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Home My WebLink AboutCSD-07-100 - Donation of Kaufman Steam Engine ) R Community Services Report To: Date of Meeting: Submitted By: Prepared By: Ward(s) Involved: Date of Report: Report No.: Subject: Community Services Committee November 5, 2007 Cheryl York Cheryl York, Arts/Culture Co-ordinator Ext 3381 All October 15, 2007 CSD-07-100 DONATION OF KAUFMAN STEAM ENGINE RECOMMENDATION: That the donation of the Kaufman steam engine to Doon Heritage Crossroads' collection be approved by Council, subject to approval of the Regional Museum project by the Region of Waterloo; and further, That the Mayor and Clerk be authorized to enter into an agreement with the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, satisfactory to the City Solicitor. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: A rare and historic Goldie & McCullouch Co. steam engine, built at Galt shortly after the turn of the 20th century, was acquired by the City of Kitchener in 2005 from the new owners of the former Kaufman factory at King and Francis Streets. The intention of the acquisition was to preserve an important artifact of regional industrial history and to use the artifact as a tourist-attraction feature in a downtown Kitchener location. In the absence of reasonable opportunities and sizable resources for restoring, installing and preserving the engine in the foreseeable future, and with preparations well underway for a new regional museum, Council is asked to consider the recommendation to donate the artifact to the Doon Heritage Crossroads collection. At the new regional museum, the artifact - one of only three such engines in Canada - would receive appropriate care, public access, and historical interpretation. The donation would be conditional on the approval of the Regional Museum project; on the display of the engine in the new facility; and on the City of Kitchener retaining the right of first refusal for the engine should the regional museum project not proceed. Report No. CSD-07 -1 00 Page 2 BACKGROUND: Referencing report CSD-05-027 "Final Proposal - Donation of Kaufman Steam Engine", the following recommendation was approved by Council on May 9, 2005: That as a means of preserving a significant industrial artifact and to create a potential tourist attraction the donation of the Kaufman Steam Engine be accepted, and further; That staff be directed to explore options to publicly display the steam engine with preference to be given to locations in the Downtown area. The donation included the horizontal engine and its massive flywheel, a generator, and a vertical steam engine, all removed from the Kaufman engine room. The three components functioned as a unit to provide power to all factory operations. REPORT: Made at Galt by the firm Goldie and McCulloch (now Babcock and Wilcox Canada) around 1900, the Goldie-Corliss steam engine weighs 25 tonnes and measures 13.5 metres in length. It is believed to be one of only three such engines remaining in North America. The engine was acquired by A.R. Kaufman in 1907. For industrial heritage purposes, the Goldie-Corliss is as significant as the Beam engine at Hamilton's Museum of Steam and Technology. After being acquired by the City of Kitchener, the steam engine was dismantled and removed from the former Kaufman building. The engine is now stored at the City's Guelph Street storage facility. Over the past two years, staff have sought professional advice on costs to restore and install the engine and received a list of options with quotes from Mr. Wayne Fischer, Ontario Steam Heritage Museum. The quotes reflect various types of restoration, ranging from $45,000 - $180,000. In 2006, Pragmata Historic Machinery Conservation assessed the steam engine's condition. Staff was concerned about the condition of the engine and the potential for deterioration. Mr. Selway recommended that the machine be reassembled and maintained at the earliest possible opportunity. Ultimately, the machine should be restored to display condition. Restoration to operating condition is also feasible. As identified in the approved Council recommendation, display of the engine was an important consideration. However, opportunities for a public, structurally-modified building in the downtown area to house an engine of this size have not appeared. The Guelph Street storage facility's limited space makes on-site restoration and ongoing maintenance improbable. There is no public access to this site. When discussions were in progress in 2005 on the possibility of a new library being built at Centre Block, staff presented a proposal to the board of the Kitchener Public Library that a new KPL building be the display site for the engine. The proposal was not supported by the KPL board. Report No. CSD-07 -1 00 Page 3 By 2006, a feasibility study for the development of a new regional museum was complete. Consultation with Doon Heritage Crossroads staff revealed that the engine would be of great interest as an important focal point in a new regional museum. With approval in 2007 for the regional museum's development to go forward, staff again consulted with Doon Heritage Crossroads and verified a high level of continuing interest in the engine. Doon Heritage Crossroads staff indicate that they would treat the engine as a permanent, primary display item rather than storing it. In discussion with the Industrial Artifacts Committee on September 25, 2007, committee members unanimously agreed that donating it to Doon Heritage Crossroads would be in the best interests of the machine and the public for the following reasons: · Lack of opportunities for a purpose-built facility in the downtown area · Cost of designing and constructing a purpose-built facility · Cost of restoration and ongoing, expert maintenance · Opportunity for the engine to be a major exhibition feature in a new regional museum · Opportunity for the new regional museum's architecture to be designed to house the engine. As approved by Regional Council on October 2, 2007, the regional museum project is proceeding with the creation of a steering committee, and the advertisement of a request for expressions of interest by consulting architecture and exhibit design firms. By January 2008, the steering committee's development of specifications for the winning consulting firm will include preliminary information pertaining to exhibit needs. The project schedule is as follows: Advertisements soliciting letters of interest from October 2007 architectural firms Review of submissions November 2007 Interviews of short-listed submissions November 2007 Recommendations to Regional Council for December 2007 approval Design work commences Phased tendering Construction commences Construction completion January 2008 Spring/summer 2008 August 2008 March 31 , 2010 If a funding request is successful, the Federal 'Cultural Spaces Canada' program requires that the museum must be completed and available for occupancy by March 31, 2010. The front-of- house features of the building (e.g. lobby, assembly space, gift shop, theatre, class rooms and lunch rooms) would need to be open to the public on May 1 , 201 O. In order to meet timelines, it is critical that consultant selection begin in October so that the design process can be started in January 2008. Museum staff estimates a two-year period for restoration of the engine. The display would be open to the public after May 2012. Report No. CSD-07 -1 00 Page 4 Therefore, consideration of the donation by Kitchener City Council in November is necessary to coincide with Doon Heritage Crossroads' need to inform its consultant of design specifications in January. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: There will be no costs incurred by the City of Kitchener in the donation of this artifact to the Region of Waterloo. The City of Kitchener will receive acknowledgement as the donor of the artefact to Doon Heritage Crossroads. COMMUNICATIONS: At the meeting of the Industrial Artifacts Committee on Sept 25, 2007, members unanimously supported a recommendation to donate the Kaufman Steam Engine to Doon Heritage Crossroads. CONCLUSION: The benefits of the City of Kitchener donating the Goldie Corliss steam engine to Doon Heritage Crossroads are summarized as follows: · Rare heritage machine accessible to the public · Professional preservation and maintenance for the artifact · Feature exhibit at new regional museum "donated by City of Kitchener" · Industrial artifacts inventory properly dispersed · No further cost burden for the City. Cheryl York Arts/Culture Coordinator AP