The Cold Lake Museums and Air Force Museum are looking for additional funding to support their operations and assist with continued improvements to the facilities.
“We're looking for an operation budget of $125,000 and a capital budget of $50,000. Capital would go towards improving the buildings, infrastructure and maintenance,” said Linda Dunn, curatorial manager of the Cold Lake Museums.
Dunn, along with Cold Lake Air Force Museum curator Jennifer Ross and society chairman Chris Holoboff, were at council on Oct. 27 to request the money from the city.
“We've been getting support from them for the last 10 years and we just want to keep doing what we're doing,” said Dunn.
Over the past decade, attendance at the local group of museums has been steadily increasing. In 2005, they were sitting around 2,000 visitors per year. Now, they're up to about 6,000 people who stop by to explore the museum in a year.
All of the additions and renovations have drawn renewed attention to the local museums.
“Most people go 'I've already been to the museum'. If we're changing it all the time then people need to come back and see the new things,” said Dunn, who added that it's also important for them to represent the most up-to-date information.
“New things come to light, there area issues that we want to address. We want to keep it relevant to the community to keep them interested so that anyone from any aspect of the community: military, oil, the aboriginal people, can come up and find something up there that relates to them.”
This year, visitors were treated to a new and improved look at the museums. During the winter months of 2014/'15, staff was hard at work updating the exhibits and facilities. At the Cold Lake Museums, an interactive tunnel was created. Stretching 100-feet long and eight-feet wide, it was transformed into a walk through time transitioning from an Air Force runway to a river for the Legend of Kinosoo exhibit. There is also a railway in the works for the next portion of the tunnel.
“In the old days the radar domes would be in between each building and they had to be shielded a certain distance apart. That's a long hallway to walk and we wanted to make it a little more interesting, so we've got some exhibits,” explained Dunn.
She added, “It's so that you're kind of walking through time and walking through the City of Cold Lake area.”
Built in the early 1950s, the radar station that houses the museums is one of the only Cold War-era radar stations in Canada that's been preserved. Sitting atop the hill between Cold Lake north and south, the original domes are no longer a landmark sight for residents or visitors but that could soon change.
During the meeting, Ross told council that they are working towards bringing in radar domes that are being retired from CFB 4 Wing.
“We're still working towards the details of the dome project, but in the future there's potential,” said Ross. “It's very exciting, it's a familiar sight and I think people would welcome it back.”
None of the funding they're looking for is earmarked for the dome project, but nonetheless Dunn expressed it's crucial they receive it to move forward. Money received from the city for their operational budget will go towards primarily staffing, with the capital used for finishing the upgrades.
“I don't know where (else) that funding would come from. Grants are a bit sketchy, you can apply for them but you may or may not get them...It's important to have a steady income that we don't have to worry about. Museums are not, traditionally, self supporting,” said Dunn.
The radar station has previously received the designation of a heritage site from the province of Alberta. If, for some reason, the museums were no longer able to occupy the facilities, it could mean the deterioration of a significant Canadian landmark.
“It's quite common to repurpose historic buildings as something else...because if a building is occupied it's not going to fall apart as easily,” said Dunn. “In keeping us up there, keeping the museum active and going, it keeps the buildings preserved just from being occupied.”
Their request for $125,000 in operational funding and $50,000 in capital funding will be back before council at their next meeting, with the possibility of pushing it to budget deliberations.
