WAVERLEY: The future of the Waverley Community Association (WCA) and that of the Heritage Society (WHS), which oversees the Heritage Museum, have been left wondering what their future holds after HRM told the board of the volunteer organization their service rate was being cut.
After further discussions an emergency meeting has been arranged between HRM and the WCA for Thursday Jan. 17, aimed at bringing forward interim funding until a solution can be found for the group. HRM had told the WCA that as of March 31, 2019 their funding through the service rate was being discontinued.
Kevin O’Halloran, a Waverley resident and dedicated volunteer, spoke about the outcome that eliminating the service rate would have on not just the WCA, but many other groups in the community.
“What brought me here initially is the potential loss of funding for the WCA and WHS,” said O’Halloran.
The WCA owns the Waverley Heritage Museum, located on Rocky Lake Drive adjacent to Waverley Memorial School. The WHS has several artifacts and local history at the museum.
O’Halloran said the museum also provides meeting space for many local non-profit community groups/organizations.
“We’ve developed that space into a real community hub over the last 10 years,” he said.
HRM has provided roughly $20,000 annually to the WCA and those funds are distributed through the elected volunteer board to things such as renovation to the museum; accessible washroom installed; lighting; pathways.
“We do a lot of good things,” he said.
O’Halloran said the group was informed in 2018 that come March 31, 2019 they would lose 100 per cent funding that supports those initiatives. He said they were asked to show evidence of a relationship that supported HRM providing that funding. They were also directed to find an official agreement, which they could not.
He said that HRM has the expertise and experience to find a solution to the problem and keep WHS and WCA in place.
“We have several significant deadlines coming up that have caused an undue amount of stress on our members,” said O’Halloran. “I just want a commitment to work with the WCA and council to find a solution.”
Councillor Steve Streatch said the issue first came to his desk six or seven weeks ago.
“I spoke with Mike Ryan who will be meeting with the chair of the WCA, and we are going to get this straightened out,” said Streatch. “It’s very unfortunate that the WCA, who does a great job in the community, has been put in this place.”
It all stems from the sale of the building in 2011 and the fact no agreement was put in place at that time.
“That wasn’t your fault, that was our fault at HRM,” he said. “I as your councillor want to accept partial responsibility for that. You should not have been put in a corner where you felt that it was incumbent upon you to find a solution. This was HRM’s mistake, and we are going to fix it up.”
He committed before the crowd of about 30 people at the North West Community Council meeting at Lockview High, to
Streatch said his understanding is that an emergency special resolution will come from the meeting on Thursday that will allow a motion to go forward and put financing in place that will allow WCA to get them through this.
“You have my commitment as your representative that we will find a solution,” said Streatch.
WCA chairwoman Virginia Archibald provided an update on the meeting the two sides had on Jan. 17.
“The meeting went well,” said Archibald. “We’re working together on a solution.”
