At a virtual special Elliot Lake City Council meeting Monday afternoon, the vote was five to one in favour of spending an extra $400,000 to expand the footprint of the Elliot Lake Arts Centre.
It was nearly unanimous. Those in favour of adding another 1,000 sq ft to the planned Arts Hub design were Mayor Dan Marchisella, Couns. Sandy Finamore, Tom Turner, Norman Mann and Chris Patrie.
Only Coun. Ed Pearce was opposed, and Coun. Luc Cyr was absent.
The expansion by 1,000 square feet to some 4,000 sq ft would produce a larger nuclear and mining museum that would closely match the floor space it occupied in its former home. (Lester B. Pearson Civic Centre on Highway 108).
None of the extra museum space would be used for artifact storage and documentation purposes. Coun. Finamore assured Council it would be earmarked for displays.
Following a presentation by Interim Museum Curator Amelia D'Amato urging Council to reconsider the previous design, Coun. Pearce said he couldn't justify the expenditure based on the city's current financial picture. He called the added spending "unnecessary."
Coun. Mann said it's important to build the Arts centre right the first time.
Coun. Finamore said priceless relics will be displayed and stored in the museum. She reminded her fellow councillors that the arts community is an integral part of the city's Economic Development strategy.
She added, "If there's anything that we've learned in the last year and a half is that they can't do it on their own without the support of the community."
The startup money for the Arts Centre is coming from a nearly $4M reserve created from the insurance settlement Elliot Lake received after the collapse of the ill fated Civic Centre, after it sustained a roof collapse.
Pearce remarked most of the rest of the money for the $12M Arts Centre is anticipated via federal grant programs.
He noted the extra $400,000 only builds the added space, not the museum that fits into it.
Elliot Lake's Special Projects Manager Steve Antunes said it was part of the reason for the Monday special meeting, as applications for a federal green fund and the federal Cultural Spaces Program money the City is hoping for, must be submitted by July.
Pearce reminded the others that the government funding is not guaranteed.
Cost of the 1,000 sq ft museum addition is estimated at $343 per sq ft.
Coun. Tom Turner said Green Fund money will be based on 60 cent funding dollars and Cultural Spaces money is factored at 75 cent dollars. With those he speculated the cost of the add on to the City could be closer to $100,000.
D'Amato assured Council that the extra museum space in the Arts Centre is not being taken from areas alloted to the arts community.
As for those community arts groups, Coun. Patrie said, "We're giving away $500 a month to all these organizations (rent forgiveness for arts groups).
"It's costing us $3M to build and we have to operate it at the expense of the city and the taxpayers.
Regarding the museum, Patrie continued, "You have to make sure that at least you're not losing the infrastructure that you had.
"We're probably looking at half a million dollars of infrastructure cost to build this museum. So I expect there's a lot more conversation that has to be had in that respect," concluded Patrie.