It is perhaps fitting that in a battle over the fate of what some believe to be North Bay's most significant historical landmark, time will be the deciding factor.
Given another reprieve of two weeks by a notice of reconsideration, similar to what occurred at the council meeting two weeks ago, the Friends of the Dionne Quintuplets Home Museum know now that time is not on their side.
Just as colleague Coun. Chris Mayne had done January 23, Coun. George Maroosis, in another political play designed at buying the Friends time to bolster their efforts for fundraising, moved for a notice of reconsideration.
As municipal procedures dictate, all discussion stopped on the matter before a vote could be taken, and it will be on the agenda once again in two weeks time at the second part of the new combined committee and council meetings held on Tuesdays.
After Mayne's notice of reconsideration from the previous meeting was defeated by a 6-3 margin, Maroosis then moved to refer the matter back to the community services committee, but that motion was also defeated 6-3, with only Councillors Maroosis, Mayne and Shogren in favour once again. Coun. Jeff Serran was absent.
Forgette, Bain, Anthony, Vaillancourt, King and Vrebosch voted against extending a lifeline.
In a 10 minute presentation, an emotional Miles Peters, speaking as a private citizen read a letter to Council written by Annette and Cécile Dionne, the two surviving quintuplets:
"If the mayor and councilors of the city of North Bay now feel the land onto which the museum stands better lends itself to urban development; and perhaps, North Bay really needs a new big box store or high-rise? If it is indeed a fact that the Museum cannot be maintained in North Bay without being a burden to its citizens, then we simply wish and request that the Museum be kept whole and transferred to the Canadian Museum of History. A place where it could still be visited as it stands now, that is our preference."
To see the Dionnes' letter in its entirety, click here.
The venerable Peter Handley, appeared before Council as part of the earlier committee portion of the meetings in his role as Chair of the Municipal Heritage Committee.
After delivering his report on the state of the committee, Handley was inevitably asked for his personal position on the Dionne home affair. Handley did not hold back, as he admonished Council for the drama over what he termed "a sensible use of capital dollars."
"Solve the bloody problem," he said, adding "why can't you all get together and work it out?"
Handley suggested that there were several alternatives to honour the Dionnes without focusing on the log home. Providing an example, Handley suggested an open competition to create a sculpture or monument to the Dionnes, perhaps with a cash prize of $10,000 attached.
Mayne wondered if a monument befitting the Dionnes could be fabricated for a reasonable price, saying he had been involved in a group looking to commission a bronze statue but had relented when the price tag came in at $300,000.
Jeff Fournier, Chair of the Friends group presented Council with an extensive draft proposal, outlining museum funding comparisons, financial estimates, and the group's vision for the home.
As part of the proposal, under the heading "Our Request," is the following:
"We respectfully request the City of North Bay move the Dionne Quintuplets Home Museum within the city at their expense.
"For a period of approximately one year, we will operate the home as a static display.
"This one year period will allow additional time for the 'Friends' to rally the good citizens of North Bay, raise some funds, establish a solid core of volunteers and initiate our plan to re-open the Dionne home as a museum and work towards re-branding it as an educational, interpretive centre."
Shogren was hopeful the vote Monday would be between either operating the home as a static display for one year within the city, or moving the home to Strong Township. He voiced his support to ending the saga once and for all, but ultimately voted in favour of the Friends. However, Shogren noted that the voting was not lining up in favour of the Friends, and wondered what buying the group more time would actually accomplish.
Maroosis echoed those thoughts, admitting after the meeting that time was running out. "When we tried just to send it to committee, which would allow the chairman the opportunity to get people together, to work together, as Mr. Handley had said, it lost. I guess my interpretation is [Handley] didn't sway anyone.
"The Friends are willing to accept [the home] as a static display, maybe forever if the community can't get its act together. People are getting kind of tired of it. The Friends are working hard, they're expending a lot of energy to try to do something. It's a sad thing to expend energy and not be productive," concluded Maroosis.
Coun. Mark King, has been the public face of the proponents of moving the Dionne home to Strong Township since the staff report recommending the move was approved by the community services committee that he chairs.
Said King, "The unfortunate part, there is a much bigger story here[...]We are sending a signal to developers that are ready to develop that particular property, that we're not a city that is open for business.
"We probably should have moved the thing over to the Public Works yard, if we could, I don't know if you could move it in one piece, in order for us to move forward with the commercialisation of that property."
