[Bcma-l] Grand Forks & Boundary Museum
bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca
bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca
Thu, 04 Oct 2007 15:20:05 -0700
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<div align="left"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10pt">Thank you, Les, for notifying the BCMA and your posting to BCMA-L.
Also for providing yesterday copies of the City's press release of
October 1st and Mona Mattei's October 2nd article in the Grand Forks
Gazette, and subsequently for your permission today for us to share
these on BCMA-L:</span></font></div>
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<div align="left"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">CITY OF GRAND FORKS </span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">PRESS RELEASE: OCTOBER 1, 2007</span></font></div>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">"<b><i><u>Grand Forks</u></i></b><b><i>: - </i></b>In January of this year the City provided draft
Operating and Lease Agreements to the Boundary Museum Society
for discussion and negotiation. These agreements were revised and
reissued to the Society in June of this year after the City finalized the
details of the transfer of the Circuit Court to the new location.</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left=0mm; margin-right=0mm; text-indent=0mm"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">"The purpose of the proposed Agreements
was to establish
accountability of the tax dollars and the use of building owned by the
taxpayers of the City. At the present time the Boundary Museum
Society provides no accountability and reports to the City" stated
Mayor Krog.</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left=0mm; margin-right=0mm; text-indent=0mm"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">"After consultation meeting [sic] with
the funding partners to the
museum-City- Electoral Areas D and C of the Regional District of
Kootenay Boundary, on August 29</span></font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt"><sup>th</sup> a letter was sent to the Boundary
Museum and to each of the Directors of the Boundary Museum
Society individually to arrange a suitable date for a meeting on or
before September 30</span></font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt"><sup>th</sup> to finalize these two agreements. Further the
Mayor met with the Society's Board and encouraged them to resolve
the two </span></font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">agreements.</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left=0mm; margin-right=0mm; text-indent=0mm"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">"In the past months Council liaison Councillor
Robert met numerous
times with the Board in an attempt to get an Agreement on Operating
and Lease Agreements. A report was provided to Council and it was
decided unanimously by Council to close the Museum doors on
October 1</span></font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt"><sup>st</sup>, 2007 if the Board did not respond to the City's request to
negotiate lease and funding agreements on or before September 30</span></font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt"><sup>th</sup>,
2007. The Chair of the Museum Board sent the Agreements back to
the City on September 5</span></font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt"><sup>th</sup>, 2007 without opening the contents.</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left=0mm; margin-right=0mm; text-indent=0mm"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">"The City will proceed in the next two
months to put in place a new
structure encompassing a wider spectrum of the Community including
representations from Electoral Areas C and D of the Kootenay
Boundary who will be charged with establishing accountability and
protecting the museum's art effects" stated Mayor Krog. "The City in
consultation with Area Directors will invite all members of the public
that are interested to apply for positions in the Society that will run
the Museum service effective January 1</span></font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt"><sup>st</sup>, 2008".</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left=0mm; margin-right=0mm; text-indent=0mm"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">"The City, Electoral Areas C and D of the
Regional District of
Kootenay Boundary provide majority of the funding to operate the
Museum. BC Arts Council provides leverage funding based on the
amounts provided by the City. In 2007 the City provided $56,000 to
operate the museum and maintain the building. Boundary Museum
Society has made no capital grant applications to assist towards the
renovations of the former Court House Building.</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left=0mm; margin-right=0mm; text-indent=0mm"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">"The Boundary Museum Society is a corporate
entity that was formed
by their Directors. This Society will be in existence as long as their
Directors want to continue. The City does not have any say into what
the Society will do or whether it continues to exist. The City will not
provide any further funding to the Boundary Museum Society.</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-left=0mm; margin-right=0mm; text-indent=0mm"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">"The current Museum building will be closed
until such time as the
new Society is formed, has an operating and lease agreement with the
City and is able to hire the staff needed to operate a Museum.   The
City will pursue grants at this time to offset the cost of renovations to
the old </span></font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">Courthouse building."</span></font></p>
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<div align="left"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12pt">---  30  ---</span></font></div>
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<div align="left"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="font-size:14pt"><b>CITY LOCKS MUSEUM DOORS</b></span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><span style="font-size:12pt">MONA MATTEI</span></font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12pt"> 
- </span></font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">Gazette Staff</span></font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12pt"> <br/>
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</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">"Boundary Museum staff found themselves locked out of the building when
they arrived to work on Monday morning. City works staff had changed the
locks to the museum at the direction of city council over the weekend.<br/>
The lock-out is the result of failed negotiations between the City of Grand
Forks and the Boundary Museum Society.</span></font></div>
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<font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">"It came as a complete shock today," said Rick Docksteader, chair of the
Boundary Museum Society Board of Directors. "It is an unprecedented tactic
to force the museum to comply with the process. The museum has served the
community for 49 years and we do not understand the treatment we have
received."<br/>
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</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">"In January of this year, the city provided draft operating and lease agreements
to the Boundary Museum Society for discussion and negotiation. These were
new agreements that were developed by the city to ensure accountability for
annual operating funding that the museum society has historically received to
support their organization.<br/>
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</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">"Funding from the city in 2007 was $56,000, which accounts for about one-
half of the society's annual operating costs. The society also receives funding
through the B.C. Arts Council, Human Resources and Skills Development
Canada, and other sources. Regional District of Kootenay Boundary, Areas C
and D, held a referendum in 2005, resulting in additional annual funding for
the museum society's operations.<br/>
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</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">"The biggest issue is "the operating agreement and especially that Area D and
Area C money are now going to come into play," said Krog. "We've looked at
it, and it should have been done way back-usually if you are going to spend
taxpayer's money there's got to be a requirement to report."<br/>
<br/>
</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">"In the past the reporting from the museum to the city has been voluntary.<br/>
Service and lease agreements are already pending, and/or in place, for the
Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce and the Grand Forks Art Gallery.<br/>
Both city councillor Gene Robert and Krog have attended museum board
meetings to discuss the agreements and work toward negotiations for a mutually acceptable agreement.<br/>
<br/>
</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">"We sent at least five letters to the city with questions regarding the
agreements, but have had no answers," said Docksteader. "We have been
working diligently to cooperate with the proposed move to the courthouse and
to meet other deadlines such as moving our artifacts from the old health unit
on time. Our reluctance to sign the agreement is not based on negativity, but
rather caution and the city has not been forthcoming with information."<br/>
<br/>
</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">"Docksteader indicated that there was never any doubt in the board's mind that
they would sign the agreements and that they have been cooperating with the
city's initiatives.<br/>
<br/>
</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">"Krog attended the board of directors meeting in September to discuss the
proposed agreements. "I told them that we had to see something, if you don't
like our agreement that's fine, just give us something so we can start the
negotiations," said Krog. "It's not that we were negotiating and couldn't come
to an understanding, they wouldn't even begin."</span></font></div>
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<font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">"A report provided to city council last week led to a decision to close the
museum doors on Oct. 1 if the museum board did not respond to the city's
request. According to Docksteader, notice was not provided to Boundary
Museum staff regarding this decision.<br/>
<br/>
</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">"The city will proceed in the next two months to put in place a new structure
encompassing a wider spectrum of the community, including representation
from the Electoral Areas C and D of the Kootenay Boundary who will be
charged : with establishing accountability and protecting the museum's
artifacts," stated Krog.</span></font></div>
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<font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">"The question of the legal ownership of the archives and artifacts is unclear.
According to the museum's constitution, the artifacts are held by the museum
in public trust. The Society's Act and the BC Museums Association outlines
protocol for the dissolution of a society and the distribution of assets. Since the
society is still in good standing, the artifacts would appear to be the property of
the museum society.<br/>
<br/>
</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">"From our perspective all the artifacts belong to the community, not to six
individuals," said Krog.</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">--- 30 ---</span></font></div>
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<div align="left"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">_______________________________</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">Jim Harding, ED</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">BC Museums Association</span></font></div>
<div align="left"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:11pt">(250) 356-5694</span></font></div>
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