Free admission for locals, name change proposed for Muskoka Heritage Place

A months-long consultation process is complete for Muskoka Heritage Place.

Based on staff and local resident input, along with comparison to other similar attractions across North America, Lord Cultural Resources has presented a report to the Town with suggestions for improving visitor experience and with it, hopefully, increasing revenues to help ensure the sustainability of the historical park.

Ted Silberberg from Lord Cultural Resources joined the June 26 General Committee meeting via teleconference to review their draft report and recommendations – the report will be finalized in the coming week.

Among the report’s 39 recommendations are a suggestion for a moderate name change from Muskoka Heritage Place to Muskoka Heritage Park, and a change to the admission structure to include free admission for locals to the pioneer village area of the park, except during special events.

Background

The Muskoka Museum was created by the Huntsville Rotary Club in 1958, located in an empty school building at the time. In 1961, 31 acres were purchased at the current site and a museum building was constructed in 1966. Over the years, Rotary acquired and relocated a variety of heritage buildings to create Muskoka Pioneer Village. By the early 70s, The Friends of Muskoka Pioneer Village was organized to assist the Rotarians and volunteers operated the site until 1981.

In 1978, Rotary had transferred management of the Pioneer Village to the Town of Huntsville, which added 17 acres and two buildings to the site to reflect a pioneer crossroads community as it was between 1860 and 1910. A condition of the transfer was that the site will remain a pioneer village or park in perpetuity.

In 1984, the Huntsville and Lake of Bays Railway Society formed which led to the addition of 66 acres in 1997 for the addition of one kilometre of rail track from the Rotary Village Station to the edge of Fairy Lake for the Portage Flyer, which debuted at the site in 2000. With the addition of the train, the Muskoka Pioneer Village name was changed to Muskoka Heritage Place.

Short-term recommendations

In the next one to two years, the consultants recommended several changes to MHP’s operations, including:

Providing free admission to Huntsville residents for the pioneer village at all times except for special events, and free admission to the museum for all visitors. Train tickets would still be charged to all visitors. The report noted that currently Huntsville and area residents – within 100 kilometres of Muskoka Heritage Place – only account for 6.1 per cent of non-event visitors.

Lowering admission rates. The report notes that current rates are over-priced relative to other pioneer/heritage villages in Ontario.

Limiting daily operations to the peak period from Canada Day to Labour Day with farm animals on site only during this period. The village would be open weekends-only in May, June, September and October, plus for pre-booked school groups and special events.

Making MHP available for walking, jogging, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, picnicking and other recreational opportunities year round, when it’s not functioning as a paid attraction. The report recommends day- and night-vision security cameras, lighting, and signage to deter vandalism.

Changing the name to Muskoka Heritage Park because “The concept of a park is that it is welcoming to people and is clearer than a ‘place’.”

Constructing a covered pavilion “to be used for evening rentals and school and other programming that would add to and not compete with existing offerings of the Canada Summit Centre and Active Living Centre.” The covered pavilion, potentially with a bonfire pit, warming kitchen and washroom facilities, could be 3,000 sq. ft. (60 feet by 50 feet), and would keep with the heritage aesthetic of the village. The suggested location is between the village’s church and the barn. Adjacent to Cann Lake was considered but not recommended due to its closer proximity to homes.

Pursuing increased Rotary support for MHP, which was offered on the condition that the Town maintains or increases its financial support for MHP. The report includes comment from Rotary that “It may be time for Rotary to take a break from building new assets and instead focus on finding ways to increase the use, enjoyment, revenue from, and maintenance of existing assets that we helped to build.” The Lord Cultural report further states that Rotary has proposed an advisory committee to help make MHP more sustainable, including to “co-ordinate Rotary activities, events and hands-on activities.”

Medium-term recommendations (within three to five years)

The Lord Cultural Resources report recommends some enhancements to Muskoka Heritage Place to make it more attractive to visitors including:

• Creating a heritage-themed playground
• Experimenting with Sunday train operations in July and August, particularly on long weekends
• Adding more heritage-themed performances
• Considering other revenue-generating options like canoes, swan boats and row boats on Cann Lake during peak periods.

The report also suggested other funding and fundraising sources like private sponsorship options and the creation of an MHP Foundation to raise private funds.

Long-term recommendations (more than five years)

The report acknowledges the need for “a better and lengthier experience” when people get off the train at Camp Kitchen. Currently, the train is a seven-minute ride each way, with opportunity to get off to view the water and Purser’s Cabin and watch the train turn around.

One suggestion was for a private-sector boat operator to coordinate a boat tour, potentially to include a stop at Huntsville’s Town Dock.

The estimated cost for all three phases would be $950,000: $650,000 for phase one, which includes construction of a pavilion; $160,000 for phase two; and $105,000 for phase three. Lord Cultural Resources projects that with these changes, paid attendance would double within the first few years to approximately 22,000 annual visitors and would increase to 27,000 in the long term.

View the full report here and a summary here.

Committee voted to accept the report for information only, and directed staff to review the recommendations in consultation with stakeholders and report back.

“This will give us the opportunity to give it some serious consideration, what we like and what we don’t like,” noted Councillor Jonathan Wiebe. “It’s not necessarily an all-or-nothing deal. It behooves every (committee member) to really go over it and speak with constituents and engage with staff so we can come up with the best possible result out of it.”

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