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Wyoming, ON – Today Lambton County Councillors voted in favour of building a new Category 'A' art gallery at the corner of Lochiel and Christina Streets in Sarnia using the façade of the former Sak's Building.
Council approved a staff recommendation to hire PCR Contractors Inc. to design and build the 17,400 square foot art gallery at a cost not to exceed $6.16 million. Additionally, Council approved the purchase of specialized equipment and fixtures not to exceed $1.6 million.
"This is a great day for Lambton County," said Lambton County Warden Jim Burns. "This Category 'A' art gallery is going to be a permanent home for our outstanding collection of over 1,000 pieces of art, including works by the Group of Seven, and it is going to attract tourists to Sarnia-Lambton which will greatly benefit our local economy."
The new art gallery will be built using $3 million in federal funding through the Department of Canadian Heritage's Canada Cultural Spaces Fund. In addition, Lambton County has allocated $2.6 million to the project.
A professional fundraiser and a team of community volunteers are also seeking out $3.5 million in community fundraising. "We have talked to a few organizations and individuals over the last week and a half and we have asked for some substantial donations," said Warden Burns. "Each dollar we receive will help us achieve our goal of building this cultural destination, and we plan to employ a variety of methods to canvas the entire community including individuals, businesses and organizations."
It is anticipated that work will begin immediately on the project, as one-third of the federal funding must be spent by March 31, 2010. Current estimates show that the new gallery could be finished in 2011 in time to celebrate Gallery Lambton's 50th Anniversary.
For more information about Lambton County, visit www.lambtononline.ca.
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Contact:
Jim Burns
Warden
Telephone: 519 845-0801
email: jim.burns@county-lambton.on.ca
Lisa Daniels
Curator, Gallery Lambton
Telephone: 519 336-8127
email: lisa.daniels@county-lambton.on.ca
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