Environmental assessments set to begin at end of November
The Canadian Canoe Museum (CCM) announced today that it has identified Johnson Park, the City-owned property at 2077 Ashburnham Drive in Peterborough, ON, as the preferred site for the building of its new canoe museum. Johnson Park is situated on Little Lake, north of Beavermead Park and south of the Parks Canada-Trent Severn Waterway head offices. As part of the overall due diligence exploration and feasibility studies, environmental assessment and testing is scheduled to take place on the property, from November 30, 2020 – December 2, 2020. Test results are expected to be available by the end of the year.
“The Canadian Canoe Museum is extremely hopeful that the Johnson Park location will emerge as a viable site for the new museum build project,” said Carolyn Hyslop, executive director, The Canadian Canoe Museum. “We are bolstered by the support of the City of Peterborough and the Otonabee Region Conservation Authority (ORCA) who are involved in the feasibility exploration.”
“The Canadian Canoe Museum’s identified preferred site is an ideal location,” said Councillor Gary Baldwin, City council’s representative on the Canadian Canoe Museum Board of Directors.
“The City is pleased that the Canoe Museum is quickly and decisively pivoting with the selection of a preferred site to keep the momentum going on this incredible project,” Baldwin said. “The new Canadian Canoe Museum will contribute to our community’s waterfront experience with the construction of a national cultural institution on the shores of Little Lake and the Otonabee River.”
Since May of this year, CCM has been engaged in a proactive site selection process, reviewing multiple alternative sites throughout Peterborough’s waterfront in order to identify a new site where it will construct its museum. The museum’s board of directors struck a Pivot Task Force to manage the project who in turn enlisted the help of XBMC Consulting and Lett Architects Inc to lead the Site Feasibility Study.
Notwithstanding the pandemic operating environment, the new build is expected to be shovel-ready by the end of 2021. The project will take an Integrated Project Delivery approach where people, systems, business structures and practices are integrated into a process that collaboratively harnesses the talents and insights of all participants to optimize project results, increase value to the owner, reduce waste, maximize efficiency and accelerate schedules.
“CCM is tremendously excited to be one step closer to realizing the vision of building a home that will permit it to share 100 per cent of its collection in a facility that meets conservation standards, to creating a new suite of exhibitions and to increasing opportunities for in-person, digital and on-water programming,” concluded Hyslop.
For further information
Caroline Spivak
Profile Communications Corp.
[email protected]
416.371.9740
About The Canadian Canoe Museum (www.canoemuseum.ca)
With a world-class collection as a catalyst, The Canadian Canoe Museum inspires connection, curiosity and new understanding. In partnership with individuals, groups and communities – locally, provincially and nationally – we work to experience and explore all that our collection can inspire. This sees students opening their minds in our galleries; community members connecting through artisanry; people of all ages getting on the water and learning to paddle; and exhibitions and events that spark conversation and collaboration.