The South Cariboo Historical Museum Society—which operates the Clinton Museum—and the Village of Clinton are both looking for ways to move forward, after the announcement at the February 28 meeting of Clinton council that the Village would not be providing a $10,000 Grant in Aid to the society as requested. Instead, staff were requested by council to work with the society to enter into a three-year contract to provide museum and visitor information services.
The financial request was denied because it was deemed that it did not meet the Village’s Grant in Aid policy criteria. The decision caused long-time society member and museum volunteer Andrew May to step down as president of the society and resign from the board, and has caused considerable confusion and hard feeling...
...while the Grant in Aid policy was changed to its current form in 2014, the society still received grants in aid after that: $7,500 in 2014, $5,000 in both 2015 and 2016, and $10,000 in 2017... ...Volunteers have put thousands and thousands of hours into the museum, and council has been a huge support for the 53 years that there’s been a museum. It’s been an ongoing relationship, so when the Grant in Aid request was rejected it was a shock...
...[Clinton councillor Wayne] Marchant points out that the society only asked for $5,000 in 2017, and that it was his suggestion to increase it to $10,000. He adds that at a recent budget meeting, it was noted that the Village of Clinton provides some $16,000 in yearly funding to the society, excluding a Grant in Aid.
“The Village owns the museum building, so there is rent in lieu, Hydro, Internet, and more. This year there’s a line item in the budget for $7,000 for the museum. Council has said to the CAO over and over that we can’t leave the museum in the lurch.”
Marchant says that the Village is committed to helping the society get grants to help with funding. “That’s the ultimate goal, and staff are working to try to get grants from BC Gaming, the Heritage Branch, and others. The society has received $1,100 from the Canadian Red Cross, and we’re hoping they ask for more. And they received a $3,000 donation from a private citizen.” ...
From the Ashcroft-Cache Creek Journal