Niagara-on-the-Lake town council has approved a $500,000 pledge over five years to support the NOTL Museum’s Memorial Hall expansion — as long as its federal grant application is also successful.
Museum CEO and curator Sarah Kaufman said the funding would support creating a “community hub”: improving accessibility for people with disabilities, expanding recreational programs, including for children, and increasing the number of items on display.
She emphasized the importance of expanding recreational offerings to ease pressure on the NOTL Community Centre, which she said is “very well used,” based on her conversations with the town.
The proposed funding would come from municipal accommodation tax revenue, according to the museum’s submission.
The pledge is intended to strengthen the museum’s application for a $2-million federal grant for the same project.
The federal government accepts pledges, Kaufman said.
She noted the museum applied for the federal funding in April and does not need immediate municipal funds — just a formal commitment to bolster the application.
“This is do or die for the museum,” Kaufman said. “If we don’t get this (federal) grant, this project may never happen,” adding the decision could come before September.
Kaufman said the museum is also seeking support from other donors across the Golden Horseshoe and at all levels of government.
Last year, the town financially supported the museum when it bought the Janet Carnochan House at 25 Castlereagh St., next to the main building.
The house belonged to Janet Carnochan, founder of the NOTL Historical Society, the museum’s precursor.
Kaufman thanked the town for its help and said the acquisition saved the museum millions in renovation costs while preserving a historically significant site.
She told The Lake Report that it’s a good thing that NOTL is decided to invest in their heritage.
“When you see places like Halton who are shutting down their heritage services … it’s a very kind of scary precedent that’s being set there,” said Kaufman.
“Somewhere like NOTL appreciates heritage so much. It’s really great that the council is supporting this project … because unfortunately it’s not happening in other communities.”
Kaufman also highlighted several features of the museum’s collection, including what she described as the “best” War of 1812 collection in Canada, the largest Laura Secord collection in the country, and German machine guns captured at Vimy Ridge.
