The L. Alan Cruikshank River of Time Museum looks to be undergoing some major changes in the coming years which will allow the site to offer a more flexible slate of exhibits, as well as better utilize its outdoor facilities.

Museum executive director Luke Bate spoke on behalf of the museum’s board of directors during the May 19 Town Council meeting, filling mayor Kavanagh and councilmembers in on what the group is calling its Vision 2020 plan.

According to Bate, the plan breaks down into two major phases, with completion of work expected in the year 2020. Bate said the museum has been doing well this past year, adding, “but we think we can do better.”

Phase one of the plan includes more entrances onto the museum’s existing patio. The original plan for the museum included multiple entrances for ease of use, but the final build did not work out that way.

The first phase also includes the removal of some partitions in order to create a more open floor plan that would allow for more flexible updates to the displays. Also included in this phase is improved signage for the museum.

Phase two is expected to begin in 2018 and includes a retrofitting of the space to include a “grand entrance.” This entrance would be built off of where the patio currently exists while still leaving the area open for outdoor events. This would also put the entrance of the museum right off of the parking lot, rather than around the corner and next to the library entrance.

Phase two would also include additional renovations to further open up the interior while pushing offices and storage space to the fringes. Bate explained that this would allow for the practical occupancy of the museum, as well as the types of displays that could be utilized, to go up drastically.

The planned completion of these phases is 2020 or, as Bate pointed out, around the 50th anniversary of when the Fountain Park fountain was first turned on Dec. 15, 1970.

If all goes well, that’s the same timing the board hopes to get moving on a potential phase three for the project, which would include a brand new museum building while leaving the existing space open to town or library use. The group is taking this one step at a time, though, and wishes to get through the first two phases before digging too deep into phase three.

Bate explained that the River of Time Foundation has committed to fully funding phase one of the project, with both phase one and two expected to cost about $50,000.

The Council approved these short- and long-term improvement plans unanimously.