St. Marys Museum secures public input for new strategic plan

Pictured from left are Abby Parsons, curatorial program assistant intern at the St. Marys Museum, Amy Cubberley, director of culture, tourism and engagement with the Town of St. Marys, and Emily Taylor, curator and archivist at the St. Marys Museum.

By Alex Hunt

After closing a public survey on Feb. 23, the St. Marys Museum will use community input to help shape its 2026-2031 strategic plan and ensure it meets local needs.

“The reason we’re doing a strategic plan is that it’s a part of our provincial operating grant requirements. We are a recipient of the Community Museum Operating Grant every year,” said Amy Cubberley, the Town of St. Marys’ director of culture, tourism and engagement. 

“As part of the application process, we have to prove that we are meeting ministry standards, and this year’s standard is a strategic plan.” 

Cubberley said she will begin drafting the museum’s strategic plan, which is scheduled for approval in June. Public comments submitted through the survey will be incorporated into the final plan.

“I think the plan helps to define our place in the community,” said Cubberley. “I think the public survey was great because we can think we’re doing a really good job, but the locals may have different opinions and ideas.”

Cubberley said the museum hopes to make its exhibits more interactive, but operating within an 1850s-era house presents some challenges. With artifacts generally having a no-touch policy, staff have been integrating more technology where possible, and it will be important moving forward.

Cubberley said the museum has seen more younger day trippers over the past two summers but is still actively looking for ways to better connect with teenagers.

“I think we’re in rebuild mode right now,” said Cubberley. “We offer school programming, but the pandemic was really tough on it. We shifted to online programming where we could, and there were a couple of years when we didn’t do any school trip bookings.

“There was so much lost learning during the pandemic. We’ve adapted where we can, and we’re currently bringing our field trips to the schools, but we’re hoping to maintain those relationships with the schools and rebuild where possible.”