The Pitt Meadows Museum is nearing the final prep stages for its upcoming move, due to the upcoming construction of the Harris Road underpass.
After years of working with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and the City of Pitt Meadows, the museum has now announced that it expects the final layout of the new heritage site to be available in the next couple of months.
“We hope that final plans will be in place by the mid-winter but we still don’t have a date for the actual move,” explained museum curator Leslie Norman.
READ MORE: Underpass may force relocation of Pitt Meadows museum
In the meantime, the museum staff have continued to do prep work while keeping the museum operating business as usual.
“We have been packing up the reserve storage room at the museum but our exhibits are still in place and we have regular open hours, programs, and school tours, and will continue to do so until we are given a date for the move,” said Norman. “The Hoffmann site still opens the first Sunday of each month.”
When it comes to the inevitable move, Norman expressed that the Pitt Meadows Heritage and Museum Society, which is a non-profit in charge of protecting and collecting the museum artifacts, has a number of concerns.
“Our biggest concerns regarding the move of the buildings relate to the preservation of our various collections, including the Hoffmann engines and machinery, and the more than 3,000 objects at the General Store site,” said Norman.
“All of the artifacts need dry, heated, and secure storage, and finding such a facility could be complicated. The buildings themselves were built to be durable and we know the companies hired for the move and re-setup are very capable and experienced. We believe they (the buildings) will weather it well.”
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