by Alex Rinfret--The Queen Charlotte management committee headquarters needs a $55,500 makeover to transform it into a municipal office, according to an application the committee is preparing to submit to the Gwaii Trust.
The changes are required as Queen Charlotte prepares to become a municipality next month, said management committee chair Anne Mountifield.
The biggest item on the shopping list is new municipal software, Ms Mountifield said, "and it's not cheap".
The $55,500 will also pay for a new telephone system, new office equipment and new furniture. The committee will be applying to the Gwaii Trust for $20,000, and using its savings to cover the remaining $35,500, said office manager Debra Uliana.
Ms Mountifield said the expenses are not unusual, nor are they unexpected.
"We knew there would be some changes required," she said. "I believe that if we take a look at the incorporation study, it said there would be some expenses."
Queen Charlotte needs a new formal approach as it becomes an incorporated village, she added. "We need something a little more formal than the folding tables and chairs we've been using these many years," she said.
Ms Uliana said she didn't want to release more detailed information about exactly what will be purchased and how much it will cost, because they will be asking for bids on some of the items.
The application is in draft form and hasn't yet been submitted to the Gwaii Trust, she added, although the committee has voted to submit it and it should be ready for the Nov. 15 deadline. It will be up to the new mayor and council to decide whether to go through with the purchases once they take office, she said.