Hardman Group Promoting $22-Million Plan To Keep New Brunswick Museum At Market Square
SAINT JOHN – The Hardman Group Limited (HGL), which leases and operates the Market Square in uptown Saint John, is advocating for a plan to keep the New Brunswick Museum (NBM) there.
“The museum has been at Market Square now for about 25 years,” said HGL executive vice president Colin Whitcomb. “We think the best location for it is to remain, at the very least in its current format at Market Square, or potentially in an expanded format at Market Square.”
The former Liberal government had committed in 2017 to pay for half of the $100 million it would cost to build a new museum, which would combine the collections in the building on Douglas Avenue and the exhibition centre currently at Market Square under one roof.
In February last year, it was announced that the new 120,000-square-foot museum would be housed in a new building on the former Canadian Coast Guard site on the waterfront in the uptown area.
But the project was scrapped when the Progressive Conservative party came to power under Premier Blaine Higgs.
Whitcomb says HGL’s proposal is not new. But the company decided to go public with the plan because no active solution is on the table currently.
“We have over the years been in discussions with the museum and [the provincial Department of Transportation and Infrastructure] about different options for the expansion of the museum in Market Square. At this point, there’s an opportunity, because it’s been in the media again lately about the future of the museum. There’s an imperative to deal with it,” he said.
“So we thought it was the right time to come forward and make public the proposals that we have shared previously with DTI and the museum so that…at least the public is aware that this is an option and that perhaps it’s an opportunity that deserves more review and discussion.”
Whitcomb says there’s an opportunity to expand the museum space to 132,000 square feet from the current 63,000 square feet.
What the additional space will be used for is up to the museum, but Whitcomb says there’s an opportunity to house the archives from Douglas Avenue there.
“What we’re saying is we can provide the extra space at a cost-effective solution and keep a large portion of it in one location,” he said.
The expanded museum would see an additional three storeys above the part of the museum that houses the Industry Gallery exhibit on the corner of St. Patrick and Union streets, as well as one storey above the rest of the existing museum. Under this plan, the museum would have a new entry point from the street.
“The opportunity to highlight that architectural feature at that corner, that welcomes everybody into the uptown…it’s a terrific location for that,” Whitcomb said.
Keeping the museum at Market Square is also cheaper, he said. The renovation and expansion project would cost approximately $22-million.
“The foundations are in place, the columns are in place. The air conditioning systems, the fire protection systems, these can be modified and made to suit the museum at a much smaller cost than to build new systems,” Whitcomb said.
“As a landlord, we’re responsible for the maintenance of the building, the security and cleaning and paying the property taxes, insuring the building. All those things are already in place with us,” he added.
But the decision to move forward ultimately rests with the museum and the provincial government, Whitcomb said.
“I met with the museum [representatives] last week, talked to the respective deputy ministers on Friday…all of them are appreciative of seeing the information again and none of them said they’re going to shove it in a drawer and ignore it,” he said. “So I expect they will take a closer look at it and we’ll see if there is an interest.”
In an e-mail statement to Huddle, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Bill Oliver confirmed his department has had discussions with HGL.
“The Departments of Transportation and Infrastructure and Tourism, Heritage and Culture have had discussions with the Hardman Group, and will review their proposal,” he said. “The New Brunswick Museum is an invaluable resource to the Province of New Brunswick and the departments are currently working with the museum board and staff to look at a viable, affordable and sustainable long-term solution to deal with the museums infrastructure issues.”
But Bill Hicks, the CEO of the New Brunswick Museum, said his team haven’t had the chance to review the proposal.
“The New Brunswick Museum’s current Board and Management were not engaged or consulted on the high level proposal by the Hardman Group and as such has not had the opportunity to review” he said in an e-mail statement to Huddle. “The NBM is working with Provincial Government Departments to determine the option for facility renewal that is in the best interest of the museum. If the proposal has some merit, it may be considered along with a number of different options and approaches.”
Whitcomb said HGL wants the public to at least be aware of the option, which could be “a very attractive, long-term, affordable solution for the museum,” he said.
“I think it’s a good opportunity, something that really deserves careful consideration,” he said, adding that if the museum were to leave Market Square, it would leave a large void.
“It wouldn’t be good for Market Square to have a large vacancy. You’ve got a bunch of commercial tenants there that have invested in the location. It’s a gathering place for community,” he said. “It’s important that it remains looking vital and vibrant and we’re prepared to continue to make those commitments, but you need the tenants to support that too.”
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