Town hall has a tough decision to make about the Forwarder’s Museum.
When Prescott’s Town Council met this week they were presented with a building condition assessment by Dan Beattie, the Director of Public Works and Infrastructure, which outlined problems with the building that needed immediate attention. There are significant structural and architectural issues with the museum.
The engineers with the architectural company suggest no one use the building until renovations have taken place and the second floor is being reinforced. It is also suggested that no one use the balcony and that the more they inspect the building the more problems they will find. The building is almost 200 years old and Councillor Lee McConnell says he is opposed to spending money on repairing the structure.
The estimated cost of repairs in 2018 would be just shy of $375,000. This would be followed up with $18,000 between now and 2022. Councillor McConnell also said he doesn’t believe the space can be utilized effectively as a museum. He suggests using a different, historic building if that is the direction the town decides to go.
