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Museum would have waterfront connection

Re: “Museum will be tough sell,” editorial, Feb. 5. I am glad there is so much interest in the Maritime Museum of B.C.

Re: “Museum will be tough sell,” editorial, Feb. 5.

I am glad there is so much interest in the Maritime Museum of B.C.’s proposal to move back to the Bastion Square site, renovate the building, add a Class A annex that is environmentally sound and find or construct an artifact-storage facility that is also environmentally sound.

Several readers have expressed concern that the Bastion Square site is a quarter of a block from the waterfront and have wondered why the museum is not seeking locations directly on the water. Good question.

The museum has been working for a site beside or on the water for many years.

The museum’s board and staff have spent the past few years looking in detail for potential locations right beside the water, but with no success. This could include being the main floor of a new waterfront project that could provide a private concern with “bonus density,” as has been done in some other jurisdictions, giving the MMBC the main floor.

However, there are simply too many sites that have tenure-related issues facing them that would stall the opening of a project for several decades.

The museum’s proposal does include a design for substantial visual and pedestrian connections to the Inner Harbour, including a wide, terraced staircase with maritime artifacts on it that would connect people from Wharf Street to future Maritime Museum dock space.

I trust this will help people understand why the museum has the Bastion Square location as its core site.

Bill Conconi

Victoria