Gambling revenue has raised the stakes for the Kitimat Museum and Archives - thanks to a provincial government grant the installation of an elevator can now go ahead.
The $84,000 grant, announced in late December, is being matched by the District of Kitimat, a requirement for groups and organizations to receive the gambling revenue grant in the first place.
“This is great news. We’ve been waiting for this news,” said museum curator Louise Avery.
The lift will ensure easier access from the facility’s ground floor to its second floor for people in wheelchairs or those using crutches or walkers, and those with knee- or hip-related medical conditions, she noted.
Another benefit will be the ease of moving items between the first and second floors.
“Many people have commented for a number of years about the need for something like this,” said Avery.
Installing a lift at the museum follows the general desire by the District of Kitimat, which owns the museum, to improve accessibility to all its buildings.
Following news of the grant, the District of Kitimat will put the project out to tender and establish the groundwork for a construction start.
The type of lift as identified by the district will be enclosed, have a door and be large enough to hold a person in a wheelchair and another person. It will have a safety brake and a backup battery so that it can be lowered should the main power supply ever fail.
The projected cost includes the lift’s purchase cost and its installation, along with the necessary renovations.
Part of the work needed would be to break through a portion of the second floor which is made out of concrete.
The Kitimat Museum and Archives structure dates back to the mid-1960s when it was constructed as a project to celebrate 1967 as Canada’s centennial year. It was opened in the fall of 1969.