Thank you, Mr. Abram for bringing the community’s attention to the need for a new museum. The museum’s storage rooms are, indeed, so packed with artifacts that it’s difficult to walk down the aisles. And you are right — the archives are amazing. Vernon ‘s history is being well looked after.
The handicapped entrance is closed for repairs and your comments about handicapped accessibility have been taken seriously — the building authorities have been asked to speed up their plans to fix the entrance as soon as possible.
The major museums in the area – Penticton, Kamloops, and Kelowna – are all city departments and their employees are city staff, so they do not need to charge admission. Vernon and cities of a similar size like Nelson, Revelstoke, Cranbrook, and Creston are run by societies that receive part of their funding from their cities or regional districts. The financial shortfall has to be made up by grants, fundraising, and unfortunately, admission charges. That’s just a fact of life.
The museum looks forward to a new partnership with the art gallery in planning for a new multi-purpose cultural centre. It’s time to have the opportunity to showcase both of our wonderful collections. Thanks again to Mr. Abram for his instructive comments.
Linda Wills
Secretary, Greater Vernon
Museum and Archives