New Visitor Centre Planned Near Upper Canada Village
The St. Lawrence Parks Commission (SLPC) is hosting an open house to discuss exhibit themes and heritage messages for the new visitor centre planned for launch in 2011 near the entrance to Upper Canada Village. Since last Spring’s announcement of $13 million in capital funding, St. Lawrence Parks Commission staff have been researching and discussing with various members of the heritage community and Ministry of Tourism the rich history of the area and how to best tell its stories in a compelling way to generate more visits. Public feedback is invited on the preliminary concepts. A public meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at the McIntosh Country Inn in Morrisburg from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
“We are looking to engage the public on the preliminary exhibit themes and messages that are being explored for the visitor centre project so far. We have many stories to tell from Battle of Crysler’s Farm to the creation of Upper Canada Village. We are eager for the community to embrace this new centre and to be involved in the development of the messaging and that’s why we are having this open house,” said Pat Macdonald, CEO of the St. Lawrence Parks Commission which operates Upper Canada Village.
“We see the exhibitory and design as a cornerstone to make the new centre a unique, compelling visitor experience that will help renew interest. As such, we have dedicated approximately $4M for exhibitory and have hired Reich & Petch, an Ontario-based firm due to their extensive experience and expertise in renewing heritage attractions and museums” said Macdonald.
Macdonald said “We have a wonderful opportunity to make this visitor centre a real draw for the region and to attract and revitalize visitor interest and therefore create real economic benefits for the region.”
• In the 2009 Ontario budget, a capital investment of $23 million in the St. Lawrence Parks Commission – an agency of the Ontario government - was announced to improve the quality of its attractions and to make the local tourism industry more competitive.
• An open competitive purchasing process has been followed through all of the pre-planning. MHPM of Ottawa was awarded the project management contract for the visitor centre project.
• In recent weeks, through the same open bidding process exhibit and design firm Reich and Petch were awarded the contract to develop the concepts, messaging and exhibitory plan for the visitor centre projects at both Upper Canada Village (Morrisburg) and Fort Henry (Kingston).
• Currently, the SLPC is finalizing the selection of an architect for the projects, also conducted through the open competitive purchasing process.
• Several staff sessions and individual meetings with members of local heritage organizations and community leaders have already been held and more are planned. The SLPC is committed to keeping the community informed of progress and will post updates on the website as they are available. The project vision is posted online now at www.parks.on.ca
• The St. Lawrence Parks Commission, an agency of the Government of Ontario, operates facilities in 16 municipalities stretching from Kingston to the Quebec border, including Upper Canada Village, Fort Henry National Historic Site of Canada (and a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Crysler Park Marina, Upper Canada Golf Course, Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary and 12 campgrounds and beach day-use areas including the Long Sault and 1000 Islands Parkways. It serves approximately 1 million visitors annually through its various attractions and facilities.
• Approximately 300,000 people in Ontario are directly or indirectly employed by the tourism industry.
Learn about Upper Canada Village at www.UpperCanadaVillage.com
Learn more about the St. Lawrence Parks Commission at www.parks.on.ca
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