MONTAGUE, P.E.I. — A national historic site that re-enacts life of a 1730s French P.E.I. settlement is hoping it doesn’t become a thing of the past.
Members of the Roma at Three Rivers board made a presentation to Three Rivers council during last week’s meeting and said they would be requesting a grant of $30,000 this year, significantly more than the site has previously received in local funding.
Treasurer Bob Perrin said the non-profit group has had financial challenges in recent years. While the site’s provincial property taxes are rebated, the municipal taxes are not.
“We’ve had a financial challenge in paying our municipal property taxes and we have some arrears there and threatened foreclosure. We’re working with the provincial government to resolve that issue,” said Perrin.
“It is an issue for all non-government-owned heritage sites.”
Perrin said the grant would help support annual costs and maintenance while also contributing to a sustainability study for the site, which has staffing levels dependent on year-to-year federal and provincial funding.
“There is little consistency in employees from year to year,” said Perrin, adding the study may secure revenue for a permanent business and site manager. “We hope to develop a new business model and fresh ideas for the site.”
Perrin said the group would also be applying for provincial and federal programs to support the study. Three Rivers’ major grant applications will be open until May 31.
The site commemorates the commercial colony, established under the French imperial regime by Jean Pierre Roma in 1732 and subsequently destroyed by New England raiders under the British flag shortly after the fall of Louisbourg in 1745.
It gives a glimpse into what life was like in the settlement, including an outdoor oven and restaurant service, heritage garden, wooded trails, school tours, a pavilion and more. The site is also available to be rented for events like wedding receptions and typically hires up to 10 part-time employees in the summer season.
“Most of the staff are dressed in 1700s period clothing,” said Perrin, adding the site welcomed more than 3,000 paid visitors last year from Canada, the U.S. and Europe.
There are also plenty of Island visitors, although Perrin noted another challenge facing the group is a lack of brand recognition.
The site is located at the end of a seven-km side road, which starts as Brudenell Point Road, and provincial signage regulations prevent a Roma-branded sign from being installed at the highway. Although there are signs up, they are the standard provincial highway signs.
“For somebody that doesn’t know anything about the site, they wouldn’t even know what Roma means… so we are limited,” said Perrin, adding that efforts to increase programming have not resulted in a substantial increase of visitation.
“Visitors frequently refer to Roma at Three Rivers as a ‘hidden jewel’. But we need to get improved brand recognition and also improved wayfinding to grow visitation.”
The organization was established in 2002 with a mandate to develop the site into a significant historical, archeological and educational destination. The original Roma site, made up of one hectare, was formally recognized as a national historic site in 1933. Last year, the property was approved as a registered heritage place under the provincial designation.
