Don’t move the Gold Pan !
That is the message behind an on-line petition in Quesnel.
It is asking Quesnel City Council to reconsider its decision to relocate it to the railway yard across from the museum.
Debra McKelvie, with Quesnel in Action, says she was approached by people to start the petition…
“That Gold Pan is absolutely the marker for the gold fields and our heritage. It’s a symbol of our heritage as far as I’m concerned, and a lot of people in Quesnel are concerned. It’s the gateway to the gold fields, it represents Cottonwood House, Wells, Barkerville, the Bowron Lake chain, all of the natural resources that are very important to Quesnel’s past and future and present.”
McKelvie says a lot of people also question the price tag to move it…
“I think that the cost of seven thousand dollars to move that Gold Pan is grossly underestimated. I’d like to see the company that put that quote it, because I have people that are near and dear to me in the business, and they feel that is a pretty low figure.”
She says they are approaching 500 signatures on-line, and Mckelvie says there is also a paper petition at her flower shop on Front Street…
“I would like to see it go viral and have people from all over the world sign the petition because we’re famous in Quesnel for that Goldpan, and it’s part of our past, and it should be a part of our future as well, even with the re-branding that is happening in our community.”
McKelvie says she is hoping that they get enough signatures for the Mayor and Council to at least compromise with them, and incorporate the Gold Pan into the new branding at its current location at the intersections of Highway 97 and Barkerville Highway.