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Guelph/Eramosa council wonders when it should go back in time

One capsule is at the Brucedale township office, one is at the Rockmosa Skate Park, and the third is at the Marden Community Centre
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Guelph/Eramosa town sign which currently contains a time capsule.

GUELPH/ERAMOSA — Township's committee of the whole has decided it will wait until 2067, Canada's bicentennial, to open the time capsule in Rockmosa Skate Park.

Mayor Chris White brought the time capsule debate to a close Wednesday by setting open dates for time capsules located at the township office in Brucedale and at Rockmosa Park. White said they should be opened 50 years after being sealed.

The future of the time capsule located at Marden Community Centre is being sent to the Heritage Committee for discussion and direction.

“And the committee set a time capsule opening period of 50 years for Brucedale, Rockmosa time capsules. That the committee direct staff to bring the Marden time capsule to the Heritage Committee for their input and further discussion. That staff document these happenings as an official township record with an understanding we will reach out on the municipal one here (Brucedale) to see if their is a desire for the 25 years for a specific reason,” White said.

Councillor Mark Bouwmeester tried to find a sweet spot to open the capsules, not too short but not too long, specifically with regard to the Guelph/Eramosa amalgamation that was happening when the Brucedale capsule was placed.

“At the time they did that I think they were probably thinking about amalgamation because it’s key. So 20 years to me is a good time frame to look back at that. 50 years from now, majority of people won’t even be alive. So I would stick to 25 years for out front,” Bouwmeester said.

The other issue, just briefly mentioned by Robin Milne, director of parks and recreation, is the nature of the events to be had during the opening of the time capsules.

“What I’m looking for is how many years do we wait until we open these. And then secondly, if we move forward with opening in 2022, the Marden one, is the expectation of council that we have some type of a formal event, with press or media invited?”  Milne said.

The Brucedale time capsule was placed in 1999. The plan was to open it in 2019. That did not happen.

“The three locations, one is the Brucedale municipal office, and that is the in the stone out front. My understanding, it’s encapsulated. You lift off the granite stone and it’s almost like a crypt and it’s in there,” Milne said.

The Rockmosa capsule was placed in 2017.

“Rockmosa Skate Park, I think a majority of possibly this council was there when we placed that time capsule.” Milne said.

The Marden capsule was originally placed in 1997 and was moved but not opened.

“And then we do have one at the Marden Community Centre and this is in the Marden school bell cairn. And it was placed in there in 1997 at the time the bell and the cairn and the capsule were actually not at the property that they currently are, they were at, located it was on the school’s property. Before the school board sold that Marden school off and closed the school. It was later moved in front of Marden CC,” Milne said.

Milne also gave an explanation of the purpose of time capsules.

A time capsule should document a previous time’s history and culture for a later age, Milne said.

Jesse Gault is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.