Local museum faces change due to funding cuts

The Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove Museum faces changes in the upcoming season due to funding cuts.

Aurora Hickey
Kicker

The Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove Museum is preparing to face changes in operation this upcoming season as funding cuts leave uncertainty for programs and staffing.

The museum receives funding through co-operative education at MUN through SECPAP, the Small Enterprise Co-operative Placement Assistance Program. This program helps co-op students find employment in small and not-for-profit businesses and also subsidizes the students’ pay. 

The museum started receiving this funding in 2017, and it allows them to run more programs, open new exhibits and hire more staff throughout the operational season. Having a third student employee increases the amount of research that can be done and the number of people who can attend a program at a time. 

Laurie Lawrence, who has been the chairperson of the museum’s heritage committee since 2021, says the loss of funding will affect the museum’s ability to employ a third student.

“We may not be able to hire them for as long, we might not be able to do as many workshops or do as many programs,” said Lawrence.

Lawrence has been working with the town on the museum’s budget process in preparation for the upcoming season and says she is unsure if the funding is going to exist or if it is going to exist in a different form with fewer applicants. 

“We’re really lucky because our town council gives us our core funding so we can operate basic operations in terms of two staff, heat, light, space and doing basic programming,” said Lawrence. 

With the help of the town council, the townspeople started the museum over 30 years ago.

Museum founder Delores Wheeler began the process of opening the museum, serving as the heritage committee chairperson for 20 years. 

“The town gave me a plaque for my 20 year recognition,” Wheeler said. “It was a proud moment not only for me but for the whole town, the fact that having the idea of a museum grew.”

Wheeler says the museum brings the town a sense of pride; it’s a way to showcase what the town did and what they continue to do. 

While the funding cuts may leave the upcoming season looking a little different, the heritage committee and staff will still be working hard to welcome visitors and allow them to continue to explore the history of the town.