HomeMy WebLinkAboutGoderich Signal Star, 2017-04-05, Page 1212 Signal Star • Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Kathleen Smith/Goderich Signal Star
The Marine Museum at Goderich waterfront
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Marine Museum
to be removed
Kathleen Smith
Goderich Signal Star
In a Municipal Budget meet-
ing on March 21, elected repre-
sentatives of the Town of Goder-
ich voted in favour of
demolishing the Marine
Museum.
The Museum at the water-
front, which holds historical
information and artefacts
within, did not have a lot num-
bers of attendance over the
years, and therefore not contrib-
uting to the economy by way of
a tourist attraction.
The lack of an economic role
to the Town of Goderich, cou-
pled with the poor structural
condition of the Museum, was a
concern in consideration to the
future of the Museum.
In accordance to the health
and safety concerns on the state
of the structure, an investigation
and report on the results, was
brought forth to the County
Council.
A structure must meet Acces-
sibility. for Ontarians with Disa-
bilities Act standards (AODA),
and the results of the investiga-
tion reported that the Museum
did not meet those require-
ments and is therefore not
acceptable.
Chief Administrative Officer
(CAO) Larry McCabe stated
that as of right now, Council
and the Town are waiting on
the results of a hazardous sub-
stance report, which is stand-
ard procedure when tearing
down a structure.
The results of a report based
on suspicion of hazardous ele-
ments such as asbestos or lead
paint, should take a few weeks.
The final decision of when the
Marine Museum will be
removed can be rnade then.
Based on the facts that the
Museum has not been contrib-
uting to the County economi-
cally, and is quite possibly a
threat to environmental safety,
the decision to remove the
Marine Museum was made with
sound judgement.
There have been complaints
made regarding the removal of
the Museum, but unfortunately
it would require considerable
financial support to fix the
Museum to meet building code.
CAO McCabe questioned on
what alternatives to removing
the Museum, members of the
community can offer, in their
disappointment on this
decision.
Citizens of the Town of
Goderich are to be informed
that there is a Harbour Front
Master Plan, estimated at over
$100 000 in improvements of the
boardwalk and amenities.
The Marine Museum may be
removed soon, but the Town of
Goderich and the County repre-
sentatives have major improve-
ments in the early stages of
planning.
The Master Plan would incor-
porate community views on
how the waterfront should be
developed and how the recrea-
tional land is best used.
It would look specifically at
the future of the lands in the
waterfront area, such as where
the Marine Museum currently
stands.
For the citizens of Goderich
and to the many visitors it has
had over the years, it is known
that the waterfront is an asset to
the town. It draws tourists, ful-
filling an economic role, and is
also a valuable recreational
amenity.
In order to use the waterfront
to its fullest potential, recrea-
tionally as well as economi-
cally, there are other proposed
amenities in the Master Plan:
minigolf, water play, horse-
shoes, coffee shops, water
refilling stations, and a pro-
posal to build either a Marine
Heritage Centre or a Waterfront
Interpretive Centre, to name a
few.
The Town of Goderich and
the waterfront might be losing a
piece of its landscape in the
Marine Museum, but would be
gaining much more with the
restructuring of the waterfront
area.
The decision to remove the
Marine Museum was justified
by the reports on health and
safety issues, with possible toxic
elements within its structure,
coupled with not enough visi-
tors, resulting in a poor eco-
nomic status.
Many will be disappointed to
see the Marine Museum leave
the waterfront of the Town of
Goderich, but there are propos-
als for the near future.
These proposals for new
amenities that will be more
accessible, and draw even more
tourists, will allow the water-
front to contribute to the eco-
nomic well being of Goderich,
and will add a new element to
the already beautiful land-
scape. See page 13 for more
photos.
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