Some tears of joy from the Friends of the Thunder Bay Conservatory now that the city is committing to fund some major upgrades.
Past Chair of the group Kathleen Ott says they were ecstatic when City Council agreed to replace the seasonal greenhouse at Monday night’s meeting.
She believes it was the Conservatory’s supporters who convinced Councillors to unanimously support the funding.
“The citizens of Thunder Bay spoke up loud and clear, and it wasn’t just because the Friends had asked them to do it. I think the citizens realized, with the Grant Thornton report [recommending closing the Conservatory], they were not willing to lose this facility,” she explains.
She says now they can work on getting charitable status, which would allow them to hold fundraisers for the Conservatory. That was their main priority before Grant Thornton released the Program and Service Review, and she says they’re able to focus on it again without the threat of the Conservatory shutting down.
Ott adds that while the Conservatory is in the spotlight, she wants to squash the rumour that it could be moved to the waterfront.