Re: 鈥淢useum will be tough sell,鈥� editorial, Feb. 5.
The Maritime Museum of British Columbia recently announced plans to become sa国际传媒鈥檚 National Maritime Museum and to return to its former home in Bastion Square after renovation. The editorial on Feb. 5 voiced concern about a return to the old courthouse, arguing: 鈥淒esperate for a facility worthy of its outstanding collections, the museum is settling for second-best, instead of pushing for a world-class site.鈥�
The undersigned have chaired the board of the MMBC Society over the past 30 years. We always recognized that the old courthouse was in poor condition and needed significant renovation and enlargement. For all that time, we and many others have been pushing for a world-class site, i.e. on the water.
Notwithstanding these efforts, because of land-tenure issues, no waterside site is available now or in the foreseeable future. There is no guarantee that the current temporary museum location in the Nootka complex can be retained for more than a few years.
We have an opportunity that we should act upon now.
There is an aphorism: 鈥淧erfect is an enemy of the good.鈥� The plan under consideration is not perfect, but it is a good one. We support this proposal to create a new facility to highlight our national engagement with maritime heritage.
John Anderson, Jan Drent, Clay Evans, Mark Lindholm, Keith Reed, Barry Rolston, Jamie Webb, David Winkler
