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NLIS 5
November 7, 2000
(Tourism, Culture and Recreation)

 

Government will proceed with The Rooms development

Sandra Kelly, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation (Acting), confirmed today that government will proceed with the development of The Rooms, the new cultural and heritage facility to be constructed at Fort Townshend as planned. Last night, St. John�s City Council passed a resolution asking government to postpone further development of the facility until a new premier is in place, which will not happen until after a leadership convention in the new year. Minister Kelly indicated that such a postponement would not change government�s plans for the development, and would only result in additional costs to the project.

"Both the premier and myself are fully committed to The Rooms project as it has been conceived and the cabinet is unanimous in its support of this project," said Minister Kelly. "It must be understood that to delay the project at this time would mean that construction could not begin until next spring, thereby incurring substantial inflationary construction costs and further risk to the valuable collections of the three institutions. The Rooms represents a significant financial investment in our province�s heritage and we are not willing to delay the project to the detriment of those resources."

Government stands behind the project and is confident in the extensive consultation process which culminated in the selection of Fort Townshend as the preferred the site for new building.

"Government has continued to consult with a broad range of community groups on this development," added Minister Kelly. "We have conducted a thorough archaeological excavation of the construction site and are confident in our approach both for The Rooms development and for the interpretation of Fort Townshend. We have met with city council to review the project and have corresponded with them on a number of occasions with respect to our position on this development. We feel that our current plan meets the needs of the broadest range of people in this province, and I therefore see no advantage to delaying this important development any further."

Media contact: Deborah Glassman, Manager of Communications and Development, (709) 729-5002, dglassman@mail.gov.nf.ca

2000 11 07 2:40 p.m.


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