Operation of the DesBrisay Museum in Bridgewater is being scaled back.
Town council voted 4-3 in favour of changing the museum’s status from full-time to seasonal during Monday night’s session.
The decision results in a cost-savings of $85,000 in 2018-19.
Mayor David Mitchell says the cost to operate the museum continues to rise and the number of visitors is low at 3,500 a year.
“We can’t afford a $160,000 grant to the museum. It’s not sustainable. We are moving to a seasonal operation to ensure the future of the museum is on solid ground.”
Salaries for three positions and administration is roughly $240,000.
Those three positions would be eliminated and a seasonal staffing model would be implemented.
Mitchell says change isn’t easy but it won’t come right away.
“There is no change until we get to October this year and then it’s working through the transition; what happens over the winter, how the collection is maintained over the winter and how we prepare to hit the ground running in the spring when the museum would open for the next season.”
Mitchell says the town will have to work with the museum commission to determine issues around summer students and grant applications.
Roughly two-thirds of museum visitors stop by between May and October.
Mitchell says council has a role to be responsible to the taxpayer.
The chair of the Museum Commission says he’s disappointed with the town’s decision.
Peter Oickle says moving to a seasonal museum will result in less resources for the public.
“Someone in January is looking to come to Bridgewater in the summer time and they would like some history of the shipping on the LaHave, the logical place to go is the museum. Now, they won’t have that access during that time of the year.”
Oickle says the museum offers a valuable support to the town and county and he doesn’t understand the decision.
He believes the dollars warrant a full-time museum.
“I’m a taxpayer in town. I’m like most people, I don’t want to pay more for my cup of coffee or more for police services, but they’re services that we need and it’s disappointing.”
Oickle says the public should voice their concerns, if they have any, to members of council.