[Bcma-l] more on the situation in Grand Forks
bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca
bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca
Thu, 04 Oct 2007 18:31:00 -0700
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Hello again to all of you,
Thank you very much for all the well wishes, suggestions and interest.
For those curious how the community is responding: it's still early days
but at the end of this I'm including the editorial from the local newspaper.
Larry you have my sympathy as well. Maybe one possible positive outcome
for you might be if this blows up in our city council's face (not saying
it will mind you). Your administration might think twice about taking
the same steps there.
Thank you for your kind words Tammy. I'm glad to hear that time you
spent here was not a dead end.
You're the second person who's mentioned Joan (Miller) Jepsen. I'm
hoping that she's able to monitor the list or that the other person will
be able to pass the feed on to her.
As to the Doukhobor community, Peggy, two of our board members are
Doukhobors (not sure if either is USCC though) so I'm sure that they're
doing their part to inform. The bulk of the Doukhobor artifacts in the
museum building are from the Hardy Mountain Doukhobor Village museum
(hoping I got the current name correct). These are the ones we did not
want stored in uncontrolled cold climate storage while the site is still
a work in progress. As along as the buckets (on the floor above them)
catching water from the leaky roof are monitored they should be safe in
the basement. Should be ...
This is Jason Harshenin's editorial from yesterday's Grand Forks Gazette
(I actually asked permission :)
*Negotiations **turn sour*
Negotiations between Grand Forks City Council and the Boundary Museum
Society took an unfortunate turn this last weekend as city staff changed
the locks at the museum, effectively banning society members and museum
staff from entering the building.
Mayor Neil Krog points to failed negotiations as the main reason the
city made the decision, but why did council and society members allow it
to get to this point in the first place?
There is a lot of finger pointing taking place right now as the two
sides decide what they will do next. But the real unfortunate part in
this saga is that museum staff had no idea that this was about to happen
- maybe for good reason some would argue. But when staff showed up to
work Monday morning, they quickly realized that their keys no longer fit
the new locks.
Council says it was acting on behalf of the community when it made this
decision. But does closing the only museum in Grand Forks to students,
tourists and the like, the best way to handle a negotiation?
The unfortunate thing in this mess is that both the society and council
are using the archives, history of the area and donations of time, money
and artifacts of countless community members as pawns in an obvious
power struggle. Council will likely say it had no choice. Society
members will likely say they were backed into a corner and had no other
option.
As finger pointing continues, and as council and society members
struggle to move forward, there is another important issue that has yet
to be resolved.
Did council have the legal right to lock the museum's doors? Is Krog
right when he says that all the artifacts and archives actually belong
to the city? The Boundary Museum Society has maintained those artifacts
and archives for many years through monetary relationships with local
government.
Council is right to demand more accountability though - thousands of
dollars of taxpayer's money is allocated to the museum yearly. And it
doesn't make sense why society members would not consider entering
negotiations no matter what their concerns are.
The city is now supporting the formation of a new society to take
control. But should council have the power to encourage the old society
to disband so a new one can form that will negotiate "properly" with the
city? And what happens now to the museum staff and the many volunteers
who have helped to keep the museum functioning all these years?
JH
That's all for now ... I'll keep you all posted on braking developments.
- Les Johnson
Technician
The Boundary Museum
Grand Forks, BC
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Hello again to all of you,<br>
<br>
Thank you very much for all the well wishes, suggestions and interest.<br>
For those curious how the community is responding: it's still early
days but at the end of this I'm including the editorial from the local
newspaper.<br>
<br>
Larry you have my sympathy as well. Maybe one possible positive outcome
for you might be if this blows up in our city council's face (not
saying it will mind you). Your administration might think twice about
taking the same steps there.<br>
<br>
Thank you for your kind words Tammy. I'm glad to hear that time you
spent here was not a dead end.<br>
You're the second person who's mentioned Joan (Miller) Jepsen. I'm
hoping that she's able to monitor the list or that the other person
will be able to pass the feed on to her.<br>
<br>
As to the Doukhobor community, Peggy, two of our board members are
Doukhobors (not sure if either is USCC though) so I'm sure that they're
doing their part to inform. The bulk of the Doukhobor artifacts in the
museum building are from the Hardy Mountain Doukhobor Village museum
(hoping I got the current name correct). These are the ones we did not
want stored in uncontrolled cold climate storage while the site is
still a work in progress. As along as the buckets (on the floor above
them) catching water from the leaky roof are monitored they should be
safe in the basement. Should be ...<br>
<br>
<br>
This is Jason Harshenin's editorial from yesterday's Grand Forks Gazette
(I actually asked permission :)<br>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; margin-left: 0.95pt; line-height: 37.45pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><b><span
style="font-size: 35pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; letter-spacing: -2.05pt;">Negotiations
</span></b><b><span
style="font-size: 35pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; letter-spacing: -2pt;">turn
sour</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 4.1pt 0.7pt 0.0001pt 0in; background: white none repeat scroll 0%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.65pt; line-height: 11.75pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: black;">Negotiations between
Grand Forks City Council and <span style="letter-spacing: -0.1pt;">the
Boundary
Museum Society took an unfortunate turn </span>this last weekend as
city staff
changed the locks at the <span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt;">museum,
effectively
banning society members and muse­</span><span
style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">um
staff from entering the building.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; margin-right: 0.7pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.9pt; line-height: 11.75pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: black;">Mayor Neil Krog points
to failed negotiations as the main reason the city made the decision,
but why
did <span style="letter-spacing: -0.1pt;">council and society members
allow it to
get to this point </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">in the
first
place?</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; margin-right: 0.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.65pt; line-height: 11.75pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: black; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">There
is a lot of finger pointing taking place right now </span><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: black;">as the two sides
decide what they will do next. But the <span
style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">real
unfortunate part in this saga is that museum staff had </span><span
style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;">no idea that this was about to happen
- maybe for
good reason some would argue. But when staff showed up to work Monday
morning,
they quickly realized that their </span><span
style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">keys
no longer fit the new locks.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; margin-right: 0.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.65pt; line-height: 11.75pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: black; letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">Council
says it was acting on behalf of the community </span><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: black;">when it made this decision.
But does
closing the only <span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">museum in Grand
Forks to
students, tourists and the like, the best way to handle a negotiation?</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 0.5pt 0.0001pt 0.25pt; background: white none repeat scroll 0%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.65pt; line-height: 11.75pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: black; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">The
unfortunate thing in this mess is that both the soci­</span><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: black; letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">ety
and council are using the archives, history of the area </span><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: black; letter-spacing: -0.05pt;">and
donations of time, money and artifacts of countless </span><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: black;">community members as
pawns in an obvious power <span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">struggle.
Council
will likely say it had no choice. Society </span><span
style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;">members will likely say they were
backed into a corner </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.1pt;">and
had no other option.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 0.5pt 0.0001pt 0.25pt; background: white none repeat scroll 0%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.9pt; line-height: 11.75pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: black; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">As
finger pointing continues, and as council and socie­</span><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: black;">ty members struggle to
move forward, there is another <span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">important
issue that has yet to be resolved.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 0.5pt 0.0001pt 0.25pt; background: white none repeat scroll 0%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.65pt; line-height: 11.75pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: black; letter-spacing: -0.05pt;">Did
council have the legal right to lock the museum's </span><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: black; letter-spacing: -0.3pt;">doors?
Is Krog right when he says that all the artifacts and </span><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: black;">archives actually
belong to the city? The Boundary Museum Society has maintained those
artifacts
and <span style="letter-spacing: -0.1pt;">archives for many years
through monetary
relationships </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">with local
government.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin: 0in 0.25pt 0.0001pt; background: white none repeat scroll 0%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.65pt; line-height: 11.75pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: black; letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">Council
is right to demand more accountability though - thousands of dollars of
taxpayer's money is allocated to </span><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: black; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">the
museum yearly. And
it doesn't make sense why soci­ety members would not consider entering
negotiations no </span><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: black; letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">matter
what their concerns are.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; margin-left: 0.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.9pt; line-height: 11.75pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: black; letter-spacing: -0.3pt;">The
city is now supporting the formation of a new soci­</span><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: black; letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">ety
to take control. But should council have the power to</span><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: black;"> encourage
the old society to disband so a new one can form that will negotiate
"properly" with the city? And what happens now to the museum staff and
the many <span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;">volunteers who have
helped to keep the
museum func­</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.3pt;">tioning all
these years?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="background: white none repeat scroll 0%; margin-left: 0.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 8.9pt; line-height: 11.75pt; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"><span
style="font-size: 11.5pt; color: black; letter-spacing: -0.3pt;">JH</span></p>
That's all for now ... I'll keep you all posted on braking developments.<br>
- Les Johnson<br>
Technician<br>
The Boundary Museum<br>
Grand Forks, BC<br>
<br>
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