Updated: Museum precinct proposed for Steveston

The vision of a museum precinct in Steveston was narrowly supported by Richmond council on Monday evening.

Coun. Harold Steves suggested, with the Phoenix Net Loft deteriorating and in need of repairs, that it be rebuilt and dedicated as a “museum-style interpretive centre” that would become the centrepiece of several historical buildings in Steveston.

He called the current setup a “dysfunctional waterfront.”

“What we need is a museum that will hold the whole waterfront … together,” Steves said.

But one Steveston resident is aghast at the cost of $19 million to fix up an old building. Roidon Lamb would rather see the waterfront opened up  and the money put into fixing aging infrastructure or social programs like eldercare.

“I find the cost prohibitive,” Lamb said. “$19 million to build a big barn?”

She suggested if the waterfront were opened up, it could have a walkway with a view of Shady Island.

Lamb added she can’t see how a new building will look “stuffed among old buildings” on the waterfront.

Voting against the museum idea for the Phoenix Net Loft at council were Couns. Linda McPhail, Alexa Loo, Bill McNulty and Mayor Malcolm Brodie.

McPhail suggested waiting until reports about programming and an interpretive centre, expected later this year, come back before a final decision is made.

She also argued for having public consultation on options for the space before moving forward.

McPhail said it’s “ironic” that there is talk of being open and transparent, but then no public consultation on this project is contemplated.

“We need to hear from the public — this is a lot of money,” she added.

Brodie questioned why this project needed to be pushed forward now. While he said he’s not against a museum, more information is coming back on options for the net loft.

“Why are we afraid of getting more information?” Brodie said.

Steves’ suggestion was for a museum complex that includes the Seine Net Loft, Britannia Shipyards, the First Nations Long House, the Richmond Boatworks, the Chinese Bunkhouse and the Gulf of Georgia Cannery. All these pieces together would be more than 60,000 square feet, which was originally proposed as the size needed for a destination museum for Richmond.

The Phoenix Net Loft would then be the “heart” of this museum complex — Steves said it could be one of the “best open air museum sites in Canada.”

“We should use the building for a Richmond museum and we should say that clearly tonight,” he said at Monday’s council meeting.

The building, next to the Seine Net Loft, has deteriorated to the point where it was in danger of collapsing during repairs.

The cost of rebuilding the Phoenix Net Loft will be $19.44 million, and this will create a replica of the building using as many salvaged pieces as possible.