City of Powell River Council has approved contribution and lease agreements with Powell River Historical Museum and Archives.
At the August 20 council meeting, councillors voted for a contribution agreement and lease agreement with the museum from January 1, 2020, through to December 31, 2024.
Councillor Cindy Elliott said this was a housekeeping item. She said the lease agreement between the city and museum had run out and there was a requirement to renew it.
“The only real change in this is we need to do the cost in-kind differently than we have in past, and that’s the way we record things,” said Elliott.
Mayor Dave Formosa said some time ago the city didn’t take into consideration the cost because it was all internal and the museum is occupying the city’s buildings.
“Subsequently, with our change of chief financial officers, we started identifying the real costs of what that would be and bringing it into our books,” said Formosa.
Elliott said the difference between the previous lease and the one being proposed is that it is reflecting the costs accurately. Formosa said that is happening throughout the whole organization.
According to a staff report, the last agreement between the museum and the city expired at the end of 2008. The report added that the city has provided free of charge the use of three buildings – the main museum, the archives and the forest museum – to Powell River Historical Museum and Archives Association, and at one time, Powell River Forestry Museum Society. In addition to the use of the buildings, the city has also provided property maintenance, janitorial services and covered the costs of utilities and security.
The city had proposed a lease for the three buildings, and a portion of the adjacent parking lot where the Anderson Sawmill exhibit will be placed. The estimated lease cost is nearly $55,000 per year. Additionally, as part of its five-year plan, the city has budgeted $30,000 per year to cover the cost of property maintenance, janitorial, utilities and the alarm system in the museum buildings.
Staff had proposed that a contribution agreement be put in place with the association, which outlines covenants of both organizations and specifies the in-kind financial support being provided by the city.
Council voted unanimously in favour of the agreements with Powell River Historical Museum and Archives.
