The Center Of Attention - The Visitors’ Center Seeks A New Home

Last week’s Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors meeting delved into some concerns over the issue of the Downtown Visitors’ Center by board member and historical society president, David Menke. Menke and Chamber Secretary Megan Lang debated the pros and cons of the future of the building which Pinckney Bend purchased for just $10K in a closed session meeting with the City.

Lang took the stance of moving on with the conclusion that a new home for the Visitors’ Center would be found between now and the closing of the center, which coincides with the end of the lease in June 2022. David Menke, however, stressed that there may be other options to prevent the acquisition of the property by Pinckney Bend and the expected demolition of the former firehouse to make way for future construction of a new tasting room and barrel storage facility.

In an interview with the New Haven Independent News, Menke told the story of how the Bicentennial committee for the Lewis and Clark Corp of Discovery event focused the efforts of many local volunteers to create a museum and an eventual memorial honoring the Corp and John Colter. Menke sees the Visitors’ Center and the John Colter Memorial as married together and integral in teaching about John Colter and the Corp.

Many of the items in the Visitors’ Center are on loan from private collections, but other items include videos and printed materials. When asked what he thought about the future of the Visitors’ Center, Menke felt that if Pinckney Bend’s new facility could somehow feature the essence of what he and others had brought to memorialize Colter and important local history, that he would not be opposed to that.

Looking forward, the solution will be hopefully solved by a collaboration between the City, Pinckney Bend and the Chamber.

Also during the meeting, it was announced that Rachel Terbrock would be stepping down as Chamber President at the end of her term. At the next Chamber meeting, new Chamber of Commerce officers will be elected.