DRYDEN — City officials in Dryden are taking the first step to what could end up being a new home for the local museum.
City council recently approved a request from administration to submit a funding proposal to the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund for a feasibility study to assess the museum’s current needs and to explore potential options for a new location.
“We want to examine critical factors such as site selection, space requirements, accessibility improvements, environmental sustainability and financial considerations for operating the facility,” said Jason Boyer, the director of community services for the City of Dryden.
Currently, Boyer said, the museum is located in a 130 year-old former family farmhouse. The building “has some structural issues and obviously significant accessibility barriers,” Boyer continued, adding that the museum has been there since 1987.
“We're running out of space a little bit, but accessibility issues (are) a big factor and doing such an extensive renovation on such an old building at this point doesn't make sense,” he said. “But we also want to address that through a feasibility study that obviously building new makes the most financial sense and operational sense for our community.”
The report to city council said the total cost of the study would be $80,000 — the city would be responsible for $10,000 of that. It would be included in the 2026 municipal budget. The report went on to state that “additional funding sources will be pursued to minimize the municipal investment in the project.”
“The long-term financial benefits of a modern museum facility, including increased revenue generation and operational efficiencies, will be assessed as part of the study,” the report continued.
Boyer said he expects to submit the city’s funding proposal for the feasibility study by March 20. He said, typically, it takes about three to four months to hear back on a decision.
Looking at new options for the museum dates back to 2022 when the city had all of their buildings assessed as part of its asset management plan, he said, adding that the building was found to not be in very good shape.
“From that point on, along with just starting the annual work that we do on the building, we had noticed the deterioration of the building rapidly progressing,” Boyer said.
“This is the first step — we believe that the study will help us provide a clear roadmap for developing … a purpose-built facility that meets the needs of our residents and visitors,” he added.
“And this is kind of the first step in putting that whole project together.”
