TheMuseum receives $300K in emergency funding from Kitchener to keep doors open this summer
TheMuseum in downtown Kitchener has received one-time, emergency funding from the City of Kitchener to ensure the business can stay afloat, for now.
Following a meeting that lasted more than two hours on Monday evening, councillors voted unanimously in favour of granting TheMuseum $300,000 over the next four months.
That came with an amendment put forward by Coun. Scott Davey to ask the Region of Waterloo front 50 per cent of the requested funds, which councillors also voted in favour of doing.
"We are committed to work with the City of Kitchener and finding a sustainable financial solution over the summer and have requested a one time grant of $300,000 of bridge financing to allow us to protect the fine funds reserved for the orderly shutdown in the worst case," David Marskell, CEO of TheMuseum, told councillors Monday night.
The building where TheMuseum is located is owned by the city and has served as a museum since 2003, originally opening as the Waterloo Region Children's Museum.
Marskell became CEO in 2010 and rebranded it as TheMuseum.
He says when that transition happened, new management was put in a tough position.
"In the case of the children's museum that opened a long time ago, it was a flawed financial model. It should never have opened. We've been saddled with that under funding ever since," he told council.
"We have to raise 75 per cent of our budget annually, which is A) not sustainable and B) the reverse of what most museums across Canada must raise."
Throughout 2.5 hours of discussing the topic, many councillors voiced their concerns about carrying the weight of the full funding.
Coun. Bil Ioannidis said he was "struggling" with the funding request, "but at the same time, I do recognize the value that TheMuseum does bring to our community."
"I get that arts in general are struggling throughout and is the first to be the ones that get cut and everything else," Ioannidis said before casting his vote.
"I feel like we're in a certain precarious position. We're going to pull up our socks and support this. But I feel like, where's everybody else? Like, come on. It just seems like a constant theme around here that we're always punching above our weight and everyone else just stands idly by."
The sudden halt of the K-W Symphony due to bankrupcy last year was also front-of-mind for many involved in the meeting, including Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic
"It's a defining moment, not just about any arts and cultural organization in the city. It's about a key cultural institution. One that this municipality, the region and the City of Waterloo identified," Vrbanovic said.
"It was one of three [arts and culture organizations], now it's one of two because one of those has already gone bankrupt in the last 12 months."
Marskell is set to delegate at a Region of Waterloo council meeting before July 1, requesting $150,000 as agreed upon in the amendment.
David Marskell, CEO of TheMuseum in Kitchener, says the emergency funding will keep them afloat until the fall. (Submitted)
An unknown future
Marskell joined host Craig Norris of CBC K-W's The Morning Edition on Tuesday morning to share his thoughts on the passed motion.
He also broke down where the funding is set to be used as TheMuseum's busiest season approaches.
"It is earmarked for one of our more heavily spending times of the year when we have summer seasonal staff and so on. We receive money from the municipalities and that starters to dwindle by the end of the summer. So it's really just to help us carry through," he said.
While the funds adds temporary security for the business, there are still future plans for if the worst is yet to come. He said TheMuseum has about $1.4 million in the bank "and that's about what we would owe if we were to wind down today."
"That includes all of our commitments, severance to do it properly. We don't want to just turn off the lights and leave," he said. "We want to do it with class and walk away with heads held high."
