The Executive Director of the South Peace Regional Archives is optimistic they will be able to secure municipal funding to help move the facility from its current location at the Grande Prairie Museum, to Centre 2000.
The archives are asking for just over $150,000 for expenses related to renovating and relocating to Centre 2000 in 2023, as well as two additional asks of $105,800 in 2022 and $129,765 in 2023 for operating costs. That decision is now in the hands of the City of Grande Prairie’s Community Group Funding committee.
Alyssa Currie says while they have enjoyed success while sharing a space with the museum, they provide their own services and have their own needs as an organization.
“We’ve been fortunate to be able to have the close working relationship we do with the city and museum, but having closer access to regional services such as tourism, and the chamber is going to enhance our regional impact,” she says.
“Having a public-facing facility is going to mean not only tourists and people from out of town can experience the archive, but we’re also going to have better services available for city residents,” she adds.
Currie says capacity concerns are also a major part of the need to move locations, not only in the short term but in the more distant future.
“Which is really what underlies our ability to provide our services, is having the space to do the work and to make sure those archival records are being preserved that ensures they’re available for future generations.”
Currie says some of the renovations expected to happen in the new facility include climate control features and enhancing the weight capacity of the space.