The Editor,
Re: "Destination museum dream refloated," News, March 27.
This $59 million museum proposal came up about four years ago because there was a large grant dangled in front of whichever city dumb enough to build this museum.
If my aging memory serves me, it was a $15 million grant which was about to expire. Therefore, Richmond considered whether it was worthwhile to spend the $30 million in order to receive the $15 million grant. The reason why the grant was still available, and therefore was about to expire, was because no city was dumb enough to build such a white elephant.
Now, suddenly, even without the grant incentive, some study has concluded that a destination museum in Richmond is necessary and in demand. Really? In my 25 years of living in Richmond and chatting with my Richmond friends, I have never once heard someone say, "Oh, I really want a museum in Richmond." Have you? Have you seen anyone standing outside city hall with "We Need A Museum" placards"?
Have you read any letters to editors expressing this compelling need for a museum? Have you heard any Richmond merchant say, "Oh, if Richmond only had a museum, my business will increase"?
When the term "Destination Museum" comes up, I think of "The Louvre," "The Vatican Museums."
People from all over the world travel to see the eye-popping, jaw-dropping architecture of the museum buildings and artifacts inside. Those are true destination museums.
I have a really hard time imagining tourists from London, Japan, Australia, or even our Fraser Valley neighbours, for that matter, making a trip to Richmond to see our Oval Olympic museum and this new one which we don't even know what we're going to stuff in.
Reminder: we are looking at two museums: an Olympic museum at the "Owe-val" and this new one. We already have the Oval White Elephant. Isn't that one sucking us dry enough?
City staff argue that the global economy has picked up. Really? How come I have not felt this amazing "pick up" at all?
Were the newspapers making up stories when they report on the current financial disasters in Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Cyprus?
Are our young graduates finding jobs with a snap? On what basis can anyone conclude that the global economy has picked up and this is a really good time for Richmond to spend $59 million on a museum?
Our city staff time and money wasted on these reports can be better spent on the true needs of Richmond: Traffic congestion, parking congestion, housing affordability, agricultural land preservation, environment protection and racial harmony. We do not need any museums. Neither one, nor two.
Maria Kwong
Richmond
