The Merchants Bank project got a boost from one of its connected organizations last week.
The Friends of the Museum (FOTM) donated $15,000 to the Humboldt and District Museum and Gallery (HDMG) Foundation for the renovations to the Merchants Bank building, which is located just across Main St. from the HDMG and now falls under its direction.
The $15,000 was raised by the Festival of Wreaths events the FOTM has hosted for the past two years, reported Louise Mueller of the FOTM. It also includes some funds from other annual fundraisers, like their chili luncheons, and the coffee party they hold every fall.
That donation will go a long way towards finishing up the renovation project, which is estimated to cost around $500,000 when all is said and done.
Right now, the project is still in its first phase - the safety and accessibility phase, reported Jennifer Hoesgen, director of the HDMG.
The circa-1920 building at 601 Main St. has been owned by the City of Humboldt since 1989, but was operated as the Willkommen Centre for the community until a couple of years ago. It was there that tourists could come to learn a bit about the history of Humboldt, and it also housed the office for the Economic Development officer for the city, as well as the Tourism director.
When the space was taken over by the museum in 2011, it needed some work to make it more accessible, and bring things up to modern codes.
The work needed included changing the heating and cooling systems, replacing the boiler system with forced air and putting in new duct work, as well as installing sprinklers and a fire alarm panel, and putting in an elevator and wheelchair accessible washrooms.
They also needed to change the entrance - they ended up lowering the door to allow unimpeded access to the building for wheelchairs, putting in a new stairway, and moving back some stairs to the main floor of the building. Access to the elevator is also off the main entrance.
Phase 2 of the project involves creating community space in the building - installing new lighting, flooring, a new ceiling, and painting everything - cosmetic work.
While they are still in Phase 1, Hoesgen indicated, it is drawing to a close.
Installation of the new heating and cooling system is nearly done, and the same can be said for the sprinkler systems. The fire panel has yet to be installed, but the lines have been put in.
The grid for the dropped ceiling on the main floor is up, and the walls have been updated and are now bright white.
Those walls were originally lathe and plaster, Hoesgen explained, which meant they would not work for hanging artwork or anything else. Now, the walls are drywall with plywood backing, which will give staff flexibility when it comes to hanging displays.
New walls have been put up in the space, in addition to covering up the old ones, Hoesgen explained. Those new walls at the front and back of the main floor create storage areas and more usable wall space at the same time.
A new subfloor has been installed on the main floor, and the elevator and the wheelchair accessible bathrooms are projects that are pretty much complete.
While waiting for parts of Phase 1 to be done, they have gotten a few things done in Phase 2, which involves some cosmetic work on the second floor.
This summer, some exterior work will be done - painting trim and parging the lower portion of the building.
There's a lot to do in the next 10 months, Hoesgen noted - they want to have at least the main floor completed by January 2014.
Fundraising for this project is going well at this time, but is not complete.
Thanks to applications they have submitted to various agencies and governments, the project has received $100,000 in grant money, Hoesgen said.
The taxpayers of Humboldt will kick in a little - council has approved funding of $50,000 for the project over two years from the City of Humboldt's operating budget.
But the bulk of the funding will come from the Museum Foundation. The Foundation is gathering those monies through fundraising and private donations.
And they have not yet reached their goal, indicated Wanda Lefebvre of the Foundation, so this donation from the FOTM is very appreciated.
This is very much a community-funded project, Lefebvre indicated, so every barbecue fundraiser and donation of $50 or $100 means so much.
"Every pot of chili counts for something," Mueller smiled.
And while the HDMG and Foundation know exactly what they want the space to look like when the renovations are complete, what it will be used for is still up in the air.
The City has applied for funding to do a cultural plan, Hoesgen explained.
Developing that plan would include talking to artists in the community about their needs.
"We want to wait to have those discussions before we make any firm and fast decisions (about the use of the building)," Hoesgen said.
But that is not holding up renovations. When the renovations are done, the bones of the building will be good for anything they decide to do, she said.
