly. I readily agreed because I share her opinion. As a consultant, I completed several projects for the heritage sector and have a fair understanding of the issues.
Clearly, the proposed move is all about politics, unrelated to heritage concerns. The artifactory has little to do with economic activity wherever it may be located, other than during the construction period. With only a 3-person staff, it is not set up for display purposes, or to undertake interpretation programs, or receive visitors. It is simply a high level warehouse for heritage items in long-term storage. Working with regional museums, staff help assemble and upgrade programs, but don’t display.
If the proposed move to South Kings goes forward, the movement of artifacts between the facility and the various museums will become more costly, more difficult, with the certainty of decreased use and program renewal. Considering the low level of visitations to the regional museums, there will simply be little visitor interest in the replacement warehouse. It will be a big building, out of place wherever located, and with no other role in the community.
One gets the notion that the relocation of the conservatory is intended as a political legacy for an electoral district. If so, the district could do much better if even a fraction of the proposed expenditure were invested in true development projects in the district, where real economic activity would be increased, bringing about a new flow of visitors, continuous local spending, and new employment. Giving a community the artifactory would be much like giving a kid a bucket of sand.
A number of years ago a different government moved the Hospital and Health Services Commission to Montague, a move which immediately increased administrative costs, without any corresponding service gain whatever. Travel-costs for Charlottetown-based staff had to be shared by government, which had not been the case prior to the move. The same will have to happen if the artifactory in relocated; for the likelihood is that staff will not live in South Kings, or bring spending power there. There will be no new jobs for local people because of the special skills required in operating the facility.
This proposal shows little respect for the museums system as the conserver of our history, carefully nurtured though poorly funded for over 35 years. Public reaction should be swift and the punishment severe if it goes forward. In fact, such a decision would be so tainted by short-term political advantage that it would make a strong case for still another electoral map so that this kind of government decision-making can be properly addressed at the polls.
John Eldon Green , is a former deputy minister in the PEI government and a long-term management consultant.
1 comment:
Congratulations to John Eldon Green on the clear and informed comment on the proposed move of the PEI Museum's storage facility.
Clearly the political motive is uppermost, without regard to thinking which is any more long-term than the date of the next election.
Congratulations, too, to the Institute of Island Studies for undertaking public dialogue on the topic. As a life member of the PEI Museum it's notable that there is no opportunity for discourse by the membership - it's the "grab what we've been offered and don't think about the practicalities" Board attitude I've seen before, and I have served on that Board.
I don't think even half of the costs of this relocation have been considered. The cost to the artifacts every time they're packed and moved hasn't been mentioned.
Mary Burke
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