Grey Roots Gallery Redesign (Photo from Grey County council report)
Grey County’s committee of the whole is approving at $145,000 contract for the Grey Roots Gallery Abundance redesign.
During a council meeting on May 12, a report was brought forward by Manager of Museum and Achieves Jill Paterson and Curator Sim Salata. The report recommended awarding the contract to Wood and Walkworks.
The report says this is the latest in the five-year Grey County Gallery update, as it is entering phase two of construction following the Voices of Grey launch in 2020.
The report says staff received the final design from Origin Studios in January for the Abundance section, which would cover about 1,500 square feet of the gallery, with the design being completed in 2021. The awarded contract would go to the fabrication and installation of this gallery.
“Staff looked for a design that could structurally and aesthetically stand the test of time, while providing space for regular updates with new objects, images and text panels,” says the report.
The design also took accessibility into consideration, and the report says it has been included in all aspects of the design.
“The Abundance section of the gallery really looks at agriculture, forestry and the abundance of water in this area,” says Paterson.
Paterson adds the new design will allow them to regularly update the exhibits and keep the experience fresh by drawing attention to the collection at Grey Roots.
“We have received a range of estimates for the fabrication and installation for the Abundance section of the gallery. The lowest of which still came in at $56,000 over our 2022 budget allocations,” says Paterson.
Paterson adds, as construction costs are soaring, additional funds are needed to proceed with the project, and staff have applied to the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund to fully offset the costs. Should they not be successful in receiving money from the fund, they would need council’s approval to use reserve funds to cover the costs.
Paterson says they would like to pull the budget shortfall from the Grey Roots 2022 surplus, or if there is none available, they would pull from the Grey Roots general reserve.
“We are seeing life just come full force back to the museum, we have got events coming up, we have got people requesting rentals, school groups are back which is a huge win. We are so happy to see the village full of kids and happy faces,” says Paterson.
