Norfolk County councillors are considering two possible options for the future of the Lynnwood Arts Centre, a historic public art gallery in Simcoe.
The gallery operates from 21 Lynnwood Avenue, also known as the Campbell-Reid House, which was designated a national historic site in 1972.
Originally transferred to the Lynnwood Arts Centre organization in 1973, the property later became owned by Norfolk County following municipal amalgamation in 2003.
As a heritage building, the facility requires significant ongoing capital investment and operating costs to maintain.
Representatives from the Lynnwood Arts Centre have presented two potential paths forward to Norfolk County Council.
The first option would see the County transfer ownership of the building to the arts centre for a nominal price of $1, allowing the organization to take full responsibility for capital repairs, operations, and fundraising.
Under that proposal, the County would also provide a $250,000 capital reserve fund and an annual $50,000 operating grant to support continued arts programming.
The second option would see the gallery relocate operations to the Norfolk County Archives building.
Under that model, the arts centre would operate as a tenant within the archives facility, allowing the County to maintain the building while the gallery focuses on programming and exhibitions.
One of the key factors in the decision is the gallery’s public art collection, which has an estimated insured value of over $3.1 million.
County staff say relocating the collection to the archives facility could provide better storage, documentation, and long-term preservation.
Either option would reduce the number of buildings maintained by Norfolk County while allowing public art programming to continue.
Council is expected to review the options before making a decision on the future structure of the arts centre.