WE DID IT!!
Valdez, Alaska, February 21, 2019 – The Valdez City Council has voted to move forward with its support to build a new home for the Valdez Museum.
At its February 19, 2019 meeting city council members voted to a approve the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Valdez Museum and Historical Archive (VMHA) and the City of Valdez to jointly plan for and construct a new museum facility. This comes after a strong show of public support for the Museum at the January 15, 2019 regular City Council meeting. During that meeting city council members voted to place the MOU on the agenda for approval at its February 19, 2019 Valdez City Council meeting.
The VMHA Board of Directors and Staff have long been working toward the goal of housing all museum collections and exhibits under one roof, and now we are another step closer to reaching that goal. This MOU outlines the terms for a 50% funding match between the City and the VMHA while laying a foundation for the future, and opening the door to a new Museum facility which the whole community can use and enjoy.
We thank our loyal Museum supporters for helping us come this far, but we need to keep the momentum going and engage the whole community. A number of steps must be taken before construction can begin. First comes the site selection process in which the Museum will work with the City Council and Administration to finalize the site based on community feedback. We invite everyone to get involved and provide feedback on site selection for the new museum facility. That opens the door to finding an architect to create a conceptual architectural design which then allows the Museum’s Capital Project fundraising to begin. We are all in the museum business together. Community engagement is a key component in this process. We welcome and encourage your input.
Please feel free to contact us by phone, email or stop by the Valdez Museum on Egan Drive.
Contact:
Patricia Relay, Executive Director
Tel. 907-835-2764, Email: prelay@valdezmuseum.org
