Proposed budget for Quinte West’s Natural History Museum almost doubles

Executive Director of Quinte West’s proposed Natural History Museum, York Lethbridge (bottom right), standing in front of the council to provide an update on the museum. January 11, 2021. Photo by Trey Boivin.

By Trey Boivin

BELLEVILLE – In an update to Quinte West council on Monday, the executive director of the proposed natural history museum in the city revealed that the budget to get the museum up and running has ballooned from $15  to $25.6 million.

York Lethbridge says the initial budget estimate came from the original proposal for the museum back in 2013.

The museum will focus on dinosaurs and other creatures from the Earth’s five major extinction episodes as well as have an emphasis on indigenous storytelling and the history of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte.

The plan is to purchase the Research Casting International building in Trenton and rent it back to the RCI so they can showcase the process of building prehistoric models and the finished models created by RCI, according to Lethbridge.

The main reasons for the increase cited are the increased purchase price of the building and the increased square footage of the building being used for the museum.

Some eyebrows were raised by councillors when hearing about the increased cost.

Councillor Leslie Roseblade voiced her concerns about the amount of money needed from Quinte West to get the project started before there was any other funding secured from other levels of government.

Lethbridge explained that there is local support for the project from the private sector. But he says the private sector wants to see if there is government funding in place before committing money.

He went on to say that they are pursuing getting funding from the provincial and federal government to lighten the financial load on Quinte West.

“This is a very complex game to play and one that I don’t take lightly,” he said about obtaining funding for the project.

Councillor Sally Freeman, who sits on the museum board, voiced her endorsement of Lethbridge and the project saying that he knows how to spend responsibly.

Lethbridge says that they expect the museum to open in the second quarter of 2022 if all goes well and they can get the funding they need.

The entire council meeting can be viewed here.