The town of Mattawa has received $447,428 from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, and the funds will be used for museum repairs and to construct a stage for Voyageur Days.
New shingles are a top-priority for the museum, “a very much needed” fix, said Francine Desormeau, the town’s chief administrative officer. The roof is “flaking” to the extent that passersby notice the decay from the street, she noted, “it’s very apparent that it needs to be redone.”
While working on the roof, “new windows in the dormers” will be installed, and some “structural work will be done” in the process, particularly to the butt-ends of the timber structure where they tie to the roof.
Once complete, the upgrades will “help to restore the beautiful log structure” that houses the museum, and work is set to finish on May 31. However, Desormeaux acknowledges that with supply chain issues, “everything about building materials right now may cause delays.”
“The Mattawa Museum is a historical flagship organization,” said councillor Laura Ross, and the NOHFC funds will “ensure the safety of its historical artefacts and longevity of its structure.”
As for the new stage, it will replace the one currently adjacent to the museum, which “basically just rotted out,” Desormeaux said. Even with the grant though, the town might have to shell out some money to see it completed.
A couple of years ago council priced out a new wooden stage, and estimates came in at around $500,000, Desormeaux said. With those prices, council decided to “regroup” and looked into possible grants to help with the project. This led to the NOHFC application, which was successful.
Desormeaux and the recreation committee are “working with council on the design” of the new stage, and plan to move that along this spring as the concert is scheduled for the weekend of July 21st.
See: Voyageur Days returns this July with ‘something for everyone’
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
