LETTER: Don't fund the shuttle by taking funding from museum
By Contributor
Dear editor,
It has come to our attention that Tourism Rossland has identified money designated under a line “Visitor Centre” to be re-directed to fund a free shuttle bus to Red Mountain in the winter.
The money listed under the line “Visitor Centre” in the city’s budget is, in fact, destined to go towards the “Museum Gateway Project” encompassing the entire museum. This project is in its early stages of planning, the request for proposal having just closed last month. The basic premise is to come up with a new attraction to replace the mine tour and give the Museum a new lease on life. Identifying the funds as “Visitor Centre Funds” is incredibly misleading and losing this money would be damaging to the “Museum Gateway Project”.
A shuttle bus operating between downtown and Red Mountain would be an asset to the business community, but we do not understand the need for it to be free. A nominal fee of $2.00- $5.00 a trip would not over extend anyone and would contribute to the operation of the bus. Rather than having it run continuously, having a set schedule would make more sense, reduce the carbon footprint, and ensure that the money is not wasted on someone driving all around town with an empty bus.
These small changes to the proposal may prevent Tourism Rossland’s need to find alternative funding for the free, continuous shuttle bus operating for the winter months only and ensure that the “Museum Gateway project” is allowed to proceed without being hampered by a lack of funds.
Let us remember that during its years of operating the underground tour, the Museum was a substantial contributor to tourism and the overall economy in Rossland. We only ask that we be given the opportunity to re-claim our spot as a major attraction with the “Museum Gateway Project” without its funding being diluted and siphoned off before we even begin.
Yours truly,
Friends of the Rossland Historical Museum
