Society proposes heritage app to promote Townsite neighbourhood in Powell River

City of Powell River will consider providing seed money to an innovative technology application that would highlight the Townsite district.

At the August 18 committee of the whole meeting, councillors heard a presentation from Ann Nelson, president of the Townsite Heritage Society, who said 2020 has provided challenges for the society to define a legacy going forward.

“We think we have an opportunity of a lifetime,” said Nelson, of the prospect to create an application that highlights and promotes Townsite.

She said some years ago, the former president of the society was invited by mayor Dave Formosa to talk to him about how best to exploit this unique treasure that Townsite represents in the community. She said Townsite is unique because there are no other designated sites or districts in Western Canada like it.

The mayor invited the society to build relationships with Tourism Powell River and the museum to come up with ideas to promote this unique opportunity, according to Nelson.

“We focused on that and worked on some excellent projects with Tourism Powell River and we now have an opportunity to expand this into a cutting edge, new, contemporary technology,” said Nelson.

She said development of a specialized web and mobile application would go hand-in-hand with more heritage tourism promotion, which she characterized as the fastest growing sector in Canada in tourism. She said her organization is trying to be active in the economic revitalization of Townsite and the whole community.

Nelson said she wanted to highlight the mixed reality interface with visual and audio-based storytelling elements. She said this would be for the convenience of people who cannot participate in Townsite guided walking tours, among other things.

“We now have an option to do more,” said Nelson. “It’s a challenging project but something our community can be proud of.”

She said the archives of Townsite are among the best in Canada because of the commitment made by the Powell River Company to document photographically everything that went on.

The technology project was outlined by Townsite Heritage Society coordinator Joëlle Sévigny, who said a person came to the society earlier this year who has a background in augmented reality. She said he had the idea of creating something for Townsite, combining audio and visual storytelling.

During a PowerPoint presentation, Sévigny showed examples of a mixed reality interface from Luxembourg, where participants, for example, can use their smartphone as they walk through areas, accessing data on the spots they visit.

She said some of the benefits to the community include engaging local artists and theatrical groups for voice acting and soundscapes. It would also be an opportunity for recording locals, historians and elders, capturing and preserving their stories. Another component would be partnering with Tla’amin Nation elders to discuss first people’s history on the village site in Townsite.

Nelson said there will be challenges over the next several years in trying to regain market share in tourism. She said Townsite Heritage Society wants to be in on the ground floor using new and innovative technologies.

She said the first phases of the project would cost up to $25,000. The kind of funding available to the society requires a demonstration of secure investment – seed money – to tap into funding necessary to do the job, she added.

Nelson said the project would be a permanent asset to the community and to tourism marketing.

“Our request today is for council to consider investing $10,000, that would allow us to apply for the BC Arts Council, and also to Heritage BC,” said Nelson. “It would allow us to have a product that could be used and promoted by next season.”

Mayor Dave Formosa said he thinks it’s a great project and he loves it. 

“I totally support it and it would be nice if we could find the funds,” he added. “I have a few ideas about how we could do that.”

Councillor Cindy Elliott said it was a wonderful presentation and she loves the idea. She said she’d like to look at options to find the requested funds.

Councillor Rob Southcott said the technology was amazing, and if Townsite was the first to have it, people would come here to use it.

Councillor Jim Palm said he endorsed the project because it was close to his heart.

Councillor George Doubt said it was an exciting project and the city has a treasure in the Townsite. Finding ways to attract people to enjoy it is a really good idea, he added.

Doubt said he was looking forward to hearing from the mayor about where the city could find the money to do this.

Chief administrative officer Russell Brewer said the city has an innovation reserve fund with $36,000 in it. It was formerly the arts and culture reserve, he added.

The matter has been referred to the city’s finance committee for further consideration.