MVCA Issues Request for Expression of Interest for Mill of Kintail Museum Collections

From the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority

The Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) issued a Request for Expression of Interest (REOI) on February 24, 2026 inviting organizations to respond by March 16, 2026 if they may be interested in assuming ownership of the collections of Dr. R. Tait McKenzie and Dr. James Naismith.

Two local museums have already indicated interest in assuming ownership of the collections and MVCA looks forward to receiving their formal submission(s). Using the results of the REOI, the Authority plans to develop and issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to enable it to determine which organization is best able to assume ownership and management of the collections.

MVCA’s Board of Directors approved deaccession of the collections no later than the end of 2028 due to legislative changes affecting both the mandate and funding of the Authority.  A Working Group of local community members, museum specialists, fundraisers and a member of the Naismith family was established in January to assist the Authority in identifying a preferred solution. The group will be reviewing the results of the REOI with Authority staff and helping to inform the next steps in the process including the development of evaluation criteria.

A decision is to be made by the Board by the end of May 2026.