The City of New Westminster is extending a lifeline to Fraser River Discovery Centre to fund a significant new program.
Discovery Centre, which is located on the waterfront, requested a $60,000 partnership grant for 2016, 2017 and 2018. Council approved $60,000 for 2016, and referred requests for 2017 and 2018 back to the partnership city committee for review in the regular grant process.
“It was an increase from the traditional grant that Discovery Centre has gotten,” Mayor Jonathan Cote said of the grant approved Sept. 28. “It is pretty much double from last year.”
Cote said Discovery Centre is seeking partnerships, not only from the city but from corporations, for the proposed Working River project.
“I think Discovery Centre is getting to the fork in the road where their future is going to be,” he said. “They have developed a plan to really take the Discovery Centre to the next level. I think it’s important the City of New Westminster support that partnership because the alternative may not be as bright of a future for the Discovery Centre. I’m hoping our partnership will help them secure other partnerships to turn that facility into what it really could be.”
Fraser River Discovery Centre’s request for $60,000 annually for three years is to support the delivery of its education and exhibit program, with a focus on implementing the Working River project, a $2.25 million exhibit that’s set to open in late 2017.
Catherine Ouellet-Martin, executive director of Fraser River Discovery Centre, said the partnership grant from the city has always been very significant to the centre’s operations because it offers strong support for its general program.
“The grant is particularly important this year because we have requested that a portion of the grant help fund the development of the Working River project - an educational exhibit supported by school and public programs - which is our most significant project at the moment,” she said. “The city’s strong support will be significant in leveraging other grants and corporate investments into the Working River project. “
In 2015, the centre received $30,790 from the city through partnership, festival, community, heritage and environmental grants. Fraser River Discovery Centre doesn’t anticipate it will apply for any city grants other than the partnership grant for 2015.
