Seven specialized consultants are involved in a $115,000 study to chart long-term museum survival.

Last week, Aug 10 to 13, several consultants were in Cranbrook to begin a half-year major study on the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel and its future. It will assess risks to the museum, particularly the historic railcars and the governance structure, and recommend solutions for the short- and long-term. It will also provide recommendations on the proposed new train display building and its efficient preservation systems, and then bring everything together into a long-term business plan. The perspective of this exercise is hundreds of years, not the usual five- or 20-year plans, since museums are expected to survive—literally—forever.

"The Museum Board and the Museum Development Committee of the City have been involved with this project for several years in raising a substantial amount of money to give us the best advice possible for the very long-term," said Wayne Eburne, chair of the City-appointed Museum Development Committee. "It is essential to have this done now, especially with the pending retirement in the next few years of the current executive director and CEO, Garry Anderson, who has been involved with the project since it began in 1975. This study will help bridge that major transition."

The $103,000 (plus tax) plan is funded by assistance from the Columbia Basin Trust’s Community Initiative Funds, the City of Cranbrook, the Museum Assistance Program (MAP) of the Dept of Canadian Heritage, and from the museum itself.

The plan involves seven specialists in various disciplines assessing the current facilities and their operating systems, determining capital and operating budgets, and recommending new, efficient systems that will result in "dramatic" energy reduction from what would ordinarily be expected in the new 78,000-square-foot train display building. The board and committee made it clear that they want a re-evaluation of environmental control systems that are expensive to operate and which are normally used for the preservation of artifacts, but the solution must also still meet national conservation standards.

"This is a critical, but reasonable demand, since the large trains display building will only have to be kept a few degrees above freezing in the winter, and around 20 degrees in the summer. By using slow transitions between these levels in the fall and spring seasons, a fairly constant relative humidity should be able to be maintained, which is a standard requirement for most museum objects," said Anderson.

The plan is led by Lee Boyko, who put the team together and has an extensive background in museum work and planning. Conservator, Andrew Todd, will assess the current condition of the railcar collection and provide input into the museum standards that will be required in the new building.

Architect Nick Milkovitch, with colleague Neil Prakash, will provide an overview of the trains display building. This will cover its impact on the current site and buildings and on the city itself, and some of the overall considerations to give an architectural wow factor worthy of a national museum. This huge new structure will also have to harmonize with the existing neo-classical brick facade of the existing museum.

Detailed building plans will not be done at this time, as that expense is well beyond the plan budget. Equilibrium Structural Engineering, which were recently involved in the Cranbrook Airport, will investigate and recommend on the type of structure needed, including wood, since BC is a wood-producing province. Jamie Dabner of Cobalt Mechanical Engineering will provide critical recommendations on options for the building operating systems, particularly the environmental controls system options, which must use new efficient technologies—including government mandated "green" technologies such as geothermal and solar—to greatly reduce energy consumption, an important part of the terms of reference. Solar may hold great promise, as Cranbrook is the second sunniest location in Canada according to Stats Canada.

Roger Dupuis of Applied Engineering will provide recommendations on the electrical requirements and the systems needed, again with potential solar involvement. This firm also did some recent COTR design work. The cost consultant is Roger Artis of BTY Group, which will outline all of the required capital costs needed to complete the current buildings and the new train display building, as well as all of the operating costs needed to make this museum viable and make an impact on both tourists and the local community.

The historic passenger railcars belong mostly to specific sets of equipment of certain eras and are considered "deluxe hotels on wheels." The collection is still stored outdoors, but contains rare and extremely fragile interiors of significance to Canada. Current partial environmental control systems in some cars assist with preservation, but this type of system is becoming increasingly expensive and is not an optimum solution for the long term. The originality and construction nature of the railcar artifacts themselves prevent more intrusive measures, such as added wall and ceiling insulation. If introduced, this would provide more efficiency, but partially destroy the artifact.

Another major challenge, particularly for the business plan, will be how to develop and sustain both tourist programming and attendance (and its earned revenue), and local programming and attendance, while at the same time meeting the challenges of preserving the railcar collection to national standards. Local and national priorities and appeal do not necessarily line up.

The plan will end with a note of what the consequences would be to the institution and to the railcar artifacts (and indirectly to the community) if nothing is done.

"We all have a chance to do this plan right and to the highest standards using (the) most efficient energy systems possible, and this is why the terms of reference have a very strong 'museological' perspective. What other institutions in our society require such a long perspective and need to preserve objects in perpetuity? That is the job of museums alone," said Bob Bennison, chair of the Museum Board.

Join us later this month for what we’re affectionately calling a S.I.M.P.L.E. gathering (Sharing Information, Meeting People, Learning & Engaging), an event aimed at supporting you and the development of the digital media and IT sector here in the East Kootenay.

As part of our Sector Initiatives for 2010/2011, KRIC is excited to host three value-packed events for digital media and IT professionals/entrepreneurs across the East Kootenay and we are inviting YOU! Chose from three dates and locations:

August 24 – Fernie

August 25 – Cranbrook

August 26 – Golden

http://kric.ca/events/digital-media-networking-aug-2010

We look forward to seeing you there.

Despite generating significant exposure and interest, and enjoying a slow but positive start to the season, we at Wildhorse Event Management have made the decision to postpone this season's Mountains of Gold event into the 2011 season.

The success of the event is dependent on player registrations, corporate sponsorship and private investment—all of which have been considered in rendering this decision. Given the restructuring of Shadow Mountain, together with a slow economic recovery, we feel that the interests of all concerned are best served by a postponement.

All participants who have booked and not yet played will be offered the opportunity to have their money returned, or to continue to enjoy their golf package and accommodation without the Mountains of Gold component. Participants who have already won their place in the $1,000,000 final will be offered the alternative daily cash prize or a place in the 2011 final. All funding and prize payments will flow through and are the responsibility of Wildhorse Event Management.

If you have any questions, then please get in touch with me at 250-421-7321 or at the office, 250-427-7847; otherwise I look forward to speaking to you all in due course, and here’s to a successful 2011.

—Dallas Ferguson, CEO Wildhorse Event Management

Assistant deputy minister of advanced education and labour market development, post-secondary division, Dr. Mark Zacharias (pictured second from the right) returned to his roots in a recent visit to College of the Rockies where he inspected work on the college’s Knowledge Infrastructure Program expansion. Dr. Zacharias grew up in Cranbrook and attended school at Mount Baker Secondary before taking university transfer courses at College of the Rockies.

From there he attained his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in geography from the University of Victoria and a PhD in zoology from the University of Guelph before going into public service. He took up his position as ADM in 2008.

Escorting Dr. Zacharias around the construction site were Ron Winick (pictured far left), construction superintendant for Wales McLelland Construction, Serge Lacroix, director, facilities for College of the Rockies and president and CEO Dr. Nick Rubidge (pictured far right).

College of the Rockies, in partnership with Dr. Dale Christenson of the Project Management Centre of Excellence, will be delivering a number of Project Management courses starting in September and culminating with a Certified Associate in Project Management designation.

The first course is Project Management Fundamentals on Monday and Tuesday, September 13 and 14, followed by Project Change Management on Wednesday, September 15. More advanced training will be offered at later dates.

Tracey Whiting, manager of contract training and business development for the college, said, “Project Management Fundamentals is a two-day introductory course that enables new project managers and team members to deliver successful projects on time, on budget and in scope. It can provide participants with a working-level knowledge of project management as well as skills in using tools and templates.

“Participants can enhance their competencies in project, program, portfolio, communication, risk, human resource, time, scope, quality, cost and change management. The workshop following on Wednesday, September 15—Fundamentals of Project Change Management—is also led by Dr. Dale Christenson, and instructs new project managers and team members to successfully manage the human dynamics of change while still delivering their projects on time, on budget and within scope.”

The instructor, Dr. Dale Christenson, has written a number of peer-reviewed journal articles. He teaches at the University of Victoria, Athabasca University, University of British Columbia and Royal Roads University as well as being one of the few individuals internationally to have achieved a doctorate level in Project Management.

He has been an instructor for over 20 years, delivering a wide range of courses including those on leadership, project management, governance, criminal justice and counselling skills. He has seven years of graduate-level instruction at various universities in public and business administration faculties, 15 years of symposium and keynote speaking experience and five years teaching in executive development programs for public and not-for-profit sectors.

For more information on either of these workshops go to: www.cotr.bc.ca/contract-training or phone: 250-489-2751 ext. 3440.