Discovery Centre in new hands
Waterfront Trust may convert building into hotel and banquet hall
August 12, 2010
Danielle Wong
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/824554
Ottawa is turning over the six-year-old Discovery Centre at Pier 8 to the Hamilton Waterfront Trust under a 43-year lease.
The agreement to transfer management of the Parks Canada museum to the city's arm's-length waterfront development organization was signed Tuesday. Museum operations will cease in the fall.
Councillor Chad Collins, chairperson of the Waterfront Trust, said possible conversions of the building, which features soaring wooden beams and walls of windows, include a hotel, banquet hall or restaurants.
The intention would be to bring more people to Hamilton Harbour.
"From the (Pan Am) stadium debate, we've seen there's tremendous affection in this community ... (for) the waterfront," Collins said yesterday.
"The Discovery Centre is sort of the poster-child for what the waterfront is to become in the next five to 10 years."
Former heritage minister and local Liberal MP Sheila Copps, who established the Discovery Centre during her time in office, said she was "disappointed" the building would no longer be in federal hands.
"I think the government of Canada should have a major presence in every city and the Discovery Centre was a wonderful hallmark of environment for the Great Lakes."
But she has "great confidence" the Waterfront Trust would hold to its mandate to attract more people to the area.
"In the long run, access to the harbour will manage this blow."
The Waterfront Trust entered into a leasing agreement with Parks Canada in 2008 for the property around the museum and is working alongside the federal government to make the area more vibrant.
Collins said this new step with the Discovery Centre would build on that.
"It provides such a great opportunity for the city to improve its image," he said, adding there have been many inquiries from local businesses about investing in the area.
Parks Canada will still operate the HMCS Haida National Historic Site on Pier 9 and use administrative space in the centre. Next year, field unit offices are expected to be housed in a new adjacent building.
The museum, which was originally a marine heritage discovery centre, features exhibits about Canada's national parks system.
The trust hopes to start working on the building and possible surrounding facilities in early 2011, Collins said.
Councillor Bob Bratina said he would like to see a children's attraction built at the location, adding it's too soon for a hotel because there are no nearby attractions or restaurants yet.
While he understood Copps' disappointment, Bratina said there wasn't enough advertising or follow through to make the Discovery Centre successful.
"It wasn't successful and it wasn't drawing people for what-ever reason ... It seemed to be left to sink or swim on its own," he said.
In early May, city council was presented with a master plan developed by the Waterfront Trust that called for a $143-million private and public investment in restaurants, cafes, shops, boat rentals and waterfront trails along the waterfront from Bayfront Park to Pier 8. That plan will be subject to future public meetings.